Whether the dog attacks or just wags it's tail, let the laser do the hard work.

Here here. I like this thinking:O)

I hear terrorists are working on fusion, hangover free beer and hoverboards too...

I whould have to say - proportionatly less so every time.

However much I don't want terrorism and througherly wish it could be discorraged and prevented, I really don't want to go to jail for reading anything. Perhaps sites with such information should have a poll, just like slashdot. It could ask - "are you going to use this information for good or evil?" All those who click evil go to jail.

In order of importance and relevance to building a powerplant.

Materials - it is a huge goal to have materials that don't become too radioactive in use and that don't need to be replaced too often.
Cost - Big, complicated machines are expensive, presently too expensive to make money
Science - holding the plasma still is not easy. It has a tendancy to try and scamper off towards a wall and needs to be kept in place activly by varying the applied magnetic field.

In a nut shell, we could build one today that would produce more power than it consumed, but it'd be reall expensive, not last as long as we wish and not be as clean as we want.

I think it'll take another $20B before something commercial is viable. Slightly more than is spent on porn annually in the US.

I see you have not met a fusion reactor. The diverter does indeed have plasma hit it. That's the point of a diverter. Once it's hit the diverter, it generally stops being plasma and turns to very, very hot angry gas that is pumped away, ideally leaving the walls of the reactor to only have to deal with neutrons and radiation.

The more worrying thing about loosing the magnetic field is that it'll upset the chaps looking after the powersupplies who'll probably spend all night fixing something.

Who's for tradmarking "If". Try and code without that ****** *******.

Oh no, they got those words too:O(

Who's going to tell them that glue also works?

I hope it's not the same reason I didn't.

I prefer "the big giant head" when referring to those above me. Third rock from the sun has a lot to answer for...

I indeed doubleplus trust that we are not spied upon. We have learned to love Govpol. We love Govpol. We have always loved Govpol. There was nothing before Govpol as Govpol has always been and will always be.

Ehh, with all the weird stuff I look up, wonder who they think I am. If they have an algorithm that can work it out. I ask for feedback (they'll be reading this of course) as I'd like to know myself!

Any latency gain from a shorter cable will be dwarfed by the random caffeine deficiency induced latencies of the traders.

Surely swapping in a stronger brand of coffee would be vastly cheaper!

Here here. Agreed, though NIF is twice as inefficient as you suspect.

The only possibly useful non death and doom thing to come out of inertial fusion is the study of ultra dense, ultra hot matter somewhat like the centre of stars. Good for astrophysicists...

There are several thermal fusion projects that endeavor to produce energy and take good if not slow and expensive steps to get there. Then there are several that try to trigger fusion for other reasons. Who here favors the first?

Well, less whole system testing of nukes is a good thing. Ideally the world will never see one of them again.