Slashdot Mirror
Piston-Powered Nuclear Fusion
katarn writes "General Fusion is a startup proposing they can create commercially viable fusion using acoustic shock waves, triggered by 220 precisely controlled pneumatic pistons. Their approach is based on a US Naval research concept called 'Linus' and old research done by General Atomics. They feel we now have the high-speed, digital processing capable of pulling off this feat, where decades ago the technology was not available. I think we can hold off on the 'vaporware' claims for a bit; everyone is aware of the horrible track record for turning fusion concepts into reality, but they don't claim to be the first with the idea or that there are not substantial challenges in the way. If nothing else, it is a fascinating concept."
Los Alamos National Laboratory has further details on this type of fusion, and longtime LANL researcher Ronald Kirkpatrick did an external assessment (PDF) of General Fusion's plans. Popular Science had a lengthy story about the company a while back. The reason they're back in the headlines now is that they've secured enough funding to begin work on a prototype reactor.
I've lived in the area for a long time, and never heard a good story about the VSE (RIP 1999), it's remains, but not the lingering stench, since composted into the CDNX.
Wikipedia just provided me with a funny story about the VSE I didn't know, but find all too typical.
The history of the exchange's index provides a standard case example of large errors arising from seemingly innocuous floating point calculations. The index was initialized at 1000 and subsequently updated and truncated to three decimal places on each trade. The accumulated truncations led to an erroneous loss of around 20 points per day. Over the weekend of November 25-28 1983, the error was corrected, raising the value of the index from its Friday closing figure of 524.811 to 1098.892
Are these the same people who are proposing to solve the fusion problem with 220 synchronized penises? Good god, I hope not.
For the record, here's what $500m typically buys you in British Columbia.
Fast Ferry Scandal
Amazing, just eight hours ago, a local newspaper is reporting that these vessels have been flipped for $20m.
PacifiCat ferries resold overseas
The Washington Marine Group sold the three ferries the company bought from B.C. Ferries for $19.8 million, to luxury yacht builder Abu Dhabi Mar.
Four cents on the dollar. That beats the old VSE hands down. Vancouver has a world-class ethnic cuisine, has enjoyed some decent success in video games and film production, but has a terrible track record with anything that floats.
Ballard Power being one of the more buoyant exceptions. I just did a search on "Ballard Power profit" and was pleasantly surprised to get a hit.
Ballard Power reports modest profit in Q2
I suppose if General Slammer raises $500m to build the commercial scale reactor, they'll use our excellent BC shipyards to fabricate them. We're good. We can weld aluminum into structures less valuable than the original metal.
While I've never met a lumberjack I didn't like on a personal level, I have to say as voting collective, they're dumb as stumps. We inevitably get the government we deserve. Our big project always make work, but rarely make money.
In rural areas of BC, it's easy to spot the people with jobs at the local mill or the local mine: they've got more equity sitting in the driveway than in their shit-box house (4x4 trucks, boats, campers, skidoos, jet-skis, ATVs, etc.) Big nature, eh? You can't govern in this province without earning this vote.
We do have some nice mountains. Vancouver is planning a party to show this off. You might have heard of it. I think the plan is to lose a lot of money proving we're world class and shrewd at business.