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.

Pics

[kevin_conaway]

Here is a different article with pictures of the mug

Re:excuse me, you dropped your coffee

[CastrTroy]

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