UK accidentally develops thermal death ray

[TheFallen]

Yes it's true... well sort of.

In a literally blindingly stupid piece of architectural engineering, a new skyscraper is nearing completion in London's financial district. Nicknamed the 'Walkie Talkie' in reference to its shape - convexly curved on one side and concavely on the other - the structure has by now almost had all its windows put in.

I'm sure you're all ahead of me here - Archimedes himself certainly knew what happens when you have a large concave reflective surface standing in the open air in direct sunlight for at least 2 hours a day...

Yes, that's right. A slowly moving point of intensely focussed heat has been slowly moving across a nearby street for the last several days. Damage so far includes a couple of cars, one of which had its wing mirror and parts of its bodywork melted, some bicycles with damaged saddles, a circular hole burned into a shop doormat and plenty of tiles shattered and paint blistered etc etc. The local council has now suspended a number of parking bays that have been affected by the thermal ray of doom. The developers are now hurriedly erecting a scaffolding screen while they try to figure out a more permanent solution.

Sadly though, it looks like the UK wasn't the first to make this breakthrough. Apart from Archimedes and his alleged death ray device as used at the battle of Syracuse to sink the incoming enemy navy, the Walkie Talkie's architect has previous "form" in this area. A Las Vegas hotel also designed by him also apparently suffers from the same issue.

You couldn't make it up...

Full story and piccies here

[wayfriend]

Are ants having a good laugh? I hope so.

[Fist and Faith]

[Vraith]

Heh...local campus has a building with that shape...fortunately mostly concrete so doesn't reflect/heat things. The windows DO blind you when you drive the roundabout in front of it in the afternoons.
That roundabout directly at the base also guaranteed its unofficial, but most commonly used designation...."The Urinal."

[Rau Le Creuset]

"Witness the fire power of this fully armed and operational battle station!"

[Hashi Lebwohl]

I recall hearing about the Las Vegas hotel but I didn't know about the new building in London. Architects must learn to avoid building structures using parabolas--all incoming light from the Sun (which will be virtually parallel to each other) all get directed to the focus. The Olympic torch is lit using a parabolic mirror, so the fire is not lit directly by mere mortals--the Sun does it.

I have seen footage of test done with mirrors in the desert being able to burn a hole in tempered steel.

[peter]

Will this confer evolutionary advantage to those individuals currently sporting highly polished pates; I always thought there had to be a reason for the existance of male pattern baldness, but no - I wander perilously close to the territory of Intelligent Design!

[TheFallen]

...not unless you're claiming to have not only a bald head, pete, but also a concave one.

Mind you, if you do have such a thing, not only will you be able to wield such awesome solar power at your tyrannical whim (presuming those you choose to smite are obliging enough to stand stock-still after they've felt the first touch of your cranial heat ray of doom), but you'll also be able to double as a bird-bath....

[Zarathustra]

I'm sure Pubs recognized that there is public pressure for the government to "do something." But I don't want the government to do something. I want it to do less. I suppose that could be described as an alternative. But I think that when people talk about the Republicans needing an alternative plan to replace Obamacare, they mean much than allowing the market to work itself out. Such an alternative would certainly be described as a "non-plan" by the Dems.

If we concede that the government must do something, then we're already accepting the Democrat starting point. Just because there exist problems doesn't mean there needs to be government solution. They are government problems in the first place!

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Don't cross the streams!

[peter]

...not unless you're claiming to have not only a bald head, pete, but also a concave one.

Mind you, if you do have such a thing, not only will you be able to wield such awesome solar power at your tyrannical whim (presuming those you choose to smite are obliging enough to stand stock-still after they've felt the first touch of your cranial heat ray of doom), but you'll also be able to double as a bird-bath....

And carrying an extra pint of beer to the front at rock gigs would be less of a problem.