Can It Be Said Enough? Thorium! Thorium! THORIUM!

Thorium?  Thorium.  This metal will supply cheap, clean, safe, plentiful nuclear power to the world for the next 1,000 years.

If we use it.

Thorium, a silvery-white metal named for the Norse god Thor, is a mildly radioactive element (with an atomic weight of 90) that is as abundant as lead.  Monazite, a rare earth and thorium phosphate mineral, is the primary source of the world's thorium. 

The naturally occurring isotopes of thorium are readily refined from mineral to metal.  Industry uses thorium to make high-grade glass, high-temperature ceramics, and high-performance alloys of magnesium.

Thorium is inherently safe.  Radiation from even pure thorium is too weak to penetrate human skin.  Only long term negligent exposure or massive over-exposure is medically dangerous.  Short of a career of mining without basic safety procedures or chewing it daily, thorium presents no medical dangers.

Thorium reactors are inherently safe.  Thorium  cannot sustain a chain reaction on its own; there must be an initiator.  Basically, disaster or attack would simply shut down the reaction.

Thorium reactors are inherently clean.  Unlike other reactors, thorium reactors produce waste that decays to the same level of radioactivity as coal ashes after 500 years.  In fact, thorium reactors can be used to safely 'burn out' waste materials from uranium reactors.

Thorium is three to four times more plentiful than uranium.  By weight, thorium produces 200 times more energy than uranium.  The USA, India, Turkey, and Australia all possess large reserves of thorium, accounting for over 50% of the Earth's known reserves.

Experts estimate that at present energy use and reactor technology, thorium could power America for the next 1,000 years with just known reserves.

Sound too good to be true?  There are some small challenges, but honestly, we went from no space program to landing on the Moon in less than a decade.  We need thorium reactors supplying American electricity much more than we needed astronauts on the Moon.

Thanks to American and Russian choices during the Cold War, too little research has gone into thorium reactor design.  A few thorium reactors are coming online now, but there is a good deal of argument about what will be most efficient, cheapest, and safest.  New reactor designs need testing and approval.

Thorium startup is expensive; and the thorium fuel itself needs to be 'activated' by irradiation.  Once the first reactor is up and running, though, it can be used to activate the next batch of fuel.  As more reactors come online, fuel activation is cheap and easy.

American coal, uranium, and oil interests don't want to face competition from thorium; the first time in history they have all agreed on anything.  They don't care what's good for America, just what's good for the Company.

Thorium reactors are hugely safer and simpler than present uranium/plutonium reactors.  They could entirely replace the burning of fossil fuels on Earth for the next ten centuries.  They would change everything.

Drought?  With enough cheap electricity, desalinated sea water could be pumped to suffering areas; droughts would be history.  Poverty?  Plentiful electricity could bring jobs and industry to the poorest places on Earth.  Global warming?  Gone.  Pollution from coal and oil?  Gone. 

Call it optimism, call it hope, but make sure you remember the mighty THORIUM!
 
For more information -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium

Merry Christmas!

So ya know, I'm not particularly Christian, but there's nothing more heartening than an unsolicited seasonal greeting, however you spell it.

I was a mail carrier for a good part of the last 20 years, and the above observation is not something I read about, but something I experienced.  People enjoy a cheerful greeting, a smile in the daily course of business, even a random hug for just being human, but folks really appreciate a heartfelt holiday hail.

There are probably several reasons why.  There's usually a 'happy' or 'merry' in there, unlike the plain 'good' of daily greetings.  Holiday's are annual 'landmarks,' and thus a stronger connection.  And, honestly, who doesn't like being cheerful for cheerful's sake a few times a year?

Whatever the reasons,
We all like to hear
herald of seasons
with voice of good cheer.

So don't hesitate
It's always okay
To happily state
Happy Holiday!

I Like Robots

That's because I really, truly feel robots will define our future.  While not absolutely a bad thing, there will be negative along with positive effects.  Soon robots will become front-line soldiers, for instance - thanks to  political infighting among US military branches, the bad news is it may be our soldiers defending themselves from enemy robots instead of the other way around.

Anyway, my interest leads me to a weekly perusal of what's new in robotics on Youtube.  Why there?  Because long before a robot is seen as interesting to the media, geeks and nerds are already swapping videos of their accomplishments.

I come across all kind of robot exploits this way.  Here are a few that caught my interest.

What to get that hard-to-buy for kid this year?

Yes, this video is long and boring - and fascinating if you consider the implications.  True robot sports are just a few years away and games will never the same.

Sports and toys; no big deal, right?  What can robots do that isn't just for fun?  Build stuff.

Of course the US military have their share of robots, like this 'clothing and equipment' testing robot. . .

'load-carrying robot'. . .

and fence jumping robot.

Sadly, some robots are doomed to less survivable duty.  A company in Australia has recently delivered target robots to the USMC. 

But it won't just be the robots replacing humans and doing things alone.  We can build robots easily enough, but the brains to run them are the really hard part.  Adding humans to robots, or robots to humans, will be the most amazing part of the future - 

I like robots, and I hope they like me, because the alternative might suck.  

8)

This Is Only A Test

Saw this on G+ and wanted to share.  Though I don't know if this is truly significant of your neurological state, I found it a fun and interesting mental exercise.

A Short Neurological Test

1- Find the C below..

Please do not use any cursor help.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2- If you already found the C, now find the 6 below.

99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
69999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

3 - Now find the N below. It's a little more difficult.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

This is NOT a joke. If you were able to pass these 3 tests, you can cancel
your annual visit to your neurologist. Your brain is great and you're far
from having a close relationship with Alzheimer.

Congratulations!

eonvrye that can raed this rsaie your hnad.


If you can read the following paragraph, you are just awesome.
Only great minds can read this
This is weird, but interesting!

If you can raed this, you have a sgtrane mnid too

Can you raed this? Olny 45 plepoe out of 100 can.

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the
olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a
pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot
slpeling was ipmorantt!

And yes, spelling is very ipmorantt.  Heh.

Crazy Talk

Just a moment as I don my foil skull cap and check for men in black. . . okay, paranoid crazy talk begins.

Our cultural battles have ignored the extremely wealthy for a very long time.  In fact, America has had no true class war that I remember.  Instead we've encouraged and supported a kind of intra-class 'cold war' since the Depression; those with nothing, those with some, and those with enough, all bickering and struggling with each other.

And the whole time the rich were helping drive the conflict.  They, the greedy and immoral, structured a false reward system around brand names and false appearances.  No matter how poor someone might be, anyone could feel better about themself if they owned a Fridgidaire.  The rich got richer by backing both sides of conflict.

At the same time They, the burgeoning 1%, bought the American government and commanded it to install laws that gave Them huge advantages in taxation, liability, land ownership, legal recourse, and more - just about every possible way our judicial, executive, legislative, and financial system could be twisted.  They said it was good for the economy and good for America, but over the decades it turns out to be good for Them and the hell with the rest of America.

By keeping everyone else at each other's throats, a very few have stolen America.  Worse, it's beginning to look like they will get away with it - unless something changes.  That change would be us.  Don't think it'll be easy, because it won't.  They'll fight us every step, legal and illegal.  They have the power of media, police, and our own military, and they will use it against us.

All we need is someone to stand up and say, "I aim to misbehave."

Whoops.  Went a little off the crazy end right there.  Think I'll get rid of this foil hat.

8)

Dear Mr. Incumbent Politician,

Usually I try to stay at least moderately informed about you and your opponent, then carefully weigh which one is best for the job every election. I'm changing my voting criteria this year.

If you bring criminal charges or cause the judicial system to bring criminal charges against against a major CEO, any one of the Bailout Group companies, or policemen who harm Americans participating in peaceful protests, I WILL AUTOMATICALLY vote for you.

If you pass a law that strips corporations of personhood or otherwise blocks a corporation from the same rights as a citizen of the United States, I WILL AUTOMATICALLY vote for you.

If you make the selling of debt a form of usury, fraud, or otherwise illegal I WILL AUTOMATICALLY vote for you.

If you force a shut down of Wall Street, for even one day, I WILL AUTOMATICALLY vote for you.

If you pass a law that taxes the 1% at a 200% unless they really make jobs, I WILL AUTOMATICALLY vote for you.

If you manage to strike any positive blow against corporate criminals or the ultra-rich, ultra-greedy 1% - say, force them to bank only in American banks or lose everything - I WILL AUTOMATICALLY vote for you.

On the other hand, should you fail to meet my new criteria, I WILL AUTOMATICALLY vote against you, no matter what schmuck I'm forced to vote for.

No promises accepted.

Inflexibly,
Citizen America.

Early Warning

Back in November virologist Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands publicly announced at a virus conference in Malta that his team had modified the H1N1, or bird flu virus, to be far more deadly. The bird flu presently doesn't spread like a 'normal' flu, via airborn droplets from sneezes and coughs. Instead, the bird flu requires very close contanct, so is less contagious.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2063326/Scientists-mutate-bird-flu-make-MORE-contagious--critics-claim-bioweapon-kept-secret.html

Most people missed this, though there was a blip in the media. Now, Dr. Fouchier wants to publish the research and techniques, making this super-flu available to anyone who would like to recreate it.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/12/20/scientists-spark-fears-by-creating-highly-contagious-airborne-strain-bird-flu/

What will eventually happen? Well, the secret is out, the horses are gone, the bag is empty, and everyone knows the bird flu can be modified into a world-smashing bioweapon. Knowing what's possible is half the problem solved - sooner or later, and I'd bet on real sooner, we'll be facing a terror inspired pandemic.

Not to worry. First, it's the flu; people die from flu every day, a sad fact but reassuring in that the world doesn't collapse. Second, it's the bird flu; until now those infected were often already sick or vulnerable or elderly, which is sad but also gives us hope that being normal and healthy will protect us. Third, it's just the flu; we already know what to do to avoid the flu.

The very best news is that, unlike other flu epidemics, we have plenty of warning. If any braincells are still firing Washington, DC, we have already acquired samples and are developing a vaccine.

Please let there be braincells left in Washington. . .