h a l f b a k e r yVeni, vedi, fish velocipede
add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random
news, help, about, links, report a problem
browse anonymously,
or get an account
and write.
register,
login
|
|
|
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has sort of stopped reflecting but I have a simple solution: Instead of covering its base with paint that then flakes off, totally cover it with mirrors.
That will cost a fortune, I hear you observe, but no it won’t as people will pay to have a mirror installed.
In return they will receive an ownership certificate and a diagram showing their mirror’s
location.
This process will involve dividing the surface into a number of zones, with the ones close to the edge being the most costly to buy. Mirrors of all sizes and shapes will be sent in and completely sealed along their edges and backs with waterproof epoxy resin to prevent the silvering from degrading. The entire surfaces of the mirrors are also subjected to a nanotechnology water-repellent coating (like Glaco Mirror Coat Zero) which prevents minerals, algae, or water spots from sticking to the glass, keeping the reflection clear. Once fully prepared, the mirrors are fixed to the base of the pool.
The Reflecting Pool measures approximately 2,000 feet long and160 feet wide, so a million mirrors will easily cover its entire area, and at an average cost of between $100 and $1,000 (for a bigger mirror at a prominent side location) a substantial amount of money will be raised to finance and maintain the project for years to come.
The advantages of doing this are several: apart from it looking amazing and attracting many visitors, it solves the paint/green algae problem while totally democratising ownership of the reflecting pool in a sustainable way that is beyond divisive politics.
Velocity sign board before it was taken down
https://maps.app.goo.gl/p8ZrY6abMm2Ctwjp8
[pocmloc, Jun 22 2026]
|
| |
Tiling a surface with fixed mirrors like a mosaic is widely known to exist. Covering a surface with movable mirrors to create a shimmering reflective surface is also widely known to exist. Charging sponsors to pay per tile is also widely known to exist. I am tending to think there is not sufficient novelty in this idea, and that what novelty there is only exists in an anti-Trump trolling context, and so I would conclude "could do better". |
|
| |
I wouldn't have expected anything but sad negativity from you. It's similar nasty responses that have poisoned the halfbakery and driven away most of those who used to make posts here. I'm one of the very few who's left, but most of the time I take my ideas to other places now. |
|
| |
Maybe we should all just quietly reflect for a bit, and then proceed to the souvenir shop. |
|
| |
What, there's a souvenir shop? What does it sell, vials of water? |
|
| |
Speaking of movable mirrors to create a liquid shimmering effect reminds me of the (no longer in existence) frontage sign of Velocity nightclub in Dunfermline. Sitting waiting at the traffic lights I was always mesmerised by the ripples and eddies gusting over this laarge expanse of sequin-like mirrors each suspended on a little prong and free to wobble from side to side and up and down. I never went inside, I wonder if there was similar decor on the inside walls. I always thought the name was wasted on a nightclub and would be better for a bike shop. |
|
| |
// What, there's a souvenir shop? // |
|
| |
Maybe there wasn't, but I just spoke it into existence. |
|
| |
Sounds great. Now we need to deal with the algae, which doesn't care if the lining is mirrors, paint, pickup truck bed liner, or boxes of votes from Fulton County, Georgia. |
|
| |
The algae is a perfect example of the distractions thrown up by the political circus. Even important things are focused on too shallowly and not addressed before another one comes up. Let's have the full, unredacted Epstein files, with a full investigation and prosecution of those who need it. |
|
| |
And here I thought "draining the swamp" was just a popular conservative expression, not a literal act. Guess I was wrong. |
|
| |
Put each mirror on a tiny, motorized directional platform, tied to the sitting President's approval rating. Every time the approval rating dips, they angle slightly toward the White House... |
|
| |