How a 'Pacific Rim' Gifset Saved a $30k Laser: A Tale of Unlikely Genius

Grayson Larkspur

Updated Saturday, September 7, 2024 at 12:00 AM CDT

In a physics lab, a seemingly insurmountable problem was solved by an unexpected source: a high school hobby of making gifsets from the movie "Pacific Rim." Kaijuno, a sophomore working alongside three graduate students and a professor, faced a critical issue. They had installed a camera to watch a laser perform pulse ablation on a metal plate, but the laser appeared to be phasing in and out on the live feed.

The team was on the verge of dismantling the vacuum chamber, fearing the expensive $30k laser was defective. At this crucial moment, Kaijuno pointed out that the laser was firing at 23 pulses per second, while most cameras film at 24 frames per second. This mismatch caused the phasing effect. By adjusting the pulse rate to synchronize with the camera's frame rate, the issue was resolved, leaving the team in awe of Kaijuno's insight. Surprisingly, this knowledge stemmed from creating gifsets of "Pacific Rim" during high school.

Supporting this story, another user, feanor-the-dragon, shared a similar experience of using random knowledge to solve complex problems at work. Feanor often had to hide the unconventional sources of their knowledge, such as fanfiction or niche hobbies, from other engineers to avoid feeling like an impostor. Yet, these bits of knowledge proved invaluable in professional settings.

This narrative highlights the importance of diverse learning experiences and the unexpected ways they can be applied to real-world problems. It also underscores the value of retaining seemingly trivial knowledge, as it can lead to significant breakthroughs when least expected.

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View source: Imgur

Top Comments from Imgur

UseTheSource

#9 not just drugs, though. Actual disability aids are so proprietary right now; it sucks when Apple doesn't want to fix a simple light on your laptop but wants to replace half the device. It sucks harder when EVERY wheelchair manufacturer can't provide you with a simple replacement joystick but have you wait months for an expensive technician to replace half the wheelchair. Until the company discontinues support for that model.

psugab

#1 thank you. I needed that

Goodmerlinpeen

#1 reminds me of a story Richard Feynman had about having to go and inspect a massive blueprint for a new refinement building, and he had no idea what the symbols were, so he pointed to one to try to work out whether it was a window or a valve and guessed "so what happens if this, uh, valve gets stuck?" Turns out it was a valve, and after they follow up on what would happen they say that would create a huge disaster and needs to be fixed. All because he wanted to work out what the symbol meant

Ronelyn

#9 I'm a former software tester who writes for R Talsorian. This person gets it.

graehall

#3 TBH I'm not sure how I feel about the Japanese calling enjoying Moon Moon enjoying "Tsuki Tsuki"

batisteo

#2 Please look up Mary Somerville, the Scottish polymath who taught Ada stuff

UseTheSource

#18 is it too cheap to mention the island of L****s?

ThatAttitude

You, sir madam neither or both, seem to very much like *words*. I salute you.

Ronelyn

#12 Me, a published author: *opens word processor* Steam: Ronelyn is playing Scrivener Me: *sobs in impostor syndrome*