Thursday Morning Questions

02005-09-08 | Uncategorized | 7 comments

Could we invented a packing material that was sturdy enough to ship goods in, but that under certain conditions would disintegrate within hours? One could use a certain spectrum of light to activate the disintegration process. People might purchase a box that contains the apparatus for this and put it in their garage or shed. After a shipping container is received and emptied, it is placed inside this box, which contains the light and triggers the disintegration.

What could be embedded into sheets of glass to make a window clear, but non-reflective from the outside – so birds don’t see the landscape reflected and fly into their death? It should be reflective from the inside – otherwise we’ll run into it…

How many scent memories can a canine store? I keep passing a dog on my walks. At first it barked a lot when I passed by the house where it lives, then less, and lately not at all. How often does a dog need to smell a person’s scent in order to create a memory? How long can the interval of experiencing that scent become, before the dog forgets the memory?

7 Comments

  1. Adam Solomon

    Triggering it based on a certain wavelength, or color, of light could certainly be done, but–why? And, what exactly would the box “disintegrate” into? Interesting ideas, however…Just not sure where you are going with them?

    Reply
  2. Carol

    If only there were a way to return things to there original elements and disperse them. It would be a great way to dispose of all the durable plastic that’s made to last forever, etc. well, I’m not the physicist you are, adam. Can’t you come up with something along those lines?

    Reply
  3. Victor

    Did anybody see that silly movie called “Envy” (Jack Black and Ben Stiller)? Anyway, this guy invents something to spray on doggy-doo that makes it disintigrate – he calls his invention “Vapoorize”. So everybody is loving this stuff until somebody asks the question, “Where does the poo go to?”

    Anyway, the box idea is certainly interesting! Guess a lot more thought goes into creating new materials than does disposing of them.

    With regard to scents… I wonder if they are as unique to dogs as faces are to humans?? Maybe even more so… for instance I wonder if identical twins smell the same? Probably not. And do fragrances mask your scent to an animal?

    Reply
  4. Eno

    1st idea-something that would have a tight enough electronic flow between molecules but somehow by a certain frequency of light discombobulate the flow of energy passing between those molecules thus escaping into thin air.

    2nd idea-I’ve wondered that myself. Maybe there is a way to have little nano refracturies placed in a sheet of whatever they make tinted windows out of. That would distribute the light in different directions (much the same way one would tune or fix a room for sound ;)

    3rd idea-Maybe it doesn’t have so much to do with smell. Maybe it has more to do with the sound. Walking to a certain beat or making a certain sound with the shoes you’re wearing is what is recorded (along with smell I’m sure), although whenever I watch a dog when I pass one I always notice the ears moving and creating stimulie inside the dog before the nose alters breath or pattern. Just a thought.

    Reply
  5. Gerald Weber

    I once used popcorn as a packing material for a video tape that I sent abroad. My exgirlfriend said she ate it when the box arrived. Except for the light activation factor, I would think it met the criteria you are looking for.

    Reply
  6. Mel

    There actually is a packing material that we don’t seem to use nearly enough in the United States. I don’t remember what it’s called, but it looks like a white Cheetoh and is biodegradable. When it gets wet, it melts, at which time it has the consistancy of Elmers Glue. It’s supposed to be safe for the environment.

    Reply
  7. Carol

    I don’t remember the companies I get those melting peanuts as packing from, but they really are handy. Now,if only the boxes….but many of those are not slathered with writing , so one feels more apt to use them over. That helps a little.

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Archives

Images

Social

@Mastodon (the Un-Twitter)