Z Machine Sets Unexpected Earth Temperature Record

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:06 am

Oh, I assure you it works, Mr Bond. And once you are out of the way, nothing can stop us...

Post by **Dale** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 7:07 am

Yikes-a-hooty! What kinda of deal is that?

Post by **Dale** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 7:07 am

Innocent Bystander wrote:Oh, I assure you it works, Mr Bond. And once you are out of the way, nothing can stop us...

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 8:31 am

What was important about these tests was not so much the impressive temperatures reached, but the amount of time that the reaction continued for - way beyond what was expected. The guys at Sandia still haven't figured it out, but if they do, they feel they will have opened a new possible method for initiating a fusion reaction.

djm

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 8:50 am

Ooh Fusion... free electricity for all! It's 1958 and ZETA all over again

Except ZETA didn't work. I think that was the last time that the UK tabloids dared to print "Free electricity for all!" as a banner headline.

fyffer · Post by **fyffer** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 9:55 am

I am not an alarmist by any means, but does it concern anyone that they "unexpectedly" set a temperature record?

What else can happen "unexpectedly"? Suppose they unexpectedly create a black hole (OK, that's alarmist). We're toying with powers we still don't understand in an effort to understand them, of course.

Fascinating? Yes.
Dangerous? Most certainly.

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:02 am

Pfft. What's the worse that can happen? A fireball that'll set the atmosphere on fire and consume all the oxygen on the planet? I think that was odds on favourite at Los Alamos back in the 40's (didn't stop 'em though).

Post by **Dale** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:13 am

GaryKelly wrote:Pfft. What's the worse that can happen? A fireball that'll set the atmosphere on fire and consume all the oxygen on the planet? ).

This is why we have duct tape.

peteinmn · Post by **peteinmn** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:29 am

DaleWisely wrote:
GaryKelly wrote:Pfft. What's the worse that can happen? A fireball that'll set the atmosphere on fire and consume all the oxygen on the planet? ).
This is why we have duct tape.

...During the unexpected powerful contained explosion, the Z machine released about 80 times the world's entire electrical power usage for a brief fraction of a second.....

Yikes! OK, now I'm going in the basement to look for the duct tape, my extra big roll of tin foil and those spare ice cube trays for the freezer.

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:39 am

fyffer wrote:What else can happen "unexpectedly"? Suppose they unexpectedly create a black hole (OK, that's alarmist). We're toying with powers we still don't understand in an effort to understand them, of course.

There was an interesting article in New Scientist about black holes. Someone doing experiments with sub-atomic particles under extreme conditions found that they didn't follow the predicted behaviour. He had a good look and scratched his head and decided that if cooling stars behaved like this on their surface, it would explain why the black holes we have located don't behave exactly as predicted, and would also explain where all that "dark matter" is that current GUT theories have problems with! His contention is that there are really NO black holes.

Of course, that wouldn't stop some eedjit blowing a black hole in his tectonic plate...

...still, eh?

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 12:24 pm

I thought you meant another kind of Z machine....

fearfaoin · Post by **fearfaoin** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:30 pm

Holy poopie-doopie. That's one heckofa big Tesla coil!

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:48 pm

fearfaoin wrote:Holy poopie-doopie!

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:49 pm

Tyler Morris wrote:
fearfaoin wrote:Holy poopie-doopie!

Ooh! Go ahead and hit him, Batman! He's such an annoying little git.