Don't try this at home

[Martin Boekers]

Ya gotta love this guy!

I have done alot of crazy things in my life (and probably do some more! :D)
but splitting atoms in your kitchen! :eek:

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44003250/ns/world_news-weird_news/t/swedish-man-caught-trying-split-atoms-home/?GT1=43001#.TjnjEEbpHA0

This is right up Dan's alley!


Marty

[ray hampton]

hope that his idea is not a dirty bomb

[Belinda Barfield]

This is right up Dan's alley!


Marty

LOL . . . don't encourage him!

[Dan Hintz]

LOL . . . don't encourage him!
Too late ;)

I think they let that Swedish guy go for lack of evidence... he didn't do anything wrong, last I read, but the NRC was being cautious (and rightfully so). He was getting his radioactive material by breaking down fire alarms (they use a miniscule amount of Americium-241, with radiation levels in the low single-digit microcurie range, essentially background radiation levels). How he thought he could split atoms by cooking the mixture in his home oven is beyond me, which says he's clueless and will only be a harm to himself, at best.

I have, however, been following a blog for several years from a guy who has created his own Bussard fusion reactor :D
http://www.PrometheusFusionPerfection.com/
If you're a techy type, some great reading in there. It has been a success, with most of his latest updates being improving the hardware.

[Bill Edwards(2)]

(off another site... not sure if real)

http://www.billsid.com/img/atomic.jpg


Atomic Energy Lab, USA ca. 1960
Mummy, is my face glowing?
In 1951, A.C. Gilbert introduced his U-238 Atomic Energy Lab,
a radioactive learning set we can only assume was fun for the whole math club. Gilbert, who American memorabilia claims was "often compared to Walt Disney for his creative genius," had a dream that nuclear power could capture the imaginations of children everywhere.
For a mere $49.50, the kit came complete with three "very low-level" radioactive sources, a Geiger-Mueller radiation counter, a Wilson Cloud Chamber (to see paths of alpha particles), a Spinthariscope (to see "live" radioactive disintegration), four samples of Uranium-bearing ores, and an Electroscope to measure radioactivity.
And what nuclear lab for kids would be complete without an Atomic Energy Manual and Learn How Dagwood Splits the Atom, comic book. (The latter was written with the help of General Leslie Groves, director of the Manhattan Project.)
Kids do the nuttiest things, but not, apparently, nuclear physics. The toy was only sold for one year. Funny about that...
It's unclear what effects the Uranium-bearing ores might have had on those few lucky children who received the set, but exposure to the same isotope(U-238)has been linked to cancer, leukaemia, and lymphoma, among other serious ailments. Even more uncertain is the long-term impact of being raised by the kind of nerds who would give their kid an Atomic Energy Lab.

[Dan Hintz]

I believe the kit is authentic (though likely not the price... considering a new car in the 50s was about $1,500, there was nothing to sneeze about for $50). There's nothing harmful in that kit, and "uranium-bearing ore" is significantly different than pure uranium.

Here's another one for you... a 15-yo, David Hahn, who made the Swedish guy look like a real piker:
http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html
The read is more interesting, too.

[Bill Edwards(2)]

Given David Hahn's picture from 2007, I'm wondering if David is still with us.

[Dan Hintz]

The sores on his face are more likely due to amphetamine use (he has multiple prior drug arrests) than radiation, if that's what you're thinking...

[Bill Edwards(2)]

The sores on his face are more likely due to amphetamine use (he has multiple prior drug arrests) than radiation, if that's what you're thinking...

Well that's good. At least the drugs won't kill him.:confused:

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Heck...splitting atoms has been done before. Instead, try fusing them together.

Start with hydrogen too so no one bangs on your door.

Jeff :)