Amazon.com is selling Uranium Ore • Hacker News Board

Re: Amazon.com is selling Uranium Ore

#11

Post by Osmium » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 9:38 PM UTC

cylinder wrote: post #4

What is the most interesting thing I could do with this?

Wouldn't use uranium, because as another poster mentions it's more a novelty and there are better materials you could use, but you could make your own cloud chamber to observe radioactive decay with the naked eye. Makes for a really cool science demonstration :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pewTySxfTQk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_chamber

Re: Amazon.com is selling Uranium Ore

#12

Post by ryusage » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 9:38 PM UTC

cylinder wrote: post #4

What is the most interesting thing I could do with this?

Test your geiger counter, it sounds like. I think that's about it.

Re: Amazon.com is selling Uranium Ore

#13

Post by swamp40 » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 9:56 PM UTC

Here's another classic. A 55 gallon drum full of personal lubricant: http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Natural-Water-Based-Lubricant-...

Re: Amazon.com is selling Uranium Ore

#14

Post by nyarlathotep » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 9:57 PM UTC

cylinder wrote: post #4

What is the most interesting thing I could do with this?

Make a hardware RNG that's truly random by detecting the interval between decay events :)

Re: Amazon.com is selling Uranium Ore

#15

Post by ChuckMcM » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 10:04 PM UTC

zdw wrote: post #9

If you really want to get on the NSA's list, pick up this Thermite Kit: http://www.skylighter.com/mall/product-details.asp?id=2540

That is great stuff! :-)

Re: Amazon.com is selling Uranium Ore

#16

Post by telephonetemp » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 10:06 PM UTC

nyarlathotep wrote: post #14

cylinder wrote: post #4

What is the most interesting thing I could do with this?

Make a hardware RNG that's truly random by detecting the interval between decay events :)

> detecting the interval between decay events

How do you do that?

Re: Amazon.com is selling Uranium Ore

#17

Post by ChuckMcM » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 10:08 PM UTC

cylinder wrote: post #4

What is the most interesting thing I could do with this?

There isn't a whole lot you can do with it, you are basically getting a rock. You can show it is radioactive by running a geiger counter across it. Interestingly enough the old rare earth mine in Nevada, back when it was closed and essentially "abandoned" had a variety of radioactive materials in its tailings (the most common being Thorium) we did a science trip once to grab some and figure out the various isotopes in it.

If you put it in an air tight container you can collect Radon.

Re: Amazon.com is selling Uranium Ore

#18

Post by nyarlathotep » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 10:08 PM UTC

telephonetemp wrote: post #16

nyarlathotep wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Make a hardware RNG that's truly random by detecting the interval between decay events :)

> detecting the interval between decay events How do you do that?

http://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/hardware3.html

HotBits already has implemented the idea

Re: Amazon.com is selling Uranium Ore

#19

Post by coryfklein » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 10:09 PM UTC

I just love how it's categorized under "Occupational Health & Safety Products."

Does this mean I can list my chloroform under the "Cosmetics" category too?