Mythbusting, Tuesday, 8/18

[tyler_gone]

By classic handwavy email arrangement, class today met in one of the labs at Stark Industries. And if they were there in part so Tyler could keep an eye on Tony, he would never, ever admit it.

"Welcome to Tony Stark's lab," Tyler greeted the class. "The management has told me to make it known that if you break or steal anything, you should assume Tony Stark owns your soul. He will claim it painfully and very, very slowly."

His smile showed teeth and wasn't very nice.

"We're here to build a perpetual motion machine in a real-world lab. Perpetual motion machines are devices that produce more energy than they consume. Now, physics say a perpetual motion machine won't work -- it violates a couple laws of thermodynamics. That doesn't stop idiots from trying to make and sell them as 'free energy' machines. Your job is to try to invent the first working perpetual motion machine. In an hour. If it were possible anywhere, it would be possible in this lab."

He quickly showed the students around the lab, enumerating tools, circuits, computers with only basic functions accessible, and the projector. "This will let you test your design," he said, showing a quick demonstration with a drawing of a drinking duck thing.

... never let it be said he lacked a sense of whimsy.

"To give you a head start, I'm passing out blueprints for a few kinds of machine. We have the ring oscillator, the Minto wheel, and the water fuel cell. As far as I know, none of these work, but you should try building them anyhow."

He gestured to the lab. "Go to it. I'm here and Tony's around to claim your soul if you mess anything up. And Ino, Anemone, thank you for covering last week."

Comments

Sign In [8/18]

[tyler_gone]

In motion or at rest.

Re: Sign In [8/18]

[stylin-wizard.livejournal.com]

Alex Russo

General Class Stuff [8/18]

[tyler_gone]

Listen, examine the handouts, look around the lab, and touch VERY CAREFULLY.

Re: General Class Stuff [8/18]

[stylin-wizard.livejournal.com]

Alex listened to the lecture and was very glad her younger brother wasn't here. He had a habit of unintentionally breaking things with the slightest of movements.

Re: General Class Stuff [8/18]

[eyebrowgoesup]

Spock looked around the lab. It wasn't up to his time's standards, of course, but for this time, as he understood it, it was beyond bleeding edge. Most impressive, really.

Re: General Class Stuff [8/18]

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen sighed. Nothing like this had ever worked in any of the worlds whose history she studied.

Re: General Class Stuff [8/18]

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

There was a lot of shiny stuff in this lab. Not that Claire really knew what to do with any of it.

Re: General Class Stuff [8/18]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo kept her hands firmly jammed in her pockets and made sure not to lean on anything.

. . . that whole "owns your soul" bit didn't sit well with her, but the expression on her face was mostly due to skepticism. What the hell was the point of trying to build one of these when these things never worked?

Re: General Class Stuff [8/18]

[likethegun]

Sam was a pretty technical guy, but this was way beyond anything he'd ever worked on before, and he had a look of geekish glee on his face.

Re: General Class Stuff [8/18]

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack's believability about the existence of the soul may have been put into question, as he actually was getting close enough to poke at some of the things in the lab, wondering what they all did.

Design! [8/18]

[tyler_gone]

Sketch and test your sketches in the hard-light hologram projector.

Re: Design! [8/18]

[stylin-wizard.livejournal.com]

Alex decided to get started and if anyone wanted to work with her, she wouldn't object.

Re: Design! [8/18]

[rocksthescarf.livejournal.com]

Won't even lie, Chuck was mostly doodling cartoons. As if he knew what he was doing.

He'd wing it later if he had to.

Re: Design! [8/18]

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen decided to try creating a minto wheel. With no actual expectations that it would work.

Re: Design! [8/18]

[eyebrowgoesup]

Spock already knew what the math said. He could recite the equations in his sleep. But he was willing to give it an honest try--he was already working on design ideas--and if anyone wished to work with him, he had no objection.

Now, if it were Scotty in Tony's lab, you'd have your perpetual motion machine within the hour.

Re: Design! [8/18]

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo appeared to be hard at work, but closer examination would show that her designs were actually just reinterpretations of the designs from the handouts, done as a pastiche of various art styles.

Except pointillism. She didn't have the patience for that crap.

Re: Design! [8/18]

[likethegun]

Math wasn't Sam's strongest subject, so he was trying to sketch small things that looked proportional, for the moment.

Re: Design! [8/18]

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack was doodling something about water and wheels on something on the same principle of the Drinky Bird, until the doodles started becoming stick figures and they had capes for some reason and the wheels started attacking the caped figures.

Re: Design! [8/18]

[finding-x-dream.livejournal.com]

Agnes frowned and stared at her blank paper. She wasn't a gadget-y person -- really, except for King Verence and Shawn Ogg, NO-ONE from Lancre was. They just didn't have the genes for it.

Also, she knew that it was impossible. Every action had to have an equal reaction, even if you were using magic, so true perpetual motion just didn't exist. Except that in her world they did as of the most recent book, because ZOMG Terry, have you run out of ideas?

So, the real trick would be to hide the power source well enough that Tyler didn't notice it. Except she STILL wasn't gadget-y.

Struck with an idea, she fished around in the folds of her dress and came up with a few sesame seeds from breakfast. That would work QUITE nicely.

Build + Demonstrate! [8/18]

[tyler_gone]

Make your perpetual motion machines and test them. Lab supplies are moddable within reason.

Re: Build + Demonstrate! [8/18]

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen certainly wasn't comfortable asking for any specialized tools.

Instead she simply turned her arm into whatever it was she needed.

Talk to the TAs [8/18]

[tyler_gone]

Who may still be glittery.

Re: Talk to the TAs [8/18]

[intraspective]

Really, she could probably manage to find a way to make herself sparkly, but she wasn't right then and there.

Anyway, Ino was there and vigilant. As you do.

Talk to Tyler [8/18]

[tyler_gone]

He's keeping a watchful eye on everyone.

Talk to Tony [8/18]

[tyler_gone]

Once the owner of the lab pings in.

Re: Talk to Tony [8/18]

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

He really would take your soul. He would find a way to do it and enjoy himself.

Ask Thor.

OOC [8/18]

[tyler_gone]

Seriously, you're here as guests of Tony Stark. Tyler's going to be on a hair-trigger if anyone screws around.

And with that lovely comment out of the way, I have to thank you for being an awesome class.

Re: OOC [8/18]

[stylin-wizard.livejournal.com]

Aww, wee!Tyler.

:D This was an awesome class, really! Tyler was an awesome teacher, as always.