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gwbas1c7 hours ago
anigbrowl2 hours ago
Nice to see people working on quotidian science issues like this rather than chasing unicorns.
fuzztester2 hours ago
Startup with that monetizable name starting in 3 - 2 - 1 -
teerayan hour ago
Chasing Unicorns is a pretty good band name too.
goda909 hours ago
> People have wanted to collect rain to create electricity, but that hasn’t worked on a large scale
It might be a useful effect for small electronics in damp environments where solar isn't a great option. Caves, rainforests, showers.
gustavus6 hours ago
In short it won't be. Less than $100 in a century during the highest recorded rainfall in the US.
dsimms6 hours ago
I had totally forgotten about the rain generator item in that edition of What If! I think because it includes this gem:
Q. What if you strapped C4 to a boomerang? Could this be an effective weapon, or would it be as stupid as it sounds?
A. it's the second one. Aerodynamics aside, I’m curious what tactical advantage you’re expecting to gain by having the high explosive fly back at you if it misses the target.
oniony5 hours ago
Well it would gently encourage you not to miss.
colechristensen3 hours ago
There's two kinds of boomerang, the one to try to hit something with has a different shape and goes in a straight line without returning. It indeed might be a clever alternative to a grenade, made of explosives in a thin metal shell because one person could throw more explosive mass further than a person could throw a grenade.
throwup2382 hours ago
Someone submitted the design during WWI but it wasn’t used: https://www.southernhighlandnews.com.au/story/2992498/boomer...
hinkley9 hours ago
Wonder if this effect happens at all with stone.
khelavastr9 hours ago
protonated rain aka acid rain
phendrenad29 hours ago
So if I pour water onto a huge dome of metal, it might build up enough of a negative static charge to jump a spark gap? New science exhibit idea!
pfdietz8 hours ago
Water-driven electrostatic generators are really easy to build. The key is to have droplets separate at a point where there's an electric field, which causes the detaching droplet to carry a charge. Properly arranged this can cause an exponential increase in charge with time.
froh4211 hours ago
pay/somethingwall
Sn0wCoder10 hours ago
throwaway23101310 hours ago
Nope, different article. Try this instead: https://archive.ph/FwVX4
xattt10 hours ago
Source publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10941-6
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Sn0wCoder10 hours ago
Whoops! thanks, guess I should have clicked it to double check thought it look familiar lol
gwbas1c7 hours ago
I recommend deleting the incorrect link.