Indestructible Super Mug To Save Humanity

prostoalex writes "Next time a ceramic mug falls on the ground, you won't have to buy a new coffee:"A team of undergraduates at the university in Socorro designed a ceramic mug that can fall 15 feet onto concrete pavement and still hold a full cup of java afterward without leaking."" Thank god I can sleep easy at night ;)

Comments

Bah.

[TripMaster Monkey]

When I first read the summary, I thought these kids had designed some new interesting ceramic material that would prove to have many practical applications. After all, that's what the contest is for...

From TFA:

Contestants generally try to design mugs out of high-tech materials so they won't break.

But the New Mexico Tech team used a different tactic...making part of their mug expendable, to save the rest. In short, they cheated.

Now don't get me wrong...I'm all for thinking outside the box...after all, I'm the one whose egg drop design in high school incorporated a parachute, ensuring my egg could survive a drop from any altitude. I was the clear winner, because I too 'thought outside the box'.

Did I get a commendation for my cleverness? Did I get a write-up in USA Today?

No. I got an F, despite there being no rules whatsoever prohibiting parachutes (although I hear they wrote in that rule the following year).

These New Mexico Tech students 'thought outside the box', and in doing so, completely subverted the whole point of the competition. Using this strategy, they managed to net second place, and they get a newspaper article for it.

Again, bah.

Re:Bah.

[Iamthefallen]

True, they don't. But then, a parachute attached to the pieces in chess doesn't make any sense.

Re:Bah.

[cloak42]

"Obscenity is the crutch of the inarticulate motherfucker."

Round Bottoms

[beders]

From TFA "It's rounded (at the bottom)"

That'll sit nicely on a desk...

Pics

[kevin_conaway]

Here is a different article with pictures of the mug

Not a university :)

[pavon]

Using this strategy, they managed to net second place, and they get a newspaper article for it.

That is the administrations improved PR in work.

As a proud alumni, I'd like to point out, just because our adminstration hates it when we do so, that the name is New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and it is not a University :) It is not in the name, and historicaly, the term university, has been reserved for large schools that are divided into multiple colleges. We are a small engineering college and we like it that way. Bigger is not always better - stop trying to ruin the school with your illusions of grandure.

</rant>

Sorry for that. Several years ago the administration decided make increasing enrollment it's biggest goal, which came with talks of improving freshmen retention. Tech already accepts almost anyone who applies (a good thing), and about half drop out after before completing their junior year. While a couple classes seemed to be "weeding-out classes", most were reasonably challenging for those willing to learn. So there is naturally concern that standards will drop as a result of the administrations direction.

The practice of slapping the word Univerity into all the press releases started at the same time, and the two are linked in my mind, hence the rant.

Anyway, sounds like a fun competition, and best regards to the materials students that designed the project.

Re:Crumple Zones & the Lazy Man Maneuver

[PFI_Optix]

Knowing this, if I saw an empty glass falling, I knew I had one bounce to try and save it but the bounces weren't always too high. Years of hacky sack training on sipas finally became useful. Now, there is a move I was taught that we called a "lazy man" that involved kicking the foot out but actually using the ankle movement to kick the bag up into the air. There were a few times when a glass dropped and after the first bounced I lazy manned it up and caught it and I was a god for 10 minutes at least in the back of the kitchen. Sure, there were times when it just looked like I was booting a glass into the wall but it was worth it. I always wondered if those saved glasses would ever get another bounce if they dropped again.

I'm going to venture a guess here. The bottom of the glass is the heaviest and strongest part, especially on restaurant glasses made for heavy use and frequent washing. It stands to reason that the glass would turn so that the bottom hit the ground first. The bottom strikes the ground unevenly, recoils, and the glass is thrown into a spin. When it strikes the ground again, it's with the much more fragile side of the glass.

Re:excuse me, you dropped your coffee

[CastrTroy]

I have a mug that won't break either. Mine is made of metal.