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While this has been on HN before, there are some alarming new details: Angry local shopkeepers also say the so-called "death ray" has blistered their paintwork
by JonnieCache 13y ago
While this has been on HN before, there are some alarming new details:
Angry local shopkeepers also say the so-called "death ray" has blistered their paintwork, singed holes in doormats and caused their tiles to smash.
Blimey. Surely britain's ever-enterprising shopkeepers can harness this power though? Solar oven anyone?
Also:
They later said a temporary scaffold screen would be erected at street level within 24 hours.
Are they going to have to make that out of some special ceramic or something? Or will it be OK as it will sit far from the focal length of the "lens?"
- unwind 13y agoI understood it to mean that the scaffolding will block incoming light before it reaches the lens of the building's facade. It will, of course also block reflected light, but the main benefit ought to be blocking it before it becomes focused.
- JonnieCache 13y agoI guess I was imagining the light coming down almost vertically (hard to block) and then being reflected into the street, but I suppose that's not really how light works is it, no matter how oddly shaped your building is. Thanks for the correction.
- frobozz 13y agoI'd be surprised if they could get a "temporary scaffold screen" "at street level" up "within 24 hours" that would be capable of that. This is a tall building and the problem appears to be quite high up. I would imagine that the purpose is to provide something else for the death ray to burn instead of shops and cars.