Radiation Age and the prudent person

[upnorthandpersonal]

Some welding rods are also radioactive; they contain Thorium. Bananas and Brasil nuts contain radioactive 40K (Potassium).

 

[svetz]

This was interesting, ref:

Why are cosmic rays intensifying? The main reason is the sun. Solar storm clouds such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) sweep aside cosmic rays when they pass by Earth. During Solar Maximum, CMEs are abundant and cosmic rays are held at bay. Now, however, the solar cycle is swinging toward Solar Minimum, allowing cosmic rays to return. Another reason could be the weakening of Earth's magnetic field, which helps protect us from deep-space radiation.

No idea what the units are for dose rates, (µSv/h?)... the chart in #27 listed the dosage of flight from LA to NY as 10 µSv; so this is 4x?

 

[svetz]

...No idea what the units are for dose rates, (µSv/h?)... the chart in #27 listed the dosage of flight from LA to NY as 10 µSv; so this is 4x?

I'm such a putz... found the units...

In this plot, dose rates are expessed as multiples of sea level. For instance, we see that boarding a plane that flies at 25,000 feet exposes passengers to dose rates ~10x higher than sea level. At 40,000 feet, the multiplier is closer to 50x.

So, if the average daily dose is 5.5 µSv, than 50x is that 274 µSv or almost 3 chest X-rays. No wonder so many Europeans use rail!

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Absolutely. Over the past two decades I've been living here in Finland I've seen the summers get hotter, spring earlier, winters shorter/later in the year, etc. Water isn't a problem here, and the changes in weather actually mean (even though detrimental in many ways) a longer growing season, faster growth of trees, etc. I can imagine The North in general become prime locations if this continues, but there will be a huge social disaster (of which we can already see the beginnings) that comes with it. As usual though, we'll start thinking of a solution once it's too late...

Do you believe climate migration in these post modern times is going to occur as ‘quickly’ as it might have in the past? Like in our lifetime? And why do you think that?

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

Do you believe climate migration in these post modern times is going to occur as ‘quickly’ as it might have in the past? Like in our lifetime? And why do you think that?

It already started. The war in Syria and the refugees that it brought is often attributed to climate change, and even if you look at different views on this (like this article which argues against) it still accepts that factors play a role - and I quote an excerpts:

"There is no doubt that much of Syria and the eastern Mediterranean region experienced an exceptionally severe drought in the years before the onset of Syria’s civil war: the single year 2007–2008 was northeastern Syria’s driest on record, as was the three-year period 2006–2009. Moreover, as an influential analysis by Columbia-based earth scientists found, this drought can plausibly, if not uncontestably, be linked to climate change. While it would be a mistake to say that climate change caused Syria’s pre-civil war drought—since individual extreme weather events cannot be attributed to climate change as a matter of course, as if they were unknown before human activity started transforming the world’s climate—it is reasonable to say, per the Columbia study, that climate change did make this particular drought more likely."

While this article is extremely skeptical about attributing climate change to the war and displacement of people in Syria, it can not be completely dismissed. As usual, there are multiple variables at play in a complex system such as this, but I personally don't think changes in climate patterns are anything but additional oil on the proverbial fire in places that are using unsustainable agriculture and are politically not stable. The article above mentions:

"Indeed, climate change is already regularly invoked to questionable ends across the Middle East and North Africa. It is used to explain away ecological catastrophes actually caused by unsustainable agricultural expansion..."

It is more that changes in climate in those areas exacerbate the problem of these agricultural methods and will lead to food shortages, often coupled with the incompetence of dealing with this by local political systems. In addition, we've seen over the past week that heat waves have caused hundreds of people to die in Canada, with never before experienced heat waves. The Middle East is breaking record temperatures, and places all over the world are at risk of running out of water in a very short term, and experience a drop in rainfall that would usually replenish reserves.

So yes, I do believe climate migration is going to increase, and pretty quick especially if these kinds of summers with these temperatures will increase in frequency still. There is only so much people can take. A single summer with 52 degrees C might be one thing, a repetition of this year after year with people dying left and right, will make the last drop in the bucket come real fast...

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Interesting perspective.
However, I guess I wasn’t defining ‘climate migration’ in that small of a subset. I was thinking along the level of 750 million people being displaced like has apparently happened with prior ice ages and heating cycles, or following earth impacts by huge, strafing asteroids. And it wasn’t just humans that were displaced. Humans were/are just voted the most likely to survive by their frontal lobe.

 

[Bob B]

From what I've read, Bill Gates wants to seed the upper atmosphere with enough tiny particles to cool down the earth ..... so ... we probably better buy a parka cheap while we can.

 

[HOU_Castle]

From what I've read, Bill Gates wants to seed the upper atmosphere with enough tiny particles to cool down the earth ..... so ... we probably better buy a parka cheap while we can.

Geo-Engineering??

 

[Hedges]

I think we should bulldoze Silicon Valley and plant orchards. Same for the "Inland Empire". That would help with carbon sequestration, as well as reducing power consumption in the latter case.

 

[Bob B]

Geo-Engineering??

He's into all kinds of stuff ..... also trying to control the food market and buying up farmland. He wants us all to be eating the plant protein he wants to grow.

It's kinda scary if you read up on all the stuff he's into .... including control of the WHO.

 

[svetz]

I think we should... plant orchards. Same for the "Inland Empire". That would help with carbon sequestration, as well as reducing power consumption in the latter case.

Not enough water.

... He wants us all to be eating the plant protein ...

Right information, wrong spin.
He doesn't want us to be eating plant protein to eat plants because he's a mad scientist cow-lover. Rather, he's trying to help get renewable substitutes in place for the possible-soon-to-come days of austerity when you can't get the real thing (video on that). A lot of the Gates Foundation projects are like that, they look for the worse possible things that could happen in the near future and ask what can we do about it? They're looking at all sorts of things (e.g., energy storage, drinkable water, alternative fuels).

I'm really glad they're doing it too. Hate to think about those poor people Musk is sending to Mars and them not being able to toss something on the barbie. They might be able to hydroponically grow plants but it'll be a long long time before there are free-range cows on Mars.

Sidenote: I recently consumed an Impossible Burger, OMG was it good.... I was somewhat relieved to see the article that it was almost as bad healthwise as the "real" thing. Of course, just because it's a GMO doesn't make it evil... so take the article with a sprinkle of salt (also bad for you! ;-).

 

[Bob B]

I'm of the school that there is more to a piece of beef than protein. You can cook up everything you want in a laboratory and it still won't be as good for the body as a good old steak. I don't eat nearly as much meat as I used to, but try to make sure what I do eat is good quality.

I also think the same thing about plants .... I don't want the plants I eat to be processed to death. The combination of things in a WHOLE food is what I think the body needs.

You are a LOT bigger fan of Bill Gates than I am. He seems to me to be trying to take unilateral control of too many things .... I don't want to get into the rumors of the real cause of the divorce.

 

[svetz]

...You are a LOT bigger fan of Bill Gates than I am.

I am, Melinda too. Most rich people aren't doing anything to change the world (for better or worse). So, someone that give's away their money to make the world a better place pretty much gets a thumbs up. People are always ready to naysay him & others, so I appreciate the opportunity to point out all the good they do.

He seems to me to be trying to take unilateral control off too many things ...

Other than crediting the 60 billion of his own money he's given away, I don't think you should give him too much credit for the many things they've taken on. A part of his genius is hiring the right people to do the job, but those people do the hard work and they are pretty effective; it's not just tilting at windmills.

For example, he's not involved in the day-to-day of the diabolical plans to wipe out diseases like polio, but he is a spokesperson and figurehead.

Considering how inept governments have been, I don't mind any of the 8 things on the Gates Foundation Diabolical List (NIH report):

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger​

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education​

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women​

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality​

Goal 5: Improve maternal health​

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases​

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability​

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development​

.... I don't want to get into the rumors of the real cause of the divorce.

Me either. I could care less about his private life or anyone else's. I can barely keep pace with my own. But, if there are any dastardly deeds afoot I have faith that there are enough people that dislike him that if there were any real proof he'd be locked up.

 

[curiouscarbon]

Why Did Microsoft Face Antitrust Charges in 1998?

Discover why the Department of Justice filed antitrust charges against Microsoft in 1998 over alleged monopolistic actions and how the company reacted.

www.investopedia.com

United States v. Microsoft Corp. - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Criticism of Microsoft - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

let’s talk about radiation ?

ok but cyberpunk bill gates memes?

edit: i too appreciate the foundation and the achievements and goals but the way the money was gained leaves me hoping for a system where accumulating that much isn’t in fashion to begin with.. needing to be in the good graces of a lord is a pain point maybe for people with microsoft man. let’s eradicate diseases! wahoo.

umm…. radon! awareness campaign time ?

maybe the foundation can solve radon infiltration into homes and lung cancer go down??

 

[HOU_Castle]

How to get rid of Radon around your property?

 

[curiouscarbon]

Once it’s around the property, wind often carries it away ? If the building covers the ground as is commonly done in north america, wind diffusion is prevented ?

 

[HOU_Castle]

Once it’s around the property, wind often carries it away ? If the building covers the ground as is commonly done in north america, wind diffusion is prevented ?

From my past experience, you have to declare if your property has Radon when you list your property for sale. Will this impact property value? Mitigation plan?

 

[curiouscarbon]

Forming a mitigation plan is a complex topic that many homeowners dread, but the long term health benefits of radon mitigation are very enjoyable!

Centrifugal fans to provide a small area of lowered pressure in the basement area seems to provide a degree of mitigation in many circumstances. Radon comes from the rocks and earth directly below the structure, rising up. Covering the earth with an impermeable sheet can improve the efficacy of the centrifugal fan. However, the outflow air must be piped outdoors and elevated high enough to prevent re-entrainment of the radon back into the living structure. In this way there is somewhat of a fashion aspect to radon mitigation. Not all homeowners like PVC pipe on the outside wall.

 

[svetz]

https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/08/microsoft-antitrust.asp...

Bill left Microsoft in 2000, so you should have picked more pre-2000 cases. ;-)
Anyway, anti-trust cases don't make you evil. It means other companies can't compete with you and the government is afraid you'll control market prices - not that your prices are too high (in fact, the general strategy is to keep prices low to drive competition out then raise prices, the market space never made it to that thanks to DoJ threats).

Did you know Bill propped Apple up when they were on hard times? You can say he was forced to because of the DoJ, but he did do it. [ref]

...let’s talk about radiation ?

Is there anything left" to discuss/research?

i too appreciate the foundation and the achievements and goals but the way the money was gained ...

Oh, you mean the reasonably priced operating system (often bundled for free) and a business suite of tools (frequently free or reduced prices for students) that worked better than other companies tools? ;-)

It's all perspective. When I look at the balance scale I see a company that did far more good than harm, bringing modern computing tools to American Businesses that provided a set of standards. But that's just me, everyone's entitled to an opinion. (Not that I don't curse at the BSOD).

...Mitigation plan?...

It's probably scarier in some parts of the country than in others. In places like Colorado, it's everywhere. As CC said, you just want to ventilate it so it doesn't build up. Typically a house inspector will have a meter and take a reading or a sample. Here the big thing is mold.

 

[curiouscarbon]

If it were not for this thread, I would not have learned about this study on the International Space Station

A Self-Replicating Radiation-Shield for Human Deep-Space Exploration: Radiotrophic Fungi can Attenuate Ionizing Radiation aboard the International Space Station

edit : abstract excerpt

It is hypothesized that the dissipation of radiation by these organisms translates to a radiation shield. Here, growth of Cladosporium sphaerospermum and its capability to attenuate ionizing radiation, was studied aboard the International Space Station (ISS) over a period of 30 days, as an analog to habitation on the surface of Mars. At full maturity, radiation beneath a ≈ 1.7 mm thick lawn of the dematiaceous radiotrophic fungus (180° protection radius) was 2.17±0.25% lower as compared to the negative control. Based on an estimated growth advantage in space of ~ 20%, the reduction of radiation was attributed to the fungus’ radiotropism and melanin-content. This was supported by calculations based on Lambert’s law, where the melanin content of the biomass could be approximated to 8.6±0.9% [w/w]. The analysis of the experimental data was further complemented by an attenuation analysis subject to a Martian radiation environment scenario that put the shielding capacity of melanized (bio)materials into perspective.

1.7 mm thick layer provided 2.17% reduction (i need to read more to understand the spectra of what it reduced)

Evaluation of On-Orbit Radiation
Cumulative radiation counts, derived from the counts recorded by the Geiger counters of control- and fungus-side throughout the course of the on-orbit experiment, were plotted over time. The relative difference in radiation attenuation (in percent) between negative-control and fungus-side was determined based on the slope of linear regressions in different phases, which were defined based on the relative OD (Optical Density).

Further, total radiation was quantified in dose equivalents, with an estimate correlation between counts-per-minute (CPM) and radiation dose for the PocketGeiger Type5 of 4 CPM ≈ 0.075 ± 0.025 μSv/h based on the total cumulative recorded counts over the 30 day runtime of the experiment (cf. supplementary material 2).

Maybe we can genetically modify the mold in CO basements to be radiotrophic and confer protection from Rd somehow... hm.... what could go wrong?