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“I think you’ll find that somebody’s already invented the hole punch.” says NutJob.
“Not a device for punching holes in paper. It’s a secret weapon to be attached to enemy ships by special forces. It’s left in place below the waterline. With nobody around it mysteriously punches a hole in the ship until it sinks.”
“OK … have you built a prototype?
HayWire points to the wooden bucket at the end of his workbench.
“The challenge is to use materials which allow the mechanism to operate in sea water.”
“And make a hole in your bucket? Dear Liza, Dear Liza!”
—o—
Inevitably, during their next visit to the Innovation Lab, a conversation about the MDC comes up again.
BarmyWaffle’s still not convinced.
“I honestly think that rechargeable batteries are the way to go,” he says, “better than direct clockwork power to an axle or a propeller. A uni dimensional clockwork engine can power a dynamo, which can recharge a battery, which can deliver a stable electric current over time.”
He turns to his desk.
“Look at this,” he says, “a pocket calculator! It’s made of plastic. Plastic was both a blessing and a curse. When my mentor retired forty years ago, he gave this to me. It’s been an engineering tradition for more than 200 years, passing on a personal memento when you retire.”
The ancient, handheld, plastic calculator is fitted to a small wooden plinth which is enclosed neatly inside a glass display case. It’s BarmyWaffle’s favourite conversation piece, and he delights in telling people about plastic, about batteries, and about solar panels.
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