Compare computers in 1979 to now. You don't think that safety mechanisms *might* have improved just a bit in that timespan?

Yes yes, but what about our bacteriome? Surely that is waay easier to genetically modify and have those modifications spread quickly throughout your body...

And if anything goes wrong, some antibiotics should help to clear up your mistake...hopefully.

You typically don't swing a gun right up to the moment of firing. Guns would be: Swing, Steady (aim), FIRE. Hammers would be: Swing, FIRE.

Mod anon up!

Also don't forget the fact that these floating cities are *nuclear*. They only need to be refueled once every 20 years. Running full speed ahead for weeks on end does not shorten this span. Its speed is limited by the other diesel ships in the carrier group though.

There have been some recent advances in catalytic fuels research that can take sea water and create jet fuel. With the nuke onboard all spare energy that would normally be unused could go towards creating fuel. Nothing is close to 'prime time' yet, at least not publicly.

I'm with you on everything up until " I'm pointing back to first principles of SMALLER government and PERSONAL responsibility. "

That's all well and good, and should definitely be a goal for all. However...what do you think we should do with those who will fail the 'personal responsibility test'? This is where conservatives start mumbling. Most seem to be of the opinion 'Fuck off and die'.

That's where I differ. I'm all for personal liberty and all that, but I also realize that there will be people who will fail that test and end up destitute, homeless, a danger to themselves and others. Instead of letting stay homeless I think we should have a decent social safety net including housing, rehab centers, etc. I'm even for the creation of boarding schools for kids who live in horrible situations where it's clear the 'parent' is their largest impediment to a successful life.

Where would we get the money for this? How about the plutocracy (the .01%)?

I wouldn't mind access to a small room if I stayed really late one night or wanted to bang something out over a weekend or few days.

But live there full time? I don't think so. Seems like it would be the LAN party that never ended.

I hope so!

An authenticator NFC ring would totally rule if it could work reliably. Bonus points for looking badass.

Another huge problem is that they have no idea what to actually use to contain the coolant loop.

Lead and Lead/Bismuth coolants are VERY corrosive and require active purification in order to keep oxygen levels down to incredibly low levels. Otherwise it'll corrode steel in a matter of weeks.

There are several proposed alloys or coatings but as far as I can tell none of them have made it past initial research phases and all have their own downsides. Like, one may have good thermal characteristics but has a large neutron cross-section or another may have a small neutron cross-section but get very brittle with temperature differentials.

Couple this with the fact that the accelerator is pounding protons (H+) into a spallation source (lead typically) and you have a whole other host of problems. Hydrogenation of the metals can lead to really bad effects with some alloys.

As far as I can tell this is the primary thing that is holding back the Lead/Lead Bismuth fast reactors. Sodium cooled reactors have more research behind them but also contain their own host of problems (like exploding when in contact with air/water, nbd).

Un-mined Uranium ore is still pretty toxic...but it's underground...This Uranium (not to mention all the other nasty shiz in coal ash) is put into the air and water table. I would consider that nuclear waste, yes. Considering the insane levels of regulation for even the tiniest levels of radiation surrounding nuclear plants, the fact that coal-ash gets a free pass to just store whatever in unlined pools next to lakes and rivers is pretty ludicrous.

We shouldn't...just our drones :-p

With hastily spray-painted Ukrainian flags!

Untrue:

http://www.scientificamerican....

I'd like to see a camera in every public school classroom as well.

It would end the 'he said/she said' arguments when a kid is being disruptive and the parent refuses to believe their snowflake is anything other than perfect.

It could also allow for a better means of evaluating a teacher's performance. Currently it is done with in person audits by an administrator...teachers behave quite differently under that situation.

That's why I say we need to work as hard as we can to get all humans out of governmental functions as soon as possible!

Algorithmic government! Open source....GIT repo ;-P

I thought of that scene too. I like out the wheel popped out from the dash. If it was unobtrusive for most of the time, I think it'd work out.