This idea is inspired by the huge success of such toys as tickle me Elmo, Furby, virtual pets, etc.
Picture if you will, a hollow steel sphere, about the size of a baseball, suspended by magnets. This sphere would be covered with a little network of microscopic channels, carved by the same type of machines that burn computer chips.
This sphere would be covered with different types of mold and/or bacteria. (Harmless of course) You would “feed” your world by placing a few drops of sugar water on top of the sphere, and it drips down through the channels.
This sugar water would feed the mold and/or bacteria so it can grow, clearly visible because there are different colors. Due to the shape of the channels it would limit where the bacteria can grow, so you can have yours look like the actual earth, or maybe what life was like on mars.
Of course epic battles (exaggeration) would take place between these microorganisms over night, one type of mold might figure out how to navigate across the vast ocean of smooth, foodless steel to steal the other’s food supply.
Of course, if one species got to out of control then you could even the odds with the (included) “Penicillin drop of DOOM!” tm.
It would be a fun little toy and I think it would be a hit in classrooms as the students learn while watching their own little world go through MWWII (miniature world war II)
They could study the effects of the dreaded bleach drop on their own little Australia, or learn why no mold grows on the salt covered South Pole.
As a side thought this might be covered by a clear case when not in use, mold spores can really reek havoc on allergies.-- thelambs, Dec 09 2003 Moldy History http://www.halfbake...dea/Moldy_20Historyvery similar [FarmerJohn, Oct 04 2004] "Treehouse of Horror VII" http://thesimpsons....sode_guide/0801.htm [krelnik, Oct 04 2004] Kind of like this? http://www.watersav...ver_ecos_ball.shtml [PiledHigherandDeeper, Oct 04 2004] Build your own microscopic world http://www.crscient...om/experiment1.htmlScroll to number 2 [Klaatu, Oct 04 2004] Bonsai Mountains http://www.bonsaitr...aft/dwartefacts.htm3 different models of the bonsi mountain here. To be honest though I reckon it was better described in the books... [blindingphil, Oct 04 2004] The children could learn why the mold growing on the top shouldn't be touched as it causes svere rashes. hehehehe-- thelambs, Dec 09 2003 What an innovative and imaginative idea. It could be set up so that it revolves around a heat lamp, and you could change the revolution speed and rotation speed.-- Detly, Dec 09 2003 You would want to suspend it on a silver wire, for simplicity. I like this idea a lot. It is basically a big round petri dish with channels connecting the different trays.-- bungston, Dec 09 2003 Love it. Chia-world.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 09 2003 Would it be inside my own little universe?
<MIB II>"All is lost! All is lost!"-- RayfordSteele, Dec 09 2003 I could have sworn I've seen this on a Simpsons Episode. One more idea baked by those darn writers. Blast them!-- v0rtexx, Dec 10 2003 I'm afraid I'd just throw mine away. But someone somewhere would love this. +-- k_sra, Dec 10 2003 how is this different than a chia pet?-- ato_de, Dec 10 2003 <raises hand>-- k_sra, Dec 10 2003 <raises hand>-- Letsbuildafort, Dec 10 2003 //I've seen this on a Simpsons episode// You have, it was the second story in "Treehouse of Horror VII", first aired 10/27/96. She used a dish instead of a sphere, and sentient beings eventually evolved. There was a somewhat similar story involving Bender floating in space in an episode of Futurama, too.-- krelnik, Dec 10 2003 South Park did it as well, strangely enough, on the 'Simpsons Did It!' episode.-- RayfordSteele, Dec 10 2003 Thought this would be about cloning and marketing smaller versions of myself. (sigh)-- Worldgineer, Dec 10 2003 //Harmless//Your sphere will end up with bacteria and fungi from the building and from most all of the students.
This thing would smell horrible, have gross fluids, and be the centerpiece of many foul pranks. Therefore, I like it.-- Amos Kito, Dec 10 2003 WARNING: Not reccommended for egomaniacs, those allergic to mold, those allergic to the bloody stupid Chia Pet song (I personally break out in hives when I hear that song), or those with strong aversions to microscopic spore warfare. Parental guidance suggested for those under 17.-- spacecadet, Dec 10 2003 //This thing would smell horrible, have gross fluids, and be the centerpiece of many foul pranks. Therefore, I like it.//
Yes but most public schools are like that all of the time anyway.-- thelambs, Dec 10 2003 the fun part comes when you get to name your bacteria nations, separate them in white-coloured bacteria, negro-bacteria, jewish bacteria, muslim bacteria, and so on.
oh, and tell me if you find hitler-- sweet, Dec 11 2003 [sweet] what was that susposed to mean? what are you trying to imply?-- thelambs, Dec 11 2003 Don't our bodies come with a similar mechanism already?-- amark2, Dec 11 2003 Moldavia of course.-- GenYus, Dec 16 2003 mOle ... Duh-- Letsbuildafort, Dec 16 2003 another new little world, and people are fighting over it already.-- python, Dec 18 2003 Tsk.-- k_sra, Dec 18 2003 Who needs the steel sphere? Just place an orange (choose your favorite fruit, vegetable, road-kill, etc.) on your desk and watch it rot.-- cljudge, Dec 19 2003 As in the first link.-- FarmerJohn, Dec 19 2003 Why would the British bacteria be pink UnaBubba?
Red white and blue for us thanks (we were there first!)
of course that would mean Britain having three bacteria colonies - the US, Australia and India maybe?
to name but a few - PINK - HA!! i think not!
(yes, i'm offended by pink - as lovely a colour as it is - certainly not suitable for the UK)-- WelshGuy, Jan 18 2004 I guess it would be the ultimate Sims/evolution game if you strode bravely away from a material steel sphere and used a laser projector and a pc instead. You could zoom in and watch "life" evolve over virtual millennia from one-celled beings to walking fish to ape men belting mysterious black slabs to a genuine intelligent Simvilization... (Simpsonvilization?) Might turn out to be the rare game that kept up with Moore's Law without any software upgrades.-- cloudface, Jan 18 2004 The one that [RayfordSteele] mentioned above, perhaps? :P-- Detly, Feb 13 2004 [welshguy] I'm guessing that UB suggested pink because countries belonging to the British Empire were always coloured pink on maps-- hazel, Feb 13 2004 Bonsai Mountains, as made famous by Terry Pratchett in his Discworld series as well. Link on the left!-- blindingphil, Feb 13 2004 An American friend of mine insists on referring to the British as "pinko limeys", referring I think, to the quasi-socialist tendencies of our country when compared to the US. Whilst I have no problem with being a pinko and thoroughly enjoy citrus fruits of all kinds, the colour scheme this implies really wouldn't go with my home decor.-- squeak, Feb 13 2004 random, halfbakery