From: Eugene.Leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Date: Mon Jun 04 2001 - 14:48:38 MDT
"Eliezer S. Yudkowsky" wrote:
> Incidentally, let me amplify on that: The person in question built a
> neutron source - first from americium, then from radium - in order to
> transform thorium-232 into fissionable uranium-233. I'm conditionally
Heck, he needed to be told via private communication that a
radium/beryllium mix in a paraffin block is a nonnegligable
source of slow neutrons? At age 14+? In the year 1990+?
Maybe the standards are slipping, but I'm not impressed.
I recall a bit about a kid building a synchrotron in a shed,
using a 2 t magnet, now this is a very different pair of
Doc Martens than fusing smoke detectors' ionization sources
with a blowtorch (and not even talking about him applying
a blowtorch to lantern nets -- they don't contain thorium
oxide -- they *are* thorium oxide, and there's nothing you
can do with a blowtorch to impress thorium oxide, apart
from applying needless stress to your retina).
> impressed. (Conditional on the story not being an urban legend.) The
> transmutation of elements is a perfectly reasonable accomplishment for a
> merit badge, whether or not you go on to achieve the coveted critical-mass
Heck, you get a merit badge for helping old ladies across the street.
I'm not sure there's even a merit badge for making nitroglycerine
at 14 (luckily, he did not attempt to taste it, as some Darwin
award winners did).
> badge before the authorities catch up with you.
Him getting caught was a fluke, augmented by stupidity. Cops don't
carry Geiger counters in their pockets. If you don't babble, you're
home free.
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