Somewhen else
30 September 2003 11:41![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
den"Let me get this straight. You propose to pack people in to 1.5 ton metal and glass boxes whose only control is provided by gravity and friction, and then shoot them toward each other at 110kph along a surface made of gravel and a crude oil derivative?"
"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"
"What I have a problem with is the 'at each other' bit.What's to stop them from slamming together at 220kph?"
"We'll paint a white line along the middle of the road."
"Paint a line."
"White line. Yes."
"Right. And this paint is...?"
"Just white paint."
"It doesn't have some force field properties in it?"
"No, just a white dye and some tiny plastic beads to make it reflective."
"Ah! So the beads are-"
"Just plastic."
"Ah. Right. Okay. And this will stop the boxes from slamming into each other?"
"Yes."
"A painted white line."
"With plastic beads, yes."
"Right. Beads. Right. Okay, so where two of these 'roads' as you call them intersect, what happens? How do you stop the metal boxes from slamming together?"
"That's where we use the coloured lights."
"Coloured lights."
"Yes."
"And the lights are-?"
"Just coloured lights."
"Ah-huh."
"Red, amber and green."
"Red amber and green lights."
"Yes."
"And a painted white line. With plastic beads."
"Yes."
"Right. You know, it sounds stupid. It'll never work."
"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"
"What I have a problem with is the 'at each other' bit.What's to stop them from slamming together at 220kph?"
"We'll paint a white line along the middle of the road."
"Paint a line."
"White line. Yes."
"Right. And this paint is...?"
"Just white paint."
"It doesn't have some force field properties in it?"
"No, just a white dye and some tiny plastic beads to make it reflective."
"Ah! So the beads are-"
"Just plastic."
"Ah. Right. Okay. And this will stop the boxes from slamming into each other?"
"Yes."
"A painted white line."
"With plastic beads, yes."
"Right. Beads. Right. Okay, so where two of these 'roads' as you call them intersect, what happens? How do you stop the metal boxes from slamming together?"
"That's where we use the coloured lights."
"Coloured lights."
"Yes."
"And the lights are-?"
"Just coloured lights."
"Ah-huh."
"Red, amber and green."
"Red amber and green lights."
"Yes."
"And a painted white line. With plastic beads."
"Yes."
"Right. You know, it sounds stupid. It'll never work."
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no subject
Date: 1 Oct 2003 12:14 (UTC)"They do travel in packs. Don't they?"
"Sorry?"
"No point in apologizing for it. What's your idea?"
"If we strap long, flat metal bits on the sides of these boxes and make them go much faster, we don't need the macadem or the white lines."
"I know this may be stating the obvious, but I don't follow. Why would we take the white lines away if they were faster?"
"That's the brilliant part. They'd be flying."
"Of course. Why didn't I think of that."
"..."
"It was a rhetorical question. Anyway, I suppose if we made them really small..."
"Big."
"Big?"
"Really big."
"Bigger than a bread box?"
"Bigger than a house."
"This is what you went to school for?"
"Yeah. Want to hear my idea for the one with the big, spinning blade on top?"
"No. I want to hear your idea for the little, white pill that you take to get rid of a headache."
"That sounds like aspirin."
"Exactly!"
This drive-by comment brought to you by a fellow Callahanian.