The Legacy of Genius Built Industries: Exclusive Interview with Othello Von Ryan
transcript and process under the cut
Year after year, Genius Built Industries captures the world's attention as they roll out neigh-fantastical devices and systems dedicated to making all our lives a little bit better.
This time, instead of an industry-shaking tech development, the thing that has eyes turning towards GBI is a personal change: the first public appearance of real-life giant and part-time superhero Othello Von Ryan's children.
I've been invited back into Von Ryan's lab for and exclusive interview with their small family.
Von Ryan's personal lab is just as i remember it - perfectly organized and violently purple - but now it's a little more crowded.
For now, Von Ryan has put away the projects to give their attention to their equally purple children.
S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. - just as tall as Von Ryan themself - leans away from his insistent parent, armed with a spray bottle and a cloth and attempting to wipe down the screen that makes up the bottom half of his face. On Von Ryan's other side, P.S.D.D. kicks zir legs and laughs at zir brother.
This doesn't last long, as zir eye is next. When they're done, both teens are shiny and irritated.
And yes, Othello Von Ryan's children do - to the best of my knowledge - seem to be hyper-intelligent robots.
Johnson:
I know you hate beating around the bush, so I'm just going to say it: your kids are androids.
Othello Von Ryan:
Friendly laugh. It would seem so.
J:
You must admit, it's a little surprising, especially considering your previous comments on artificial intelligence. That, and your history of forging your own path against the usual hype-based trends of the tech industry.
(S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and P.S.D.D. both seem to cringe at the comparison. Von Ryan quite literally turns their nose up.)
OVR:
Scoff! My children are nothing like what my competitors would call "artificial intelligence"! Their version is nothing more than an overhyped word scrambler with illusions of grandeur! A parrot residing within a thin-walled apartment complex could do a better job.
Additionally, I created Shelly and D.D. when I was in my teens. The "tech industry" is stuck chasing my tail, as always.
J:
Really? That long ago? A.I. as we know it today was only just gaining popularity! Why not re-create a version for the consumer market?
A mockup of a 12-man “Big G” spacecraft at the McDonnell Douglas factory. It was intended to provide large-capacity, all-purpose access to space and be a logistic spacecraft that would be used to resupply an orbiting space station.
Thousands of tons of cosmic dust are estimated to reach the Earth's surface every year, with most grains having a mass between 10−16 kg (0.1 pg) and 10−4 kg (0.1 g). The density of the dust cloud through which the Earth is traveling is approximately 10−6 dust grains/m3.
The best spots to look for and find the extra-terrestrial dust particles are surfaces with little vegetation and erosion, where, once landed, they remain collectable for a long time: for example on ice surfaces in the Antarctic or on the seabed. Researchers from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and the Freie Universität Berlin now want to tap a new source of the scientifically very valuable material. They are counting on the active support of Berlin citizens.
Cosmic crumbs
“We want to collect micrometeorites, they are usually less than one millimetre in size, from Berlin roofs,” says project manager Lutz Hecht. The idea has already proven successful: The researchers extracted 63 micrometeorites from many kilogrammes of dust from a roof area of around 5000 square metres. They are now identifying further roofs, which could be good places to find more due to their location and nature.
At the selected locations, the material is swept together and the particles from 0.1 to 0.8 millimetres in size are sifted out. Magnetically reacting particles are then extracted from these. The yield is washed, light particles discarded and the remaining material is dried and examined under microscopes. “This is a very time-consuming task that requires the help of volunteers who help us picking out the interesting objects,” says Hecht.
Whether the interesting objects actually are micrometeorites will be checked with an electron microscope. The museum’ geochemical and microanalytical laboratories are equipped for analysis
“LEM MOCK-UP—A full scale mockup of the Apollo Lunar Excursion Module is shown at the Lunar Topographical Simulation Area. Astronauts and engineers will use the vehicle and area for simulations and training exercises.”