Swedish hobbyist arrested
Apparently, certain hobbies can get you arrested in Sweden…especially if that hobby has to do with splitting atoms (Associated Press link);
The 31-year-old [Richard] Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.
Only later did he realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden’s Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.
He was arrested for possession of nuclear material. Handl admits that it probably wasn’t a good idea to build a nuclear reactor in his kitchen and promises to keep his future research in the theory realm.
Thanks to all of you who sent the link.
Category: Who knows
I got an itch to build a nuclear power generator for my house, to cut down on electric bills, so I’m gonna get me some radioactive isotopes and get to crackin’.
Nah, there’s nothing dangerous about that, I read the plans in Popular Mechanics.
Sounds like another radioactive boy scout: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn
Maybe he was trying to put it on a Delorian. I hear they can do crazy shit when they get up to 88 MPH
Great–all alpha emitters. Nice goin, douchebag.
Throw in some old lantern mantles and radium watch dials, ya douchenozzle.
Besides, none of those are 1–odd-numbered isotopes, 2–able to fission using thermal neutrons (see #1.), and most importantly 3–you ain’t got nowhere near enough fissile material to create or maintain a critical reaction, lucky you, else you’d end up like Harry Daghlian or Louis Slotin.
I guess it’s true–a LITTLE knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Dear Mr. Handl, in the future, just stick to shit like sticking forks into light sockets or smashing bullets between rocks, mkay?
#2 DaveB’s example is why I have problems with this kind of “hobby.” While these nerds can’t actually produce a reactor, they do seem to be capable of producing high levels of radiation. While their tolerance of personal risk in the name of science is admirable, their negligence as to the risk they pose their neighbors isn’t admirable at all!
PN, radiation isn’t necessarily the problem. It’s the CONTAMINATION they spread because they treat this shit like pixie dust and just fling it everywhere.
Sparky,–
^^What you said. This astounds me. Even a basic Wikipedia search would have told this eedjit what he was doing was a) doomed to failure, and b) dangerous and stupid. I nominate Candidate Handl for the 2011 Darwin Award also-rans.
Oh, and he obviously never heard the “alpha-beta-gamma-neutron cookie” parable.