6/21/2004: Sound mirrors

[GuyNamedGuy]

I've ben lurking and gawking at the images for a few months and finally decided to throw my two cents in (and that's what many of my thoughts are worth)

1. Is there any data on how well these things worked? I'd seen pictures of smaller types used by sailors and some things used in WW1, but nothing on so heroic a scale. I imagine standing at the focus of these things must be very strange, like being at the "sweet spot" under a dome.

2. Is it just me, or does anyone else want to explode an m-80 at the focus of one of those things?? It'd be like a sound cannon - I wonder how far off it could be heard.....

Or, instead of an m-80, a shaped charge to throw all the oompth towards the wall.......