A Stirling-cycle engine, heated by either coal, wood, or lots of candles, and made in classic Victorian style - all cast iron frames, green and plum colured paintwork, gold lines, brass fittings, polished mahogany and leather straps - is used to provide mechanical power to a Babbage engine enclosed in a realistic human torso and upper body. The arms are articulated, and the torso is provided with parchment, a quill pen, and a bottle of ink, on a desk in front of it.

As the Babbage engine cycles, the Composer writes out musical scores on the music-ruled paperm according to pre-set parameters in the gearing.

The back of the torso can be opened to allow the mechanism to be oiled, and to allow your envious friends to gaze in awe and envy at the expensive and beautiful workings.
-- 8th of 7, Mar 29 2008

Stirling_20engine_20powered_20composter Echo to this. [jutta, Mar 29 2008]

This is really just a pun on another idea. The author is working hard to give it depth. There's a lot of steampunk ornament and claims of success - the undescribed mechanism is "beautiful" and leads your "envious friends to gaze in awe and envy", i.e. this is a very pretty idea, because it says so itself.

One can do that with almost anything one writes; the other route some authors like to take is to describe it as cheaply mass-produced, equally unrealistic. I'd avoid this, but it may work; I don't know if the atmosphere the creative writing exercise tries to build will distract enough from the absence of an actual invention to keep readers happy.
-- jutta, Mar 29 2008


I'd say not. Sorry, [8th].
-- angel, Mar 29 2008


You fooled me. Nice idea.
-- wagster, Mar 29 2008


This arose from a misreading of the title of the original idea, leading to the thought, "Whhaaaaa a? Eh ?"

Not one of our better ones, but if it raises a wry smile here and there, what the Hell.... more buns than bones so far.
-- 8th of 7, Mar 29 2008


I think a Stirling-powered Conductor would be better. Each seat in the auditorium could have a small stirling pump with tubes leading to the orchestra pit. The tubes connect in some arbitrary complex manner to animate the conductor puppet.
-- marklar, Mar 30 2008


If nothing else it pointed me towards the original idea which is very cool indeed.
-- wagster, Mar 30 2008


//absence of an actual invention//

There are many ideas of this stripe here. The help page serves as a sort of constitution, but there are plenty of holes for the silliness to wiggle through.

But everyone knows when an idea really has pop, and when it is pure fancy. I just wish the more fanciful ones were more interesting, more of the time.
-- nomocrow, Mar 31 2008


Then all you need is a time machine before you get to go pull ridiculous pranks on Beethoven and Mozart!
-- Joolin, Oct 10 2009



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