The beauty of Inertial Fusion Ignition
Using the most powerful laser system ever built, scientists have brought us one step closer to nuclear fusion power, a new study says.
The same process that powers our sun and other stars, nuclear fusion has the potential to be an efficient, carbon-free energy source—with none of the radioactive waste associated with the nuclear fission method used in current nuclear plants.
Thanks to the new achievement, a prototype nuclear fusion power plant could be operating within a decade, speculated study leader Siegfried Glenzer, a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
Glenzer and colleagues used the world’s largest laser array—the Livermore lab’s National Ignition Facility—to heat a BB-size fuel pellet to millions of degrees Fahrenheit.
“These lasers are pulsed, and for a very short amount of time”—one ten-billionth of a second—”the power they produce is more than all the power generated by the entire electrical grid of the United States” at any given moment, Glenzer said.
The test confirmed that a technique called inertial fusion ignition could be used to trigger nuclear fusion—the merging of the nuclei of two atoms of, say, hydrogen—which can result in a tremendous amount of excess energy. Nuclear fission, by contrast, involves the splitting of atoms.
The laser demonstration means scientists are now much closer to triggering nuclear fusion in a controlled setting—something that’s never been done before and which is necessary if fusion is to be harnessed for energy.
Science is sexy!
Credit to Ker Than of National Geographic News
K-Ware
I love you DeMarcus…I mean dad.
Thanks to Toph Miller for having the inspiration to create this moment.
A few thoughts on 34-14
First of all, the 2009 Dallas Cowboys are simply better than the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly fans love to make excuses when their teams loses. Please do us all a favor this time around and admit that your team is just not as good as the ‘09 Cowboys. I know you guys only live for beating Dallas, but you’ll have to wait another year.
DeSean “lil buddy” Jackson, Jesus loves you. Keep your head up and your mouth shut. I know you’ll burn the Cowboys before your career is over…just not this year! Speech classes this Summer?
I was in junior high the last time the Cowboys won a playoff game. That means that my prime development years were stunted by overwhelming despair and hatred due to utter failure. Am I am happy about this win? Oh my sweet baby Jesus yes! Am I satisfied with ONLY this win? Absolutely not!
This season would have ended last week if not for the defense. Wade Phillips may be a defensive genius. I challenge anyone to find a defensive unit that is playing better. Let me also add this: Nnamdi Asomugha, Darrelle Revis, Mike “Jaynkins”. Oh yeah…DeMarcus “Sex” Ware is not human.
Tony Romo finally looks like a quarterback that knows he will win versus thinking that he might have a chance. I’m not sure if you, Candice Crawford, deserve any credit; but thank you nevertheless. Your man is on fire at the perfect time. (Don’t hurt him).
I love you Felix Jones, Miles Austin, and Mat McBriar!
We can’t all be part of greatness
(Apparently, It’s Good to be a Cowboy via Blue Star)
According to various polls and studies, the Cowboys are at once the most despised, most popular, most profitable franchise in the NFL. They are easily the most visible, which might explain, in part, why they are so thoroughly hated and loved, depending on who you ask.
But apparently, for the average NFL player, it’s good to be a Cowboy.
In a poll conducted by Sports Illustrated (Per the Dallas Morning News), the Cowboys were named as the team players would most like to play for, with 11.1 percent of 296 players participating. The San Diego Chargers came in second with 8.5 percent, followed by Pittsburgh, with 7 percent.
With the question, “which team would you most like to play for?” locale seemed to influence decisions as much as winning, with the aforementioned San Diego beating out the reigning Super Bowl champion Steelers for second, and Miami (6.6 percent) beating out perennial contender New England Patriots (5.9 percent) for third. It’s better to be middling in comfort than winning in the frigid cold of the North, I suppose.
As far as Dallas is concerned, this poll could point to any number of factors: a winning tradition perhaps, history galore or Jerry Jones’ long standing policy of taking care of his players. Maybe it’s a combination of the three; but it is somewhat remarkable that Dallas sits atop the NFLer’s wish-list after 12 plus seasons without a playoff victory.
Homophones
Main Entry: ho·mo·phone
Pronunciation: \ˈhä-mə-ˌfōn, ˈhō-\
Function: noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary
Date: 1843
1 : one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (as the words to, too, and two)
2 : a character or group of characters pronounced the same as another character or group
(Cited from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homophone)
Now that we are on the same page, please visit the following link:
http://learnyourdamnhomophones.com/
Amazing!
On this November day…
Today is not just Constitution Day in Azerbaijan. It will not merely be remembered as the day that Voyager I flew by Saturn. Hopefully it will not only be remembered as the day Charles Manson was born! It’s a monumental day for so many reasons. Follow me down this brief November 12th timeline:
0607: Boniface III ends his reign as Catholic Pope (Thank God!)
1859: Jules Leotard performs 1st Flying Trapeze circus act (Paris) He also designed garment that bears his name
1897: Karl Marx was born
1927: Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party.
1936: Oakland Bay Bridge opens
1954: Ellis Island closed after processing more than 20 million immigrants since opening in New York Harbor in 1892
1955: Date Martin Seamus McFly returned to in “Back to the Future” and “Back to the Future II”
1983: A beautiful, wide-eyed baby boy (destined for greatness) was born to Tina L. Gonzales and Kyle B. Owens
1997: Ramzi Yousef was found guilty of masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
2004: Resignation of Colin Powell as Secretary of State
2006: Gerald R. Ford surpassed Ronald Reagan as the longest-lived U.S. president at 93 years and 121 days (And then promptly died the following month.)
2008: Same-sex marriages began in Connecticut, a month after the state Supreme Court ruled that gays had the right to wed.
Happy Birthday: Maximilian von Weichs (1881), Karl Marx (1897), Charles Manson (1934), Al Michaels (1944), Sammy Sosa (1968), Tonya Harding (1970), Anne Hathaway (1982), Omarion (1984)
Well done you Breckenridge, CO!
There is suddenly a new reason to pack your bags and roll to Breckenridge, CO. As a result of a landslide vote (73%) to approve Measure 2F (unofficially, “The Rocky Mountain High Law”), it is now legal for a person 21 or older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana. In addition, all criminal penalties for the possession of drug paraphernalia have been removed. The ordinance change will go into effect on January 1, 2010.
It should be noted, however, that it is still illegal to smoke in public, under the influence, or as a minor. Otherwise, get your smoke on!
Well done.
Beatboxing with Style (la Segunda Parte)
What can I say? I appreciate beatboxing skills. These guys are stupid-out of their minds-amazing!
Seriously?! Ri-effing-diculous!
I and Love and You
I was introduced to The Avett Brothers when I was living in CookeVegas, TN. They were decently well-known in that area since they are from Concord, NC. I started by listening to some underground stuff from their days as the rock group, Nero. Then I transitioned to their new style under the name, The Avett Brothers. I was blown away…
I grew up in a music family (kind of a Hispanic Jackson 5+2). As a result, I have learned to appreciate good music and the qualities that can make it so. I have never heard a style quite like theirs. Scott and Seth have absolutely mastered the art of harmonizing with each other. I once read an interview where they said their harmonic inspiration came from listening to Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell (two guys who also mastered harmony). Their mix of banjo, acoustic guitar, stand up bass, and cello is beautiful. Furthermore, Scott and Seth also play electric guitar, piano, drums, and harmonica. Amazingly, Wikipedia has a pretty good description of their style,
The Avett Brothers combine bluegrass, country, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock and roll, honky tonk, and ragtime to produce a sound described by the San Francisco Chronicle as having the heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones.
I was absolutely hooked! Since that time, I have purchased all of their albums and seen them live about a half a dozen times. I simply cannot explain how amazing their live performances are. All I can say is that I have never been disappointed.
I recommend listening to one of their early albums such as, A Carolina Jubilee. I think that will help you appreciate how their music as evolved as you make your way through their albums. Of course, you can skip to their latest album, I and Love and You. It’s pretty amazing too.
Josh Sacco’s “Miracle” speech
4-year-old Josh “Rizzo” Sacco has become a bit of an internet sensation over the last week. His father claims that Josh has watched the 2004 film, Miracle, over 150 times. You’ll be hard-pressed to deny that claim after you watch Josh’s recitation of Herb Brooks’ (played by Kurt Russell) locker room speech. It’s incredibly weird, but also hilarious. He’s become such a hit that he’s already made his way on the Ellen Degeneres Show. Of course, leave it to the “humorously-challenged” to start a controversy over the whole story. Enjoy!
You can compare and contrast, but remember that this kid is 4 and cannot read!
