And that's a wrap (except for the technical panel)!
Key takeaways: it's not ready to be plugged in to the grid just yet; it took ~300 MJ (?) from the wall to power 2 MJ of laser to drive 3 MJ of fusion, but that last part wasn't possible before. They're working with 1980s-ish laser tech, too, so now the focus is on 1) Can we do this more than once a day?, 2) Can we do this more easily and efficiently?, and 3) Seriously, how cool is this? Because now it indicates that this is possible, and advances here could also feedback into advances in magnetic fusion (the other main branch) and advance the whole thing. Lots of work to be done - no longer 5 decades away, as it has been since the 60s - but there's some light at the end of the tunnel.
Some idiot journalist (Bloomberg News) asked why, if the ignition happened last week, we were just hearing about it now. Director of the Lab had a great comment that it's because the data isn't easy, they pulled in all of their experts to review it, and then they peer reviewed it with an outside team before releasing info because it was important to get the facts right before they shared them.
Had some good commentary from a gentleman whose name I didn't catch on how us making advances here reassures our allies around the world that we still know what we're doing WRT nuclear research, and therefore it supports our deterrence and nonproliferation aims (ahem, Russia).
And that's a wrap (except for the technical panel)!
Key takeaways: it's not ready to be plugged in to the grid just yet; it took ~300 MJ (?) from the wall to power 2 MJ of laser to drive 3 MJ of fusion, but that last part wasn't possible before. They're working with 1980s-ish laser tech, too, so now the focus is on 1) Can we do this more than once a day?, 2) Can we do this more easily and efficiently?, and 3) Seriously, how cool is this? Because now it indicates that this is possible, and advances here could also feedback into advances in magnetic fusion (the other main branch) and advance the whole thing. Lots of work to be done - no longer 5 decades away, as it has been since the 60s - but there's some light at the end of the tunnel.
Some idiot journalist (Bloomberg News) asked why, if the ignition happened last week, we were just hearing about it now. Director of the Lab had a great comment that it's because the data isn't easy, they pulled in all of their experts to review it, and then they peer reviewed it with an outside team before releasing info because it was important to get the facts right before they shared them.
Had some good commentary from a gentleman whose name I didn't catch on how us making advances here reassures our allies around the world that we still know what we're doing WRT nuclear research, and therefore it supports our deterrence and nonproliferation aims (ahem, Russia).
Did they elaborate more on the “1980s-ish laser tech”? Is that something that could be upgraded in the near term, would it drop the power requirements coming in to power them for a similar result, etc?
my car drives on like... 60s tire technology.... there's just not many places to go from there...
is there a super duper modern laser just sitting on the lab floor somewhere?
does the tech come in and its like "hey you want to use this obviously better laser? the fate of human kind is sort of on the line here?" and the director just says nah maybe later
0
BroloBroseidonLord of the BroceanRegistered Userregular
Wait if it took 300 MJ of power to run the reactor to produce 3 MJ of energy from a fusion reaction in what sense was it net positive
As I understand it, it was 300 MJ in startup, and then a 2MJ injection to produce 3MJ. Why that matters is that if one of these could be made that would run continuously, it would make back the startup 300 MJ energy cost.
Wait if it took 300 MJ of power to run the reactor to produce 3 MJ of energy from a fusion reaction in what sense was it net positive
As I understand it, it was 300 MJ in startup, and then a 2MJ injection to produce 3MJ. Why that matters is that if one of these could be made that would run continuously, it would make back the startup 300 MJ energy cost.
Ah I see. Ok so proof that it can hypothetically work if they can refine the thing to run continuously. Still a long way to go.
my car drives on like... 60s tire technology.... there's just not many places to go from there...
is there a super duper modern laser just sitting on the lab floor somewhere?
does the tech come in and its like "hey you want to use this obviously better laser? the fate of human kind is sort of on the line here?" and the director just says nah maybe later
The NIF was designed and first started construction in the mid 90s, so yes it was designed with the "1980's laser" tech available at the time. There are modern laser designs that have 1000-100000 times more peak intensity, but to utilize them would require rebuilding the whole facility. It's a bit like saying a jet engine would make your car faster and while true it's not exactly a drop-in replacement for the gas engine that's there. There are other facilities around the world that use these more powerful lasers, though I'm not sure if any are currently being used to study inertial confinement fusion.
Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
my car drives on like... 60s tire technology.... there's just not many places to go from there...
is there a super duper modern laser just sitting on the lab floor somewhere?
does the tech come in and its like "hey you want to use this obviously better laser? the fate of human kind is sort of on the line here?" and the director just says nah maybe later
The NIF was designed and first started construction in the mid 90s, so yes it was designed with the "1980's laser" tech available at the time. There are modern laser designs that have 1000-100000 times more peak intensity, but to utilize them would require rebuilding the whole facility. It's a bit like saying a jet engine would make your car faster and while true it's not exactly a drop-in replacement for the gas engine that's there. There are other facilities around the world that use these more powerful lasers, though I'm not sure if any are currently being used to study inertial confinement fusion.
Does this new step forward provide enough potential for this process we might see investment in a new facility that uses modern lasers?
0
BroloBroseidonLord of the BroceanRegistered Userregular
edited December 2022
Text:
It's been a big year for the clitoris.
In January, scientists discovered bottlenose dolphins have a large S-shaped clitoris that might be better placed for pleasure than our own species' version.
And just last month, researchers realized they had once again underestimated the female sex organ, when a study showed more than ten thousand nerve endings innervate the human female erogenous organ.
Tynnanseldom correct, never unsureRegistered Userregular
Remember Biogen's drug, Aduhelm? The horribly expensive boondoggle that doesn't help Alzheimer's patients but was approved by the FDA somehow despite the lack of efficacy?
Data captured from seismic waves caused by earthquakes has shed new light on the deepest parts of Earth’s inner core, according to seismologists from The Australian National University (ANU).
By measuring the different speeds at which these waves penetrate and pass through the Earth’s inner core, the researchers believe they’ve documented evidence of a distinct layer inside Earth known as the innermost inner core – a solid ‘metallic ball’ that sits within the centre of the inner core.
Data captured from seismic waves caused by earthquakes has shed new light on the deepest parts of Earth’s inner core, according to seismologists from The Australian National University (ANU).
By measuring the different speeds at which these waves penetrate and pass through the Earth’s inner core, the researchers believe they’ve documented evidence of a distinct layer inside Earth known as the innermost inner core – a solid ‘metallic ball’ that sits within the centre of the inner core.
DepressperadoI just wanted to see you laughingin the pizza rainRegistered Userregular
we had a mole man, he died though.
he lived way out in the woods. according to the cops, in a network of like, Viet Cong tunnels he dug.
oh, I should mention he was very crazy. he was nice and a very good woodsman, but odd as a duck and completely lacking social skills
I met him a few times, he was like a druid. on weekends or after storms, he'd hang out near the lot you park in to access those woods, and give hikers directions around washed out trails, and recommend cool spots. one time he brought me to this little creek that turned into a little waterfall that poured into a little hole. I threw some rocks in the hole but didn't even hear a splash.
I guess what I'm saying is, mole people are cool. it's those dang sleestaks you gotta watch out for
Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
I saw a thing on Instagram of all places, which showed "the solar system how we usually think of it" which was the standard 2D image of planets orbiting around the static sun, and then "the solar system as it really is" which was a 3D graphic of the sun flying through space with all the planets spiraling around it, and I've never really thought about how the sun is moving around the galaxy like the planets are moving around the sun, and it's made me feel very small.
PBS Space Time, which is a show that I love and watch regularly even if I often have to watch an episode a few times to fully grasp it, has an excellent video about how the solar system moves around YOUR butt.
The lack of universal reference frame and all motion being relative leads to an amusing conclusion - you can say the earth is the center of the (observable) universe and be right, everything does revolve around it. (Doesn't stop the math being simpler when you fix the sun in place instead!)
Posts
atomic wedgies
Found out my butthole is ticklish when a butt doc put his finger in my butt and I couldn't stop giggling.
Some big hurdles still for fusion and large-scale geothermal, but this is good!
https://www.c-span.org/video/?524796-1/energy-secretary-granholm-news-conference-fusion-energy-breakthrough
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Key takeaways: it's not ready to be plugged in to the grid just yet; it took ~300 MJ (?) from the wall to power 2 MJ of laser to drive 3 MJ of fusion, but that last part wasn't possible before. They're working with 1980s-ish laser tech, too, so now the focus is on 1) Can we do this more than once a day?, 2) Can we do this more easily and efficiently?, and 3) Seriously, how cool is this? Because now it indicates that this is possible, and advances here could also feedback into advances in magnetic fusion (the other main branch) and advance the whole thing. Lots of work to be done - no longer 5 decades away, as it has been since the 60s - but there's some light at the end of the tunnel.
Some idiot journalist (Bloomberg News) asked why, if the ignition happened last week, we were just hearing about it now. Director of the Lab had a great comment that it's because the data isn't easy, they pulled in all of their experts to review it, and then they peer reviewed it with an outside team before releasing info because it was important to get the facts right before they shared them.
Had some good commentary from a gentleman whose name I didn't catch on how us making advances here reassures our allies around the world that we still know what we're doing WRT nuclear research, and therefore it supports our deterrence and nonproliferation aims (ahem, Russia).
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
YouTube Conference archive
Did they elaborate more on the “1980s-ish laser tech”? Is that something that could be upgraded in the near term, would it drop the power requirements coming in to power them for a similar result, etc?
my car drives on like... 60s tire technology.... there's just not many places to go from there...
is there a super duper modern laser just sitting on the lab floor somewhere?
does the tech come in and its like "hey you want to use this obviously better laser? the fate of human kind is sort of on the line here?" and the director just says nah maybe later
As I understand it, it was 300 MJ in startup, and then a 2MJ injection to produce 3MJ. Why that matters is that if one of these could be made that would run continuously, it would make back the startup 300 MJ energy cost.
I thought this was the science thread, not the movie thread where the new into the spider verse trailer is being discussed!!!
Ah I see. Ok so proof that it can hypothetically work if they can refine the thing to run continuously. Still a long way to go.
The NIF was designed and first started construction in the mid 90s, so yes it was designed with the "1980's laser" tech available at the time. There are modern laser designs that have 1000-100000 times more peak intensity, but to utilize them would require rebuilding the whole facility. It's a bit like saying a jet engine would make your car faster and while true it's not exactly a drop-in replacement for the gas engine that's there. There are other facilities around the world that use these more powerful lasers, though I'm not sure if any are currently being used to study inertial confinement fusion.
Does this new step forward provide enough potential for this process we might see investment in a new facility that uses modern lasers?
Text:
https://www.sciencealert.com/now-that-theyve-actually-looked-scientists-discover-snakes-have-two-clitorises
Snake Cliiiiiiiiiiiiits
Very cool materials science stuff.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/fda-official-behind-alzheimers-drug-scandal-steps-down/
What about the mole people
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better
bit.ly/2XQM1ke
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better
bit.ly/2XQM1ke
he lived way out in the woods. according to the cops, in a network of like, Viet Cong tunnels he dug.
oh, I should mention he was very crazy. he was nice and a very good woodsman, but odd as a duck and completely lacking social skills
I met him a few times, he was like a druid. on weekends or after storms, he'd hang out near the lot you park in to access those woods, and give hikers directions around washed out trails, and recommend cool spots. one time he brought me to this little creek that turned into a little waterfall that poured into a little hole. I threw some rocks in the hole but didn't even hear a splash.
I guess what I'm saying is, mole people are cool. it's those dang sleestaks you gotta watch out for
Innermost inner core?
None more inner?
But yeah it just depends on your reference point
It’s moving around your butt
I keep imagining the planets losing grip on the sun and being left behind as it wooshes away and having little anxiety attacks
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy