Where the fuck does this go?

[ygmir]

oh my, where is he playing next?

so, so nice.

[gyre]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11100528

Could this be how the the Ark of the Covenant, a large capacitor, was charged?

Scheme to 'pull electricity from the air' sparks debate


Tiny charges gathered directly from humid air could be harnessed to generate electricity, researchers say.

Dr Fernando Galembeck told the American Chemical Society meeting in Boston that the technique exploited a little-known atmospheric effect.

Tests had shown that metals could be used to gather the charges, he said, opening up a potential energy source in humid climates.

However, experts disagree about the mechanism and the scale of the effect.

"The basic idea is that when you have any solid or liquid in a humid environment, you have absorption of water at the surface," Dr Galembeck, from the University of Campinas in Brazil, told BBC News.

"The work I'm presenting here shows that metals placed under a wet environment actually become charged."

Dr Galembeck and his colleagues isolated various metals and pairs of metals separated by a non-conducting separator - a capacitor, in effect - and allowed nitrogen gas with varying amounts of water vapour to pass over them.

What the team found was that charge built up on the metals - in varying amounts, and either positive or negative. Such charge could be connected to a circuit periodically to create useful electricity.

The effect is incredibly small - gathering an amount of charge 100 million times smaller over a given area than a solar cell produces - but seems to represent a means of charge accumulation that has been overlooked until now.

Dr Galembeck suggests that with further development, the principle could be extended to become a renewable energy resource in humid parts of the world, such as the tropics.

Charged debate

However, while the prospect of free electricity from the air is tantalising, the prospect of harnessing enough of it to be widely useful is still a matter of some debate.

Hywel Morgan of the University of Southampton says that a similar effect has been known for some time; he points out that tribocharging - the generation of charge by rubbing wool over amber or water droplets over water droplets - is the origin of thunderstorms.

"What we think is happening is he's pumping the water vapour across his capacitor and during the pumping mechanism, tribocharging the water vapour."

That would result in a charge, but would not be the same as simply pulling the charge from still, wet air.

Marin Soljacic, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist behind a wireless power transmission technology, known as Witricity, disagrees.

He calls the paper "very interesting" and "a good area of research".

He concurs, however, that the amount of charge gathered in the initial tests suggests the effect may be difficult to put to good use, saying that "at this point it is far-fetched to see how it could be used for everyday applications".

"It really warrants future research and understanding what all the limitations of this are, how far it can go," he told BBC News.

"[Prof Morgan] is right that a similar and closely-related effect is known to exist, but we're very pressed for finding new sources of renewable energy, [so] I think it's a bit early to discard this research."

Dr Galembeck is familiar with the controversy that this kind of work generates, saying that disagreement about the mechanism behind it forms "the motif for bitter discussions among scientists".

"There have been many attempts to harness electricity from the atmosphere and most had bad endings."

[gyre]

Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?

That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.


A. E. Housman

[Sham]

[ygmir]

[youtube][/youtube]

[Trishntek]

http://us.mg203.mail.yahoo.com/ya/downl ... x&inline=1
http://us.mg203.mail.yahoo.com/ya/downl ... x&inline=1
http://us.mg203.mail.yahoo.com/ya/downl ... x&inline=1
http://us.mg203.mail.yahoo.com/ya/downl ... x&inline=1

[geekster]

[Trishntek]

Okay, this link should get to where I meant to direct you on my earlier post.

http://www.gadling.com/2010/01/30/kulul ... seriously/

Here's an example of an airline not taking themselves too seriously.

[FIGJAM]

[can't sit still]

GPS strikes again;
http://www.switched.com/2010/09/29/foll ... nk1|174627

[gyre]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11475361

Sludge spilled containing every element on earth according to one report I saw.
16 square miles of Hungary flooded.

How many super-villains will this create?




Hungary battles to stem torrent of toxic sludge

The spill flooded homes, roads and fields with toxic waste

Emergency services in Hungary are trying to stop a torrent of toxic red sludge flowing into major waterways, including the River Danube.

A state of emergency has been declared in three western counties after the chemical waste burst from a reservoir at an alumina plant.

Four people are known to have died, with 120 injured. Six more are missing.

At least seven villages and towns are affected including Devecser, where the torrent was 2m (6.5ft) deep.

The flood swept cars from roads and damaged bridges and houses, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents.

The sludge - a mixture of water and mining waste containing heavy metals - is considered hazardous, according to Hungary's National Directorate General for Disaster Management (NDGDM).

While the cause of the deaths has not been established officially, it is believed the victims probably drowned.

Some 600,000-700,000 cubic metres (21m-24m cubic feet) of sludge escaped from the plant, 160km (100 miles) from the capital, Budapest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11475136

(There's live video somewhere too.)

[geekster]

Pretty mild on the scale of previous disasters. As soon as that stuff hits the river, it would pretty much neutralize. As long as they can slow or stop the flow, it shouldn't be too bad. A slow flow into the river could probably be tolerated. A little vinegar on that stiff would probably work wonders.

Looking at the scale of things like Bhopal or Texas City or Halifax or even Love Canal, this looks pretty tame.

http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/lovecanal/01.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion

[gyre]

How do you neutralize heavy metals?

[ygmir]

How do you neutralize heavy metals?

[geekster]

There is some heavy metal content but the heavy metal content of the average sewage sludge is probably higher. The problem isn't the metal content, it is the pH. If you can limit the amount oozing into the river, it will neutralize. Apply some slightly acidic moderator such as acetic acid, and that problem can be mitigated. It does not have a high enough heavy metal content to be classified a hazardous material by the EU which is about the most nanny-state organization in the world. This is about selling newspapers and web page views, it isn't about reality. It is called the "news industry" for a reason ... they tend to manufacture news.

4 dead from drowning. More people died in my county over the past 48 hours in traffic. Yes, there has been some indication of caustic burns but the description of those burns varies widely from irritation to "it might get really bad in a few days!!!!!eleven11!!!!

So take it with a grain of salt. Right now the lawyers are still trying to figure out who to sue. Once they figure that out, the message will become clearer.

[Sham]

This must be read and pondered for a minute, but this is pure genius. The last place to avoid advertising has been invaded, and you have to wonder what took to long. Dream of breakfast and sleep with a King!

[geekster]

FYI:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101008/ap_ ... udge_flood

KOLONTAR, Hungary – The concentration of toxic heavy metals where Hungary's massive red sludge spill entered the Danube has dropped to the level allowed in drinking water, authorities said Friday, easing fears that Europe's second longest river would be significantly polluted.

Because it has a color which is easily seen, it was played up as some huge disaster on the scale of the recent Gulf oil spill. It isn't. It sold a lot of newspapers, though, and stations were probably able to jack up their commercial ad rates for a while.

[geekster]

[gyre]

I wonder how common this is in other countries?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11515027

Location nicknames: What do you call your home town?

Operation Lingo



From Mevafishy, through Barlick to Amazingstoke, nicknames for Britain's towns and cities are legion. Now a new project seeks to create a database of what we really call where we live.

What we name things says as much about us as it does about them. Take cars, for instance; I've come across pet names which include Eric Robinson (a famous bandleader), Pompidou (a former President of France) and Oscar (presumably Wilde). I also know someone who insists on referring to the TV remote as a "klangenstuhl".

And so it goes for places.

"No man is an island... apart from Barry," goes the old quip. And the South Wales resort of Barry Island is just one of countless places in Britain to have its own nickname. As a major filming location for BBC television's award-winning comedy, Gavin and Stacey, it was christened BarryWood by the actor Russell Tovey.

Some slang names are just simple abbreviations, so in Lancashire Skelmersdale became Skem, Barnoldswick is known as Barlick and Ricky is the chummy moniker given by locals to Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire.

And, in the historic tradition of spoken English, ironic puns abound.

The comedian and broadcaster Phill Jupitus says that his home town of Stanford Le Hope in Essex is called Stanford No Hope by locals.

Elsewhere, the picturesque Cornish port of Mevagissey is becoming known as Mevafishy, for obvious reasons, and the South Yorkshire town of Wath-Upon-Dearne is often cheekily referred to as Where Upon Earth.

Now, as part of English Language Day on Wednesday 13 October, the English Project and Ordnance Survey are launching Location Lingo, an interactive project which aims to uncover the nicknames, pet names and hate-names which people use in their daily lives for the places which are near and dear to them.

"The name that people conjure up or create for a place forms an emotional connection," explains Winchester University's Professor Bill Lucas, a patron of the English Project.

"So Basingstoke becomes Amazingstoke, Swindon is known as Swindump and Padstow, home town of chef Rick Stein, is nicknamed Padstein."

Other nicknames, though, require a little explanation. In Scotland, the 80-odd roundabouts which grace the new town of East Kilbride have led it to acquire the name Polo Mint City.


Gavin and Stacey being filmed in Barry Glitz, glamour, grey skies - filming on the streets of Barrywood

Guz Argyle

Devonport, the Royal Navy's home in Plymouth, is known in the Senior Service as Guz, short for "Guzzle", a comment on West Countryfolk's alleged devotion to cream teas.

And in Northern Ireland, local radio presenter Gerry Anderson came up with the jocular name Stroke City to describe the politically contentious Londonderry/Derry.

The practice of bestowing pet names extends far beyond towns and cities, though. Millions of people in the UK have heard of the complex feat of engineering known as Spaghetti Junction. But just how many are aware of its proper title - Gravelly Hill Interchange, where junction 6 of the M6 meets the A38(M) Aston Expressway in Birmingham?

Beyond this, there are places like the Banana Bridge, a curvy crossing over the River Itchen in Hampshire, and one of London¹s newest landmarks, the Gherkin, otherwise known as the Swiss Re building.

And the intimacy of a place name can also extend to what occurs there.

Quirkiness

"Many of these names may also refer to little natural features of landscape where people go for a hug and a kiss," says Prof Lucas.

As well as creating what promises to be a fascinating resource detailing the linguistic richness - and sheer quirkiness - of pet place names, there is a practical side to the project.

"With the huge variety of place nicknames that exist we could never hope to capture them all ourselves," says Glen Hart, Ordnance Survey's head of research.

"But the information from Location Lingo could prove vital. Organisations like the emergency services rely on our information when responding to 999 calls, so by having the most complete set of nicknames we could help the emergency services quickly locate the right place, and maybe even save lives."

Anyone in Great Britain can submit their location lingo - and, if possible, the story behind it­ to the English Project website where they can either plot their entry on an interactive map or fill in a simple form.

As Bill Lucas puts it: "It's not about apostrophes or no apostrophes. Its about what a place name means to you."


The comments are interesting too.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11515027

[junglesmacks]

Everywhere that I've lived, there has always been a common nickname for it.. although usually derogatory but sometimes not.


Kailua = K town
Spokane = Shitcan
Orlando = Borelando
San Jose, CR = Chepe

[Lassen Forge]

And let's not forget Oaksterdam (Oakland)... [/b]

[AntiM]

One look at my location under my avatar and there you are, in Ogden.

Shaky Town, Windy City, Big Easy.... CB lingo.

And Navy ships all have nicknames, the Dubuque is the Du'puke.

Nothing new under the sun.

[can't sit still]

There are tons of them.
Port Huge enema Port Hueneme
29 stumps 29 palms

[Sham]

An interesting fact about October 2010:

October 2010 has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays, all in 1 month. It happens once in 823 years.

[ygmir]

An interesting fact about October 2010:

October 2010 has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays, all in 1 month. It happens once in 823 years.

and one of them is my birthday.

*hearing Twilight Zone music*

[Fire_Moose]

October has 31 days... there is going to be overlap. Look at October of 2004...5 weekends.. WOW crazy.

[Ugly Dougly]

And let's not forget Oaksterdam (Oakland)... [/b]

You know that be Oaktown.

We call San Jose "Sam Hoser".

[theCryptofishist]

October has 31 days... there is going to be overlap. Look at October of 2004...5 weekends.. WOW crazy.

Those eight hundred odd years passed like moments, didn't they?

[Fire_Moose]

I blame Obama

[theCryptofishist]

I blame Beaumarchais.