(no subject)

[plonq]

It was preternaturally dark out this morning when I crawled out of bed.  I assumed that, in spite of the weather forecast, it was overcast.

I was partly right.  The sky was filled with a haze of smoke, presumably from some of the fires up north.  The sun was really pretty - like a flaming tangerine hanging in the sky.

Hello Plonq, this is your brain speaking.  Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.  It's been awhile, hasn't it?  Anyway, to get to the point, please don't stare at the sun.

(Quickly-averted gaze.)

Ooooh... but it's so pretty and orange.

Hello, brain again.  That whole "stare at the sun thing" - bad.

(Quickly-averted gaze again.)

But it's so big and orange and comparatively dim.  I bet if I look hard enough I can pick out a few sunspots.

Maybe if you had the binoculars... ack!  Now listen up, stop staring at the sun!

Aw brain, you're no fun.

Comments

[funos.livejournal.com]

Mine doesn't bug me about the sun. Never has.

It does yank me away from staring at arc welding...
I know I'm wearing UV-opaque (polycarbonate) lenses,
but the seemingly impossible brightness makes me not
want to chance it.

I guess I don't have Feynman's guts, who figured it was
the UV radiation that damaged the eyes and so, 50 miles
from the Trinity test site sat in a truck, and watched
a 19kt nuke go off.

Then there is another physicist, who's name I'm too lazy
to go look up, who set up a parabolic reflector, placed
a cigarette in it, watched a hydrogen bomb go off, then reached
down and took a puff. Nuclear cigarette lighter. :)

And while I'm on the coffee zoom, I heard an unverified story
about some engineers long ago at some nuclear plant who used
the steam overpressure vent to launch water-filled 55gal drums
into the cooling pond. A nuclear-powered steam cannon.
Then the wind shifted and one drum landed in the parking lot...

[plonq.livejournal.com]

Heh. Using a hydrogen bomb to light a smoke is overkill at its best.

That nuclear cigarette lighter reminds me of that group of engineers (at Purdue I think) who used liquid oxygen to light a barbecue. They went from zero, to ready for cooking in 3 seconds -- though the entire barbecue melted in the process.

[funos.livejournal.com]

I've seen pictures of such lightings. There's nothing left
afterwards.

At one event, the Fire Dept. stepped in and asked them to stop
as it was technically playing with explosives... :)