Search found 825 matches

by drmike
Mon Nov 17, 2008 4:04 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Tom Ligon at Philcon
Replies: 8
Views: 11275

Congrats Tom! Sounds like you will have a blast.
by drmike
Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:03 pm
Forum: Theory
Topic: Point charge
Replies: 2
Views: 2923

Think of the ions as bowling balls and the electrons and ping-pong balls. In the same force field, the ping-pong balls change direction quickly, but the bowling balls don't change much. So when the ions fall into the center of the polywell, they don't stop, they keep on going until they reach the co...
by drmike
Fri Nov 14, 2008 4:33 am
Forum: Theory
Topic: Wiffle-Enhanced Inertial (Thermalized) Confinement?
Replies: 7
Views: 5328

No, it's not stupid. Do a web search on "proton beam inertial confinement fusion". You will get several 1000 papers on the subject. It's just not likely to be cost effective.
by drmike
Fri Nov 14, 2008 4:28 am
Forum: Theory
Topic: Spherical Electromagnet for Plasma Containment
Replies: 15
Views: 13376

tombo, check out Nanomagnetics and their ferrofluid etalons. It is an interesting way to view magnetic fields. You get a visual impression of the magnetic field, but it is an indirect one. I want to say it's a Fourier transform, but it's not quite that "simple". I had fun with the math on that probl...
by drmike
Fri Nov 14, 2008 4:17 am
Forum: General
Topic: Ice Age - A few of you would be interested in this
Replies: 85
Views: 29149

I like the "geological near future". 5 to 10 kyr fits that description!

Thanks for posting, most interesting.
by drmike
Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:01 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Radioactive Decay not a constant ?
Replies: 49
Views: 24090

The Pioneer anomaly is a ranging effect. But it could be we aren't measuring it correctly. And it could be that the tidal effects are not changing the radioactive material, but they are changing the measuring equipment. A slight change in distance between detector and source might be in the range of...
by drmike
Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:32 am
Forum: News
Topic: Radioactive Decay not a constant ?
Replies: 49
Views: 24090

It's not really about "constants" not being constant. These guys have to ensure tidal effects don't do something to their detectors before they invoke neutrino interactions. It'd be cool if there is a nuclear or weak force interaction, especially since neutrino's oscillate. But there are simpler rea...
by drmike
Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:41 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Election results
Replies: 106
Views: 42348

Some people have way too much fun!
:D

I had a prof once who used to say "you can lead students to the library, but you can't make them read." Not much else you can do.
by drmike
Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:28 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Hyperion?
Replies: 41
Views: 26588

I have no problem with reprocessing, especially metal fuel. But they show the placement of the typical installation underground and sealed, so it seems like it is supposed to just stay there. Maybe that's a detail they just haven't worked out yet. If the whole thing is built as a shipping container ...
by drmike
Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:57 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Hyperion?
Replies: 41
Views: 26588

Metal hydrides are interesting beasts. If that is the basic idea, I think the refueling will be challenging. It's fine for a 10 year battery (or even 50 if you don't suck that much power out), and they show it buried under ground, so it can stay there forever - but when the energy runs out you have ...
by drmike
Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:33 am
Forum: News
Topic: Hyperion?
Replies: 41
Views: 26588

Here is the source "Hyperion web site"

My vote is scam. There is absolutely no information on what kind of nuclear power it is - radioactive decay or fission from neutrons. You'd think they'd be bragging about something!

But if they can get people to accept nuclear power sources, that's a plus.
by drmike
Sun Nov 09, 2008 2:13 pm
Forum: Design
Topic: Copper coil reactor imposible?
Replies: 2
Views: 3270

I don't quite see how you computed the coil power. I would think the coil power scales linearly with radius where the power generated scales as r^3.

Check out the papers here: http://www.askmar.com/Fusion.html I'm sure it is covered there somewhere.
by drmike
Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:59 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Election results
Replies: 106
Views: 42348

The simplest way to eliminate shooting wars over plants is to change the laws. Once plants that have been in existence longer than humans are no longer "illegal", the money going to farmers vanishes and the desire to protect those farmers vanishes too. The "war on some drugs" was fabricated to help ...
by drmike
Sat Nov 08, 2008 1:54 pm
Forum: Theory
Topic: Hypermatter fusion reactor
Replies: 32
Views: 19392

Move the thread to general, no need to ban it.
by drmike
Sat Nov 08, 2008 1:50 pm
Forum: General
Topic: 1982 Tron by Walt-Disney
Replies: 3
Views: 3212

For its time, the Cray 1 was an awesome computer. Today's game machines run about as fast, and a workstation has 1000 times the capability at one millionth the cost. Wait till next year! :D

I loved Tron. It was a great cartoon that fed my imagination.