tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post2455755671542015472..comments2024-03-19T00:59:56.630-07:00Comments on LLNL - The True Story -: NIF's woesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-73262177051450729012012-09-26T16:04:03.403-07:002012-09-26T16:04:03.403-07:00Don't know if anyone is aware that the USA spe...Don't know if anyone is aware that the USA spends over 100Billion every year buying foreign energy. <br /><br />We can spend 30M to support growing mangoes in Pakistan but 250M a year for fusion research is too expensive.<br /><br />What a sad superficial world this is.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-57152000969616296932012-09-15T23:13:54.443-07:002012-09-15T23:13:54.443-07:00What makes you think NIF's taking a 60% cut???...What makes you think NIF's taking a 60% cut??? All outward (and various indward) indications appear otherwise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-89309904038263343352012-09-12T18:56:28.450-07:002012-09-12T18:56:28.450-07:00Could a 60% cut of a $272M NIF operating budget fo...Could a 60% cut of a $272M NIF operating budget for FY13 make Ed Moses throw in the towel or will he sit back and watch ~447 plus people of the 800+ on the project take a hike out the gate between Oct and Dec 25th.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-14736775239937213512012-08-30T13:19:44.273-07:002012-08-30T13:19:44.273-07:00I actually appreciate more this kind of snide atte...I actually appreciate more this kind of snide attempt at humor and mockery over the kind of angry slash and burn vitriole that was populating the LANL blog. This blog has its share of character assassination (perhaps with its share of contribution from LANL blog posters in fact). This blog is much more readable, and dare I say it, more entertaining.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-8595532705747546402012-08-30T10:40:16.611-07:002012-08-30T10:40:16.611-07:00"The fusion energy temple... or the statue of..."The fusion energy temple... or the statue of the inventor of the space elevator and the now popular and ubiquitous superstring..."<br /><br />Get back to your AP English essay, Wannabee, you have college to prepare for...close the blog, stop teasing the adults, turn-off the porn and get your essay written or you'll be off to JC or the Navy next Fall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-87948570480688124842012-08-28T12:55:22.757-07:002012-08-28T12:55:22.757-07:00The fusion energy temple and the statues should si...The fusion energy temple and the statues should sit right next to but not be dwarfed by the statue of Zefram Cochrane, the discoverer of warp-drive technology, or the statue of the inventor of the space elevator and the now popular and ubiquitous superstring. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-71782202822982485062012-08-28T12:50:05.440-07:002012-08-28T12:50:05.440-07:00We will erect statues of them pointing eastwards t...<i> We will erect statues of them pointing eastwards towards the rising sun, contemplating the harnessing of the sun’s power within our own facility! For millennia to come! We will erect a temple – a temple of fusion energy, in honor of those. </i><br /><br />I would love to see someone put together a computer graphics design of this. I kind of like the idea of having a fusion energy temple, somewhat like the water temples build as part of the water system. Maybe even a kind of "eternal flame" component which is actually powered by fusion energy, maybe even a continuously operated plasma of sorts. There should be an online design copetition for what the temple would look like.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-11797447160737454682012-08-27T11:18:08.333-07:002012-08-27T11:18:08.333-07:00NIF is a good community neighbor. Not to worry. ...NIF is a good community neighbor. Not to worry. It won't produce very much neutrons. It can't even get appreciable alpha heating! The community is safe for decades to come.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-16892251231355839912012-08-27T11:16:03.746-07:002012-08-27T11:16:03.746-07:00A good rule of thumb for estimating the annual ope...<i>A good rule of thumb for estimating the annual operating costs for a physics facility including the experiments performed at the facility is 15% of the capital construction costs. <br /></i><br /><br />You need to also consider other unique lifecycle costs like replacement optics and components, and the end-of-life disposal costs for low-level-radioactive materials of the chamber, equipment, and possibly the building. Oh wait scratch that. You would need to first produce an appreciable amount of neutrons before your building can start getting radioactive. At the end of life, the building materials will probably be pristine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-12299724515495464622012-08-27T10:01:20.594-07:002012-08-27T10:01:20.594-07:00Just to think, all the time and energy that goes i...Just to think, all the time and energy that goes into long term strategy development for the lab, and then it's all unraveled because of a two-bit criminal con artist who can't keep his hands out of the till. Maybe we all need to thank him though. He may have caused right outcome even if for the wrong reasons. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-4983103064911928802012-08-27T09:54:38.973-07:002012-08-27T09:54:38.973-07:00Purely hypothetically speaking, if a NIF director ...Purely hypothetically speaking, if a NIF director was found to be engaging in activities that amount to embezzlement, what does that mean for LLNL? It's one thing to lie to an NNSA or DOE administrator. It's quite another to commit a crime. What does that mean for the lab? More oversight? Program overhaul? More NNSA-wide training? Non-NIF parts of the lab get to pay even more for the sins of NIF in more ways than just through high overheads? NNSA has to throw more money at the lab to "fix" the problems, meaning less money for other labs/programs?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-85556202082344549132012-08-26T12:07:18.192-07:002012-08-26T12:07:18.192-07:00For those of you that are questioning the value of...For those of you that are questioning the value of all the funds that have gone into NIF over the years, recall that among the supporters of the boon doggle perhaps the single greatest supporter was Vic Reis. And also recall that McMillan has touted Reis as his model for leadership. <br /><br />Caveat emptor!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-18257861634102095342012-08-25T17:10:00.769-07:002012-08-25T17:10:00.769-07:00A good rule of thumb for estimating the annual ope...A good rule of thumb for estimating the annual operating costs for a physics facility including the experiments performed at the facility is 15% of the capital construction costs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-57942849258966385052012-08-24T20:22:06.671-07:002012-08-24T20:22:06.671-07:00I miss the pranks. I miss the pranks. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-1697111781071701382012-08-24T19:28:31.458-07:002012-08-24T19:28:31.458-07:00How does the annual cost to operate NIF compare wi...How does the annual cost to operate NIF compare with other science facilities around the country?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-23931331528369117962012-08-24T19:21:25.455-07:002012-08-24T19:21:25.455-07:00NIF is nothing more that Don Quixote's (LLNL&#...NIF is nothing more that Don Quixote's (LLNL's) windmill. Battle on Don, battle on....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-70374806974757159702012-08-24T16:51:53.632-07:002012-08-24T16:51:53.632-07:00I really miss the swimming pool. When that starte...I really miss the swimming pool. When that started leaking and it was found to be too expensive to fix, that really was a big blow to morale. They used to offer technical diving classes after hours in that pool. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-73742811552468954722012-08-24T14:08:36.120-07:002012-08-24T14:08:36.120-07:00Bring back the good ole days when we used to make ...<i>Bring back the good ole days when we used to make our own moonshine at the lab and had a good ole time</i><br /><br />I heard some old lore about the moonshine whiskey days, this must have been way back in the days when the lab had a bunch of barracks and wooden buildings. It must have been a interesting time. Like something-rad-lab, or something like that. The name they gave to moonshine. In interesting tidbit about the early days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-89396601886328227562012-08-24T12:22:55.613-07:002012-08-24T12:22:55.613-07:00"Perhaps you can contact your colleague, Dr, ..."Perhaps you can contact your colleague, Dr, Lee ..." <br />August 22, 2012 11:32 PM<br /><br /><br />That would be the infamous convicted spy and former LLNL employee, Peter Lee.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-52426444711365363112012-08-24T10:30:48.690-07:002012-08-24T10:30:48.690-07:00Isn't LLNS a nonprofit where donations are tax...Isn't LLNS a nonprofit where donations are tax deductable?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-19825051788101300592012-08-24T09:16:57.559-07:002012-08-24T09:16:57.559-07:00With nearly $6B invested, whether $450M or $2B mor...<i>With nearly $6B invested, whether $450M or $2B more is needed is less important than completing the investigation. <br /></i><br /><br />Since the poster of this statement essentially identified himself, this can now be considered an attributed statement, as well as the others made in that same entry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-35424162958831763822012-08-24T09:08:19.932-07:002012-08-24T09:08:19.932-07:00I hope you didn't try to write apply those don...I hope you didn't try to write apply those donated 2500 hours off as deductions in your taxes. You'd be in a heap of trouble if you did. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-88196141944664439362012-08-24T08:57:50.450-07:002012-08-24T08:57:50.450-07:00Don't they also own a patent for the concept o...Don't they also own a patent for the concept of using lasers to produce fusion energy? That should be worth alot. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-50367973660015539962012-08-23T16:52:19.974-07:002012-08-23T16:52:19.974-07:00Don't like the results, tough. That's the ...<i>Don't like the results, tough. That's the state of the art, and if you didn't understand what you saw in your tour, well that's a pity.</i><br /><br />When I go to IBM or Intel, I see state of the art. Showing me a big well-designed well-engineered facility of optics and components whose functions and workings I already knew and understood 10 years ago, is not showing state of the art. Stop fooling yourself. Stop trying to fool us. Alot of us know better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-44447088870399984482012-08-23T16:33:55.503-07:002012-08-23T16:33:55.503-07:00You can also get salvage value from the metal and ...You can also get salvage value from the metal and parts in the facility. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com