This is a good example. Another is if you follow these instructions:

1) go to www.google.com

2) type this exact phrase “find chuck norris”

3) hit the “Im Feeling Lucky” button

4) lol

And I’ll add one more: 5) repeat 4

Have a nice laugh.

Now i have been working out, in my head, a concept design for a battle tank that would have almost invincible armor. How would I go about doing this, I wondered. It would have to have a sturdy base: an armor plating that would take most damage all on it’s own. Pure steel wouldn’t do it, it would have to be a combination of different materials to achieve proper protection. Because I don’t really know all that much about the different alloys available, I decided to leave such questions out of the concept stage. I know that carbon nano-tubes are progressing quite nicely, so I think there’ll be some of those in there.

The next step would be a more reactive armor; instead of simply taking the brunt of the attacking force I decided that the only thing for it would be to have some sort of cushioning plates. My thought was that if much of the impact could be absorbed, it wouldn’t cause so much damage to the tank proper. Massive steel springs would support individual plates creating a floating armor padding over the main structure. These plates I theorized would be made out of, again, a combination of materials, one important one being rubber. The effect of this would be akin to a trampoline. On springs. Almost all of the force of the kenetic impact would be absorbed by the rubber and the springs, without much damgage to either due to the solid plates.  What was left would be insufficient to penetrate the tank and cause damage. 

The next step I believed would be to run a huge current through the outer and inner plating of the armor. I had yet to decide whether or not the current would be constant or reactive, but I figured it didn’t really matter since such a crazy idea would never really work. My reasoning for including it basically rested on the fact that electricity does some wierd stuff when you yank up the power. Plasma and other cool stuff if you know what I mean.

A big problem that tanks face are those darned pesky electronic missiles. How are we supposed to deal with stuff like that? Seriously, the missile is almost sentient, how are we supposed to protect the neccessary weak points?

The answer? EMP. Huge pulsating elctro-magnets protruding from all angles. The visual effect would be weird, but the magnetic forces would more than make up for the view. All that induced electrical current would really screw up guidance systems for some of the smarter missiles and possibly detonating a few before they even hit.

Great ideas, huh? I though so. I figured: no one else has thought of this, so it must not work, I wonder why? If these were any good, they would be in production by now.

So imagine my suprise when I was checking around the Main battle tanks page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_classification#Main_battle_tank

Composite armor is in production: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_armour  No surprises there. Composite is stronger than pure metal.

But here is where it’s a little unnerving: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_armour

Scroll down to the Bottom of the page, to the Non-explosive and non-energetic reactive armour section and the Electric reactive armour. Basically their idea is the rubber plating like I mentioned, with a different set-up. The Electric reactive armor was like I mentioned, but with certain improvements that I hadn’t thought off; the impacting object itself is the item that closes the circuit, thereby either vaporizing or turning it into plasma. It’s not currently known to be in use, but that really doesn’t mean anything when it comes to military tech.

So, am I smart for indepently coming up with a concept almost the same as military-funded scientists with degrees in this stuff, or just a slow inventor for not thinking of it first? This is not the first time something like this has happened, I’ll design something completely without any outside influence only to find out that someone beat me to the punch. Smart or slow? I don’t know. Eventually I expect I’ll come up with something that is completely new, and then I can reap the acclaim. Until then, I’ll just have to be satisfied with my plans.

And for the record, I really did think of these things a while ago. To tell you the truth it was right after Halo 3 came out. I thought that the Wraith Tanks were interesting, and the purple sci-fi color inspired me to try and design a tank that was genuinely a step forward, rather than a new spin on an old idea.

Did you read about this in your paper? You probably did; it was front page news on more than one publication. Some people were so desperate for deals they just couldn’t wait, and ran a man over at a Walmart.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3534711/Wal-Mart-worker-dies-in-Black-Friday-sales-stampede.html

These people were so anxious to get in the store that they broke clean through the doors and ran this poor employee to the ground. Four other workers were injured when they attempted to save the unlucky fellow. How insane is that?

A look at how pathetic these people are: One person said that they had be in line since Thursday morning, others had skipped Thanksgiving dinner just to wait. These people were at the front of the line and were the ones that smashed the doors down and killed the Walmart guy. When confronted by officials and told that they had to leave because of the death, these people actually refused to leave! They didn’t care IN THE SLIGHTEST that they had slain a man in their greed and desperation and service to the almighty dollar.

Good going America.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.19pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account

Dear David,
Our records indicate that your account is overdue by the amount of $233.95. If you have already made this payment please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.37pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,
I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing I did of a spider instead. I value the drawing at $233.95 so trust that this settles the matter.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.07am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue accountDear David,
Thankyou for contacting us. Unfortunately we are unable to accept drawings as payment and your account remains in arrears of $233.95. Please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.32am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue accountDear Jane,
Can I have my drawing of a spider back then please.

Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.42am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Overdue accountDear David,
You emailed the drawing to me. Do you want me to email it back to you?

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.56am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Overdue accountDear Jane,

Yes please.

Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 12.14pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Attached

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 09.22am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Whose spider is that?

Dear Jane, Are you sure this drawing of a spider is the one I sent you? This spider only has seven legs and I do not feel I would have made such an elementary mistake when I drew it.

Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.03am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Whose spider is that? Dear David, Yes it is the same drawing. I copied and pasted it from the email you sent me on the 8th. David your account is still overdue by the amount of $233.95. Please make this payment as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.05am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Automated Out of Office ResponseThankyou for contacting me. I am currently away on leave, traveling through time and will be returning last week.

Regards, David.
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.08am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Whose spider is that? Hello, I am back and have read through your emails and accept that despite missing a leg, that drawing of a spider may indeed be the one I sent you. I realise with hindsight that it is possible you rejected the drawing of a spider due to this obvious limb ommission but did not point it out in an effort to avoid hurting my feelings. As such, I am sending you a revised drawing with the correct number of legs as full payment for any amount outstanding. I trust this will bring the matter to a conclusion.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 2.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that? Dear David, As I have stated, we do not accept drawings in lei of money for accounts outstanding. We accept cheque, bank cheque, money order or cash. Please make a payment this week to avoid incurring any additional fees.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 3.17pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that? I understand and will definately make a payment this week if I remember. As you have not accepted my second drawing as payment, please return the drawing to me as soon as possible. It was silly of me to assume I could provide you with something of completely no value whatsoever, waste your time and then attach such a large amount to it.

Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Tuesday 14 Oct 2008 11.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that? Attached

And if that wasn’t enough:

After the exchange hit inboxes, the “original” drawing was put up for sale on eBay by a Swedish man.

“David Thorne was … kind enough to give the spider to me,” eBay user “Andreas” says.

“However, this spider is driving me nuts. Also he’s lacking a leg and thus is useless to me.”

The listing shows there were 18 bids for the drawing, with a starting price of $233.95, and that it was sold for US$10,000 ($15,000).

The buyer is now obliged to pay because they have entered a legal contract, according to eBay spokeswoman Sian Kennedy.

“What people decide what they want to pay for items is up to them … it’s a binding contract, even if it’s a picture of a seven-legged spider,” Ms Kennedy said.

“People can sell whatever they want on eBay and an email attachment is a physical product — it’s not offence, or illegal, so if they can make $15,000 from it, good luck to them.”

It would be highly unlikely the seller had registered separate accounts and bid on the item to increase its value, she said.

Of course the bidder didn’t want to pay up:

The winning bidder, Patrick Munoz, told ninemsn he originally placed a bid for $99,000 — but that it sold for $15,000 because only 18 other people placed bids.

He now says the hapless graphic designer won’t be seeing a cent.

“I was just having a laugh about this,” Mr Munoz said.

“I used my normal eBay account too — eBay is going to have the sh**s when they find out.”

eBay spokeswoman Sian Kennedy said the photograph’s seller could take Mr Munoz to the police for breaking the “contract he made when he won the item”.

“People need to be careful when doing this — Mr Munoz is taking the money away from the person who the sold the item,” Ms Kennedy said.

“He should be ashamed.”

Mr Munoz scoffed at the suggestion the bid was a binding contract: “eBay has to say that”.

The man behind the drawing, David Thorne, said he was unfazed.

“The internet is a playground and I would not have it any other way,” Mr Thorne told ninemsn

I leave you with this thought:

As anyone who has actually seen the movie can tell you, this is a REAL movie, and not a documentary or anything. The story opens inside a prison where a certain prisoner is being released on parole. He is picked up by his brother in a former cop car, and they proceed to ramp over an openning drawbridge. They start on a humorous journey to restart their band in order to raise $5000 for the orphanage in which they grew up. The nun who was in charge of the orphange ordered them not to procure the money by illegal means, so they have one week to do it.

The climatic scene at the end of the movie is classic and best summed up by the quote, “The use of unnecessary violence in the apprehension in the Blues Brothers has been approved.”

Filled with car chases, explosions, guns, action, music, and a gripping storyline, this is a movie that you should see. 

Certainly a lot of writing, so I really didn’t have time to write any other posts. I also won’t be having much time for writing in the near future either because I have another series of papers coming up; I haven’t checked the list yet because I am not at that point in progression, but they should be coming up within the next week or so. Don’t expect too much writing to happen from this blog for a bit. I’ll probably manage to write at least once a week, but that is just about all I can manage to perhaps possibly maybe promise to do. Don’t leave, because with Christmas coming I’ll probably have something to say and time to write it.

And of course there is the Fiddler on the Roof that I’m going to see with my family this Tuesday. I am a little disturbed to say that I have never seen “The Fiddler on the Roof” in any of it’s media formats. I asked my parents, but they just never got around to it. Regardless, we’re going to see it this Tuesday morning at the Fulton with the rest of LACHE. My sister and I are even skipping Latin III class to see it (don’t worry, we told our teacher).

I might have something to write about it in the near future. Or I may not.

Right now I am currently reading “To Kill a Mocking Bird”, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, and “Beowulf”. Before you ask, the “Beowulf” I am reading is a translation by Gummere (I think that’s how you spell the guy’s name). I have read the “more English translations before, but I have only attempted to read a direct translation once, and I didn’t make it through. I got as far as the fight between Beowulf and Grendal, and I had to put it down. At age 11 there is really only so much translation that you can stand. Now I am reading it again, and once you get past the fact that some of the sections probably require as much translating as the original copy, it’s a pretty good story.

Also, before you ask: no, this is not the most amount of books I have read at the same time. Two years ago I had a lot of time to read during summer vacation, so I was averaging about five to six books simultaneously and finishing them every two days or so. *sigh* great summer that was. I didn’t have quite so much time this year, but I still managed to get a goodly amount covered.  

I have to go now; wait in suspense, fair readers, for the next unexciting chapter in this marvelous online application known collectively as a “web log” or the cruder term “Blog”. Check back soon, I might have a post tomorrow!

The author painted a fine picture of the Paris Opera House in all it’s glory, and revealed the Phantom for who he was, a sad, depressing, pitiful man with a lust for blood and a genius to match the greatest of men. More than that, I cannot tell; you must read it for yourself!

As for Rexmentiun, he has gone so far as to try to write out “Don Juan Triumphante”, a masterpiece of musical literature which according to the story took Erik two decades to compose. Rexmentium has the gall to try to replicate such a feat within the space of a year and without the enormous amount of learning necessary for such a task. Appalling!

(Take that, Rexmentim!)

Physics is pretty basic also. Let me give you an example. I have been using my old chemistry textbook to review the topics that are supposed to be “NEW” and “EARTHSHAKING” and ”OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE”. Of course, the textbook is from a curriculum of traditional homeschooling and the physics is from a public school curriculum.

Enough of my complaints about school. I expect that if I just sat down and did them it wouldn’t be so bad.

Anyway, Dissection class tomorrow. We will be dissecting a fish. (Perch I think) So far we have done a worm, a grasshopper, and a crayfish. They were pretty bad, and I have come to the conclusion that I like mammals much better. (Not that there ever was any doubt). There are so many disgusting little parts in a crayfish! It’s just sick! The crayfish we cut open were lab raised crayfish about six inches long at most, and we were able to tell all those disgusting little pieces apart.

Let me tell you something; I rarely have nightmares. VERY RARELY. Up until about a week ago, I hadn’t had a real nightmare in about two years.

(Sure there was that dream about the Reivers from “Serenity”, but that was actually kind of fun *there was a good explanation and it was kind of like playing HALO in real life*) 

But after Dissection class, I had dream that I can only class as a nightmare because it was pretty frightening while I was asleep. I dreamt that I had stuck my hand into our fish tank to get something, but a crayfish latched onto my finger. I pulled my hand out of the water, but the crayfish stayed on and gripped harder. Finally it managed to get a solid grip and plunged all of its legs into my hand, penetrating deep into the flesh. It hurt a lot. I took hold of the crayfish and started to rip it off, disregarding the pain it was inflicting. Before I could even manage to pry more than three legs off, I realized that it was spawning a new crayfish; a completely independent full-sized crayfish that also had its legs stabbed into my skin. There was now double the amount of legs in my finger, and I was starting to panic. I ripped the original away, leaving all of its appendages attached in my flesh. To my horror, there was now two full-sized crayfish on my hand. I called for help and a lady came running with a pair of scissors. Before she started cutting there was three crayfish attached to my hand, all in one spot. She cut the crayfish off at their legs, one, two three, all the way up to eight per dead crayfish. There were plenty of legs still embedded in my hand, but at least the crayfish were gone. I had to then rip each leg out one by one, an excruciating process which I did not wake up from until long after I had accomplished the horrible task.

It was strange because I hadn’t had a nightmare about anything for so long and then I have one about crayfish.  Oh well, I guess it could have been worse.