The quarter inch wrench

[billvon 2,400]

A while back I made the mistake of watching something called "scorpions" - a show about a bunch of nerds who get together and solve vexing problems for the government. The one I saw had one of the silliest hollywood tropes in it, the "ATC is down and none of the planes can land!" thing. It is up to the nerds to save the day, which in this case meant driving at 180mph under an airliner as a pilot dangles from a landing gear, the airplane's RJ-45 Ethernet cable in hand, allowing the hero to download the airplane's software to ATC so at ATC can land all the planes and thus save everyone.

So they're Hollywood writers, not pilots, and certainly aren't getting paid for anything like accuracy. However one of the team members then makes a comment near the end of the show, seemingly to give a poignant explanation for why she is socially dysfunctional:

"You know that a quarter inch wrench will always fit a quarter inch bolt. People aren't like that."

So none of them have ever used a _wrench?_ And you wouldn't even have to get a "science consultant" to point out that problem - just ask any of the guys who are setting up to film the next episode.

[muff528 3]

billvon

....
"You know that a quarter inch wrench will always fit a quarter inch bolt. People aren't like that."

So none of them have ever used a _wrench?_ And you wouldn't even have to get a "science consultant" to point out that problem - just ask any of the guys who are setting up to film the next episode.

She must have been using Whitworth bolts and wrenches (spanners).

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

Thanks. The promos for that show looked like it might be sort of ok.

Apparently not.

1/4" wrench fits on a #6 or #8.
1/4" bolt takes a 7/16" wrench.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[quade 3]

That pilot episode was horrible.

I do not mind a program set in a fantasy world ("Agents of SHEILD" for instance), but they kept promoting this as being based on the exploits of a real guy and kept attempting to imply it was all possible in the real world.

Ugh.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver