Fixies have a special sign I happened to discover.
They hold three fingers in the air And flash it to each other.
They send their greetings to you, They sing them and they shout.
But if you meet a Fixie, please, Don’t let their secret out!
The Microwave
OK, children, for today's lesson we are going to learn about the microwave oven.
It's a very special appliance that people use to heat all sorts of different foods up.
Is there any chance that we could get heated up here?
You'll find out about that too if you'll pay attention, of course.
Got it?
Now listen carefully.
I'm listening, I'm listening.
Of course, young Fixies go to school just like human kids.
But their parents teach them a lot of important lessons too.
Fixie parents take their kids on tours of all sorts of different devices
and teach them what Fixies can do to keep them working properly.
They like to show them how the computers, or televisions, or gaming systems work,
or anyone of the many appliances they take care of inside of the kitchen. Like the stove.
Every once in a while a new device appears in the house,
something that the Fixies have never dealt with before.
To learn how this new thing works the Fixies gather together
and read the instructions that the humans keep printing up,
but almost never seem to take the time to read for themselves.
And so now it's time to look at the magnetron.
That's what emits the microwaves.
Oh, and so the food absorbs the microwaves, and that's what heats it up.
That’s right.
And now look carefully to your left.
Hurray!
Freedom!
Oh! Tom Thomas!
What do you say? Want to watch cartoons?
I can’t. I need to do my homework.
Then just do it quickly.
For some reason whenever I start doing homework I always get hungry for some food.
Then just eat faster!
No. The faster I eat, the sooner I’ll have to start doing my homework.
It already got cold. I need to go warm it up.
One minute should be enough.
These aren't just ordinary wires. These are for…
Masiya, what’s going on?!
It looks like it might be an overload! The microwave might burn out!
Then we better run out of here!
What do you mean run? We need to save this microwave.
Simka and Masiya are inside!
Simka! I need your help!
Tideesh!
What’s wrong with the microwave?
It looks like it just broke.
Who cares if it broke! What matters is that Simka and Masiya aren't broken!
Look, there's no one here.
Of course not!
We were...
behind the wall!
You wouldn't believe what happened in there!
Oh, there you go!
Tom Thomas, why did you put that fork into the microwave?
Why not? You mean I'm not allowed?
Remember: never put any metal objects into a microwave.
If you put forks or spoons in a microwave you can burn it out!
And then not even a Fixie will be able to fix it.
Even a thin metal border on a plate can cause serious problems.
Also never warm up food in sealed packages or bottles inside a microwave.
And one last thing: don’t even think of cooking eggs in their shells in there.
They'll just explode!
Sorry, I didn’t know any of that!
Nolik, and what were you thinking?
Why didn’t you warn Tom Thomas about this?
Well I…
Today you skipped school!
And now you don’t know it either!
Nolik, where are you going?
I’m talking to you!
Where else?
I've got to go study all about microwaves.
And I’ll go to do my homework now.
But first you’ll sit down and eat for a while, right?
No, I'm not gonna eat food.
First, I'll go and play some games for an hour or so.
Can you believe that Fixies are Such itty-bitty creatures?
Even when they’re magnified It’s hard to see their features.
They’re tiny, infinitesimal, So small it makes you doubt.
But if you meet a Fixie, please, Don’t let their secret out!
The Clocks
Go around! Left side!
That's crazy! You'll crash!
No, I won’t!
See? I told you!
What?
Huh?
Nothing.
Now you talk with your computer like it's your friend.
Listen, that's enough playing for today.
Mom, just a little more!
I’ll give you half an hour, while I cook dinner.
And that'll be enough for today with the computer.
This stinks. I'll never get through all of these levels in half an hour.
No way.
Hey, but what if we could stretch out the half hour?
How?
We could take the hands on the clock and move them back a little.
Mom will catch us.
Fine, then let’s slow down the speed of the clocks.
Yeah, but how?
You've got to know things like that!
Since olden times, many clocks run with the help of a pendulum.
The pendulum controls how fast the hands of the clock turn.
If you make it longer, the pendulum will start to swing slower,
and the clock's hands will slow down.
If you make the pendulum shorter, the clock will tick faster.
Most clocks that are made today don't use pendulums.
They run with the help of springs or with an electronic chip instead.
But even so, there are ways to change the speed of these clocks too.
Push it!
Wow, you did it!
It's amazing how much slower it is!
That will give you lots of time to play!
But now you need to slow down the clocks in the kitchen.
Yeah, and every other clock you got!
I just have to turn this to make the pendulum longer.
Uh-huh! And now the clock will go slower.
- Tideesh! - Tideesh!
Fire, now that clock over there!
Let’s go do it!
That’s it.
We slowed down every clock and your mom didn't see a thing!
That's great!
Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah!
Wow, Tom Thomas, you’re cool!
Amazing!
He got another one!
Awesome!
You're unbelievable. Way to go!
That's strange.
Hurrah!
Incredible!
Yey! I did every level!
Oh, thanks! You both just…
The time masters of the universe!
Yeah, but I'm getting really hungry and Mom hasn't called me for dinner.
Cause a half hour hasn't passed on the clock.
Hey, do you smell that?
Something is burning!
What happened? A fire?
I don’t get it.
I was just waiting for thirty minutes like I always do,
but everything burned this time.
Maybe the clock stopped?
No, take a look! They're working!
Eh, I'll make you some oatmeal.
Oatmeal for dinner?
Mom, I need to… I’ll be right back.
You see what you’ve done, time masters of the universe?
You've got to go speed those clocks back up!
Ok, ok! We’ll speed them up.
They'll be caught up in no time.
Humans have come up with lots of different ways to measure time.
For example, if you stand a stick in the ground,
you can measure the time of day by watching where it’s shadow fall.
That's a very simple clock called a sundial.
Another simple and ancient clock is a water clock.
It keeps track of time by measuring how much water has poured out of it.
And if the clock uses sand instead of water, it's called an hourglass.
But humans weren't able to accurately keep track of the time until they invented mechanical clocks.
They come in all sorts of sizes: from grandfather clocks to watches worn around the wrist.
Today we also have easy to read and accurate electronic watches and clocks.
But the most accurate clock of them all is the atomic clock!
It tells the entire world the exact time.
Tom Thomas, why is your alarm clock ringing in the middle of the night?
Really, is it still night out?
Look, Tom Thomas.
But the clock says that it's morning.
Interesting.
Yesterday Fire and I sped up all the clocks,
so that’s the reason the alarm went of.
Sped them up? Are you crazy?
Tom Thomas asked us.
So what do we have to do now?
Don't you know?
Get to school! It's time!
I’m joking.
Go back to sleep!
Don't worry, I'll get all the clocks working right again.
Can I go and fix them with you?
Huh! Fix them?
You boys are the ones that always make the problems!