[a10t2]

Make a really long pipe.  One that stretches from the ground up into outer space.  At one end you have a vacuum, at the other end you've got 1 atmosphere of pressure.  A 14.7 psi of pressure differential... Voila!  instant vacuum cleaner.

Unless you've figured out a way to turn off the gravity inside the pipe, I don't think you've cracked that nut yet.

[morticaixavier]

pessimist, optomist..... I've had enough of this glass half full/glass half empty nonsense. the real question is..... is that beer in the glass?

Some would say the glass is half full while other would say it's half empty.  An engineer says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Nah it just includes 50 percent unused capacity

[tschmidlin]

Make a really long pipe.  One that stretches from the ground up into outer space.  At one end you have a vacuum, at the other end you've got 1 atmosphere of pressure.  A 14.7 psi of pressure differential... Voila!  instant vacuum cleaner.

Unless you've figured out a way to turn off the gravity inside the pipe, I don't think you've cracked that nut yet.

Exactly what I was thinking

[bluesman]

Make a really long pipe.  One that stretches from the ground up into outer space.  At one end you have a vacuum, at the other end you've got 1 atmosphere of pressure.  A 14.7 psi of pressure differential... Voila!  instant vacuum cleaner.

Unless you've figured out a way to turn off the gravity inside the pipe, I don't think you've cracked that nut yet.

Exactly what I was thinking

Interesting idea though. 

[punatic]

Yeah, but then Klatu will send down Gort with instructions to wipe us out for contaminating space with our radiation.

Welcome back Cap!

[1vertical]

I have got a LOT of plastic gallon water jugs that I could envision filled with water
and sent to Japan....even empty jugs shipped empty and filled somewhere...
come ole clothing that is uncontaminated, other things I am not requiring for
my life....how to get it to those people...I could stand the use of a C-130 etc...
I think I signed up for some potassium iodide but not sure where it is kept at or
when the storage gates will open.
Edit: from Wikipedia

Thyroid protection due to nuclear accidents and emergenciesSSKI may be used in radioiodine-contamination emergencies (i.e., nuclear accidents) to "block" the thyroid's uptake of radioiodine (this is not the same as blocking the thyroid's release of thyroid hormone).

Potassium iodide was approved in 1982 by the US FDA to protect the thyroid glands from radioactive iodine from accidents or fission emergencies. In the event of an accident or attack at a nuclear power plant, or fallout from a nuclear bomb, volatile fission product radionuclides may be released, of which 131I is one of the most common by-products and a particularly dangerous one due to thyroid gland concentration of it, which may lead to thyroid cancer. By saturating the body with a source of stable iodide prior to exposure, inhaled or ingested 131I tends to be excreted.

Potassium iodide cannot protect against any other causes of radiation poisoning, nor can it provide any degree of protection against dirty bombs that produce radionuclides other than isotopes of iodine. See fission products and the external links for more details concerning radionuclides.

 

[gsandel]

the problem with Americans....is that 1. we like cheap and profitable, and 2. We don't like government telling us what to do.  Land of McDonald's and Walmart also likes Arrogant Bastard and has a puritanical rave about distribution and consumption of certain beverages....and has a obesity problem.

go figure.  I can't decide about America....and I was born here.

[euge]

I have got a LOT of plastic gallon water jugs that I could envision filled with water
and sent to Japan....even empty jugs shipped empty and filled somewhere...
come ole clothing that is uncontaminated, other things I am not requiring for
my life....how to get it to those people...I could stand the use of a C-130 etc...
I think I signed up for some potassium iodide but not sure where it is kept at or
when the storage gates will open.

Make sure you bring plenty of miso along. Supposed to help with the radiation sickness.

The workers have fled (supposedly) due to the radiation. I got a bad feeling about this. Not so much for us but or fellow Japanese.

[phillamb168]

Yeah, but then Klatu will send down Gort with instructions to wipe us out for contaminating space with our radiation.

KLATU BARATA NIKTO

There, we should be fine now.

[punatic]

Yeah, but then Klatu will send down Gort with instructions to wipe us out for contaminating space with our radiation.

KLATU BARATA NIKTO

There, we should be fine now.

Ya gotta be sure to give him the secret flashlight signal too...

[punatic]

Make a really long pipe.  One that stretches from the ground up into outer space.  At one end you have a vacuum, at the other end you've got 1 atmosphere of pressure.  A 14.7 psi of pressure differential... Voila!  instant vacuum cleaner.

Unless you've figured out a way to turn off the gravity inside the pipe, I don't think you've cracked that nut yet.

Exactly what I was thinking

I was saving that one for 4/1/11, but it got out a little early.  Sheesh, you guys are so serious...   

[a10t2]

The workers have fled (supposedly) due to the radiation.

The utility evacuated non-essential personnel after a radiation monitor at the gatehouse spiked to 6 mSv/hr, with consistent readings over 2 mSv/hr. There are still about 50 people working inside the perimeter.

[uthristy]

There are still about 50 people working inside the perimeter.

These workers are just like the guys in the racing pits who rush into the fires to turn off the fuel, big attachments indeed!

[tschmidlin]

Make a really long pipe.  One that stretches from the ground up into outer space.  At one end you have a vacuum, at the other end you've got 1 atmosphere of pressure.  A 14.7 psi of pressure differential... Voila!  instant vacuum cleaner.

Unless you've figured out a way to turn off the gravity inside the pipe, I don't think you've cracked that nut yet.

Exactly what I was thinking

I was saving that one for 4/1/11, but it got out a little early.  Sheesh, you guys are so serious...   

I know!

There's not just the problem of gravity keeping the air in, but the gravity pulling on the pipe, it would have to be pretty stout.  There's probably a way to calculate what the velocity of the wind would be, and from that calculate the friction along the inside of the pipe and see how much it would heat up.  I wonder how long it would take to suck all of the air off of the planet with a vacuum like that . . .

[phillamb168]

She's gone from suck... to blow!