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More tests!

Here is another uneventful test where I attempt to boil water. I could hear it boiling, and I could feel it boiling (vibrations through the conduit), but I couldn't see it boiling.

This had been my goal with the original mirrored parabola, so I felt it was important to actually try this one. The Light Sharpener brought a quart of water to a rolling boil without a problem, in about four minutes.

Next, I tried a hot dog!

I knew this would go quick, because it wasn't frozen. Also, hot dogs are made up of small particles of meat saturated with fat. That would allow the heat to quickly move from one side to the other.

The hot dog put up a valiant fight.

After two minutes, one side was completely charred, but the other side was hot and edible. It was a lot more impressive than a barbeque grill, but the end result was pretty much the same.

Another hot dog.

The best thing about watching the hot dog cook was seeing a mist of hot oil and water spray out and vaporize.

I tried again with the video camera closer, to capture the effect.

This time the sputtering mist was visible in the video. Awesome!

Another blackened hot dog emerged from the glowing ball of smoke. I started to wonder if it would be possible to cook 50 dogs at a time. Maybe I could set the Light Sharpener up at baseball fields, and I could cook and sell hot dogs at baseball fields.

Hell, I could cook hot dogs on the moon with this baby.

I ran into the house to find something else to burn. Food was the obvious choice. I grabbed a potato.

It may seem like a dull test, but potatoes take a famously long time to cook. How long would you put it in the microwave?

This picture was taken at 2:32 pm

This picture was taken at 2:35 pm.

This is how a potato looks as it is dropping out of orbit, re-entering the atmosphere.

And this photo was taken at 2:37 pm.

A perfectly toasted potato, ready for eating. Try it alone, or sandwiched with chocolate and graham crackers for a potassium-rich campfire treat!

The smoke from the hot dogs and potatoes were arousing suspicions in the neighborhood, and it wasn't long before the army sent in a squad of soldiers for some recon.

They walked right into an ambush. Their heavily-armored metal walkway blocked the heat for a few minutes, but there was nowhere to run, no shadows on the sun.

Light Sharpener: 1, Army men: zero.

To be continued.

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