China to Build World's First "Artificial Sun"

cletuii writes to tell us the People's Daily Online is reporting that China is planning on building the world's first "artificial sun" device. From the article: "The project, dubbed EAST (experimental advanced superconducting Tokamak), is being undertaken by the Hefei-based Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It will require a total investment of nearly 300 million yuan (37 million U.S. dollars), only one fifteenth to one twentieth the cost of similar devices being developed in the other parts of the world."

Comments

Sun Tzu

[dotslashdot]

I see the light in Sun Tzu's the Art of War!

Re:Sun Tzu

[CDMA_Demo]

Is China getting a civilization advance for this, or can they update all energy units for half the cost once this is complete? Mr. Chairman! We have completed a great wonder...Artifical Sun

Re:Sun Tzu

[dotslashdot]

We can finally outsource global warming!

Re:Sun Tzu

[core plexus]

They're way ahead of the U.S. in that department: "China has darkened over the past half-century. Where has all the sunshine gone?"

Looks like they need an artificial sun.

Re:Sun Tzu

[Anonymous Coward]

By completing their new Great Wonder, known as Artificial Sun, China makes five unhappy citizen units happy where it was built, and gets a free cathedral in every city on the continent. Plus, China can now upgrade its cavalry units to Crouching Tiger flying kung fu fighters, who make city walls obsolete.

Re:Sun Tzu

[hoborocks]

Well, what it does is this - it removes the fog of war completely. That sounds good, but keep in mind that EVERYONE loses it, so now those #*^&%! Zulus can see all of your units, and Diploblitz you at the proper time...

It's made obsolete with the advancement of Electricity, though. Years after the sun is created, it's discovered that it's not serving enough of a purpose.

Obligatory Simpsons Quote...

[mangledspine]

Excccccceellent! *rubs hands* /monty_burns

Gasp

[Beren87]

But Japan is land of the rising sun!

Re:Gasp

[biocute]

Relax! Japan is still the land of the rising sun, except this sun is made in China.

Re:Cheap labor?

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't this how it works in the US too?

-Disgruntled Grad Student

Obligatory cliche

[xiphoris]

"What could possibly go wrong?"

In Other News....

[carterhawk001]

Dr. Otto Octavius recently filed suit against the government of China, damn USPTO lets you patent anything these days....

yay

[jibjibjib]

I, for one, welcome our new chinese plasma physics overlords

Re:yay

[Gryle]

You're forgetting all of their mutant minions inevitably created via radiation exposure.

KaBOOM !

[Redshift]

The article says that the reactor "aims to generate infinite, clean nuclear-fusion-based energy".

Infinite energy?

Uh .. anyone else a tinsy little bit worried about that word "infinite"?!

Re:KaBOOM !

[CDMA_Demo]

The article says that the reactor "aims to generate infinite, clean nuclear-fusion-based energy". Infinite energy?

Anything that outlives you can be considered infinite. For example, my honda CRX is infinite.

Good thing too

[MutantHamster]

I don't know how much longer the real sun's going to last. I mean these days it seems like half the time it's not even up there.

uh

[lamp540]

we have these already, they're called LIGHTBULBS.

Skip Fusion

[Nom du Keyboard]

Let the Chinese have their fusion. I say we just skip directly to a ZPM. That will show them.

This probably also explains the Chinese Moon program. They plan to go up there and steal all the Helium-3 before we can get it for ourselves.

Re:How far off is fusion power?

[Guppy06]

When your dad was a kid the Soviets were still offering free delivery of their fusion devices to US cities. Nowadays fusion isn't as big a deal at the DoD, which means fewer resources and slipping goals.

Re:How far off is fusion power?

[drgonzo59]

The Law of the Hydrogen Fusion (LHF) is therefore this: "No matter what time/date/place it is -- Hydrogen Fusion is only 30-45 years away."

In pre-historic times: a chimp useses a stick as a tool -- all the other chimps: "Holy Crap, Hydrogen Fusion is only 30 years away! Eep Eep Eep..."

Exponential fast-forward to 1950s: first H-Bomb is detonated -- everyone else: "Cool, we can bomb the hell out of each other, oh and we almost forgot: Hydrogen Fusion is only 30 years away! Eep Eep Eep Hooray!"

2006: After everyone else has tried to contain/control hydrogen fusion, the Chinese announce they will build a cheaper and funtional Hydrogen Fusion Reactor -- everyone else "Hydrogen Fusion is only 30 years away! W00t!"

Re:*sigh*

[rts008]

No, only 135 of them. To get the other 135, we would have to "think about the children" and stop "piracy"- only then can you attain the mgic *270*

Re:How far off is fusion power?

[Chas]

They're using the Microsoft countdown timer.

You have 30 years to go...

You have 31 years to go...

You have 45 years to go...

You ...oh you get the idea!

im buying one as soon as its in walmart.

[bxbaser]

probably be like $39.99

Re:*sigh*

[dfenstrate]

You're the asshole who starts talking politics in the middle of every discussion, aren't you?

Example from your life:
Coworker: So I started talking to this hot babe at the bar yesterday, and we were really hitting it off...

You, interupting: Bush wants to take away her voting rights and chain her to the stove!

Re:Tokawha?

[Heembo]

Think subatomic particles slamming together fast enough to rip open the surrounding fabric of the universe and KA-BOOM!

"Excellent"

[Anonymous Coward]

- C. Montgomery Burns

The big question about fusion power is...

[dexter riley]

...how do you say "still twenty years from now" in Chinese?

Re:loss of containment

[bar-agent]

Disclaimer: I am a plasma physicist working in the magnetic fusion arena.

I do not think this word means what you think it means.

"Disclaimer" here means "take this with a grain of salt; I might be biased." Now, if you weren't actually a plasma physicist--say, if you were a gardener--I could see adding a disclaimer. But since you are a plasma physicist...