Posts by manassehkatz
This is not a bug, it is a feature The gun isn't hot until you fire it. That first shot will, due to the trauma, cause the jam to solidify and block the bullet. At the same time, the heat will dea...
Enriched Uranium Uranium 235 has a half-life of 703,800,000 years. The concentration of U-235 relative to U-238 is fairly low (0.72%) in nature. Humanity has managed to increase that quite a bit. ...
Been there, done that! This apparently happened already 1,500 years ago. Scientists at Cardiff University, UK, believe they have discovered the cause of crop failures and summer frosts some 1,500 ...
DNA DNA may be a key. If they are DNA based and have sufficiently advanced technology, they may be able to use a single cell from a human to decipher their entire DNA structure and meaning, includ...
Best use of available light Caves are naturally dark. But sometimes there is a little light - either reflected from the entrance to the back of the cave, phosphorescent minerals, or perhaps artifi...
LEDs LEDs are currently the most energy efficient readily available lighting system. Better things may come along, but the reason you read about fluorescent light bulbs in older novels is because ...
It only takes a generation or two to build an internet from scratch Think about it: One of the key predecessors of the Internet, ARPANET started in 1969. Look where we are today - or even 20 years...
Pure Knowledge != Knowing What To Do With the Knowledge The effect will be in some ways better and in some ways worse, but it certainly won't go away. Knowledge of a domain is not the same as know...
Don't build a rocket ship. Build a good ol' fashioned airplane. He doesn't need a rocket ship. While Elon Musk is saying BFR can be used for point-to-point travel on Earth, the resources needed to...
The building structure may do OK, but the devil is in the details Gary Walker gave a good comprehensive description of what will happen to the structural materials - wood, brick, steel, etc. But t...
Elon Musk to the Rescue If you asked this same question 10 years ago, I would be as pessimistic as many of the other answers. But this is 2020. The Falcon Heavy is in production. Starship is on the...
Geothermal Heat Pump - Heating & Cooling A Geothermal Heat Pump can work well on Earth for both heating and cooling. If you have a moon/planet where the temperature below ground is fairly cons...
A good BBQ has a few key attributes (aside from starting with quality raw meat, which has already been arranged): High and/or long-lasting heating. High heat for searing steaks and for cooking up...
The genetic changes made by the scientists to increase resistance to nuclear radiation had the side effect of turning some plant structures into an analogue to neurons. In addition, the scientists ...
Without energy to matter converters or desktop controlled fusion (to create one element from another), you need to have as input every element that you want in your output. You don't need every ele...