QTVR Inside of a Wind Tunnel

September 24, 2006 11:36 PM

Excellent news if you're overwhelmed by feelings of being imposingly huge & impressive; this brief set of QTVR photos taken inside of a wind tunnel should help realign your sense of place in the world. Warning: those feeling tiny & insignificant should under no circumstances click the link in this post.
posted by jonson (26 comments total)

Thanks! but, I still feel like a world-bestriding man-colossus. Now what?
posted by Jon Mitchell at 11:45 PM on September 24, 2006 [3 favorites has favorites]

Awesome photos. I'm kind of curious as to where all the wind goes...it seems like the space and the end of the tunnel isn't conducive to dissipating it.

Now we just need some QTVR photos from the Tokyo sewer system to make us feel really tiny and insignificant.
posted by ztdavis at 11:46 PM on September 24, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

More stuff from the same photographer (including this one) poster earlier. Still amazing pictures, though.
posted by swordfishtrombones at 11:50 PM on September 24, 2006

sorry to derail, but what the hell is this?


These sewer photos look like something out of a Katsuhiro Otomo flick. awe-tastic.
posted by Parannoyed at 11:59 PM on September 24, 2006

Meh. I've seen more and bigger fans than that, and lived to tell the tale.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 12:01 AM on September 25, 2006

Thanks! but, I still feel like a world-bestriding man-colossus. Now what?

Oh dear. Your case is more serious than I first realized. It sounds like you're going to need a stern "putting in your place" therapy session from someone who knew you when you were a young whippersnapper. The treatement is most effective if they know shaming anecdotes involving you, especially if they're willing to share them with all your friends.
posted by jonson at 12:09 AM on September 25, 2006

NO AUTHOR FOUND : "Warning: those feeling tiny & insignificant should under no circumstances click the link in this post."

Shit.

Also, jonson, your post is so awesome it borked MetaFilthy.
posted by Colloquial Collision at 12:19 AM on September 25, 2006

some of these tunnels are.. medium size?
posted by dminor at 12:27 AM on September 25, 2006

Wow! I wanna hear those fans! Must sound incredible.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:15 AM on September 25, 2006

That wouldn't look out of place in Half-Life.
posted by Bort at 3:33 AM on September 25, 2006

jonson, I have pictures of Jon(i) Mitchell in little girl clothes from his childhood.

Cool post, I'm big, but now I feel small, my wife is relieved.

I liked the Burning Man set from the same site, too.
posted by sfts2 at 3:36 AM on September 25, 2006

These are awesome photos. That said, I too am pretty accustomed the concept of objects that are bigger than me, so they doesn't bother me too much. But don't worry, my overwhelming mediocrity and failure to achieve keeps me firmly aware of my place in the world. Thanks!
posted by chrismear at 4:29 AM on September 25, 2006

My grammar mistakes, too.
posted by chrismear at 4:30 AM on September 25, 2006

Sounds to me like Jon Mitchell needs a trip to the Total Perspective Vortex.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:47 AM on September 25, 2006

That comment, Jon Mitchell, was damn funny.

*still snickering*
posted by Malor at 5:04 AM on September 25, 2006

Nope, I still feel awesome.
posted by thirteenkiller at 5:05 AM on September 25, 2006

Parannoyed: I think that's a piece of the form for molding the concrete tunnel walls. You can see what's going on in the next picture, where completed sections of the tunnel can be seen further down. The circular outline suggested by the grid is probably where a T-junction is made to another tunnel.

As for the millions of valves, I'd wager they let engineers pump water through pipes embedded in the concrete walls. This lets them cool the concrete as it cures, which generates a lot of heat that can otherwise crack the concrete.
posted by Mercaptan at 5:40 AM on September 25, 2006

"Thanks! but, I still feel like a world-bestriding man-colossus. Now what?"

Stick your giant dick in one of those propellors when it's spinning and report back to us how big you feel afterwards.
posted by Eideteker at 7:24 AM on September 25, 2006

I'm kind of curious as to where all the wind goes

I believe it goes out the fans--that is, they suck, not blow.
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:31 AM on September 25, 2006

some of these tunnels are.. medium size?

I like how the hand painted label "Arret" is above an empty hole where a button once existed. I forcast hair-raising suspense when the comical-yet-dedicated sidekick rushes to the control room to rescue the plucky heroine from her windy fate.
posted by CynicalKnight at 7:33 AM on September 25, 2006

Big and impressive, but not necessarily belittling. Cool set though.

I had fun finding the copyright hidden in the photos like Waldo. (Though I haven't found the wizard or the scrolls yet.)

- - -

On preview: I just reread the above and realized that I am having fun finding photo copyrights. Man, I will do anything to keep from actually working.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 8:44 AM on September 25, 2006

Yep. Needs more Combine.
posted by grabbingsand at 11:11 AM on September 25, 2006

"Thanks! but, I still feel like a world-bestriding man-colossus. Now what?"
This should help you gain some perspective
posted by stilgar at 11:31 AM on September 25, 2006

The ventilation fan in my computer is at least 100 times larger than this. Last time I booted, my computer fan sucked in every man, woman, child, vehicle and house in my school district. Only the fire hydrants remained, but they lost all their paint on the windward side.
posted by betteryeti at 12:39 PM on September 25, 2006

There was a Jackie Chan movie with a scene that took place in a room with similar fans. It provided some great excuses for wild stunts. The power of the air blast also distorts your whole face when you're in front of it.
posted by dwarfplanet at 1:31 PM on September 25, 2006

Just to clarify, those Tokyo tunnel pictures aren't of the sewer system per se--they're massive drainage tunnels. The project took around 15 years to build, and they're just finishing it now.
posted by zardoz at 2:36 AM on September 26, 2006