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james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2013-09-03 11:03 am
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Cue references to that old Arthur C. Clarke story


A new London skyscraper dubbed the "Walkie Talkie" has been blamed for reflecting light which melted parts of a car parked on a nearby street.
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[identity profile] liviapenn.livejournal.com 2013-09-03 03:38 pm (UTC)(link)

What that article doesn't mention is that this isn't the first building by this architect to be a death ray... see also the Vrada Hotel in Las Vegas.

[identity profile] xiphias.livejournal.com 2013-09-03 03:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Best comment I've seen about that is, "Don't fix the building -- just replace the target parking spaces with solar panels."

I actually wonder if that would work. If people are going to build parabolic reflector death ray buildings anyway, can they be used for good instead of evil?

[identity profile] ffutures.livejournal.com 2013-09-03 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
How the hell could they be that stupid?

[identity profile] scentofviolets.livejournal.com 2013-09-03 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I've heard claims that what happened in the story could never happen in real life, but I'm unfamiliar with the explanation. The only thing I can think of is some sort of defocusing effect as the air heats up around the target.
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[personal profile] ellarien 2013-09-03 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
The latest word is that the company responsible is saying it won't be a problem in a couple more weeks (because of axial tilt, presumably) and they hope to have come up with a permanent fix by the time the Sun comes back.

[identity profile] bruce munro (from livejournal.com) 2013-09-03 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe they can coat the windows with something to make them less reflective while not making them opaque?
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