101–110 of 125 posts
I think we need only reflect on our own likely response to any conceivable attempt by a previous civilisation to so forewarn us, to realise the futility of our attempting likewise.
I’m reminded of this big red sign I saw in a men’s room, just above a big red button: “ATTENTION DO NOT PUSH RED BUTTON UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY” It took every ounce of my will power not to push the damn button. https://i.imgur.com/xnfVpOh.jpg
“Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.” -- Terry Pratchett
I feel like there's something to think about here since we couldn't even keep the page with this information active for a decade and the goal is to keep the actual warning around for 10,000 years.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Finland already created their first long term nuclear waste storage facility. They must have some symbology up - what do they use? https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-07-31/finlands-solution-nuc...
Quote from your article link: “The idea is to more or less forget it. It’s based on passive safety,” he says. “There aren’t any plans to put any kind of warning signs or anything like that. There won’t be anything.” Looks like Finland is taking the complete opposite approach.
>We have all become very marker-prone, but shouldn't we nevertheless admit that, in the end, despite all we try to do, the most effective "marker" for any intruders will be a relatively limited amount of sickness and death caused by the radioactive waste? In other words, it is largely a self-correcting process if anyone intrudes without appropriate precautions, and it seems unlikely that intrusion on such buried waste would lead to large-scale disasters. An analysis of the likely number of deaths over 10,000 years due to inadvertent intrusion should be conducted. This cost should be weighted against that of the marker system.
I've actually thought about this quite a lot. Not because I have an expertise in the matter--I don't. But because it's such a fascinating thought experiment. My proposed solution goes something like this: It is hard to convey that there is nothing of value and only danger within. So what if you just made the site actually dangerous on the surface? Is it possible to build something like a lake of acid that would make…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
We should create something like the olympiad to gather together and re-tell the epic story of danger every few years, rather than building a monument and hoping it still means something on its own.
There was an episode of the podcast 99% invisible about the facility mentioned in the OP. It concludes with the idea that the best way for ideas and messages to survive for thousands of years (and transcend language barriers etc.) is to engrave it in the culture of the people at the time. A great example, and one used by the podcast, is to create genetically engineered cats whose eyes glow in the presence of radioact…
It is a bit strange to worry about the safety of (a small subset of) people several hundred generations down while at the same time ignoring the possibility that Earth may not be hospitable to humans within two generations.
It is a bit strange to worry about the safety of (a small subset of) people several hundred generations down while at the same time ignoring the possibility that Earth may not be hospitable to humans within two generations.
> An analysis of the likely number of deaths over 10,000 years due to inadvertent intrusion should be conducted. This cost should be weighted against that of the marker system.
i'm curious re: where you're coming from with "ignoring the possibility that Earth may not be hospitable to humans within two generations" – I feel like that's outside the scope of this document. also, couldn't the same be said about any plan with a long enough timeline?
Radioactive "waste" is rare material, full of energy. It is dangerous and we may not know what to do with it now but it may turn out valuable in the future.
Just describe precisely what's inside.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I once stopped the monorail at Disney. In case you’re wondering what happens if you try to force the doors open while it’s in motion. Don’t do that.
What was your expected outcome?