Geiger Readings for Jan 12, 2019
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 167 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 171 nanosieverts per hour
January 2019
Honeybee Robotics Develops Prototype For A Steam-Powered Asteroid Mining Spacecraft
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Caption:
WINE spacecraft prototype
We tend to think of steam powered transportation as an antiquated technology. While we still heat water to steam and generate electricity, we have moved on to liquid fuels, electricity and even compressed air to power our vehicles. However, steam is making a comeback as a propulsion system for spacecraft.
Nuclear Reactors 649 - The Troubled Story of the European Power Reactor
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Caption:
Computer graphic rendering of an EPR plant
The European Power Reactor (EPR) is a third-generation pressurized water reactor design. It was mainly developed by Framatome, a French company that was part of Areva, EDF, a French utility and Siemens in Germany.
Geiger Readings for Jan 11, 2019
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 66 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 100 nanosieverts per hour
1784 - Nuclear Fusion 53 - Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Is Working On Stabilizing Plasma In Tokamaks
One of the major problems with achieving commercial nuclear fusion is the fact that when magnetic confinement is used to squeeze a plasma, instabilities can develop which interfere with the production of fusion. This is a problem is universal in all tokamaks which are donut-shaped experimental fusion reactors. The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) of the U.S.
Geiger Readings for Jan 10, 2019
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 62 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 59 nanosieverts per hour
Nuclear Weapons 369 - Russian Borei-class Submarines
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Caption:
Russian Borei-class Submarine
I have been blogging lately about Soviet and Russian nuclear weapons. Today, I am going to continue that theme with a post about Russian nuclear submarines.
Barack Obama
Why don’t you leave D.C. like the other presidents have?
Please give President Trump the respect and support he deserves.
2019 Skull & Roses Festival Lineup Announced
If you love yourself some Dead-inspired bands and tribute bands, you have to make it to this year's Skull & Roses Festival in Ventura, California. For the third year, this festival will celebrate the Grateful Dead in a way that only those who love it can, complete with the oneness vibe you once could get at Grateful Dead concerts. Performances will include those by Rebirth Brass Band, Oteil & Friends, The Alligators, Shaky Feelin and so many other acts that it's just not to be missed.
Very Vanilla
I don't know why people use "vanilla" to describe boring things. It's my all-time temptress flavor. I'll succumb to vanilla Oreos far sooner than the chocolate ones, and don't even get me started on Nilla Wafers! Did you know that there's a martini mde with Nilla Wafers? It's really just amaretto and vanilla vodka, but could you imagine lining your glass with wafter crumbs? Mmmm... It supposedly tastes just like Nilla Wafers.
Sorry You Don't Get Comedians, Oldtimer
If I hear one more white guy in his 40s or older complaining about how we don't have any funny comedians anymore, I might just scream. Two different men in my local paper even complained this week! One laments the loss of George Carlin. Sure, Carlin was a funny guy; I loved him very much. He also called raping teenagers "a necessary thing" in one of his sketches; I have it on DVD. Not cool.
Yummy Ginger ACV Tea
Last week we talked about Tea Drops, so I thought I'd share my new ginger tea recipe. It's so easy it can't really even be called a recipe, but it's not only delicious but also helpful with digestion, managing blood sugar and a bunch of other benefits for just a few cents per cup!
Wash Your Hands, Doc
While working in the food industry, I remember what a hassle it was to make sure my team washed their hands, but I always made sure they did. It turns out that doctors might not be as careful as fast food workers. A new study shows that doctors' dedication to hand-washing drops down low when they're not being watched. While I think most people behave better when they know they're under public scrutiny, this is pretty important.
Norway to Shut Down Fur Factories
Here at Weird Animal Talk, we like to talk about animals that seem weird to us, from hairy frogs to water bears. But we are the truly weird animals, aren't we? Not only do we drink another animal's milk (super weird!) but we also wear their skin after we've killed them, which is pretty barbaric.
Background Checks Bill Introduced by House
We finally have a Blue House and that house has just introduced a Background Checks Bill, H.R. 8, which would strengthen background checks and close the federal loophole, giving us just a tiny bit more protection against gun violence. Last year we saw romaine lettuce banned after a few dozen people fell ill, but we lose 100 people a day to gun violence and nothing gets accomplished save for 'thoughts and prayers.' Many politicians, particularly those who have the NRA in their back pockets, even call for MORE guns, outrageously wishing to arm teachers and train students to handle guns.
Stammtisch
Hangry for some German pub fare? If you're in the Portland area, you might want to check out Stammtisch. With its German bier rotation and combination of both local ingredients and imported authentic fare from Europe, the restaurant is a must-try. Sample the small plates with a date, like the Obatzda, a camembert cheese spread spiced with paprika, or the currywurst, complete with curry ketchup. There's goulash and blutwurst as well as forelle, jagerschnitzel and even hamburgers on pretzel buns.
Preemie Project Knitting
If you love to crochet or knit, there's a wonderful project in need of your help. Called the Preemie Project, it's an organization that pairs up your finished craft projects with premature babies in need of hats, booties and costumes. They also accept other donations of items babies need in general.