Retread ZOT! Who is the moderator in this thread?

[PATRICKHENRY REPUBLIC]

I would like to get permission to post a question to other Freepers. TY.

[NicknamedBob]

I have had occasions when I could have fought.

I managed to avoid that necessity. At the time, I thought that was efficient.

I know the principles, and when to apply them. I'm just not sure how efficient I might be about it.

I'm also not entirely sure what Heinlein meant by fighting efficiently. One of his principle fighting men won his battle by dismantling atomic weapons, (at the cost of his own life).

But his actions saved many lives, and ended an unjustified insurrection.

Pretty efficient, actually.


As to conning a ship: Again, I know the principles, but aside from the Flying Castle, I have never been entrusted with more than a rowboat.

Dying gallantly often comes easier than one might expect. Those people on Flight 93 didn't plan to do so, but it usually doesn't involve planning anyway.

Anyone who has taken the oath to defend the Constitution knows what may someday be asked of him or her. They take the oath anyway. I did, and no one has said I am relieved of its responsibility yet.

[sionnsar]

LOL! Hopefully it will be transporting the drafts to the recycling center in the near future. Although, the drafts would make a nice bonfire for a marshmallow roast. :-)

Burning them would loft some more CO2 into the atmosphere so we won't go into an ice age.

[sionnsar]

Congratulations!

Evening Ladies, Gentlemen and K'niggets of the Flying Castle:

Didn't know we had any Evening Ladies aboard the Flying Castle, though... *\;-)

[sionnsar]

die gallantly             not yet

Hm. Not able to die gallantly yet? Suggest you put it off for a while then, NnBob! *\;-)

[sionnsar]

As to conning a ship

Conning a ship isn't hard. They're really not very bright, you know, and quite gullible -- it's getting their attention to begin with that's difficult.

[sionnsar]

Where'd everyone go????

[NicknamedBob]

I died fictionally, but it wasn't particularly gallant.

Fictional gallantry is easy to summon.

[Not A Snowbird]

Congrats, HTB! That's a good reason to be offline. :-)

[NicknamedBob]

"Didn't know we had any Evening Ladies aboard the Flying Castle, though... "

I take it you haven't sampled all of the distractions and delights of the "Are We There Yet?"

[sionnsar]

It would appear not. ? *\:-|

[sionnsar]

It would appear not. ? *\:-|

[sionnsar]

Oh...

[NicknamedBob]

Believe it or not, they've managed to come up with a sushi restaurant there.

I'd have better information if we were organized.

[sionnsar]

Ummm... it's not all that late (but it has been a long, hard day) -- you lost me.

[Dead Corpse]

Bussard explains that once fusion occurs, the reaction kicks the reaction particles out of the chamber with tremendous force, but that force can be captured electromagnetically, making the reactor a super-efficient electricity generator.

That's the problem though, isn't it. In order to "trap" the particles, you'd need a darn strong field. You'd never get over unity going that route. Your containment vessel, even just a magnetic one, would need to be stronger than your reaction output. More energy pushing out than you've got holding in and you'd lose containment.

That ain't a good thing.

Our GCNR rockets are similar in principle, without the fusion. Reaction mass heat accelerates a particle out the ass end. Ship goes other way. Magnetic containment is just a part of it for sideband shielding and cost savings. Waste heat electrical generation ensures higher efficiency, but not over unity.

There is a better way to do fusion, we just haven't figured out how to do it yet. If we get to a point where we can convert say heat, directly into gravity... then we'll be on the right track. Until then, it's all smoke, mirrors, and tax money...

[Dead Corpse]

Comfort the dying and Die Gallantly. Only two I haven't done yet. Hopefully, not for a while either...

Of course, the "ship" was a pontoon boat and the building was a layout for a possible housing style we are looking at. But I'm going to count 'em anyway... ;-)

[sionnsar]

Bussard explains that once fusion occurs, the reaction kicks the reaction particles out of the chamber with tremendous force, but that force can be captured electromagnetically, making the reactor a super-efficient electricity generator.

Ummm... doesn't that electromagnetic capture somewhat distort the "shape" of the vessel, reducing its efficiency? (Just a question...)

[sionnsar]

Comfort the dying and Die Gallantly. Only two I haven't done yet.

Tried both. Failed at the latter only (I think) because I'm still alive, but if I'd gone it might have been considered gallant. By a few. Whatever the circumstances.

No desire to walk that road again, but if I have to... I've been there.

[NicknamedBob]

"In order to "trap" the particles, you'd need a darn strong field."

There is no reason to continue containing particles which have already fused.

The remarkable thing about Bussard's work, aside from the disappointingly long time they took doing it, is the small scale of his devices.

I am interested in seeing what full scale devices would do. Bussard says they scale as the seventh power.

While there may be unforeseen complications, they have done most of the basic research. It really is time to go full scale and see what happens.

I don't want to see any more tax money go to build these things either, but I would like to see some investment capital take a risk. The reward would be "astronomical".

[Dead Corpse]

Ummm... doesn't that electromagnetic capture somewhat distort the "shape" of the vessel, reducing its efficiency? (Just a question...)

It could. Same way solar radiation pops out flares along lines of magnetic force. If one of those happens to intersect say, a super conductive magnet, Viola!! Your head, e'splode!