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a side project (i'll get back to my regular once i'm done w/ classes)

Nature has wheels. Well, things that act as wheels.

A basic wheel is just something round. Like a boulder. Big things move in nature because the small things under them roll - rockslides are a good example. A big rock with a flat face sitting on gravel will move easier than a big rock with a flat face sitting on another flat face.

Another example would be logs. Humanity has used logs to roll things for a long time. Now admittedly that's an intelligent mind using something in nature, but still, it came from nature.

Cool idea tho. I'll put my money on the engineer.

rkolter is quite wise.
I'm guessing this comic will involve a deeper lesson other than "Engineering 0\/\/nz0rz all other majors"
It prolly has to do w/ the boundless hubris of mankind: they will both learn an important lesson in humility, or die horrible ironic deaths caused by their own creations.

The comic shows great promise, kudos to you.

It's really a good thing that nature doesn't have "wheels" [for locomotion's sake]. Considering the "manufacturing processes" nature has to work with, 'growing' a wheel would be almost completely unworkable. You can't really attach muscles to wheel easily or simply. This leaves you basically with magnetic/electric energy and pressurized fluid/vapor/gas to produce shaft work. Both of these would be very hostile environments to house in a living creature. Not to mention that genetic variations/mutations would destroy the tolerances needed for efficient shaft rotation.

Although, the Dung Beetle has not overlooked the relative ease of transporting round objects.

I have run across an article about a bacteria with a rotating flagella, but any important details completely escape me.

EDIT: Bow to your Google master...

More of a shaft than a wheel, same difference. Gives the basic rundown. Had wanted a *.edu source, but SA is relatively reliable and mentions studies to Google if you so please.

Article talks about physics of flagellar movement

rkolter is going to eat this stuff up like crows on roadkill.

WOOOO! New Taiwanimation forum comic thingy! Yay!

I love these ^.^
How many comics have you got predicted?

Oooh, great idea. And you besically created a plot in only one page, wow.


Awesomeness.

another reason why there are no wheeled animals is that there is no evolutionary intermediate from going from blob to wheels the way there is one for going from blob to legs.

Niiiiice. I put my bet on the fact that they're both gonna die due to lack of oxygen in the upper atmosphere!

I'm guessing that this is actually a Christmas comic.

somesuch wrote:I'm guessing that this is actually a Christmas comic.

I hope that it's not!

What, what's happening on the last two frames? Did the engineer get her bird machine snagged on top of the tower? Did she launch the onithopter/glider or kite [are those strings?] from the top of the tower? Why are they both on the tower?

-----

a. There is atmosphere in space b/c the comic is in a Greek Mythology universe
-OR-
b. They will both learn their lesson and/or die as a result of their boundless hubris long before atmosphere becomes a real concern, as per my earlier prediction.

Taiwanimation wrote:another reason why there are no wheeled animals is that there is no evolutionary intermediate from going from blob to wheels the way there is one for going from blob to legs.

Well yes and the fact that wheels are in actual fact the combination of two different parts... an axel has to be completely independent from a chassis in order to be able to properly rotate. You cannot have one single organism composed of two separate parts.

However nature could

I think the line, "See that star? First one to get there wins." is amazing. One for the Quote File.

Abacus --> skyscrapers...

Ah, so the battle of wits lasts until the end of time!! Hm, from where this is going and the style of T's other comix, it seems less and less likely that anyone will die as a result of the contest. It seems the combatants pass on the contest to the next generation, or they have superhuman longevity?

Mini-Movie-Quote-Game: A battle of wits? For the princess!? TO THE DEATH??!!??

I'm waiting for both of them to get beaten by a physicist.

somesuch wrote:I'm waiting for both of them to get beaten by a physicist.

:Supresses flamewar:

I'm just wondering. Physicists, do they actually build anything, besides the equipment for experiments? I understood that it's physicists that lay down the laws that ppl like architects and engineers put to practical use. I may be wrong that there aren't physicists that focus on design, but I think that if there were, they would pretty much be engineers at that point.

However, thinking back to my highschool paper on the The Manhattan Project, I guess they built the first reactor/bombs. Although I'm pretty sure they would have had to at least consult an engineer at some point when it came to the details of putting together the blasted thing.

Yeah, somesuch, a physicist is going to come by with a bottle of liquid nitrogen and get there first. *Snicker* But seriously, physics majors are h4rdc0r3. Always studying. I think physicists, mathematicians, and engineers all have a penchant for pain.

MechaByrd wrote: Mini-Movie-Quote-Game: A battle of wits? For the princess!? TO THE DEATH??!!??

Princess Bride, the Sicilian, Vicini. You need to quote harder movies.

Physicists don't make a lot of the products you buy. They make a lot of the products you buy better.

Without physicists, we wouldn't have had astronauts. Hence my point.

Yes, but without farmers we wouldn't have had astronauts either. Or tea come to think of it. Christ that'd be awful...

1. The quote was in my head and pertained to my post, wasn't meant to be challenging.

2. Astronaughts are well and good, but they just push the button really. Without engineers you wouldn't have the rocket, you sort of need that. Let the physicists figure out which way they want to point the blasted thing. [How about directly into the surface of Mars, eh NASA? BWA HA HA HA HA HA]

3. Without engineers you wouldn't have modern farm equipment, nor tea-processing/packaging facilities. [But unforntunately, cannot be held directly responsible for creating tea or farming.]

I really didn't want a flamewar, I even put a disclaimer on my "liquid nitrogen" jab about what nice, hardworking ppl they are. It just had to be said. Playful jokes aside, Can't we just agree on the equal legitimacy of each other's chosen fields of study? [Except for Liesure Studies, which goes without saying. (Just kidding!)]

Where's the love, guys?