Take a moment

Thanks to adadochka, I'd just like to extend this opportunity for all of you to take a quick break during your busy day, spend a few moments, and just remember Rosie.



Thank you.

Oh, Bats.

In this week's "Random Thought Table," the editorial column at Pyramid, Steven Marsh takes a look at the accuracy (or lack thereof) of hard numbers in fictional works. His first example is from the TV series of Batman, in which the Ultrasonic Batray is introduced and claimed to operate "at 12,000 decibels." This is...a surprisingly large number. Marsh points out that according to one reckoning, 320 decibels should be enough to cover the amount of noise made by a 14-gigaton bomb going off.

He continues: "...Remember that decibels are logarithmic, so that 12,000-decibel figure represents a REALLY flippin' huge number. I suspect his willingness to even consider using the Ultrasonic Batray in the first place is further evidence of the Batman's ruthless vigilante against the forces of crime: 'Cover your ears, Robin; I'm going to flush out the criminals by destroying the universe!'"