Gorgeous, betentacled machined sculpture from Chris Bathgate: the BU 622411311751

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/04/24/bu-622411311751.html

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Looks like a space station to me. Anyway, nice!

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Finally, a quick disconnect my father can use!

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That’s because containing that puppy is clearly an SCP Foundation job.

Edit: specifically "What the hell do you mean “SCP-882; but with an anodized passivation layer and increased use of non-ferrous alloy components?”

Ok, fine, just another day at the office, wherever that is:
SCP-we’ll assign a number when someone gets back to me on how large the collection is by now.

Object class: hopefully Euclid, a redacted copy of my obituary is probably going to be appended to this file when it gets changed to Keter; but O5 was quite clear on the dangers overclassification pose to Foundation resources and ongoing viability; and a site-wide memo from O5 level is practically an anomaly in itself. Object Class Euclid.

Special containment procedures: Object’s protective coating makes SCP-882 corrosion protocols inadequate. Comparative evaluation of Mercury amalgamation and fluorine plasma etching is currently underway. (trial terminated, see addendum A). Material removed from the bulk of the object appears to retain no anomalous properties; but reformation of protective crystalline metal oxide layer is at least an order of magnitude faster than would be expected in non-anomalous material and can quite arguably be described as ‘self healing’

Addendum A:

Preliminary containment hypothesis was informed by the experience of Dr. and the SCP-882 team, with the alterations necessary to address metallurgical differences and capacity for rapid formation of a non-disabling thin film oxide layer rather than the bulk rust seen in SCP-882 under hostile conditions.

Pre-test atomic absorption spectroscopy and X-ray inspection established the object to be uniformly composed of an unexceptional 6xxx Aluminum alloy; which proved vulnerable to fluorine plasma attack at point defects leading to oxide layer delamination, in line with expectations.

Post-exposure observations showed regrowth of the damaged oxide layer, as anticipated; but this was accompanied by the rapid (onset approximately ten minutes post-exposure; reaching ‘completion’ to the observable limits of the equipment available in the test chamber within six hours) disappearance of all point defects, mechanical and chemical, from the specimen surface; with rate of disappearance strongly correlated to rate of attack during exposure test.

Mercury amalgamation trials deferred by unanimous request of fluorine trial observation team at just over 45 minutes post exposure.

Dr. 's deferral order (edited lightly in the interests of professionalism and collegiality among Foundation staff above D-class; referred for consideration in future versions of “Workplace Stress or Unrecognized Memetic/Cognitohazard?” HR training materials):

"Yes, your amalgamation proposal is a novel and chemically unrelated mechanism, so it will probably attack the oxide layer quite readily. Just as the last trial did, for about ten minutes, before what started as a chunk of what even a er like you should at least recognize from shop class responded with a shift in composition that is on track to match, or exceed, the corrosion resistance of harsh environment formulations before coffee break; heading toward ‘zero defect bulk monocrystal, probably isotopically pure just to spite us’ by this time tomorrow unless there’s another option that would us over even worse.

Is there something I should know about how this anomaly will be easier to contain as an alarmingly adaptive neurotoxic liquid; or are you just that dense?

Denied."

All further tests terminated on authority of site director."

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Stop! Stop! My shmekele can only get so big!

squeeeeee! new data/fiction/wonderment…

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giphy

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