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[but_civilization]

[Combeferre's expression is awkward, and a little sheepish as he stares into the console, and there is no small amount of soot in his frankly wild hair, while he is cleaning off his spectacles, then glancing back into the camera.]

A question for my fellow passengers:

How does one get out of something when they realize they have no talent for it, but are already promised to work on that thing?

Also,[Combeferre's expression here is particularly sheepish somehow.] I seem to have managed some minor destruction to the kitchen on the 16th deck. Can someone explain to me WHY the silver rimming on the mugs caused it to spark and then explode? I really would like the scientific reasoning so that I can learn to understand it, if there is one.

Thank you.

Comments

voice.

[deprecate]

[ cillian's low irish timbre is rich with amusement, but he takes pity on someone who's willing to admit they don't know something and ask for understanding. not like there's google here, after all. ]

Erm, all right, I'll give it a shot. Though if you're listening to this and you don't want a lengthy explanation about the insides of microwaves, best to stop the message now, eh? I bang on.

Right. I dunno what I'm workin' with here, in terms of your general knowledge, but in my universe, it was sometime in the nineteenth century when science discovered electromagnetic waves. The magnetron in a microwave produces invisible electromagnetic waves, directed into the Faraday cage, that's the main box, and they bounce around off the metal walls. When they touch food, they stimulate the molecules of water and sugar and the like, and the friction of the moving molecules generates heat, which in turn heats up whatever's not excited by the electromagnetic waves.

Erm, so the thing about metal is, instead of molecules of metal getting excited and makin' heat, they reflect back the elecromagnetic waves. But they also pick up a sort of charge from the electricity 'cause they're fuckin' conductive. When it's just the box around the outside, that's not so bad, since the microwave's built to stop that electric charge doin' much in the way of damage. But put some metal in the middle — something like silver — and suddenly you've got this charged up piece of metal, and all that electricity has nowhere to go, so it sparks, maybe even manages to arc itself through the air — 'specially if there's steam, electricity loves water — and that can burn a hole in your Faraday cage, wreck your magnetron, or, if you're unlucky, short circuit your whole microwave. In extreme cases you might even start a fire. Depends on what shitty materials your microwave's made of and if the heat of the electricity can set 'em on fire.

Any questions?

voice;

[thebreakingwave]

I had to go look up most of that, but that makes sense.

If I'm getting this right, the microwave puts energy into food, which cooks it, but if you put metal in, the energy is more likely to go to it than the food, and it bounces and sparks instead of being absorbed.

voice;

[but_civilization]

This makes a really strong amount of sense. Thank you!

voice;

[thebreakingwave]

If you'd like, I've a basic science textbook from the early 2000s. I'm very, very slowly getting through it, but there's pictures that explain microwaves.

voice;

[but_civilization]

That would be especially amazing.

voice;

[thebreakingwave]

I usually spend afternoons in the library. You're welcome to come by and borrow it.

Re: voice;

[but_civilization]

That would be excellent. I spend a good deal of time myself there when I am not failing at the practical applications of engineering.

voice;

[thebreakingwave]

That's great. I'll see you there soon. I'm on the shorter side of average, with black hair, and I'll have the science text.

((Did you want to segue into action-spam?))

Re: voice;

[but_civilization]

Excellent. I can head there soon.

((Sounds good!))

[And, not long after, Combeferre is making his way toward the library, where he is, really, becoming fast at home, eager to uncover some of these mysteries for himself.]

voice;

[deprecate]

Yeah, all right, if you want to get simple about it.

Re: voice.

[but_civilization]

[What is a google? Is it a sort of creature? Can you use it to treat a patient? Does it hold books? Either way, this is appreciated!]

It seems that I did not miss this by much, which is incredibly disappointing. If I had been able to see this all developed... [Combeferre sounds incredibly wistful really and excited.] What a time that must have BEEN!

Well. This certainly explains many of my...kitchen encounters in the last several weeks, I think. If I am ever taken off the microwave ban I've placed upon myself, well. I certainly know now what to avoid. Thank you!

[Tune in for next week's edition of Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This? starring Combeferre.]

voice.

[deprecate]

Glad I could elucidate it for you, man. Just remember, anything conductive needs to be grounded. What year're you from, then?

Re: voice.

[but_civilization]

It was 1832. I knew a bit of Dr. Franklin's experiments, but beyond that... Well, very little in the way of radiation.

voice.

[deprecate]

So you're seriously behind the times, yeah. Prolly for the best. Atomic physics did a lot for the world, but it fucked it right up, too.

Re: voice.

[but_civilization]

Ah yes, I had been reading a bit about the larger effects of nuclear energy. The things that came about from the end of World War Two, radiation. The fact that humanity has its finger on the brink of so much destruction worries me. I had always believed man would advance with progress, not become mindlessly destructive.

[deprecate]

That's a bit naive, innit? Progress is power, and humanity's not big on using that to best effect. Look how gunpowder worked out.

Not that it's all bad.

[but_civilization]

Perhaps so. I will not say that we were not enlightened but I do believe in the...that there is an inherent goodness in the nature of most men and that the society must strive to bring that to the surface, that with the ugliness of life around it, very little of humanity can change but once properly elevated...delivered, as one of my friends would have said, [When Combeferre thinks of Feuilly now, it is, at least with a fond smile, instead of the aching void that had been there before.] anything would become possible. Has society not done that yet despite all of our progress? That seems to be rather a waste.

text

[doggedly]

you made the kitchen spark and explode with only a cup


can i shake your hand

text

[but_civilization]

Ah,sorry. No , just a teapot, and the microwave, thank goodness.

I am not QUITE as bad as all of that besides technology hating me.

text

[doggedly]

thats still a good trick exploding microwaves
you really think it was the silver bit that did it

how do you know you werent just brewing a particularly explosive tea

Re: text

[but_civilization]

Well, I certainly do my best to be entertaining.

Do you suppose that it could be another factor then? Perhaps there IS something in the tea that responded to the radiation, within the confined environment, true. This may require additional testing.

text

[doggedly]

its entirely possible that the tea is another factor yes
though really that depends what sort of tea are you using

Re: text

[but_civilization]

I was not entirely certain. It had several components I did not recognize when I opened the bag to determine if it would work for its intended purpose. Perhaps another attempt with different tea.

[No Combeferre. Just no.]

t text

[doggedly]

[yes Combeferre yes]

oh yeah definitely youll want to try again with different tea
might i suggest english breakfast
a very resilient sort of tea ive always found
difficult to booby trap

Re: t text

[but_civilization]

One of the things that has been really interesting in the future is how teas actually have names now. And such. Also that the blends are available in bags. But over all. Those are decent guideline, really.