China's Artificial Sun

Turnin' hydrogen into helium without making a big H-bomb boom, would be my guess.

No... Islamic soldiers are unstopable.

Okay, here's one fact. Plasma is the name given to any substance heated to a temperature so high that the atoms begin to become ionized (some of the outer electrons detach from the atoms). Sometimes people say that the possible states of matter are solid, liquid, gas, plasma.

How high the temperature... since we have blood plasma and all... a serious question....

I don't know, but you have to first supply enough heat to make the substance a gas, and then go even farther until the electrons begin to dissociate from the atoms. The word plasma, as used in blood, is something different - just coincidental usage.

Would be nice if they're successful, and it's actually an economically feasible power source. Not many details in the article....

gotcha.

In the A bomb , you break apart a heavy nucleus , forming lighter elements and releasing energy. In fusion, you force two light atoms together by stripping off their electrons. The reaction leaves you with 2 atomic nuclei , who are positively charges and want to repel. To get over this tendency, the nuclei (usually hydrogen, but beryllium can be used if you dont have enough eggs) have to be spun (we suggest turning the accelerator to 'frappe") What Brandon was saying is that by pressure and this incessant spinning, the nuclei get really phuckin hot, many times the surface of the sun. This creates the plasma, which , is, from the Latin, a word that means "molding some really neat ****".
The attainment of the plasma state releases energy from the forgotten electrons which get really pissed cause they are left without dates. Like anybody so stood up , they use the Einstein form of Mass X acceleration to the twoth power, or E=Mc**.
NOW, we get to the problem, we can create nuclear fusion with a critical mass and a split second forced fission explosion. In order to do what the Chinese believe they have, we must find a way to hold it in.(Think:embarassingly major hard-on while in swimming trunks)Its a problem in Physics thayt, until now, weve not been able to whup. The NOVA laser at Lawrence Livermore has used a laser beam to shoot at beryllium pellets (no luck till now).

If the Chinese succeed without blowing up the world like a huge atomic lightbulb (did I mention that?), it would be a major breakthrough. It would be as important a discovery as that new Saran Wrap that can be coaxed to stick and hold to anything even plastic bowls of leftovers. Well know on Mon PM because its already tommorrow there and so tommorrow will be the 15th while we enjoy our last days as the 14th.

I hope all goes well. If theres a really bright light coming from the NW(great circle route ) then we had all , at about the time 13 hours earlier than the scheduled setoff, (Valid time for US EDT only) people in Australia have to kiss their asses goodbye on their own time schedule.

What was the question?

So are we all going to die?

pretty much

So, if I was you nimh, Id go out and splurge on that Hot Italian Bicycle. You know, the one that gets you all sexed up. Buy it on credit cause come Wednesday, well all be cinters anyway.

go ahead, laugh, Im busy making a perfect Act of Contrition (may take a while, Im only on page 12)

Hydrogen into helium, won't we all just float away?

That could be fun!

and well all sound like Mickey Mouse

Could we start using apostrophes then?

You could, but people will still know that you're just talking to yourself, albeit in a pretentious sort of way.