JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
[Source: the great Modern Mechanix blog, here.]
Q: What could possibly go wrong with the idea of settling out mostly-imaginary biological issues than spinning?
A: Well, its not so much as getting something wrong than it is getting nothing right.
Such is the case with the spinning hyper-centrifugal anti-aging machine, found at the Modern Mechanix site. Among bad ideas it isn't so much "bad" as it is "hyper-bad", though it is not quite so hyper-bad when compared to the mega-hyper-bad-so-bad-it-isn't-even-bad-but-worse idea for the centrifugal birthing patent that appeared in this blog earlier (here, in the Electro-IronPunk Centrifugal Birth Machine post).
The centrifuge had been around for a long time prior to its estrangement and corruption in the anti-aging scheme. James Watt created one (in 1786) as a regulator in his fabulous 1781 parallelogram steering of his double-acting steam engine, and Oliver Evans employed one in his Philadelphia-based mill at about the same time. (Robert Hooke in 1674 had proposed a universal system of cosmic glue using a balanced approach between centrigical force and gravitation as the stuff that held the universe together, only to be bitterly disappointed by the publication of Newton's Principia nine years later.) Like other bold and advanced ideas corrupted to popular Atomic-Motel misuse, the centrifuge was no exception.
I always wondered at the strange attraction to carnivals. Now I know. It's the fear of death. Deep down, we must know it's all gravity's fault.
Posted by: Jeff Donlan | 09 April 2013 at 05:01 PM
Really? I thought it was a universal fear of clowns. Or Robert Hooke. Either will do.
Posted by: John F. Ptak | 11 April 2013 at 08:27 PM