h a l f b a k e r yA dish best served not.
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In light of recent events, MaxCo has teamed up with a certified
former Bose engineer and a seismologist, and is now rolling out its
ExBoseive Earthquake Cancellator.
The system is being tested first on Kiribati, since this seems to be a
major transport hub and particularly vulnerable to earthquakes.
A
2.7 mile circular area has been selected for protection, and 300m
deep boreholes, at 11ft intervals around the perimeter of this area,
have been dug and filled with high explosives.
Each borehole is equipped with seismic sensors, its own
computerized analysis platform, a hard-wired connection to adjacent
boreholes, and a very very large "No picnicking" sign.
Upon detecting the arrival of a major shock wave, the software in
each borehole's computer decides whether, and when, to detonate.
It also transmits a signal to the other boreholes in the system, telling
them the intensity and direction of the wave before it reaches them.
A Cunning algorithm* ensures that a wave of detonations occurs
around the appropriate sector of the perimeter, such as to cancel as
much as possible of the destructive force of the shock in a Bosely
manner.
The system will detonate only the minimum number of boreholes
necessary in order to attenuate the wave. Subsequent waves
activate further subsets of boreholes, until such time as all boreholes
have been detonated, or the quake subsides.
*Developed by Byron P. Cunning, late of Bose Armaments Division.
Similar but not quite as practical as explosives
http://en.wikipedia...ismic_metamaterials
[leinypoo13, Jan 19 2010]
[link]
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Are you sure that annotation wasn't meant for another idea? |
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Ejector bras, by the look of it. |
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I don't understand the sign, even a massive picnic with whole stiltons, hams, capons, geese, paté, steak pies, pork pies, game pies, pasties, bridies, flans, quiches, jars of picked onions, pickled eggs, pickled gherkins, rolls, cucumber sandwiches, packets of crisps, cakes, buns, doughnuts, big earthenware jars of ginger beer and a crate of champagne couldn't possibly be heavy enough to interfere with the seismic detectors? |
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You say that, but....one careless picnicker pops a champagne
cork at the detector just the right way, and ....balloons.
Red. 99. |
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Of course you could do this with just one Accoustic Wave radio, or at least it seems so by the advertisements. |
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or they could just build better buildings, and leave people picnic in peace |
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// build better buildings // |
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Actually, the reverse. Build worse houses. |
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If you live in a mud hut with a thatch roof, and there's an earthquake when you're inside, then typically you end up buried under a load of thatch and surrounded by a pile of soil. Sure, your house has fallen down, but the materials to rebuild are right there beside you, or indeed on top of you. |
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For centuries, Japanese houses were one floor only, and built of wood and paper. Guess why ? |
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The people who suffer in earthquakes are often those whose societies have moved out of straw huts and into substantially built dwellings, but who cannot yet afford the expense of making them "earthquake proof" to North American and European building standards. |
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1. Earthquakes are a massively energetic phenomenon. Those charges are going to have to be fusion weapons, or modified photon torpedoes. |
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2. Given (1) the cure may be as bad as the disease. From a point detonation, the shock wave will propagate isotropically. A sufficiently powerful shock wave capable of nullifying an earthquake shock at a distance +l from the point of detonation will have, according to that nice Mr. Newton, an equal and opposite effect at a distance -l at a point radially opposed. Unless, that is, you can produce a Thermonuclear Shaped Charge, which is a bit beyond your puny species primitive technology at this time... |
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// Those charges are going to have to be fusion weapons//
All the better. |
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Step into our office .... we have some brochures to show you .... |
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//Unless, that is, you can produce a Thermonuclear Shaped Charge, which is a bit beyond your puny species primitive technology at this time...//
Actually, Thermonuclear Shaped Charges were designed to be used in Orion. I think we have the technology, and we can build them. |
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"If you build it, they will come ..." |
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A good reason to never build it, then. Some vetting of 'they' should be conducted, first. |
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