Let The Music Play Chapter 30

[GaryK]

........I'm amazed at all the emoticons coming up!!

We kind of went overboard in an enthusiastic display of our affection for J/S.

[C James]

I wonder if Jerry had one of these when he was a kid?

 

BTW, if you want a laugh, read all the other entries, but do read the comments for the linked one; the readers really let the dumb reporter have it! (The readers are right incidentally).

 

Come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone using the smilie lately?

 

Poor, misunderstood Jerry. He's just a sweet (The got Brandon and Chase together, didn't he?) self-reliant kinda guy, who just wants to be left to his own (nuclear) devices.

[GaryK]

That link is hilarious, CJ.

 

Here, this should make you happy, and increase my PWing count!

 

Edited March 17, 2008 by GaryInMiami

[Benji]

I wonder if Jerry had one of these when he was a kid?

 

BTW, if you want a laugh, read all the other entries, but do read the comments for the linked one; the readers really let the dumb reporter have it! (The readers are right incidentally).

 

Come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone using the smilie lately?

 

Poor, misunderstood Jerry. He's just a sweet (The got Brandon and Chase together, didn't he?) self-reliant kinda guy, who just wants to be left to his own (nuclear) devices.

 

 

........Now if you could make up a emoticon with SPiCE or Eric on it we could join you in your "admiration of Jerry society".

Edited March 17, 2008 by Benji

[BeaStKid]

I wonder if Jerry had one of these when he was a kid?

 

BTW, if you want a laugh, read all the other entries, but do read the comments for the linked one; the readers really let the dumb reporter have it! (The readers are right incidentally).

 

Come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone using the smilie lately?

 

Poor, misunderstood Jerry. He's just a sweet (The got Brandon and Chase together, didn't he?) self-reliant kinda guy, who just wants to be left to his own (nuclear) devices.

Poor guy! Those comments literally blasted him off!!

[Bondwriter]

I wonder if Jerry had one of these when he was a kid?

 

BTW, if you want a laugh, read all the other entries, but do read the comments for the linked one; the readers really let the dumb reporter have it! (The readers are right incidentally).

I wouldn't take the article as seriously as some of the readers do? "Even more uncertain is the long-term impact of being raised by the kind of nerds who would give their kid an Atomic Energy Lab." is a line way too tempting to be avoided. The 50s fascination for anything "atomic" seems quite weird a few decades later that not going for the joke would have been a sin. And I think Jerry also some toys with sharp edges and gun powder too.

[GaryK]

I wouldn't take the article as seriously as some of the readers do? "Even more uncertain is the long-term impact of being raised by the kind of nerds who would give their kid an Atomic Energy Lab." is a line way too tempting to be avoided. The 50s fascination for anything "atomic" seems quite weird a few decades later that not going for the joke would have been a sin. And I think Jerry also some toys with sharp edges and gun powder too.

As PC as the world, or at least the US, has become I doubt such a kit could even be sold today. Same thing with most science/chemistry sets. The kids would be labeled terrorists in the making.

[Tiger]

I wonder if Jerry had one of these when he was a kid?

You should know. You, after all, are the creator. Does he have one?

[Bondwriter]

As PC as the world, or at least the US, has become I doubt such a kit could even be sold today. Same thing with most science/chemistry sets. The kids would be labeled terrorists in the making.

Whereas kids should be left to have games outdoors that may be dangerous (tree-climbing, reckless bike riding, etc.), manufacturers may be deemed liable for making faulty products that may become harmful. In this case, the amount of radioactivity seems to have been minimal, since the negative effects of radioactivity were known well enough to avoid making a really dangerous kit. Plus the price of radioactive material was high, possibly.

[GaryK]

You should know. You, after all, are the creator. Does he have one?

He certainly does now!!!

[Tiger]

He certainly does now!!!

I should have said, "Did he?" Oh well, I am not perfect.

[C James]

As PC as the world, or at least the US, has become I doubt such a kit could even be sold today. Same thing with most science/chemistry sets. The kids would be labeled terrorists in the making.

 

That's true, and IMHO sad. When i was growing up model rocketry was a great hobby, but now it's looked on in horror by some.

 

You should know. You, after all, are the creator. Does he have one?

 

Well, okay, I'll give you his background....

 

As a child, Jerry lived in Idaho with his parents on their goat farm. One day, while out herding, Jerry was reading a magazine and saw an add for that nuclear physics kit. He craved it, with every ounce of his little heart. But times were tough and Mom and Dad said no... So Little Jerry grew up, never forgetting his unslaked thirst for the nuclear sciences. Until, one day, some plutonium became available in Russia, and so that's where our story began.

 

Poor little Jerry.

 

 

Whereas kids should be left to have games outdoors that may be dangerous (tree-climbing, reckless bike riding, etc.), manufacturers may be deemed liable for making faulty products that may become harmful. In this case, the amount of radioactivity seems to have been minimal, since the negative effects of radioactivity were known well enough to avoid making a really dangerous kit. Plus the price of radioactive material was high, possibly.

 

The commenters are correct; the gamma source would actually be the only real concern. Alpha radiation (such as in the cloud chamber) is harmless. As for the gamma source, it would depend on the strength. If it's minor, it is of no concern. For example, you likely have several in your home already ; that's how most smoke detectors detect smoke. Also, got Granine, such as in countertops or building materials? If so, you likly have Uranium (that's why Jerry shipped his plutonium into Australia inside granite; the latter is a natural emitter, so it makes radiological detection of the plutonium near impossible.)

 

The U-238 is quite harmless unless inhaled.

 

In all likelihood, this set was far more benign than a typical chemistry set.

[GaryK]

Yeah, I was into model rocketry as a kid. When I tried to get my nephews into it my brother-in-law was horrified. His side of the family is afraid of everything. I still like him enough to let him manage my money for me!

[Bondwriter]

Yeah, my cousins got caught building rockets with cardboard tubes and gun powder before I got to play with them. They managed to launch several above the 50-foot limit. So they said. Well, we just had to turn back to the BB gun next. Oh, and do not fear; I know a lot of kids who still manage to do perfectly creative and stupid things.

[GaryK]

perfectly creative and stupid things.

Sounds like fun to me.

[Tiger]

Yeah, my cousins got caught building rockets with cardboard tubes and gun powder before I got to play with them. They managed to launch several above the 50-foot limit. So they said. Well, we just had to turn back to the BB gun next. Oh, and do not fear; I know a lot of kids who still manage to do perfectly creative and stupid things.

Sign me up for the kit. I could do plenty of damage with something like that.

[BeaStKid]

Sign me up for the kit. I could do plenty of damage with something like that.

You do enough damage already with those evil cliffhangers of yours...

[Benji]

You do enough damage already with those evil cliffhangers of yours...

 

 

.........I think I remember seeing one of those kits as a kid, but the rockets were more fun.

[GaryK]

.........I think I remember seeing one of those kits as a kid, but the rockets were more fun.

What kits did you see as a child? Evil cliffhanger kits? I guess CJ must have had one.

[Benji]

What kits did you see as a child? Evil cliffhanger kits? I guess CJ must have had one.

 

 

..........That Atomic Energy Kit I saw in a neighborhood friends garage, it belonged to his older brother and we weren't allowed to touch. When I was a kid model airplanes and creepy model kits were the rage.

[Tiger]

You do enough damage already with those evil cliffhangers of yours...

 

There was a cliffhanger in chapter 10... That innocent girl was murdered. Anyway, that was a lot of damage, but that is what happens with there are goats and cliffs.

[C James]

Yeah, I was into model rocketry as a kid. When I tried to get my nephews into it my brother-in-law was horrified. His side of the family is afraid of everything. I still like him enough to let him manage my money for me!

 

ROFL! Yep. I heard about a book recently, "The Dangerous book for Boys" that bucked the trend by encouraging such normal activity as treehouse-building, etc. I'm glad it was such a hit; it struck a serious blow at the growing "cocoon-culture".

 

I'm against genuinely hazardous behavior, but the fact is that life is a risk (none of us will get out of it alive). The fear-based society where any risk is deemed too great worries me greatly; if you succeed in making the world truly idiot-proof, you will end up with a world full of idiots.

 

When my uncle bought his two grandkids for a visit last year (They are from Europe), I taught them how to hike, build and launch rockets, and shoot both rifles and handguns (they are too small for shotguns, couldn't handle the recoil.) My uncle was okay with it (He was with us and had a literal blast with my assault rifles), but my cousin (their father) sure wasn't when he found out (he wasn't on the trip with them so only found out after the fact)! He went balistic. LoL

 

And before anyone hollers at me; the FIRST thing I teach is gun safety, and keep plugging it. Same with the rockets and hiking, of course.

 

Yeah, my cousins got caught building rockets with cardboard tubes and gun powder before I got to play with them. They managed to launch several above the 50-foot limit. So they said. Well, we just had to turn back to the BB gun next. Oh, and do not fear; I know a lot of kids who still manage to do perfectly creative and stupid things.

 

ROFL, yeah, about ten years ago I had a neighbor with a small kid, about nine. The kid and his friends decided to try smoking. They did it in the garage. Apparently they thought they hears someone coming, so they hid the lit cigarettes in a handy box of rags. Oil rags.

 

The shelf above apparently contained paint thinner and furniture polish.

 

The fire department found the cigarette remains in the ashes of what had once been a detached garage, and one of the kids fessed up; they'd panicked and his the cigarettes, and then panicked more when they saw the flames. They were luckly they got out ok; If they had stayed and tried to put it out, they could have been killed when the thinner cans cooked off (I've had a fire with those so I know that all too well).

 

Sign me up for the kit. I could do plenty of damage with something like that.

You do enough damage already with those evil cliffhangers of yours...

 

Yes, he is evil, isn't he? And he DOES use EEEvil cliffhangers! Very evil!

 

..........That Atomic Energy Kit I saw in a neighborhood friends garage, it belonged to his older brother and we weren't allowed to touch. When I was a kid model airplanes and creepy model kits were the rage.

 

I can't help but think that scince kits and model planes and rockets were far, far better for the mind than today's video games and TV. I was lucky; when I was growing up the science kit had gone out of fasion, which meant they became quite cheap, especially used. I ended up with many and loved them all. Never had a nuclear one though, though I'd have loved it.

 

I did manage to make mercury fulminate once. A contact explosive... I had some real fun with that! I was able to do it because one kit had nitric acid (That would be impossible today), and another ethyl alcohol . All i had to do was acquire a few other suplies and mercury; it was very common in the silent electrical switches of the day, and also in dial thermostats. Amazing what you could find in junk yards in the 80's...

[GaryK]

In the race between humans to make things more idiot-proof, and the Universe to make more idiots, the Universe will always win. That's one of the first lessons I was taught when learning about software development.