I'm currently working on a short humorous piece and am looking for some inspiration. In my BotP-verse, Jason's cover job is as a test driver with Galaxy Security's R&D Department - the one headed by the accident-prone Dr Kew. I'm looking for things that could go wrong. So far, I've got: 1. An incorrectly-installed 50-calibre weapon in the back of a car where the recoil tears the gun from its mountings and shoots out the roof, pissing Jason off; and 2. The R&D boffins try to turn a car invisible (like the Aston-Martin Vanquish in one of the Bond movies) and do such a good job that they can't find the car again for over 24 hours, even with the assistance of 7-Zark-7, who is mortally embarrassed by his inability to locate the vehicle, even with the use of his FOSDIC. What else could possibly go wrong? This is the BotP-verse, after all, where the team's main weapon is a ship that sets itself on fire. I don't need a great deal of detail, just concepts at this stage, and preferably not things that directly affect the G-Force team, their personal vehicles or their existing weapons, but new stuff, like an idea for a proposed G-Force device that doesn't make the cut - for example, a personal force field that's so good, it prevents gas exchange, which means the user could suffocate if they don't turn it off after five minutes, or a supposedly non-lethal paralysis ray that works so well it sends the subject into cardiac and/or respiratory arrest. I can fill in the blanks with pseudo-science as I go.

You could have a second attempt at an invisible car that doesn't render the passengers invisible, just like Wonder Woman's invisible jet. (I never understood why the people who saw a woman in the seated position flying overhead acted as though it was an everyday -- if not downright boring -- thing.) Or maybe have the invisibility mechanism work on inorganic materials only. (Look -- Jason's naked! How's he able to float in the air like that?) Or there could be a sound system that blasts "the Brown Note" outside the vehicle. (Just think of the joys that come if that thing can't be aimed very well!)

[i]Or there could be a sound system that blasts "the Brown Note" outside the vehicle. (Just think of the joys that come if that thing can't be aimed very well!)

Technically the "brown note" can't easily be aimed well - at low frequencies sound waves are quite omnidirectional, and it's the super low frequencies that are felt and not heard that can cause parts of the body (or building materials, etc.) vibrate in such a way it becomes messy (or destructive) after prolonged exposure. I was going to say more, but realised I was sounding too audio nerdy!

Originally posted by Katblu42

[i]Or there could be a sound system that blasts "the Brown Note" outside the vehicle. (Just think of the joys that come if that thing can't be aimed very well!)

Technically the "brown note" can't easily be aimed well - at low frequencies sound waves are quite omnidirectional, and it's the super low frequencies that are felt and not heard that can cause parts of the body (or building materials, etc.) vibrate in such a way it becomes messy (or destructive) after prolonged exposure. I was going to say more, but realised I was sounding too audio nerdy!

Nerdy is good! I'm currently working on my plans for National Science Week community education activities, so I'm in a really nerdy frame of mind right now. Science!

Following in the "brown note" vein . . . if you did develope a weapon that could blast the low frequency tone at a high enough intensity to be instantly destructive, you may find the omnidirectionality of the soundwave a problem - it would hit the intended target, but would have a similar affect on whoever fired it.

Which brings me to a much-delayed moment of fridge logic (try 38 years' worth): How does Mark's sonic boomerang work? Ken's birdrang was Zarked for the fine upstanding Mothers of America so that instead of cutting throats and generally being a flying knife, it emitted sound waves which induced unconsciousness (It's okay, kids, they'll all be fine!*) in its victims. Which then begs the question, doesn't it? How did it not render its wielder unconscious as well? Timer? Proximity sensor keyed to any and all of the G-Force bracelets? Sufficiently Advanced Zarkiness? None of the above? * Never mind that after the mooks have been rendered unconscious, the ship or base was usually blown to kingdom come by Princess, leaving said mooks to die helplessly in the resultant blast. Out of sight, out of mind. (This qualifies as fridge horror.)

LOL. I have no answers for you, GGO. But I can't *wait* to see where these ideas lead you!

Higher frequency sound waves can be focused into a direction (think of the shape of a bullhorn or a public address speaker at an outdoor sports event), so I suppose Mark (and his team) would be off-axis to the harmful sounds (or their helmets block it out). How you would project sound from something shaped like that in one specific direction is a whole other can of worms. And if you're emitting high frequency sound waves in order to inflict harm on your enemies, what kind of damage can you realistcally do? Headaches and burst ear-drums? Oh, but wait, apparently radio waves of 3600MHz (3 600 000 000 cycles per second, or 3.6GHz) can cause textiles and vehicles to transform! Obviously this is way beyond the limits of human hearing (20Hz to 20kHz), so if the Sonic Boomerang is operating in the VHF (30 to 300MHz) or UHF (300MHz to 3GHz) ranges or beyond we wouldn't hear it coming.

We would hear it coming, I'm afraid. When you watch the episodes, the boomerang makes a whirring noise as it flies. Perhaps the boomerang emits sound waves plus some kind of Sufficiently Advanced Technology to create a 'knockout field.' Whatever it is, everyone's going to be *OKAY!* Until the bomb goes off, then they won't just be history, they'll be geography as well.

Originally posted by GrumpyGhostOwl How did it not render its wielder unconscious as well?

I'd say his helmet but we see him using it in his civvies, too. Cerebonics? Maybe he's used it so many times that he's just immune by now? Imagine constantly finding him on the floor with the boomerang lodged in a wall or tree or whatever because he was practicing and passed out AGAIN, LOL.

Originally posted by ChrisW

Originally posted by GrumpyGhostOwl How did it not render its wielder unconscious as well?

I'd say his helmet but we see him using it in his civvies, too. Cerebonics? Maybe he's used it so many times that he's just immune by now? Imagine constantly finding him on the floor with the boomerang lodged in a wall or tree or whatever because he was practicing and passed out AGAIN, LOL. I can see Princess worrying that Mark was going to end up with brain damage. Of course Jason would say it's too late. Btw, I'm pretty sure there's an essay floating out there from long ago about how the boomerang might work. Not on here, but on someone's BOTP/Gatch site? Or maybe on Gatchfanfic.

Originally posted by ChrisW

Originally posted by GrumpyGhostOwl How did it not render its wielder unconscious as well?

I'd say his helmet but we see him using it in his civvies, too. Cerebonics? Maybe he's used it so many times that he's just immune by now? Imagine constantly finding him on the floor with the boomerang lodged in a wall or tree or whatever because he was practicing and passed out AGAIN, LOL.

That would be an R&D fail! Which is why I'm leaning toward a proximity sensor keyed to the team's bracelets so that the thing would turn itself off as soon as it detected a bracelet within a certain distance.

Originally posted by ChrisW I can see Princess worrying that Mark was going to end up with brain damage. Of course Jason would say it's too late.

That is exactly what Jason would say!

Originally posted by ChrisW Btw, I'm pretty sure there's an essay floating out there from long ago about how the boomerang might work. Not on here, but on someone's BOTP/Gatch site? Or maybe on Gatchfanfic.

I haven't seen it, but maybe The Other Jason would know.

There's always the fire under the hood that occurs out of nowhere that happens to burn down the whole garage.

Originally posted by Becky Rock There's always the fire under the hood that occurs out of nowhere that happens to burn down the whole garage.

Haha, yes. You've also just given me the idea of the old "oil slick behind the car to foil pursuers" concept where the oil used is too volatile and subsequently catches fire on contact with a hot exhaust. Having things unintentionally catch on fire is very Jeremy Clarkson. How hard can it be?

You just reminded me of something out of my favourite movie of all time. The movie is "The Great Race". The bad guy, Professor Fate and his offsider, Max create the most awesome car - the Hannibal Twin-8. It has a heating cone on the front, a built-in scissor lift, a smoke screen and a retractable front mounted cannon. The first time we see the car Max accidentaly blows up the garage with the cannon. https://youtu.be/Lzaj0bdduHM

I think I remember that one. Jack Lemmon's most repeated line was, "Push the button, Max!" and wasn't that the movie that featured Henry Mancini's 'Pie in the Face Polka'?

Originally posted by GrumpyGhostOwl

Originally posted by Becky Rock There's always the fire under the hood that occurs out of nowhere that happens to burn down the whole garage.

Haha, yes. You've also just given me the idea of the old "oil slick behind the car to foil pursuers" concept where the oil used is too volatile and subsequently catches fire on contact with a hot exhaust. Having things unintentionally catch on fire is very Jeremy Clarkson. How hard can it be?

Actually, I got it from a recent incident with our BMW 320i. I was at light and noticed the car in front of me had an awful lot of exhaust. At the next light, I was first and it wasn't exhaust. It was smoke pouring out from under my hood. As soon as the light changed, I pulled up and over and out of traffic , shut off the car and got out. The smoke lasted for a few minutes while I talked to GEICO to get a tow truck. To make the story short, a defective gasket cap had cracked and spewed oil all over the enclosed engine block, which burned off, causing the smoke. Two days later, ABC News had an investigative show about parked and shut off BMWs bursting into flames and in some cases, burning down the house whose garage they were parked in. The BMW is now parked at the curb and my son's 2009 Elantra is using the garage.

Originally posted by GrumpyGhostOwl

Originally posted by Becky Rock There's always the fire under the hood that occurs out of nowhere that happens to burn down the whole garage.

Haha, yes. You've also just given me the idea of the old "oil slick behind the car to foil pursuers" concept where the oil used is too volatile and subsequently catches fire on contact with a hot exhaust. Having things unintentionally catch on fire is very Jeremy Clarkson. How hard can it be?

Oh yeah. We all know Jason's The Stig.

Originally posted by Becky Rock Actually, I got it from a recent incident with our BMW 320i. I was at light and noticed the car in front of me had an awful lot of exhaust. At the next light, I was first and it wasn't exhaust. It was smoke pouring out from under my hood. As soon as the light changed, I pulled up and over and out of traffic , shut off the car and got out. The smoke lasted for a few minutes while I talked to GEICO to get a tow truck. To make the story short, a defective gasket cap had cracked and spewed oil all over the enclosed engine block, which burned off, causing the smoke. Two days later, ABC News had an investigative show about parked and shut off BMWs bursting into flames and in some cases, burning down the house whose garage they were parked in. The BMW is now parked at the curb and my son's 2009 Elantra is using the garage.

Yikes!!! Glad it happened the way it did, then!

Originally posted by GrumpyGhostOwl I think I remember that one. Jack Lemmon's most repeated line was, "Push the button, Max!" and wasn't that the movie that featured Henry Mancini's 'Pie in the Face Polka'?

Yes indeed. Henry Mancini's music for this movie is one of many reasons I consider it my favourite. And the pie fight, and the bar-room brawl, and all the crazy cars and gadgets, and the sound effects . . . Many of my family members still say "Push the button, Max" whenever we're asking someone to flick a switch! There was another Professor Fate/Max failure with a weapon that would home in on the loudest engine noise, seek it out and blow it up. After putting the gadget in the water so it would pick up the engine of The Great Leslie's speed boat, they went to make their escape in thier car. The car engine backfires numerous times . . . and the weapon turns around, comes up the river bank, speeds along the road and blows up their car.

Becky Rock, I'm glad you are ok! How scary!

Originally posted by Becky Rock Actually, I got it from a recent incident with our BMW 320i. I was at light and noticed the car in front of me had an awful lot of exhaust. At the next light, I was first and it wasn't exhaust. It was smoke pouring out from under my hood. As soon as the light changed, I pulled up and over and out of traffic , shut off the car and got out. The smoke lasted for a few minutes while I talked to GEICO to get a tow truck. To make the story short, a defective gasket cap had cracked and spewed oil all over the enclosed engine block, which burned off, causing the smoke. Two days later, ABC News had an investigative show about parked and shut off BMWs bursting into flames and in some cases, burning down the house whose garage they were parked in. The BMW is now parked at the curb and my son's 2009 Elantra is using the garage.

I can see how that could put the wind up you. At least it didn't actually catch on fire, but it was probably good for the circulation, so to speak. My late ex-mother-in-law's Nissan 300ZX committed suicide after she traded it in. In this case it was a fuel leak. One of the senior salesmen from the car yard where she'd traded the ZX took his girlfriend for a drive in it to John Forrest National Park. They left the car in the carpark, set up their romantic picnic, and... WHOOSH! The fuel leaked onto something hot and the rest is history. Needless to say, there wasn't much that Roadside Assistance could do, and that was before the days of widespread mobile phone use. Fortunately nobody was hurt. Of course when it comes to the auto-combust feature it's hard to go past Samsung. They've really turned it into an art.

Geez, Becky, that's scary! I'm not sure I would've kept the car.

Originally posted by Katblu42 Becky Rock, I'm glad you are ok! How scary!

Hi Kat. It really wasn't scary until I read the articles about the car fires.

Originally posted by GrumpyGhostOwl

Originally posted by Becky Rock Actually, I got it from a recent incident with our BMW 320i. I was at light and noticed the car in front of me had an awful lot of exhaust. At the next light, I was first and it wasn't exhaust. It was smoke pouring out from under my hood. As soon as the light changed, I pulled up and over and out of traffic , shut off the car and got out. The smoke lasted for a few minutes while I talked to GEICO to get a tow truck. To make the story short, a defective gasket cap had cracked and spewed oil all over the enclosed engine block, which burned off, causing the smoke. Two days later, ABC News had an investigative show about parked and shut off BMWs bursting into flames and in some cases, burning down the house whose garage they were parked in. The BMW is now parked at the curb and my son's 2009 Elantra is using the garage.

I can see how that could put the wind up you. At least it didn't actually catch on fire, but it was probably good for the circulation, so to speak. My late ex-mother-in-law's Nissan 300ZX committed suicide after she traded it in. In this case it was a fuel leak. One of the senior salesmen from the car yard where she'd traded the ZX took his girlfriend for a drive in it to John Forrest National Park. They left the car in the carpark, set up their romantic picnic, and... WHOOSH! The fuel leaked onto something hot and the rest is history. Needless to say, there wasn't much that Roadside Assistance could do, and that was before the days of widespread mobile phone use. Fortunately nobody was hurt. Of course when it comes to the auto-combust feature it's hard to go past Samsung. They've really turned it into an art.

Yes, Samsung did take the cake.

Originally posted by ElectricWhite Geez, Becky, that's scary! I'm not sure I would've kept the car.

It's actually a lease and we have another year left. We'd gone from 3 cars to 2, so we wanted to try one. Needless to say, when the lease is done, we won't be buying it or any other.

Back to the topic...The R&D gang could try to build an Infinite Improbability Drive.