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lba

on June 19, 2008

While I was reading through an old National Geographic article I found on the first atomic explosion, I began wondering about how those old scientists came up with their ideas. I share the same curiosity as many others about how other people think of the things they do, and as I imagine it, they were probably a lot like I was as a little kid. Namely, sitting in the backyard with a hijacked can of gasoline meant for the family lawnmower, seeing how big of a poof they could get it to make by sticking various substances into it ( It turns out that putting gasoline, engine oil and certain white foam-like substances together is a very bad idea. It's quite hard to put out. ). Only, I imagine that these scientists were playing with much larger gas cans ( Figuratively speaking. ) and had some vague clue whether or not the substances they were mixing were about to remove their eyebrows from their face. It's easy to imagine how they could have created such devastating power. I know that personally, as a six year-old I came up with some exceptionally volatile devices ( In some ways I made Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes seem well-behaved. ). In fact, I'm willing to bet that had there been a six year-old on the team, they would have come up with the answer a lot quicker. And they probably would have discovered cold fusion and set America up to be a major world power for a lot longer too in the process. We could probably still even implement this concept now. But then they would have had to take more cookie and milk breaks ( A historical fact: Einstein often skipped his nap and apple juice in favor of working straight through. ) and it's highly likely any and all notes would wound up being flushed down the toilet. So, what with the extra breaks and constant removing of notes and G.I. Joe figurines from the U bend, it's possible that there might be a few setbacks.

But, if the U.S. military ever does decide to start hiring six year-olds and start such a program, I'll be more than happy to enlist. I've already got my own gas can ready.