Date: Mon, 21 Nov 94 19:52:12 EST
From: "Vince Sabio, ARL/S3I Radar Branch, 301-394-2530"
vsabio@msc.arl.mil
The Great GHz Grape
Game
This is really something for a rainy/snowy day,
so long as you're equipped with the essentials.
What you need is a microwave oven, some grapes,
a small measure of sunflower oil and some
friends with which to compete. The idea is
thus. Firstly, if the microwave is of the type
that has one of those silly rotating dish-like
things, which rotates your food to make sure it
gets cooked evenly, then TAKE IT OUT and THROW
IT AWAY. You won't need it for this game and,
if you get addicted enough, you probably won't
use your microwave for anything else, so you
won't need that dish thing ever again. OK,
next, lightly cover the floor of the oven with a
SMALL amount of sunflower oil. Just generally
spread it around to make a thin, lubricating
layer, on which a grape may skate about. Try it
with a practice grape to make sure you've got it
right. Then, line up a number of grapes at one
side of the oven, with one grape corresponding
to each player. Important tip here--MAKE SURE
THAT THE END WITH THE HOLE IN IT IS POINTING AT
THE WALL! This is really quite fundamentally
important. Next, lay bets--or whatever--on your
grape, that it will win/lose/finish in a
particular position or state/whatever. Then,
set the microwave to full power, and switch on.
What happens is that the inside of the grape
heats up, liquefies, and acts as a jet
propellant to push the grape along the
lubricated floor of the microwave as it shoots
out the hole at the back. Thus, each grape
travels with varying degrees of speed and/or
success across the floor. The first to reach
the other side of the oven is judged to be the
winner, or, failing this, the one to travel the
farthest. Some grapes don't make it even this
far, and either shrivel up or explode messily on
the starting line, but this just adds to the
fun. Remember to switch off the microwave and
remove the competitors before replacing them for
the next round. The game can be varied
according to players and their individual
tastes, like "Stunt Grapes" where the grape must
perform a task, like jumping over other grapes,
etc. These, and other variations, should keep
you and your friends amused for hours.