Not only is the intensity of the toasting indeterminate, but until the toast pops out of the sealed top, you have to assume that the automatic mechanism has buttered both sides too.-- zen_tom, Nov 21 2004 Utterly baked, apart from the automatic butterer. All toasters work on this principle, simultaneously burning the bread and leaving it at room temperature. Observing the toast collapses its wave-function, which has a probability distribution which depends on the bread, the time of day and (in the most advanced models) the setting. However, I propose extending the idea further: enclose the toaster, bread and diner in a sealed room from which no information can escape. Under these circumstances, the diner will have been simultaneously satisfied and dissatisfied with the toast, at least until such time as the room is opened.-- Basepair, Nov 21 2004 darn, what i was hoping for was a toaster, where absolutely nothing happened until you intervene to check - and then you would have a fifty/fifty chance of it being toast/not toast.-- elfling, Nov 22 2004 "Excuse me - I'd like a refund on this toaster." "Oh? Is there something wrong with it?" "Well, yes and no..."-- Detly, Nov 22 2004 "You can't have your toast and eat it too.""I can with a ZenTom toaster!"-- not_only_but_also, Nov 22 2004 Thanks [BrauBeaton] I thought it was a prerequisite of Halfbakery membership to be aware of the trinity of Schrodinger, His Cat, and, as [UnaBubba] alludes, what happens when you strap pieces of toast, butter-side up, to its back (All in a sealed room/box from which no information can escape, probably with a ninja standing guard in case of emergencies, resting on an exploding custard beanbag, being entertained by Marcel Marceau and a troop of connected elephants all smeared with...well it doesn't bear thinking about.)
But yes, [not_only_but_also] after considering the method [Basepair] describes, ZenTom Industries can announce that Schrodinger's Cake Tin may soon be in development..-- zen_tom, Nov 22 2004 random, halfbakery