1

Technology / NIF breatough

« on: 14/12/2022 08:54:51 »

The Californian installation is of course a research machine intended to study fusion not a prototype power generator despite producing a net output of about 1MJ burning up gold and tritium is a rather costly way of producing power.
I am always puzzled by the investment in nuclear fusion when nuclear fission is a well developed system but few countries are prepared to use it

2

Just Chat! / was the Manahan project a faliure

« on: 11/12/2022 17:53:23 »

$2billion in nineteens forty money was spent but other than teaching the USSR how to make nuclear bombs had little effect on the war.
the decision to separate  u235 by diffusion and electromagnetic  means instead of centrifuges meant that bombs were not available till Japan was defeated .     

3

Chemistry / What is the cost of Plutomium if you are a authorised buyer?

« on: 07/10/2022 09:15:37 »

There are many isotopes of Plutonium some more useful than others I have seen $4000 per gram quoted is this the most costly?

4

Just Chat! / What proporion of taxation is derived from the 45% tax rate?

« on: 04/10/2022 19:15:16 »

The news media seems obsessed by this tax rate which I think brings in very little in the grand scheme of things

5

Chemistry / Is there any evidence that water in which eggs have been boiled is harmful

« on: 27/09/2022 10:49:16 »

Popular superstition tells you to treat such water with care do any viruses survive the boiling or is the water enhanced in minerals ?

6

Just Chat! / Is the "beast" left hand or right hand drive

« on: 18/09/2022 14:54:10 »

Or are there more than one

7

Just Chat! / Is it not time for a new national anthem?

« on: 12/09/2022 19:54:27 »

The dreary hymn of praise seems more appropriate for north Korea or ROC than a modern democratic UK.

8

Technology / How are redacted documents produced?

« on: 31/08/2022 20:55:29 »

I see two possibilities if the producer has the plaintext to hand he can replace each character with a black one then there is a small chance the plaintext can be recovered but for maximum security the document should
be retyped .

9

Just Chat! / Have you ever accepted the offer of free spins did you regret it ?

« on: 26/08/2022 19:43:52 »

Free is the most weasel word in the lanuage it always ends up with costing you money!

10

Just Chat! / How was Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri betrayed

« on: 04/08/2022 20:16:37 »

For the American assassination squad to kill him they had to know where he was and when he would be vunerable.
I understand that million $25.00 was offered for this information and it would be interesting to know if it was paid out.
Even if it included American citizenship and life long protection I cannot believe anyone receiving this money would live very long !

11

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Many attemps have made to raise Chimpanzes as humans have there been any success

« on: 01/08/2022 19:29:25 »

These attempts have usually ended in disaster with the animal attacking its keepers when it becomes adult.

12

Physiology & Medicine / How often do multiple fertilization's result in only one birth

« on: 19/07/2022 09:03:08 »

On occasions more than one egg is fertilized but there is only one baby born.
I was born before the days of ultrasound scan but have often thought myself a little asymmetric  how common is this ?

13

Just Chat! / Are the concept of heatwavwes relative

« on: 14/07/2022 11:56:59 »

I recently met two visitors from Kuwait swaddled in their winter coats complaining about the chilly 30°C weather in the UK.

14

Just Chat! / Why the fuss about "neguinho" (nigger) common in English until 1960

« on: 02/07/2022 17:19:41 »

Used by a portugesse speaker about Sir Lewis Halminton

15

Physiology & Medicine / Is there any mechanism for getting expensive medication back into use.

« on: 22/06/2022 09:54:40 »

Occasionally NICE will prescribe a course treatment costing up to £200.000.00 if the patient dies before completing the course are the left over pills of any value and can they be put to any use ?

16

Just Chat! / why does the Grefell tower fire nonsence drag on ?

« on: 14/06/2022 20:05:15 »

it is now five years if the tenants had been prosperous they would have hired good lawyers and the tower would have  been torn down by now and rebuilt with them all compensated.
It seems because they were proles the tower will be left standing as long as the Battersea power station as some sort of memorial with the surving tenants in B&Bs.

17

Geek Speak / How good are modern computers at decoding WWII communications

« on: 29/03/2022 10:19:41 »

I would expect modern computers to easily decode traffic encodered with 3 disk machines but what of more complex encoders ?

18

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / what information about the solar system could be found from 1000 LY away

« on: 11/03/2022 10:32:39 »

At this distance with similar technology what could alien astronomers learn about our solar system

19

Technology / What does Motex do ?

« on: 20/01/2022 19:50:19 »

This gadget cuts your electric bill by 90% legaly How?

20

Technology / Can modern pacemakers survive in MRI scanners

« on: 19/01/2022 12:23:36 »

I have recently been fitted with a pacemaker will that prevent me from having a MRI scan ?