President Obama To Appear On Mythbusters 795
Muondecay writes "President Obama will be featured in the December 8th MythBusters episode, 'Archimedes Solar Ray,' during which he will challenge Adam and Jamie to revisit an ancient and somewhat controversial myth: Did Greek scientist and polymath Archimedes set fire to an invading Roman fleet using only mirrors and the reflected rays of the sun during the Siege of Syracuse? This is part of a White House effort to highlight the importance of science education."
I am surprised it was him myth-busting his birth (Score:1, Funny)
I am surprised it was him myth-busting his country of birth.
*pours tea over everything and yet fails to comprehend what the Boston Tea Party was about*
The Greeks (Score:5, Funny)
Did Greek scientist and polymath Archimedes set fire to an invading Roman fleet using only mirrors and the reflected rays of the sun during the Siege of Syracuse?
- probably, but you can count on this: if UN existed at that time, they would have banned any of this 'Sun Blotting or Reflecting'.
Re:The original idea for the episode... (Score:5, Funny)
For some reason this reminds me of the Onion headline: "Black Man Given Worst Job In Country".
Re:They've already busted that twice now (Score:3, Funny)
Of course it's not true, but that's no reason no to try to start a big fire.
Re:Archimedes was not born in Greece (Score:5, Funny)
Someone really should have warned the Romans before that battle: 'never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!'
Re:They've already busted that twice now (Score:3, Funny)
The obvious answer is that Obama knows what the military knows: they have a secret technology for accomplishing this, and will reveal it as part of the episode. This probably means the technology in question was recently stolen by Chinese spies, so the value of keeping it secret has expired.
Re:They've already busted that twice now (Score:5, Funny)
Why should she have to mention just one? She has made it very clear that she reads all of them.
Re:They've already busted that twice now (Score:5, Funny)
And the obvious follow-up:
Thank you, Life of Brian" [wikiquote.org]
The parabolic mirror thing's already been done (Score:1, Funny)
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/las-vegas-hotel-pool-sunlight-swimming-tourists/story?id=11739234
Re:pessimism... (Score:4, Funny)
Here we have a fine example of a modified "but clinton". Notice this trolls plumage, that with his call clearly indicates he is a small brained republocrat. Sadly this creatures actually are allowed to vote.
Re:The Greeks (Score:5, Funny)
If the UN existed at that time, we'd never have had the Dark Ages, the Inquisition, the rise of Colonialism, or two World Wars.
It wouldn't all have been rainbows and unicorns, but it would have been better than it was.
He gets to meet Kari! (Score:5, Funny)
Expert in Smoke and Mirrors (Score:4, Funny)
Since they tried and failed to prove this myth previously they decided to call in an expert in smoke and mirrors !
Shovel Ready Jobs Myth (Score:1, Funny)
I figured that Adam and Jamie were going to look for the shovel ready jobs, that would really be in line with calling this a real myth
MYTH: Is Hope and Change possible? (Score:1, Funny)
Of course not. That was just a shortlived urban legend of 2008.
Re:They've already busted that twice now (Score:5, Funny)
Even Russian magazines, which she can read from her back porch.
Re:They've already busted that twice now (Score:5, Funny)
Or: Sarah Palin. Beauty pageant winner, BA in communications and....that's it.
Re:They've already busted that twice now (Score:3, Funny)
They have busted it twice now, and both times it was with two guys and small mirrors.
Yep: They busted it because they didn't do it right.
They should try it this way:
- "Pave" the battlements or hills with "soldiers" armed with double-sided flat mirrors with a small hole in them, as large as is convenient for each to hold for significant periods, i.e. the size of a Greek shield. (The back sides only need to be shiny around the hole.)
- Have them hold up their shields at partial arms-length in front of them, look through the hole at the target, and adjust the tilt until the bright spot on their own reflection where the sun shines through the hole is also aligned with the hole.
That lets you build an arbitrarily large solar concentrator with very good focus.
(I think it was Arthur C. Clarke who used this trick in a short story. The army of a small South American country, seated as a block in the stands at a soccer game, uses mirror-fronted program books to ignite the head referee after the first bad call against their team.)
Re:Archimedes, again? Really? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:They've already busted that twice now (Score:2, Funny)
She knows how to read? Thats something for myth busters to investigate.
Re:Mythbusters does science? (Score:4, Funny)
When it's been unavoidable, they've shown placards reading "Warning: Science content"
That's what eventually drove me away from the show. That and the over the top "ZOMG! That explodey was the coolest thing in the history of humanity!" breathless reactions.
"Well, we tested several computer myths today, so the only logical thing left to do is strap C4 explosives to the computers and detonate them out on the bomb range."
"Well, we tested several car myths today, so the only logical thing left to do is strap C4 explosives to the cars and detonate them out on the bomb range."
"Well, we tested several foot odor myths today, so the only logical thing left to do is strap C4 explosives to Grant's feet and detonate them out on the bomb range."
OK, it's fun the first three times or so, but after a while... meh. I can just tune over to "Destroyed In Seconds" and see real world things blowing up much more awesomely in a totally uncontrolled manner. I'll pit footage of an F5 tornado tossing semis about filmed by some crazy stormchaser against anything on Mythbusters.
Re:Mythbusters does science? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Incidentally (Score:3, Funny)
helps rubbish like Creationism, anti-Vaxxers and Homeopathy gain some popularity.
Hey, don't put anti-Vaxxers in with those nutjobs... its terrible usability and the lack of software portability very good reasons to dislike VAX!
(FD: I really don't know if that's true, I was just going for a joke based on my few-hours experience with it)