Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Amateur Scientists Seek Fusion Reaction

Posted by kdawson on from the things-that-hopefully-do-not-go-boom dept.

ElvaWSJ writes "A small subculture of amateur physicists and science-fiction fans — fewer than 100 worldwide — are building working nuclear-fusion reactors at home. The designs are based on the work of Philo T. Farnsworth, an inventor of television, from the 1960s. Some of these hobbyists hope similar reactors can one day power the planet, but so far they consume more energy than they create."

10 of 401 comments (clear)

  1. Can a String Theorist? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can a string theorist explain why this won't work?, in simple terms please.

    1. Re:Can a String Theorist? by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 5, Funny

      Because for every hobbyist who builds one of these hoping to get more power than they put in, there's someone in the background playing a violin...

  2. Amateur Scientists Seek Perpetual Motion Device by Kagura · · Score: 5, Funny

    "A small subculture of amateur physicists and science-fiction fans -- fewer than 100 worldwide -- are building working perpetual motion devices at home. The designs are based on the work of Albert Michelson, co-proponent of luminiferous aether theory, from the 1890s. Some of these hobbyists hope similar devices can one day power the planet, but so far they consume more energy than they create."

    Good article.

    1. Re:Amateur Scientists Seek Perpetual Motion Device by jcorno · · Score: 5, Funny

      The reason is, and I don't care if I'm modded down to -1, some mods would rather bitch slap people than do actual work like thinking and reading post. Some mods use it to suppress differing opinion.

      I just don't get it. When I have mod points I look for good stuff to mod up.

      That's funny. I usually waste my mod points modding down posts that start with variations on "Go ahead and mod me down." I guess this is your lucky day.

  3. Re:Radioactive Trajedy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    further investigations are preceding.

    Sweet. They built a time machine.

  4. Fusion? BAH!!! by adric · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now if they could put it in the form of a suppository...

    --
    not plane, nor bird, nor even frog...
  5. farnsworth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why isn't this tagged with "goodnewseveryone"?

  6. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by Born2bwire · · Score: 5, Funny

    So don't forget to wear you film badge. Because nothing says safety like a device that can tell you after the fact that you've received a fatal dose of radiation

  7. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by tylernt · · Score: 5, Funny

    radiation is not some ocult spawn of satan that any amount of it will make your skin turn green and ressurect dead puppies into zombies.

    Shoot, I just spent all this time building a Farnsworth fusor for nothing.

    --
    DRM 'manages access' in the same way that a prison 'manages freedom'
  8. What about gravity? by coldsalmon · · Score: 5, Funny

    If we just gathered together enough matter, it would start fusing on its own through gravitational force. Using this method, we could create a gigantic fusion reactor in space, and then collect its radiation and convert it to electricity. It would be kind of like harnessing the solar power of the sun...oh wait...