Weird News Compilation

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Astronuc said:
I'm putting this here because of "Hundreds of pneumatic pistons are then used to compress the plasma until the atoms fuse, generating massive amounts of heat."

If I had a hammer . . . . .
 
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Astronuc said:
I'm putting this here because of "Hundreds of pneumatic pistons are then used to compress the plasma until the atoms fuse, generating massive amounts of heat."
Thanks for sharing this astronuc, this really made my day!

When I try to visualize what the reactor would look like, I can't help but think of a v8 engine with "plasma injectors" instead of fuel injectors. I know the compression ratios wouldn't even compare, but I can't help imagine it that way.

Also, I know the mass defect is huge and the math will work out, but I think it's ironic and hilarious they're using compressed air to compress a piston to generate heat to drive a (presumably) vapor power cycle. If you didn't have the fusion, it would be like the silliest perpetual motion proposal you'd ever seen!
 
Jarvis323 said:
video about the technique
Apr 22, 2014
 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/05/tech...-space-hero-reality-television-scn/index.html​


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(CNN) The hottest new reality show isn't set in a house, on an obstacle course, or on the Jersey Shore. Television producers are betting on a new location: the International Space Station.

Two reality television shows are in the works that would offer a first for viewers by taking them inside the ISS, as a member of the public will be awarded a multi-million dollar experience to space as the grand prize on both. The Discovery Channel is considering "Who Wants to Be an Astronaut" while a competitor, "Space Hero," is hoping to land somewhere else.

The "Who Wants to Be An Astronaut" premise is simple and relies on traditional reality television tropes. Here on Earth, contestants will vie for an all-expenses-paid trip to live on the ISS for eight days. The as-yet unknown "variety of extreme challenges" are designed to determine which competitors have what it takes to be a real astronaut, and passage to space will be provided by Houston-based space broker Axiom Space. While NASA hasn't confirmed that Axiom Space will even be able to secure a seat on a commercial rocket, Discovery is confident in its plans. The media company has even enlisted former astronaut Mike Massimino's consulting services.
 
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That actually sounds like a blockbuster show.
 
This list says Game of Thrones had a budget of $15 million per episode for the final season.
Sending a game show winner to the ISS for a week is about $50 million (via Axiom->SpaceX). Certainly in the budget if they can make a series of successful shows out of it.
 
1 and 2 cent ($/€), 1 Yen and similar coins could get retired, too. Some Euro countries do that already.
Switzerland got rid of its 1 centime coins in 2007.
 
I have a feeling that some countries are keeping those around to force people into using cards instead.
Even beggars tends to give you a cold look if you try to deposit the piled up clatter to them.
 
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mfb said:
What a weird propaganda video.
Yeah, it looks like they are trying to justify their existence as a new, separate military force. I think all of these pieces existed before, so hopefully we had these capabilities before. But I don't know if there is some advantage to combining those forces into a single, separate military force.
 
berkeman said:
Yeah, it looks like they are trying to justify their existence as a new, separate military force. I think all of these pieces existed before, so hopefully we had these capabilities before. But I don't know if there is some advantage to combining those forces into a single, separate military force.
Sure there is. This way you get to say SPACE FORCE!

Presumably it makes sense for the same reason the other branches are separate from each other.
 
About 27,000 pounds of Degree women's spray deodorant exploded in Northeastern Oklahoma after a semi-truck caught fire on Friday.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-war-zone-that-smelled-lovely-explosion-of-womens-deodorant-rocks-truck-stop/ar-AAN5roC
"It looks like Roman candles going off," Oakley told the outlet. "And you're walking through everything, it looks like a war zone. Especially at 5 o'clock in the morning."

Fox 23 reporter Scott Martin shared various photos from the scene. In one tweet, he shared a video of the fire in progress and described the aerosol cans as "popping off like fireworks."
 
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mfb said:
The tiny (~8 km) Saturn moon Skathi has become one of the 50 most viewed articles on the English Wikipedia, averaging 60,000 views per day. Why? No one knows. It's speculated that some app uses the page as check if it can connect to Wikipedia.
The end is near! They are already among us.
 
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Driver Plunges Cadillac Into Sinkhole After Ignoring Cones and Barriers​

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/driver-plunges-cadillac-into-sinkhole-after-ignoring-cones-and-barriers/ar-AANeiQM