Posted by Edward Green on 07/26/06 03:41

mmeron@cars3.uchicago.edu wrote:
> In article <1153851951.619264.224640@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, "Fred Goodwin, CMA" <fgoodwin@yahoo.com> writes:
> >jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com wrote:
> >>
> >> You get a European DVD and it won't play on your US DVD player.
> >>
> >> 1) Why are you surprised by this?
> >
> >I didn't assume anything, if that's what you're getting at. I asked
> >the vendor ahead of time if it would play in a US DVD player and they
> >said yes.
> >
> >On the off-chance that anyone else reading this decides to buy a copy
> >and is told the same thing, I thought it would be a public service to
> >post otherwise.
> >
> >> 2) Why are you posting this to sci.physics?
> >
> >I thought the story of how an average kid, working on his Atomic Energy
> >merit badge for Boy Scouts, could take everyday materials and build
> >himself a working nuclear reactor might be of interest to some of those
> >in sci.physics. For those who are interested, see:
> >
> >"The Radioactive Boy Scout"
> >
> >http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html
> >
> >Those who are not interested are free to skip it.
>
> Old and stale story. Calling this a reactor is akin to calling a
> hobbyist's rocket "a balistic missile".

A missile is something which flies through the air.

"Ballistic" is what happens after the fuel runs out.

Ergo, any hobbyist can build and fly a ballistic missile. ;-)

I've thought it interesting, from time to time, when I'm really,
really, bored, how "missile", which originally said nothing about the
means of propulsion, has become synonymous in the popular mind with
"medium sized rocket".

Is this the same kid who, supposedly, wrote up a design for a nuclear
bomb accurate enough that he received a visit from the feds, who could
neither confirm nor deny how close he had come, but presumably hadn't
stopped by merely to say "nice try".

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