Lets brief news
This is a really neat idea!!
Toshiba has developed a new class of micro size Nuclear Reactors that is designed to power individual apartment buildings or city blocks. The new reactor, which is only 20 feet by 6 feet, could change everything for small remote communities, small businesses or even a group of neighbors who are fed up with the power companies and want more control over their energy needs.
There could also be a niche market in those wanting an eco-friendly, self-sufficient energy solution for their cave whilst developing WMD capability.
In other eco-friendly news,
The body heat from hundreds of thousands of people who pass through the Stockholm Central Station each day will be used to heat a new office building nearby. .. The body heat would warm up water that in turn would be pumped through pipes over to the new office building, which will also house a small hotel and a few shops and is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2010.
Meanwhile there has been yet another hunting mishap in Texas:
An overexcited dog accidentally shot and killed its owner on a goose hunting trip in Texas.
Two go out, but only one comes back...
UPDATE
Oh dear. According to the Wikipedia entry for the Toshiba Micro Nuclear Reactor:
The original story describing this device was broken in Next Energy News and rapidly picked up by technology journalists and the blogosphere. However, no web presence from Toshiba has yet been seen, and it is possible that this is a hoax.
We’re through the looking glass when Wiki exposes factoids.
Labels: newslets, useful information, useless information
posted by Jacob A. Stam at 1/09/2008 03:40:00 PM
2 Comments:
Reminds me of the Cambodian Midget Fighting League story also debunked on Wiki... :)
Happy New Year, Dylan.
Hadn't heard about the Cambodian midgets hoax. Must have been a bit of a shock for the guy behind it, who's still maintaining his anonymity.
The micro reactor story has a tantalising bit of detail:
"Unlike traditional nuclear reactors the new micro reactor uses no control rods to initiate the reaction. The new revolutionary technology uses reservoirs of liquid lithium-6, an isotope that is effective at absorbing neutrons. The Lithium-6 reservoirs are connected to a vertical tube that fits into the reactor core."
Perhaps that's utter nonsense, but a layman would probably have to do a bit of reading to be able see that. Lithium-6 does, however, have application in controlling fusion reaction.
This is a hoax similar to the cold fusion thing a few years back, exploiting the ancient human yearning for the 'horn of plenty', which in modern times is very much about solving intractable problems in relation to energy generation and usage.
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