Worrying concept of the week.
Nov. 9th, 2003 12:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zotzSupercritical reactor.
A bloke in the pub recently was talking about a reactor used to produce brief bursts of hard radiation for exposure experiments : take a ring of fissile material, and fire a a cylinder of the same stuff through the middle. Hope it doesn't jam halfway.
This now can't be used because of the test-ban treaty, apparently, but according to the guy who was talking about it it wasn't uncommon for other members of staff to take the day off and be a long way away if they heard it was being used.
He worked with a different reactor, incidentally. It all sounds a bit hairy to me, but I guess they got away with it.
On an unrelated topic, apparently The Guardian's editorial policy is to bar the use of the word "schizophrenic" in any metaphorical sense, because these metaphors are always based on a misunderstanding of the disease, and are therefore very misleading.
Very wise. A good policy.
Also (concerning Can) :
Watching Jaki Liebezeit is like watching a drum machine if they were actually built as kitbound robots. In the documentary, the band try to explain the power of his thunderous, metronomic funk. "It's interesting," says guitarist Michael Karoli, "because nowadays they make drum machines, and build into them small mistakes, like humanising qualities."
"But of course," adds Liebzeit, "I never had any humanising qualities."
Can are one of these bands that I think I should investigate, but don't know where to start with. I know the Archdrude loves them, so how bad can they be?
And also, on another (very welcoming) topic:
I realize that some of you may have come in hopes of hearing tips on how to become a professional writer. I say to you, “If you really want to hurt your parents, and you don’t have the nerve to be a homosexual, the least you can do is go into the arts. But do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites, standing for absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.”
More controversially, from the same source : You and the police are entitled to know, since I am going to spend the night near you, that I am both a Humanist and a Luddite. I may hold a Black Mass in the parking garage of the Best Western Hotel, if I can find a neo-conservative baby to sacrifice.
I'm a huge fan of the man (you'll have to follow the link to find out who, I'm afraid, even though I know that's very inconsiderate of me) and Ishould probably go on a diet am very glad that he's likely to have another novel out sometime. I recommend his books generally, especially the ones that have been made into films. Actually, there's a rumour that Darren Aronofsky's going to tackle one soon (the one that's on all the good BSE reading lists, for the cognoscenti among you). I'd like to see that.
And while we're on the subject of books, I'd just like to repeat here something that I said a couple of weeks ago : Harry Potter fans should all read A Wizard Of Earthsea. (Errr . . . some spoilers in the last of those links. Quite a few, actually, although if you're not planning on reading it soon you'll probably not remember them).
A bloke in the pub recently was talking about a reactor used to produce brief bursts of hard radiation for exposure experiments : take a ring of fissile material, and fire a a cylinder of the same stuff through the middle. Hope it doesn't jam halfway.
This now can't be used because of the test-ban treaty, apparently, but according to the guy who was talking about it it wasn't uncommon for other members of staff to take the day off and be a long way away if they heard it was being used.
He worked with a different reactor, incidentally. It all sounds a bit hairy to me, but I guess they got away with it.
On an unrelated topic, apparently The Guardian's editorial policy is to bar the use of the word "schizophrenic" in any metaphorical sense, because these metaphors are always based on a misunderstanding of the disease, and are therefore very misleading.
Very wise. A good policy.
Also (concerning Can) :
Watching Jaki Liebezeit is like watching a drum machine if they were actually built as kitbound robots. In the documentary, the band try to explain the power of his thunderous, metronomic funk. "It's interesting," says guitarist Michael Karoli, "because nowadays they make drum machines, and build into them small mistakes, like humanising qualities."
"But of course," adds Liebzeit, "I never had any humanising qualities."
Can are one of these bands that I think I should investigate, but don't know where to start with. I know the Archdrude loves them, so how bad can they be?
And also, on another (very welcoming) topic:
I realize that some of you may have come in hopes of hearing tips on how to become a professional writer. I say to you, “If you really want to hurt your parents, and you don’t have the nerve to be a homosexual, the least you can do is go into the arts. But do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites, standing for absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.”
More controversially, from the same source : You and the police are entitled to know, since I am going to spend the night near you, that I am both a Humanist and a Luddite. I may hold a Black Mass in the parking garage of the Best Western Hotel, if I can find a neo-conservative baby to sacrifice.
I'm a huge fan of the man (you'll have to follow the link to find out who, I'm afraid, even though I know that's very inconsiderate of me) and I
And while we're on the subject of books, I'd just like to repeat here something that I said a couple of weeks ago : Harry Potter fans should all read A Wizard Of Earthsea. (Errr . . . some spoilers in the last of those links. Quite a few, actually, although if you're not planning on reading it soon you'll probably not remember them).
