Wayne, here's the headline...Crystal power Palmtop Nuclear Fusion Device Invented By Michael Schirber LiveScience Staff Writer posted: 27 April 2005 01:00 pm ET The nuclear reaction that powers the Sun has been reproduced in a pocket-sized device, scientists announced today. Researchers have for years tried to harness nuclear fusion to power the world. But its cousin, nuclear fission -- the breaking apart of atoms -- is the only method so far commercially viable. The latest invention is not in the same league as efforts to build complex commercial reactors. The new device creates a relatively small number of reactions, and requires more energy to operate than it produces. The Real Deal (AP) - Previous claims of tabletop fusion have been met with skepticism and even derision by physicists. In one of the most notable cases, Dr. B. Stanley Pons of the University of Utah and Martin Fleischmann of Southampton University in England shocked the world in 1989 when they announced that they had achieved so-called cold fusion at room temperature. Their work was discredited after repeated attempts to reproduce it failed. Fusion experts noted that the new UCLA experiment is credible because, unlike the 1989 work, it did not violate basic principles of physics. "This doesn't have any controversy in it because they're using a tried and true method,'' said David Ruzic, professor of nuclear and plasma engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "There's no mystery in terms of the physics.'' -- Associated Press But the configuration is so small and simple that its creators think it may inspire unforeseen applications. "I certainly find it interesting that you can heat a cubic centimeter crystal in your hand, then plunge it in cold water and it will cause nuclear fusion," Seth Putterman from the University of California Los Angeles told LiveScience. Putterman's lay description greatly oversimplifies how the compact apparatus works. Specifically, Putterman and collaborators heat a pyroelectric crystal, lithium tantalite, from minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit to plus 45 in a matter of minutes. This generates an electrical charge -- 100,000 volts -- across the tiny crystal, which is housed in a chamber filled with deuterium gas, a heavy form of hydrogen. The high voltage is focused onto a needle-thin tip, which strips electrons from nearby deuterium nuclei and then accelerates them at a solid target containing deuterium. When two deuterium nuclei collide together at high speed, they fuse to form helium. The Sun also fuses atoms in thermonuclear reactions that create light and heat. The byproduct of the newly discovered lab reaction is a particle called the neutron. The scientists detect about 1,000 neutrons per second. Because neutrons are so penetrating, Putterman said that a hand-held neutron source might one-day be used to do geologic surveys or to look into cargo containers for nuclear devices. "Current neutron generators are extremely cumbersome," Putterman said. "They are about as big as a dentists X-ray machine, so you canÂt carry them into the field." Pyroelectric crystals could also provide a beam of ions for use as a microthruster in a miniature spacecraft. The research is described in the April 28 issue of the journal Nature.

I'm originally from the village of Metamora in Michigan. I haven't lived in MI since 78' and a lot has changed since. My idea of classic regional is skewed. Most of the family and people my parents associated with then were very much into hunting, fishing and all sports. No one I knew as a child frequented restaurants except maybe a hamburger in a bar. We had one wealthy friend who took us to a steak house once. There was a slant towards German style foods and Irish. Also, it all depended on the time of year and the hunting and fishing season. We had venison, pheasant, wild goose, rabbit and fried fish. Sometimes turtle stew or bear jerky. On Sundays there was roast beef dinners. In the summer everyone got together for cookouts where a few of the above meats and fish was brought as well as hotdogs in the skin and there was always a few different types of potato salad, macaroni salad, many kinds of relishes, garden items, there was always fresh ground bologna salad and sometimes blueberry and rhubarb pie. Wisconsin Colby cheese with Ritz crackers were popular as well as Canadian pepper cheese. In between having wild game or fish there was always pots of ham and potatoes stew, and an American version of goulash made with ground beef. In my teen years after the parents divorce most of my food consumption came from a can unless I was at grandmas house and she could have been a famous chef. I'm now in Florida in an area where everyone is from somewhere else. There is a big mix of cuisines. I cannot think of one dish that would be considered regional.

Hi Goldenbeach-- Yeah-- they're pretty much making it up. While this may be an industry practice, it is not the manufacturer's recommended procedure. Check this out. I found similar instructions online for your product, coincidently when I did the search for mine. Again, recommending acid wash and some other very specific instructions during the application process. I will go back and see if I can find that link and post it for you if you don't already have that info. Here's for the product we used: http://www.aquavations.com/docs/CS%20Product%20Data.pdf I previously read this but had to research it again to find the document. I asked the construction manager if they were going to do an acid wash, and was under the impression they were going to do it per manufacturer's recommendation as stated in the document in the above link. I knew I would have to "gently brush" for "about 2 weeks" and was also told I couldn't use the heater during that time. No problem considering we were doing this in mid-September due to many (unnecessary) delays. If I were a violent type (which I definitely am not) I would say something like "I am just about ready to wring someone's neck!" I am approaching the end of the 28 days and the pebble exposure is still less than ideal. But then again, my I can barely type and lifting my arms is painful, particularly my right one after another daily routine of 4 hours + of rigorous brushing! The reason I am making to effort tonight again is because I realize there is very little recourse from the manufacturer if your plaster company is not a "factory trained & authorized" installer. Even if they are there is too much if a chance that your PB or mine won't do anything to make it better as this would involve additional cost on their part--probably the incentive for them not to do it the manufacturer's recommended way the first time around. The product (no matter how good it is itself) is going to suffer from this type of exposure technique IMHO. I was totally caught off-guard on this one thinking I had asked and gotten the answer I needed that it was going to be "acid-washed". I would have never agreed to this alternative procedure due to my age and health condition it has been a real pain in the neck . . . and every other body part --literally!!! I addressed this disappointment with the plaster applicator at about the 2 week mark and was told they might be able to do something about it in the Spring (he would check with his boss). So far, no update on that. I am not holding my breath-- neither am I waiting for anyone to take any action to improve the situation and have just continued to do what I have figured out results in some improvement. Again, E-mail me if you wish to compare notes. I try to do my homework ahead of time and I hate being blind-sided. I feel mislead about the process by the PB and will be letting them know that again I expect on day 29!. The day of the plastering I was told by the sub that he wasn't going to do the full exposure with acid because it would streak the darker blue colored plaster. I don't know if there is any credence to this, but there are no caveats in the manufacturer's instructions. I did notice a change in the color of the plaster anyway as it is curing it is getting darker and often appears grayer. This is not so much of an issue for me but the inability to even get in the sub 60 degree water and trying to get to the bare or under-exposed spots in virtually unreachable locations is killing me (almost literally)!!!

Still chasing my tale at work so don't forget me. Hope you enjoy these. Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better,even though I have it!! Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests: I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.. The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water. I put the Coke on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, But first, I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. At the end of the day: the car isn't washed the bills aren't paid there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter the flowers don't have enough water, there is still only 1 check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys. Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.... Do me a favor. Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember who I've sent it to. Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!! MAN I'M TIRED! A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed: 'Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen.' God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.. The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, Awakened the kids, Set out their school clothes, Fed them breakfast, Packed their lunches, Drove them to school, Came home and Picked up the dry cleaning, Took it to the cleaners and Stopped at the bank to make a deposit, Went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, Paid the bills and balanced the check book. He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. Then it was already 1PM And he hurried to make the beds, Do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and Mop the kitchen floor. Ran to the school to pick up the kids and Got into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies and Got the kids organized to do their homework, Then set up the ironing board and Watched TV while he did the ironing. At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and Washing vegetables for salad, breaded the chicken chops and Snapped fresh beans for supper. After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, Ran the dishwasher, Folded laundry, Bathed the kids, and put them to bed. At 9 P. M. He was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, He went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint. The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said: -'Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my Wife's' being able to stay home all day. Please, oh! Oh! Please, let us Trade back.' The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied: 'My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were. You'll just have to wait nine months though. You got pregnant last night.' Have a good weekend!