h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A672374



Yup, that's right, DIY Nukes.

(PS Don't hit just yet, I'm expecting this one to be removed for checking anyway)

Peta and Mark both know it's coming, but don't be surprised if it disappears for a while.

Since this article aims to be technically accurate the reference to "the breakdown of communism" should be changed to something which reflects the reality, eg "since the breakup of the Soviet Union" or "since the demise of the stalinist states". The viciously undemocratic dictatorships which persevered in the east for a few decades had nothing in common with communism whatsoever.

Also, the target should be moved from London to somewhere further away like Birmingham.

Looks awfully like the Taliban recipe, from the Journal of Irreproducible Results

Hi there,

Firstly, "Technically Accurate" - I'm not sure that I want this one to be 100% technically accurate, if there are technical faults in it, I'll correct them, but as for technical omissions, they're probably best left out.

Secondly - I'll think about changing the "communist" term - but I don't think I can put in your description

Lastly - Choice of targets - I wanted this article to create an impact - if i'd chosen Birmingham as a target, most people would have just said 'and about time too' (Just joking all you brummies out there)

whisky

Personally I think it could do with some sort of disclaimer on top of the official one. Something along the lines of this:

Listen kids, don't try this at home. In fact, don't try this anywhere, ever! It's VERY illegal and if by some miracle you survive, will land you in prison for a VERY long time.

BTW Whisky, The Brighton Bomb was in 1984.

Boom! Boom!

What was the name of the Tom Clancy book all about this particular subject? Anyone else read it? He seemed to suggest that there was one element that had to be *extremely* precisely crafted or else the whole thing would just be a fizzle.

The people in question didn't want a fizzle!

I don't know quite what else to say about the piece. Sorry. I *was* quick enough to read it before it disappeared, though.

Seeya
Spiff

Whoops, it's gone, never mind, hopefully I'll get it back in almost one piece
PS Croz, thanks for the date, I'd completely forgotten it and then forgot to look it up

Re Tom Clancy Book:- "The Sum of All Fears".

It'll be interesting to see if this article ever comes back from moderation. It's aroused my curiosity, at any rate.

I haven't read that Tom Clancy book for years, but I seem to remember that the bomb described in that book was of the implosion variety - which is much more efficient but a lot harder to make. The shape of the fissile material and the conventional charge around it has to be precisely machined so that the explosion is 'balanced', otherwise it just falls apart. Mine's far simpler (in theory - I haven't tryed it out for real ).

whisky

Wanted to see this so I'm bookmarking in the hope it comes back.

Surely the way to make a nuke is fairly standard science these days and shouldn't need to be moderated.

Let's face it. It's reasonably easy assuming you're an exceptional engineer with access to a uranium 235 refining plant and/or incredibly large amounts of money to buy the stuff on the black market.

while I like the article, I find that it is using an overly hard method for making it work.

you can produce a perfectly functional nuclear bomb with a lot less stuff than this, basically just enough u235 and an ordinary type of explosive.

If you use 2*90% of critical mass charges, and then fire one of them at the other, you produce a nuce large explosion with plenty of radiation. If you then surround one of them with cobalt chloride, you make it nice and dirty as well.

alternatively, all you need is a small amount of lithium deuteride (less than a cough bottle full) and about 1 farad of capacitors. you then discharge the capacitors instantaniously through the lithium deuteride, and you get a nuclear explosion in the 10's of kiloton range.

This alternative design will fit inside a small truck, so it is mobile. and lithium deuteride is not radio-active, so it isn't detectable either.

ps you mention using an iron safe to stop the radiation. this would not stop the gamma rays, and thus you would be arrested by customs unless you lined it with lead first.

fascinating...

In answer to xyroth:

If you use 2*90% of critical mass charges, and then fire one of them at the other, you produce a nuce large explosion with plenty of radiation. If you then surround one of them with cobalt chloride, you make it nice and dirty as well.

I thought that's what I just described? with the exception of Cobalt Chloride, but there again, the addition of Cobalt Chloride would just further complicate the procedure

alternatively, all you need is a small amount of lithium deuteride (less than a cough bottle full) and about 1 farad of capacitors. you then discharge the capacitors instantaniously through the lithium deuteride, and you get a nuclear explosion in the 10's of kiloton range.

This alternative design will fit inside a small truck, so it is mobile. and lithium deuteride is not radio-active, so it isn't detectable either.

I must admit, this one I didn't know - I'll have to try it out

ps you mention using an iron safe to stop the radiation. this would not stop the gamma rays, and thus you would be arrested by customs unless you lined it with lead first.

Uranium 235 is a relatively weak gamma ray source, most of the radiation is Alpha particles, which would be easily stopped by the safe itself - Anyone here work for the Channel Tunnel firm and could let us know the sensitivity of your equipment?


whisky

Oh, come on, be serious moderators... the above post was a simple response to xyroths post..

whisky

Ok folks, the entry reappeared for a while, and then disappeared after I'd altered it.

If you're interested, the only changes made were

19?? to 1984
and
communist to soviet union

I can see that this one's likely to get referred every time I touch it, so please be patient folks

here - have a , or while your waiting.


whisky

Hey Whisky

I suspect that reply to Xy was lifted coz of the reference to a certain hole in the ground's security systems!

Remember, we live in interesting times in RL right now.

Spiff

Either that or the fact that I said I'd have to try out his ideas
---- please note moderators - this is not true ----

Hey, just why is that plain brown van parked across the road from my office

It's got a logo on the side for a company called

C harlotte's
I nterior Decorating
A gency

Oops



whisky, no, I haven't seen anyone called whisky, nobody here but us



(as you can see, I'm not taking this one too seriously)

[:x] -- just booking marking -- this could be interesting when it returns.

Florists in dark glasses...the old give-away.

Interior decorators in dark glasses...the old give-away