Re: "Raiders" Boobytrap Question: "stay out of the light"? Any engineers here?

Posted by graml from mariner.org on January 29, 2000 at 10:03:49:

In Reply to: "Raiders" Boobytrap Question: "stay out of the light"? Any engineers here? posted by Inbanana Jones on January 29, 2000 at 05:22:02:

: How, exactly, does that pointy-spikey thing work?
: Is there any reasonable explanation?

: All I can figure is that: the wall upon which the light shines is covered with some kind of selenium or photo-sensitive algae, and when interrupted the algae contracts slightly, setting off a hyper-sensitive balance mechanism in the surrounding tunnel, which then shoots out the spikey thing.

: Any engineers out there with ideas?

: Science-fiction writer Lester Del Ray (I believe) wrote a popular book on "prehistoric technology", but light-sensitive traps weren't addressed. Yeah, it's just a movie, but any ideas???

Hey. I'm no engineer, but I've always wondered about that trap myself. Did it re-set itself after Indy and Sapito found Forrestall impaled on it? Because Sapito gets the spike treatment too, after abandoning Indy. Believe me, for WEEKS after seeing that movie, I stayed out of sunbeams. I suppose that accounts for my pasty complexion... Just my two (in the end useless) cents.
-graml

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: : How, exactly, does that pointy-spikey thing work?
: : Is there any reasonable explanation?

: : All I can figure is that:  the wall upon which the light shines is covered with some kind of selenium or photo-sensitive algae, and when interrupted the algae contracts slightly, setting off a hyper-sensitive balance mechanism in the surrounding tunnel, which then shoots out the spikey thing.

: : Any engineers out there with ideas?

: : Science-fiction writer Lester Del Ray (I believe) wrote a popular book on "prehistoric technology", but light-sensitive traps weren't addressed.  Yeah, it's just a movie, but any ideas???

: Hey.  I'm no engineer, but I've always wondered about that trap myself.  Did it re-set itself after Indy and Sapito found Forrestall impaled on it?  Because Sapito gets the spike treatment too, after abandoning Indy.  Believe me, for WEEKS after seeing that movie, I stayed out of sunbeams.  I suppose that accounts for my pasty complexion...  Just my two (in the end useless) cents.
: -graml

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