Long-Duration Motion Machines of the Fourth Kind (LDMM4)

The comprehensive approach: devices that simultaneously respect all laws of thermodynamics while eliminating friction to the maximum extent—the ultimate expression of long-duration motion engineering. LDMM4 combine the energy storage optimization of LDMM1, the entropy-slowing strategies of LDMM2, and the friction elimination of LDMM3 into a single system. They're not violating physics; they're just exploiting every possible loophole to make motion last as long as physically possible. A supercooled, magnetically levitated flywheel in perfect vacuum, isolated from cosmic rays, spinning on energy stored once at the beginning—that's LDMM4. It will outlast human civilization, maybe the planet, maybe the star. LDMM4 is what you build when you want something to move longer than anything has ever moved before.

Long-Duration Motion Machines of the Fourth Kind (LDMM4) "They're designing time capsules that will spin for millions of years using superconducting magnetic levitation in deep space. That's LDMM4—all the laws respected, all the losses minimized, all the friction eliminated. It won't move forever, but it'll move longer than you can imagine. LDMM4 is the closest we'll ever get to eternity without cheating."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Long-Duration Motion Machines of the Fifth Kind (LDMM5)

The most advanced category: devices that achieve long-duration motion by operating within complex dynamic systems—harnessing planetary orbits, gravitational fields, or cosmic dynamics to sustain motion over astronomical timescales. Unlike earlier kinds that fight dissipation locally, LDMM5 work with systemic energies—riding gravitational waves, exploiting orbital resonance, or tapping into cosmic background energy in ways that don't violate thermodynamics because they're part of larger systems. A spacecraft using gravitational assists to maintain trajectory for billions of years. A satellite that harnesses solar wind to counteract orbital decay. LDMM5 are the ultimate expression of working with the universe rather than against it—motion sustained by the dynamics of the cosmos itself, not just isolated engineering.

Long-Duration Motion Machines of the Fifth Kind (LDMM5) "Those Pioneer probes are still going after 50 years, but they'll eventually slow. LDMM5 would be something that uses gravitational fields to keep moving indefinitely—not perpetual motion, just motion sustained by cosmic dynamics. It's not a closed system; it's an open one, sipping energy from the universe's motion. LDMM5 is what happens when engineers stop fighting the cosmos and start surfing it."

by Dumu The Void March 1, 2026

Murphy's Law of Engine-Idling Duration

"If you leave your vehicle's engine running during a delay in proceeding (traffic-jam, road construction, accident-resolution, "stuck" red signal-light, etc.), you will be sitting there for many minutes, just wasting gas. The instant you turn the key off and climb out of your seat to stretch, however, THAT'S when the line of traffic will begin moving again, and thus you will have shut off your engine "for nothing", AND you will now be holding up everyone behind you while you hastily hop back into the driver's seat and re-start the engine so that you can move forward again."

I finally took da plunge and bought a second-hand Toyota Prius because I'd eventually had one too many cases of Murphy's Law of Engine-Idling Duration... the Prius automatically shuts down its power during stand-stills, and then uses its electric motor to provide instant mobility as soon as you're ready to go again.

by QuacksO October 20, 2018