Willow, check you out! Witch-Fu!

Buffy ,'Lessons'


Natter 65: Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, pandas, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


Sheryl - Feb 10, 2010 9:41:54 am PST #7672 of 30001
Fandom means never having to say "But where would I wear that?"

Healthma to Bob.


sarameg - Feb 10, 2010 9:42:14 am PST #7673 of 30001

Maybe baking soda?


Cashmere - Feb 10, 2010 9:42:51 am PST #7674 of 30001
Now tagless for your comfort.

lisah, lots of strength and health~ma for you and for Bob.


tommyrot - Feb 10, 2010 9:43:43 am PST #7675 of 30001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

OK, this is freaky.

Carbon-22 Is Shockingly Huge And Shockingly Stable

Physicists in Japan have discovered Carbon-22, an exotic isotope of one of the universe's most abundant elements. With a nucleus greater than those of heavier elements like carbon and zinc, it is the biggest example yet of a "halo nucleus."

Discovered in a particle accelerator at the University of Tokyo, Carbon-22 has six protons and a whopping sixteen neutrons in its nucleus. In most such overstuffed isotopes, the excess neutrons create instability and cause the atom to break apart. However, Carbon-22 makes use of a unique arrangement of its nucleus that gives it stability unusual for its size.

...

This is the freaky part:

The reason for this is that Carbon-22 arranges itself in what is called a halo nucleus. In this arrangement, two of the neutrons detach from the nucleus and orbit around it, forming a halo around the nucleus. This essentially alters the nucleus so that it is now a three body system, with a core of six protons and fourteen neutrons along with the two orbiting neutrons. Although physicists still don't exactly know why, this arrangement provides the needed stability for Carbon-22 to hold together longer.

WTF, Carbon-22?


Jessica - Feb 10, 2010 9:45:51 am PST #7676 of 30001
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset

I think the real question is, how long until we can build nanotubes out of it?

t /wants a space elevator


sumi - Feb 10, 2010 9:49:07 am PST #7677 of 30001
Art Crawl!!!

Health~ma to ChicagoBob.


tommyrot - Feb 10, 2010 9:49:18 am PST #7678 of 30001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

I think the real question is, how long until we can build nanotubes out of it?

Its half-life is too short.

While the next biggest carbon isotope, Carbon-21, has a half-life of under 30 nanoseconds - or billionths of a second - Carbon-22 has the relatively long-lived half-life of roughly 6 milliseconds. That might not sound like a lot of time, but it still means Carbon-22 holds together for about a million times the average half-life of Carbon-21.


Gudanov - Feb 10, 2010 9:49:53 am PST #7679 of 30001
Coding and Sleeping

I can't watch it now, but this looks absolutely fascinating.

http://www.vbs.tv/newsroom/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-14

Unknown NSFW-ness, doesn't look it would be a problem. It's not a guide to vice in North Korea. I believe you just increment the numbers to watch.


JZ - Feb 10, 2010 9:51:13 am PST #7680 of 30001
See? I gave everybody here an opportunity to tell me what a bad person I am and nobody did, because I fuckin' rule.

Abundant healing and coping~ma to Bob, lisah, with an extra dose of coping for you.


sarameg - Feb 10, 2010 9:51:59 am PST #7681 of 30001

State is having to import salt via the port. It's also gotten darker recently. I was shocked how bright it was earlier.