Personal Improvement Through Science: Aperture Laboratories Presents Physical Education (Wed/Per.2)

[gladigotburned.livejournal.com]

The locker room corridor was largely the same today, with one exception: where the portal-generating panel had been for the first couple of classes there was a regular (for this room, anyway) door. The sign beside the door was different, too, if you were observant enough to have remembered any of the details from last week's.



If you hadn't . . . too bad. You'd have to figure it out on your own once you stepped through the doors into the test chamber.

"You came back again," GLaDOS said, in an almost bored voice, once everyone was assembled on the platform just inside the doors. "It's almost reliable of you . . . or maybe Pavlovian. Personally, I'd be more gratified if it's a successful conditioned response. What are the odds that you actually remembered anything from the last test, though? Don't answer that."

A few bars of 8-bit music that might be familiar to anyone who'd watched the American Olympics coverage a few weeks ago began to play, echoing off the walls of the chamber, until she cut the sound abruptly.

"While we continue focusing on cardiovascular fitness, I've decided to go ahead and graduate all of you to the dual portal device this week. This week's test will focus on the principle of conservation of momentum through portals, and how to apply that to the high jump. If words like 'conservation' and 'momentum' are too challenging for you, let me spell it out for you in crayon: speedy thing goes in, speedy thing goes out." Wait, high jump? Like, over those glowing strips of light on the other side of the chasm? Apparently. "Then, just to test your sprinting abilities, a simple long jump exercise. Good luck."

She didn't add you're going to need it, but it was implied. It was never sincere, but always implied.

[OOC: Please hold for the OCD, or there isn't going to be a party for you.K/s> OCD is up. But I lied about the party, and one of us is going to feel awful about that. It just won't be me.]

Comments

Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[gladigotburned.livejournal.com]

Well, here you have a nice long hallway (http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/gladigotburned/37922480/5615/5615_original.jpg) with a button near the wall, an exit door on the far ledge . . . and a long pit of really gross-looking water between you and that ledge. So how do you cross that?

"The next part of this test utilizes the Aperture Science Aerial Faith Plate (http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Aerial_Faith_Plate)," GLaDOS spoke up, "which was originally used to investigate test subjects' problem-solving capacity -- namely, how it was affected when they were catapulted through space. In case you're wondering, the results were consistent. They could not."

She didn't mention anything about the button, though the lighted line leading from it to the door should spell it out for you, right? Hit the button and run for the Aerial Faith Plate: you've got five seconds to make it across, up, and through the door before it automatically shuts again, so you'd better hit the button, run, and keep running for the exit as soon as you land.

(http://gladigotburned.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/584/6600)

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[dollpocalypse]

Unfortunately, Topher was way too excited by the prospect of getting flung into space to bother testing out that button first. "Okay," he muttered to himself, steeling his shoulders while standing a respectable distance away from the faith plate; then he sprinted forward, bounced off the surface, promptly yelped a very loud obscenity, and found himself propelled onto the platform with the door on it.

Unfortunately, not having hit the buttom meant the door was closed. He followed the lighted line with his eyes before realizing what it had to mean, then sighed.

"Um," he yelled, beginning to regret his haste, "can someone hit that button for me? Please?"

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

"That depends," Jack called back. "What do you have to offer?"

Hey, it wasn't often that Jack could actually *do* anything for Topher. At least not without having to barter time with his phone or SARAH.

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[dollpocalypse]

"A winning sense of humor?"

Topher, when you yelled a thing like that across a classroom, it was just embarrassing for you.

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

"How about free tech support for a year?" Jack countered with a smirk. "With no taking apart my stuff?"

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[dollpocalypse]

"Dude, I could just wait for the next person to press it for themselves," Topher pointed out. "...But okay."

He totally intended to take apart Jack's stuff.

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

And Jack never said he'd press the button at the right time... Or would he?

"Tell me when you're ready!" Jack called out.

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[dollpocalypse]

Topher inched over toward the door. "Any day now!"

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[exactlyaverage.livejournal.com]

And that would be Jack pressing the button. The beautiful shiny button. The jolly, candy-like button. Push the button Frank!

"Go!"

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[dollpocalypse]

Topher was close enough to the door that he could pretty much just walk through. And then... he was back in the locker room.

Well, that was boring.

"Shouldn't've pressed the button," he grumbled once the door was shut.

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[failsatspirit]

Running and jumping was actually something Korra could do. Loudly, as it turned out, with the catapulting happening with more force than she was expecting..

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[ultron_junior]

Victor figured out the push button, run, jump parts pretty easily.

What he did not expect was what exactly it would feel like to be flung up by a 50,000 pound-foot force. (In case anyone was wondering: It was unpleasant in the extreme.)

He counted himself lucky that he landed without hurling.

Re: Activity 2: "Long Jump" [PiTS, Week 3]

[upmysleeve.livejournal.com]

Ace had long ago (aka, two weeks ago) figured out the way to ...figure things out, when it came to this class:

Watch Topher.

And then apply the science while not flailing about it, which gave her an 80% better chance of not looking like a dork.

"Yahwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Unless she shouted that while being flung through the air toward the open door.