giant vat of non-newtonian fluid

[theCryptofishist]

I'm holding out for non-einsteinian fluid. Or maybe non-leibnetzian.

[Da Mule]

I'm holding out for non-einsteinian fluid. Or maybe non-leibnetzian.

We used the first stuff when making that missle. I couldn't get the other stuff to work since everything was parallel.

[ygmir]

[theCryptofishist]

I'm holding out for non-einsteinian fluid. Or maybe non-leibnetzian.

We used the first stuff when making that missle. I couldn't get the other stuff to work since everything was parallel.

(Oh damn. That mule knows a lot of higher mathematics. I wonder if he can tell I'm faking it...)

[FIGJAM]

Was that him doing math?

I thought he was tap dancing.

[ibdave]

Was that him doing math?

I thought he was tap dancing.

and here I though he was , get ready for this.... Talking out his ass...... Get it, he's an, oh nevermind....

[Sasquatch]

How about making it only knee deep? The goal is to make it across? Right? Sinking in knee deep would be a definite indication of failure on the runner and would not possibly drown a small person.

There you go. thats a perfect idea

[Sasquatch]

Great analysis, thanks everybody! I like the idea of the baggies, that sounds like a good solution - would require a lot of 'em though, two per person, plus rubber bands or something to hold 'em on people's feet. I wonder if we dunked the baggies in sanitizing liquid in between uses if that would satisfy the health department. 'Cuz otherwise that's a TON of baggies.

just buy a shit ton of magnum condoms.

[Johnny Payphone]

We did this by tossing a tarp into a rented U-haul trailer and buying a pallet of corn starch.

-when transporting, it sloshed all over the place, unless we slammed on the brakes, in which case it acted like a solid load

- we held dance-offs to see who could stay on the surface the longest

- little kids would fall on their face and almost die

-the more limbs you get stuck, and the more you struggle, the harder it is to get out. Once you're down on all fours you're doomed.

-it was a huge mess and basically requires water for cleanup.

[The Hustler]

You know that cool stuff you get when you mix corn starch and water? The stuff that acts like a solid when you move it fast and a liquid when you move it slowly?

We want to set up a GIANT VAT of it on the playa next year, and get people to run across it as a "rite of passage" thing. We'll do it up like a parody of those corporate retreats where they walk on coals, with tiki torches, mock inspirational speakers etc.

Visitors will get a chance to try and dash across the gloop without falling in - and we'll have a hose ready to slosh off anybody who does drop into the goo, accidentally or on purpose

So far it's just myself and my roomate who've come up with the idea. We camp with Black Rock Roller Disco so this vat'll be right on the esplanade. We need volunteers to help plan it out, build the components, set it up, and of course help with the cost and transport of large quantities of corn starch and water

You know you've always wanted to run across a big vat of non-newtonian fluid. Help make it happen at burning man!

Bonus idea, if we get a ton of support for this: Line the bottom of the vat with giant subwoofers - then blast super bass up into it and turn it into the world's largest dancing fluid sculpture! (search "corn starch speaker" on youtube to see what I'm talking about)

That's the oddest and coolest thing I heard all day.

The subwoofer thing reminds me of a Mythbusters episode where they made a giant Mercedes diesel-powered subwoofer inside the car to try to blow the windows out. I think it cranked out 180 decibels at around 15 hz, or something crazy enough to loosen the worst internal log jam.

Large amounts of water in the high desert? You'll need a tanker and a really big evaporation pond.

[Marscrumbs]

If you ever been on the playa in the wet season you would know that the playa is a big vat of gooey flow.

[dewnorth]

I'm NOT saying it's true! But I read somewhere that Black Rock Desert is on a fault line that could liquify the playa's surface if there was an earthquake on the fault. So maybe one day we could all have the same experience as walking on your vat of corn starch. (It would be even more troublesome than trying to buy tickets online this year.) One perk: instant moop control.

[Bob]

I'm NOT saying it's true! But I read somewhere that Black Rock Desert is on a fault line that could liquify the playa's surface if there was an earthquake on the fault...

The term is "liquefaction", and it typically occurs in loose water-saturated sand deposits, not clay or silt.

Could happen, though. Nobody's done exploratory transects of the playa to see what's actually there at depth.

[phoon]

I never knew this happened. Corn starch and water? That's even cooler than carbonating watermelon with dry ice. I'd run across that any day just to see how it works.

[Elderberry]

I'm NOT saying it's true! But I read somewhere that Black Rock Desert is on a fault line that could liquify the playa's surface if there was an earthquake on the fault...

The term is "liquefaction", and it typically occurs in loose water-saturated sand deposits, not clay or silt.

Could happen, though. Nobody's done exploratory transects of the playa to see what's actually there at depth.

My neighborhood is built on a liquefaction zone.

JK

[ygmir]

considering, Nevada, and the great basin in general is very thin crust, with numerous faults, seems easy to consider there is one, or could be, under or near the playa.
the fault does not have to be directly under it, to shake hard enough to cause liquefaction.
and, I'd bet, since the water table is so high there anyway, in a strong shake it would do just that.

[ygmir]

I'm NOT saying it's true! But I read somewhere that Black Rock Desert is on a fault line that could liquify the playa's surface if there was an earthquake on the fault...

The term is "liquefaction", and it typically occurs in loose water-saturated sand deposits, not clay or silt.

Could happen, though. Nobody's done exploratory transects of the playa to see what's actually there at depth.

My neighborhood is built on a liquefaction zone.

JK

JK:
do you have emergency knowledge, in case it happens?
I understand, if you lay flat, you will float.

and, as long as your not face down, and don't get excited, you won't get stuck........

[Elderberry]

The term is "liquefaction", and it typically occurs in loose water-saturated sand deposits, not clay or silt.

Could happen, though. Nobody's done exploratory transects of the playa to see what's actually there at depth.

My neighborhood is built on a liquefaction zone.

JK

Sounds like the same thing I heard you were supposed to do if you get into quick sand.

JK

JK:
do you have emergency knowledge, in case it happens?
I understand, if you lay flat, you will float.

and, as long as your not face down, and don't get excited, you won't get stuck........

[ygmir]

My neighborhood is built on a liquefaction zone.

JK

Sounds like the same thing I heard you were supposed to do if you get into quick sand.

JK

JK:
do you have emergency knowledge, in case it happens?
I understand, if you lay flat, you will float.

and, as long as your not face down, and don't get excited, you won't get stuck........

yeah, the same. Except, getting "excited" (read sexually), and being face down, will not get you stuck in quicksand...........
dang, I just seem so obtuse, at times

[Bob]

In Gerlach the ground shakes like Jell-O when the train goes by.

Maybe all you need is a train.

[ygmir]

yeah, and, I've even noted ground movement, if something really heavy goes by camp, on the playa.
like those huge forklifts, carrying something, when DPW is driving them fast.

[theCryptofishist]

In Gerlach the ground shakes like Jell-O when the train goes by.

Maybe all you need is a train.

No wonder it looks all new and shiny every time I visit. It constantly has to be rebuilt.

[Servo_Cerveau]

This sounds like a great idea!

one potential issue to consider is securing the vat when there's no-one from your camp around to supervise. without someone to spot them, someone could quite easily get stuck even in a waist-deep vat of magic mud.

I'd suggest some kind of removable top that you would lock down with padlocks. That way you could make sure there was someone watching whenever someone was running over the vat, to pull out sinkers and oversee MOOP containment.