this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2026
397 points (99.3% liked)
Science Memes
19238 readers
2324 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.

Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I love he was inventive enough to design a tank a couple centuries before anyone actually built one, but couldn't piece together a better idea for aiming in any direction than "cannons pointed in every conceivable direction."
They used muzzle loaded cannons at his time, so it makes sense. It's not only for direction, but for faster rate of fire.
That's how ship cannons worked too, at the time. Powerful but heavy to move, slow to reload, not very accurate... more of them would give you the only way to have sustained firepower.
But Leonardo also left a lot of these sketches that look less like actual projects and more like the superhero fantasies of an extremely gifted six years old. "And look, this shit has cannons... Cannons EVERYWHERE! Bam! Kapow!". I guess it's what happens when you're so great at drawing that even the doodles you do when bored look like masterpieces.
Why shoot at one target when you can shoot at 30? (as long as they're encircling the machine in a nicely spaced out, orderly fashion...)