tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post1488298802880087388..comments2023-11-02T12:15:47.847+00:00Comments on Quinquireme: The Mug Chainpatroclushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01933476561340044351noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-19802249112172844092008-05-30T14:14:00.000+01:002008-05-30T14:14:00.000+01:00RG: Ooh, we could do a tie-up (or 'co-branding exe...RG: Ooh, we could do a tie-up (or 'co-branding exercise', as they call it) - you could get a knitted pancreas charm for your mug chain!<BR/><BR/>I think Apple Computer claimed the apple logo (with the bite out of it) was based on Turing's demise so as to deflect the lawsuit from Apple Records. I don't know what its actual origin was, though.patroclushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01933476561340044351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-30548002493482309022008-05-30T14:07:00.000+01:002008-05-30T14:07:00.000+01:00is it true, btw, that the apple logo was inspired ...is it true, btw, that the apple logo was inspired by turing's untimely end?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-48670273718915422582008-05-30T14:06:00.000+01:002008-05-30T14:06:00.000+01:00never mind suralan - go straight to the top! the d...never mind suralan - go straight to the top! the dragons' den!!! i'm still trying to perfect the prototopes of the knitted internal organs i'm hoping to pitch.<BR/>see you thereAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-9652855714436862662008-05-29T14:50:00.000+01:002008-05-29T14:50:00.000+01:00Sarah: I'm just waiting for raspberry season, then...Sarah: I'm just waiting for raspberry season, then I will make chocolate and raspberry brownies, mmm. In the meantime, carrot cake and banana muffins all the way.patroclushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01933476561340044351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-7034126542292902372008-05-29T12:19:00.000+01:002008-05-29T12:19:00.000+01:00I don't like bananas either, so banana muffins are...I don't like bananas either, so banana muffins are right out.<BR/><BR/>I really like chocolate muffins though, if you are ever making any.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05343891949433026930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-45039220981286810882008-05-29T10:58:00.000+01:002008-05-29T10:58:00.000+01:00Tim: Now I'm imagining a sort of Indiana Jones-sty...Tim: Now I'm imagining a sort of <I>Indiana Jones</I>-style action sequence in which the baddie is gruesomely decapitated after being forced into a sweaty office filled with mugs attached by chains to ceiling fans...patroclushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01933476561340044351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-36782030318686497392008-05-29T10:53:00.000+01:002008-05-29T10:53:00.000+01:00People without radiators (because it's too hot to ...People without radiators (because it's too hot to require central heating) can just chain their mugs to the aircon. Or to the ceiling fan. Or to the punka wallah, if he doesn't mind.Tim Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14681067872556519250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-36609838005778437062008-05-29T09:19:00.000+01:002008-05-29T09:19:00.000+01:00Now look - I know there are no wrong answers in a ...Now look - I know there are no wrong answers in a brainstorm, but even so:<BR/><BR/>Matt: I looked at that radiator thing, which looked quite cool, but then I thought '<I>but why wouldn't you just put your mug and your muffin *on* the radiator, and cut out the middle man?</I>'<BR/><BR/>Dad: I suppose that <I>in exceptional circumstances</I> you could chain the mug to a window catch or other fixed and immovable object. Remember, team, it's all about not letting someone else use your mug. Chaining it to a piece of carrot cake would be futile - doubly so, because the mug thief would probably be very tempted to steal the cake too. Unless it was Sarah, of course.<BR/><BR/>Dave: This is good out-of-the-box thinking, but in my experience, most offices have solid floors. You could try driving the stake into the pot of the nearest <I>Schefflera arboricola</I>, but I fear that this would, at best, only be a temporary solution, for the stake could easily be uprooted, allowing the felon to make off with the mug (albeit with stake and chain still attached).patroclushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01933476561340044351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-14015104058941724362008-05-29T08:05:00.000+01:002008-05-29T08:05:00.000+01:00You could supply a stake with the chain, to be dri...You could supply a stake with the chain, to be driven into the ground if no radiator falls to hand.<BR/><BR/>This would also avoid the heat-transfer problem.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08403853324345062446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-20258080313310686342008-05-29T08:01:00.000+01:002008-05-29T08:01:00.000+01:00Oh, please think longitudinally. We have no radiat...Oh, please think <EM>longitudinally</EM>. We have no radiators. And in South Africa, where I would have come from if I'd been born and bred there, and where Turing is no less honoured than elsewhere, the concept of central heating is unknown. There has to be an alternative: could you conceive of chaining the mugs to the carrot or other fine cake? Or would this be a step too far?Christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14227767014123557100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-22226586314756574402008-05-28T23:53:00.000+01:002008-05-28T23:53:00.000+01:00The radiator chain/mug thing could be the latest i...The radiator chain/mug thing could be the latest in a line of radiator inspired goodness. I give you:<BR/><A HREF="http://www.geekologie.com/2007/11/radiator_heater_keeps_your_bre.php" REL="nofollow">the radiator food warmer</A>Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11643074914452315196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-15865952764164393912008-05-28T13:44:00.000+01:002008-05-28T13:44:00.000+01:00My god Betty, you're right. From now on, all Mug C...My god Betty, you're right. From now on, all Mug Chains will only be available in cheap grey plastic. <BR/><BR/>(What do you mean, the heat from the radiator might melt the plastic, releasing potentially lethal toxic fumes into the enclosed office space?)patroclushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01933476561340044351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-83288628515271962742008-05-28T13:37:00.000+01:002008-05-28T13:37:00.000+01:00I hate to be the voice of doom, but the metal chai...I hate to be the voice of doom, but the metal chain would be a conductor of heat from the radiator to the mug. The mug would become too hot to handle, potentially causing burns, and could even crack. Too many hazards - unless, of course, you decide not to switch the central heating on and wear a coat indoors instead.Bettyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11296810448779372875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-11213532982143742492008-05-28T10:30:00.000+01:002008-05-28T10:30:00.000+01:00Lots of people like carrot cake, hurrah!Boz: In an...Lots of people like carrot cake, hurrah!<BR/><BR/>Boz: In answer to your questions: <BR/><BR/>1) Only if you buy the associated Chain Plate (TM), which has a special flange with a hole in it for insertion of the chain. <BR/><BR/>2) Yes.<BR/><BR/>3) Probably, but as it is designed purely for use in the office, one would hope that all users would possess adequate levels of maturity and motor control. You never know, though...<BR/><BR/>Annie: Thank you! I may use that as the first thing I upload to Twine (which is a fancy new thing a bit like del.icio.us, but which has the disadvantage of not working with either of the browsers that I use, grrr).patroclushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01933476561340044351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-23933714821431802402008-05-27T22:53:00.000+01:002008-05-27T22:53:00.000+01:00PS - unconnected but I thought of you when I saw t...PS - unconnected but I thought of you when I saw this programme about robots and AI, (available on bbc iplayer):<BR/><BR/>http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/visions-future.shtmlAnniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15941917503687179585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-79358455542538290812008-05-27T22:16:00.000+01:002008-05-27T22:16:00.000+01:00I am with Hannah - carrot cake is truly food of hi...I am with Hannah - carrot cake is truly food of higher deities.<BR/><BR/>Does the chain come with an attachment for plates of cake? Is it machine washable? Is it a hazard for younger tea-drinkers?Bozhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02065257907482952779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-53002511694631898752008-05-27T21:19:00.000+01:002008-05-27T21:19:00.000+01:00Actually wait, yes, the water would probably be a ...Actually wait, yes, the water would probably be a bit icky.<BR/><BR/>Wise Dave is Wise.James Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16604261370633794445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-23521967010217989652008-05-27T19:31:00.000+01:002008-05-27T19:31:00.000+01:00Going outside meant I missed all this.Take it on D...Going outside meant I missed all this.<BR/><BR/>Take it on Dragons' Den, go on, I dare you.Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15941917503687179585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-12817928184889781132008-05-27T18:37:00.000+01:002008-05-27T18:37:00.000+01:00Tim: Or cyanide. Dave: I believe that in James's s...Tim: Or cyanide. <BR/><BR/>Dave: I believe that in James's scenario, the water from the radiator is not for washing the mug, but for making a tasty hot drink. However, I have anticipated all of these design flaws by making the chain lockable and unlockable. Unlock it to make a drink and wash the mug, then use it to chain the mug safely back to the radiator once you've finished using it. Easy! There's room for more than one James Dyson in this country, you know.<BR/><BR/>Billy: How about a dinner plate in the form of a Mobius strip? Not very practical, though, especially if you had a lot of gravy.<BR/><BR/>Sarah: Where do you stand on banana muffins? And yes, the Festival Mug Carabina sounds like a close relative of the Mug Chain. Damn, someone got there before me.patroclushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01933476561340044351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-87561461845022372922008-05-27T18:26:00.000+01:002008-05-27T18:26:00.000+01:00I hate carrot cake. I personally wouldn't want to...I hate carrot cake. I personally wouldn't want to eat it. But, in my experience, I'm in a minority.<BR/><BR/>An alternative use for a mug chain is that espoused by stewards at festivals. Or at least the one I work at, anyway. You use a chain/clip/carabina/piece of string to attach the mug to a belt loop so it's always available for coffee refuelling. And you can take it off to wash the mug/drink from it.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05343891949433026930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-57958398634336585132008-05-27T17:36:00.000+01:002008-05-27T17:36:00.000+01:00Have you faxed Suralan yet? Could there be other t...Have you faxed Suralan yet? Could there be other tie-ins to go with it? A Godel dinner service for example.Billyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17841187654606981532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-19474044279896903642008-05-27T17:32:00.000+01:002008-05-27T17:32:00.000+01:00James, I too thought of that, but have you ever se...James, I too thought of that, but have you ever seen the water that comes out of radiators? You would not want to wash anything with it.<BR/><BR/>You could stand a washing-up bowl on the radiator, though, and allow the water to warm up that way.<BR/><BR/>Provided the radiator had a flat top, of course. Perhaps a small metal shelf should be supplied with the chain.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08403853324345062446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-12958191454812604342008-05-27T17:14:00.000+01:002008-05-27T17:14:00.000+01:00As long as the mug isn't used for drinking apple j...As long as the mug isn't used for drinking apple juice. That would be in poor taste.<BR/><BR/>As would dangerous quantities of oestrogen.Tim Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14681067872556519250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-7046285236707600242008-05-27T16:59:00.000+01:002008-05-27T16:59:00.000+01:00I'm off to check in the Alan Turing biography that...I'm off to check in the Alan Turing biography that Wyndham gave me, to see exactly *how much* he'd thought it through. The last thing that Mug Chain Inc. needs right now is an embarrassing copyright show trial with the Turing estate.patroclushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01933476561340044351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607123.post-9605303836583421852008-05-27T16:58:00.000+01:002008-05-27T16:58:00.000+01:00The hot water could of course come from the radiat...The hot water could of course come from the radiator itself I AM A GENIUS OF TURING-LIKE PROPORTION.James Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16604261370633794445noreply@blogger.com