# Wacky Sci-Fi Weaponry.



## Rojack79 (Dec 31, 2015)

Well folks as an avid science fiction veiwer i've always been fasinated by the weapons thay come up with. And so in keeping with the tradition of gizmos and gadgets i have come up with some awsome weapons of my own. 

Cryo Gun: This weapon sprays an opponent with a jet of liquid nitrogen freezing them on contact.

Raging Inferno: This weapon slathers the opponent in a viscus fluid that is a mixture of napalm and thurmite. The potent fluid is then lit and the target is engulfed in a perpetuly burning molten metal that cant be exstinguished all that easily. 

So what do you guys think? What weapons have you guy thought of in your spare time?


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## Riis Marshall (Jan 1, 2016)

Hello Rojack

You don't need to stretch your imagination too much - just do some reading about what those guys at the CIA et al. spend their time dreaming about.

During campaigns in the Pacific during WWII, the US used a portable, backpack flamethrower that was like your Raging Inferno without the thermite. I've talked to Marines who experienced it, not anybody who used it but saw it in action. It was a horrible weapon and one commented he could not have used it himself but it saved his life at least once.

The OSS thought about carpeting Tokyo with incendiary bats to set fire to flimsy wooden houses.

I sincerely doubt you can imagine anything nobody has thought about to date, although it's fun to try.

The nerdy techie who has a place in all my thrillers created a computer application to read body language and non-verbals, and thus have the ability to read somebody's mind. A friend tells me these are already in use in airports to monitor those who enter as potential n'er-do-wells.

Have a go.

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## JustRob (Jan 1, 2016)

Riis is probably right, that someone has thought of it all already. I was fascinated by the power of ULF sound waves. Years back there was a lot mentioned about the effects of frequencies around 7Hz. These apparently could create resonances inside the human body and tear a person apart from the inside. Nowadays cinemas probably use them and just regard it as entertainment. Personally I make use of the effect when disco dancing. On one occasion a teenage girl asked me on the dance floor how I managed to dance the way that I do and I explained that it was a matter of discovering the natural resonances within one's body. She collapsed with laughter as she was a buxom lass and it was quite apparent which part of her anatomy would resonate if she attempted what I do.

Allegedly ULF sound waves at the correct frequency can demolish buildings and also can be projected over long distances. I've no idea whether they have been found useful in practice. It was believed during the cold war that the Russians were experimenting with them.

Resonance is a powerful effect however caused. I am having problems with it while using the coffee machine that I bought recently. The pump in the machine pulsates, so ejects water in short bolts. If I use the steam pipe to add extra water to a cup of coffee all is fine until the coffee fills the cup to a specific depth, at which point the ripples in the coffee resonate with the shots of water from the pipe and much of the coffee leaps out of the cup. So far I have found no defence against this.

I definitely recommend some form of resonance weapon. They are just so efficient in terms of effect against the power required.


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## Riis Marshall (Jan 1, 2016)

@Rob

Speaking of resonance, are you familiar with the saga of the first Tacoma Narrows bridge?

Way back in the sixties during the cold war, somebody involved in submarine design concluded if they could build one that was able to move through the water as well as dolphins and porpoises, top speed would at least double. Supposedly there was a program to try to teach dolphins how to talk then ask them how they were able to swim so fast. Apocryphal? Perhaps, but from what I know about the thinking of some folks involved in US - and no doubt Russian - defense thinking, I think it's a distinct possibility.  

Great thread - let's keep it going.

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## JustRob (Jan 1, 2016)

Riis Marshall said:


> @Rob
> 
> Speaking of resonance, are you familiar with the saga of the first Tacoma Narrows bridge?



Yes, I've seen the film taken of the event. It is amazing and a classic example. I thought to mention it but it was a natural event rather than intentional. It substantially changed bridge design thereafter. They now have aerofoil sections that hold them steady in windy conditions. Natural resonance has to be considered in building tall structures as well nowadays. Because it is a natural phenomenon it doesn't take much to turn it into a weapon.

Regarding the dolphins and porpoises, did it occur to anyone that they might not know exactly how they do what they do? It would be like asking a human how they manage to stand upright or waggle their ears. (Could someone please explain that latter ability as I can't do it.) According to the cats who have cohabited with us over the years the most terrifying act that one can do is to carry them while walking down a staircase without holding onto a handrail for support. It takes them a long while to become convinced that humans can walk upright, see them on the floor and not step on them, but carrying them down the stairs is just going beyond their comprehension. They are masters of dynamics and sure that slow clumsy animals like us cannot be relied upon to do such a thing. If we were able to talk to them about such things mind to mind, how would one actually explain how it works? Even if those technicians managed to communicate with a dolphin they'd probably discover that she was a mother of a large pod with far more important things to worry about than how one goes from A to B. Isn't it obvious? One just does, the same as everyone else. It's like riding a bicycle, although a dolphin wouldn't think that I suppose.

The most remarkable thing about dolphins that I've heard about is that they can use their sonar to work out what is inside a closed container. Now how could they explain that ability to a human? "Well man, I just looked and there it was. Got any more fish?"

P.S. Global weather control is another good weapon. All the best sorcerors can summon up a tempest to defeat the enemy. I'm sure that an orbiting spacecraft could use technology to do the same to good effect. You don't need a death star, just an atmospheric control system, maybe based on resonance again.

P.P.S. On the subject of submarine technology, how much reality was there in the caterpillar drive used in the film _Red October_?


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