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20th Apr '13 11:02:58 PM ChaoticNovelist

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In [[MadScientist mad science]], "malfunction" does not mean fried circuits and [[GoingCritical broken equipment]]. Well okay - [[PhlebotinumBreakdown that too]]. But quite often it turns out that a malfunction has created something wondrous (rather than just, yknow, giving you extra work). Usually there is no explanation to how a "malfunction" can make modifications that seem almost intelligent, and no mention to where it gets the parts for a technology that is entirely different from the intended - a toaster can easily become a time machine through Miraculous Malfunction, for example.

This can be used as an [[AchievementsInIgnorance Achievement In Ignorance]] for the BunglingInventor (most of whose works are created in this manner). It can also serve as an alternative explanation to why there are NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: it's not that the technology was lost but rather, the individual sample was a result of a one-time event that cannot be recreated. Particularly good researchers might then learn to ''reverse'' engineer this piece to create more, but usually they will be just as dumbfounded about how it works as everyone else even if they themselves have created it. Surpringly such technology will usually be surprisingly stable and not at all prone to PhlebotinumBreakdown, unless the plot suddenly calls for it GoingCritical. Note, however, that because of the poorly understood nature of such technology it ''can'' unexpectedly become dangerous.

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In [[MadScientist mad science]], "malfunction" does not mean fried circuits and [[GoingCritical broken equipment]] ([[PhlebotinumBreakdown sometimes]]) but often it turns out that a malfunction has created something wondrous (rather than just, yknow, giving you extra work). Usually there is no explanation to how a "malfunction" can make modifications that seem intelligent, and no mention to where it gets the parts for a technology that is entirely different from the intended. For example a toaster can easily become a time machine through Miraculous Malfunction.

This can be used as an [[AchievementsInIgnorance Achievement In Ignorance]] for the BunglingInventor (most of whose works are created in this manner). It can also serve as an alternative explanation to why there are NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: it's not that the technology was lost but rather, the individual sample was a result of a one-time event that cannot be recreated. Particularly good researchers might then learn to ''reverse'' engineer this piece to create more, but usually they will be just as dumbfounded about how it works as everyone else even if they themselves have created it. Surpringly such technology will usually be surprisingly stable and not at all prone to PhlebotinumBreakdown, unless the plot suddenly calls for it. Note, that because of the poorly understood nature of such technology it ''can'' unexpectedly become dangerous.

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16th Apr '13 8:50:04 PM BrokenEye

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16th Apr '13 8:46:31 PM BrokenEye

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8th Mar '13 4:54:47 PM LongLiveHumour

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