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Fellowship of Mad Scientists

39 members • Free

165 contributions to Fellowship of Mad Scientists
The Tent Girl
I attended an interesting presentation tonight at the local public library on The Tent Girl. This was a young lady who was a homicide victim, who went unidentified for 30 years, before DNA testing allowed her to be positively identified. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Ann_Hackmann_Taylor
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0 likes • 2h
Might make an interesting approach to a 3D display, if the light and bubble vibration were synchronized. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymatics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Chladni#Chladni_figures
Will Sub-Critical Nuclear Reactors Power AI? Sabine is Skeptical
Nuclear power has a political problem, the fear of meltdown leading to a large release of radiation. One way that companies have been seeking to move forward in this sphere is to develop reactors that never reach criticality. Instead of using a chain reaction, they use a fuel that isn't dense enough to sustain a chain reaction. To release energy, they bombard a fuel stack with neutrons that they create using a conventional neutron source, such as a proton accelerator that launches high energy protons into heavy nuclei. That shatters the nuclei and release a pulse of neutrons in the process. These neutrons can then be used to create excess (more than the energy required to create the neutrons) energy. They can't produce much energy compared to standard fission reactors--only tens of megawatts. But they might be sufficient to power data centers and other stand alone power sinks. In this video, Sabine Hossenfelder summarizes the current state of the art. Enjoy
0 likes • 3h
I'd have to run the numbers, but my gut reaction is that that would require a LOT of Neutrons, and probably a Neutron source much larger than the fuel load. Plus, creating Neutrons, especially in that number, is going to be somewhat energy intensive, even with something like Alpha particles bombarding Beryllium. Plus, as the fuel element is used, the efficiency will decrease, as the fissile material is poisoned by fission products. That will require even more Neutrons, and Neutrons are, in general, bad news, since they can induce radioactive products, even in materials which aren't naturally radioactive. So, disposal of the spent fuel element is going to be a major headache. And, that's not even getting into Neutron embrittlement of the reactor support elements. And, that's not even getting into things like the Wigner Effect. And, the Wigner Effect was the cause of the British Windscale fire/disaster, which, while it wasn't technically a meltdown, produce a vast release of radiation as the core thermally burned. Don't do that! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wigner_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windscale_fire I have to wonder, though, if those AI data centers wouldn't be better served by something like a CANDU nuclear reactor, which uses natural Uranium (rather than enriched Uranium), and depending upon the highly efficient moderator of Deuterium Oxide (Heavy Water). In the event of a disaster, as the Heavy Water drains out of the core, it reduces the moderation of Neutrons, resulting in the reactor shutting down (There may still be a meltdown, but the meltdown will, almost certainly, be less severe than with a reactor fueled with enriched Uranium). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CANDU_reactor Or, something like that.
Syngas device attached to your (modern) car's data port, (under dash, near your right knee, when driving) when enabled, modifies engine settings to save fuel
https://get-syngas.com/article/us/?uid=459&oid=19&affid2=593&sub1=6a05c4152b65644bb0072d8d&transaction_id=9024d4e302fa41a683a21de172306cfe#tblciGiCRWbyHZqC70KteHQrQyilYV5DnJt11OwGYq7aCCYhI5yDp1Hgos5nVmOT9pu9wMOqPdQ
0 likes • 3h
@Shawn Carlson I, too, would be a little amazed if it would work across a number of brands and models. Besides, most brands have optimized their electronic controls to maximize fuel economy, although many of them do stupid things, such as shutting the engine down at stops (which puts an incredible load on the starter), and dynamically varying the number of cylinders being fired, which places a heavy toll on the valve train (and, reportedly, causes vastly decreased engine life!). But, I can't/won't condemn it before more facts are presented.
Extreme flying of heavy Jet Transports/tankers:
(17) When a Test Pilot Barrel-Rolled a 4-Engine Jet Airliner. How Boeing Won the Jet Race - YouTube
0 likes • 3h
@Patrick Barthelow Tex Johnston did this in the Boeing 707, as part of a demonstration to potential airline customers. He quite upset the president of Boeing with this unplanned maneuver, although he explained it as "I was selling airplanes". As such, it had to be performed fairly close to the ground, so that the ground (yacht) based observers could see it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_707#Development https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_M._Johnston#Boeing_Company
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David Glass
4
42points to level up
@david-glass-3016
BS in Engineering Arts, BS in Electrical Engineering, MS in Electrical Engineering, Extra class Amateur Radio operator, LCD pioneer, Cryptographer.

Active 2h ago
Joined May 28, 2025
Kentucky