It’s high time somebody submitted an entry to the SCP Foundation on this one, complete with photographs of the apparatus.
I posted it to another MB (science based). It didn’t get much traction so far however one poster claimed to have seen it or something like it before. He described the poles as having a slight twist giving the ridges a stair-step effect. Looking closer at the pics… maybe.
Someone there also mentioned there was an 8 page discussion on Snopes forums but I couldn’t find it.
Perhaps they were confused and thinking of this thread?
Perhaps there will be a Snopes page that clears up this myth that they have an 8 page thread on the subject.
If you do manage to acquire this, please post picture of it in it’s new home. I will be ever so jealous.
Not quite the same, but check out this commercialjust past the 00:10 mark.
Do NOT taunt Happy Fun Ball!
maybe it’s an inside out bowling ball from the future?
So . . . is there a final verdict?
Tripler
Enquiring minds wanna know!
Rio?
Here is what the NIF unit looked like
It held 192 lasers pointed at the target chamber. A single laser (of the 192) was many times more powerful than any laser prior.
Does look similar, on a smaller scale
No updates yet. Still working on finding someone who thinks they’re responsible for it as salvage-yard material. I am soooooo tempted to just cruise in with a hoist truck, casually load it into the bed and drive away like I belong there.
Nitro
I also worked with a contract firm on NIF. Any chance you can drop me a msg with email, or can you just direct msg another doper?
just curious if we know common people from NIF
we did the Pro-E CAD stuff FYI starting around 2000. billions over budget and late, yet the POTUS gave NIF an award for project management.
Submit the pic to the alumni association, and ask them to put it (along with a short paragraph) in their newsletter.
I say do it. Just boost the damn thing, take it home and set it down in the woods. See if a brouhaha ensues or if nobody notices its absence.
Man, I’d love to, but I’d probably get busted for it, and be lucky enough to have it art-valued into felony territory instead of ~$200 scrap value.
I am also considering putting it in my front yard, over my well head. That way I can look at it more often, annoy some neighbors who annoy me, and make mysterious mumblings about special filtration systems when they ask. So somebody might just see it and make the connection… I’ll pursue a legit acquisition for a while yet.
This is an excellent suggestion.
Priceless. A great case of I don’t know much about Art, but I know what I like, fuck you very much.
[QUOTE=Francis Vaughan]
I doubt the item itself was 3D printed. There would be no bad castings. {snip}
[/QUOTE]
(Not worth starting a new thread, so I’m re-animating this one. Also, emphasis is mine.)
I respectfully beg to differ: 3ders.org - The art of 3D print failure | 3D Printing news. 
You got everyone’s hopes up. 