Toadfish Monastery

Quote from: Swatopluk on September 25, 2012, 11:32:19 PM
Apart from problems with quantum effects energy demands would be enormous for such devices. Take your gold example. Either gold is already there or it has to be synthesized by fusion or fission. Creatio ex nihilo is theoretically possible but who would pay for a cup of tea that costs as much energy to produce as a large nuke yields  (1 g matter equivalent is roughly equal to the Hiroshima bomb; the cup of tea would be in the megaton range)?
Duplication of objects from stored material would still require the breaking and forming of chemical bonds on a scale that the pure energy demand would make it economically unfeasible. And no, the energy from formed bonds cannot be simply used to break others.

Point.

However, the notion of matter-to-energy, and then energy-to-matter is what we are talking of, with regards to the transmat beam.

Once you have matter-to-energy?  You have unlimited energy-- all you want, in fact.  So it won't be an issue.

There's plenty of junk/mass out in the OORT clouds to satisfy such energy demands.   

Of course, since no process is 100% efficient, there would be waste energy being given off--likely as heat.   More than likely they'd need to move the earth back a wee bit from the fire, so's to let it cool down, what with all the waste heat being generated from gran'ma's weekly facelift beaming treatments...

..

Seriously, there would need to be a way to get rid of the excess energy-of-entropy:  you don't want it in the finished product-- it could be... a problem.

"Captain, we are ready to beam up the load of cargo now"
"Okay, it's secure at the given coordinates.  Energize."

Unfortunately, the transmat beam was slightly out of kelter, and only had a 99.99999% efficiency rating-- but matter-to-energy and back again is dealing with such huge power demands, the 0.0000001% extra heat was sufficient to incinerate the entire cargo upon arrival...

... oops ...

I can see it now:  giant laser beams shooting the waste heat off into space, to cool everything down... it'd be a no-fly zone over each and every transmat beam's location-- the heat-dump laser beams would be outputting multiple-pentawatts of waste power.  By beaming it into space, we don't raise the temperature of earth... well, not any more that it would be already.

The choice would be:  Vacation in Alaska's sandy resort beaches?  Or go swimming in the sultry waters of Antarctica?   

Quote from: Griffin NoName on September 04, 2012, 05:32:53 PM
Why does the number of teaspoons one has always decrease over time?

You may recall my question.

I have found some research into the matter reported in the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ).

The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute

BMJ2005;331doi: 10.1136/bmj.331.7531.1498(Published 22 December 2005)
Cite this as:BMJ2005;331:1498[/b][/b]

Objectives To determine the overall rate of loss of workplace teaspoons and whether attrition and displacement are correlated with the relative value of the teaspoons or type of tearoom.

Megan S C Lim, research assistant1,
Margaret E Hellard, director1,
Campbell K Aitken, senior research officer1
Burnet Institute


Th abstract is very informative.

Quote from: abstract56 (80%) of the 70 teaspoons disappeared during the study. The half life of the teaspoons was 81 days. The half life of teaspoons in communal tearooms (42 days) was significantly shorter than for those in rooms associated with particular research groups (77 days). The rate of loss was not influenced by the teaspoons' value. The incidence of teaspoon loss over the period of observation was 360.62 per 100 teaspoon years. At this rate, an estimated 250 teaspoons would need to be purchased annually to maintain a practical institute-wide population of 70 teaspoons.

Pity they don't tell how they were lost.

At work I once drilled the handle of a teaspoon and fixed it to the wall on a long chain.  It was normally the only teaspoon in the place, yet my colleagues didn't like it at all.

I always kept my own teaspoon at my office.

Quote from: Sibling DavidH on October 08, 2012, 10:07:59 AM
At work I once drilled the handle of a teaspoon and fixed it to the wall on a long chain.  It was normally the only teaspoon in the place, yet my colleagues didn't like it at all.

LOL!

Two reasons: [they didn't like it]

1) it reminded them they were actually sharing a spoon amongst themselves.

2) (and more important) they couldn't take it with them (to be subsequently lost...)





Edit:  curious-- how'd you drill the spoon?  Most stainless isn't very easy to drill, with common tools.  I had once modified a spoon with a series of tiny holes all over it's bowl.  I was creating a miniature strainer, for tealeaves-- I also reverse bent it so you could use the spoon to push the leaves firmly to the bottom of the cup.  I had to use a tungsten-carbide bit to get through the tough stainless.  I used a larger one to bevel the edges of the holes on each side (made cleaning easier).  I was surprised at how thick the middle of the bowl actually was.

Quote from: Swatopluk on October 08, 2012, 10:37:22 AM
I always kept my own teaspoon at my office.

I did too.

Quote from: Bobhow'd you drill the spoon?

I suppose it wasn't stainless or - as you say - I'd have been all week drilling it.  I can't remember now, but I don't remember it giving trouble.

Couldn't you drill it with a diamond tip?

Quote from: Griffin NoName on October 08, 2012, 07:37:36 PM
Couldn't you drill it with a diamond tip?

Quite.  But those [diamonds] tend to be ... expensive and slow-going.

I used a tungsten-carbide bit myself-- an alloy who's hardness is second only to diamonds.  And a high-speed Dremil tool: 30,000 RPMs can overcome some shortcomings in your drilling tool-- so long as you don't mind burning up the bit, that is... (as would happen with ordinary high-speed steel bits).

Of course, you could always employ an oxy-acetylene cutting torch... kinda problematic for me, though, as my torch makes a flame that's roughly 1/2" in diameter.  A wee bit too big for a small spoon's handle, don'cha think? 

All I remember was that I drilled a small hole and fastened it to a length of basin-plug type chain using a very small shackle; if I'd used a key ring the swine would have undone it in a moment.  The location was the teachers' staff-room, the villains were the sixth-formers (older kids) who would sneak in when the coast was clear.

I agree that a gas axe would be OTT, Bob, but one might be able to solder to a spoon strongly enough.

Quote from: Sibling DavidH on October 09, 2012, 10:27:54 AM
All I remember was that I drilled a small hole and fastened it to a length of basin-plug type chain using a very small shackle; if I'd used a key ring the swine would have undone it in a moment.  The location was the teachers' staff-room, the villains were the sixth-formers (older kids) who would sneak in when the coast was clear.

I agree that a gas axe would be OTT, Bob, but one might be able to solder to a spoon strongly enough.

I've never found a solder or brazing alloy that'd stick to stainless steel... they always balled up and refused to "wet" the metal.  So I'd resort to epoxy or if I had to have it super-strong, TIG welding (which I cannot do, but know people who do).

I like the shackle idea, though.  A stainless screw would work, too-- especially if you use a grinder to round the nut to a cylinder, and apply some Lock-Tite red to the threads.... that stuff is strong enough, the bolt typically breaks before it lets go.  I use it on my trailer hitch-bolts (for example).

   I'm imagining a video of someone trying to un-do a lock-tite fastener with ordinary pliers...

QuoteI've never found a solder or brazing alloy that'd stick to stainless steel.

Good point.  BTW DYKT most penknives, opened, have a slot for the blade which make the perfect small shackle key?

Cap'n B's dad has a MIG welder; I keep saying I'm going to learn.

I did not know that, about penknives.

I always carry some sort of knife-- and these days, I carry a folding "box knife" sort-- it opens, locks in place, and uses those disposable "box knife" blades shaped like a trapezoid.  One blade has two edges (as it were) available by reversing the blade.

I don't buy the stainless blades, as I find the carbon-steel ones last longer before needing recycling.

Quote from: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on October 10, 2012, 01:00:35 PM
I always carry some sort of knife-- and these days, I carry a folding "box knife" sort-- it opens, locks in place, and uses those disposable "box knife" blades shaped like a trapezoid.  One blade has two edges (as it were) available by reversing the blade.

Those things are handy, and if you do a lot of random utility work, it's nice to be able to replace the blade as needed.

I rarely carry a pocket knife about town these days (I work with lots of knives, so no need to pack one); when I do, it's usually a small multi-tool with a decent blade. For the bush, I keep a number of blades about, including a lightweight hunting knife and a small but very sharp hatchet (last line of defense against big things with sharp teeth). The machete usually stays in the truck or next to the bed, unless I'm doing yardwork with it.