The importance of scale
 

How to survive a fall or a predator [url]https://www.wired.com/story/how-outrun-dinosaur/[/url]
(Things I hope to not need to know)

[url=https://nypost.com/2020/07/31/man-who-lost-penis-to-blood-infection-has-new-one-built-on-his-arm]Man who lost penis to blood infection has new one built on his arm[/url] | NY Post

[i]A British man whose penis fell off due to a severe blood infection had a new one built – on his arm, where he even got an extra 2 inches, according to a report.[/i]

Best reader comment: "this gives new meaning to 'wearing your hard on your sleeve'."

Dude's p0rnstar name will be "Rambo", because he's so well-armed.

Fire and series of explosions in Beirut port sent many to nearby hospital, which had been destroyed also. [URL]https://www.theblaze.com/news/breaking-massive-explosion-in-beirut-rocks-buildings-for-hundreds-of-feet-source-remains-unclear[/URL]

A video of the second (much larger explosion):
[URL="http://mobile.twitter.com/borzou/status/1290675854767513600"]http://mobile.twitter.com/borzou/status/1290675854767513600[/URL]

One of those buildings vanishes.

Damage radius several miles; people knocked off their feet at more than half a kilometer. Fatality count has reached 60 and injuries in the thousands. Initially there was a fireworks factory fire, and the big blast is being attributed to a subsequent detonation of a shipload of ammonium or sodium nitrate. Some people are claiming on Twitter they think it was a nuclear explosion. But the video does not support that. There are multiple flashes of small fireworks explosions during daylight as the fire continues, then the large detonation. and largely spherical shock wave. The red brown cloud is the product of of the fireworks fire, before the big blast. Probably a lot of firefighters killed. Beirut has been through so much, for so long.

Seems likely to be added to this list that's already too long. [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_artificial_non-nuclear_explosions[/URL]

[QUOTE=kriesel;552567]Damage radius several miles; people knocked off their feet at more than half a kilometer. Fatality count has reached 60 and injuries in the thousands. Initially there was a fireworks factory fire, and the big blast is being attributed to a subsequent detonation of a shipload of ammonium or sodium nitrate. Some people are claiming on Twitter they think it was a nuclear explosion. But the video does not support that. There are multiple flashes of small fireworks explosions during daylight as the fire continues, then the large detonation. and largely spherical shock wave. The red brown cloud is the product of of the fireworks fire, before the big blast. Probably a lot of firefighters killed. Beirut has been through so much, for so long.[/QUOTE]

I have to disagree with part of your assessment. The white smoke appears to be the fireworks fire. When the ammonium nitrate exploded in a nearby warehouse (2,750 tons of it) the reddish cloud was produced. That would be normal for an ammonium nitrate explosion.

At least that is the current story. 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored there for the last 6 years, and the fireworks factory explosion fire set it off.

But I have a problem with that story. As far as I know, ammonium nitrate needs to be mixed with a catalyst (like diesel fuel) in the right proportions before it becomes that explosive (like the Oklahoma City truck bomb which was mixed in 55 gallon barrels). So unless the stored ammonium nitrate had been specially prepared ahead of time, I don't see how a fire could have caused it to explode with that magnitude.

[QUOTE=PhilF;552570]When the ammonium nitrate exploded in a nearby warehouse (2,750 tons of it) the reddish cloud was produced. That would be normal for an ammonium nitrate explosion.

At least that is the current story. 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored there for the last 6 years, and the fireworks factory explosion fire set it off.

But I have a problem with that story. As far as I know, ammonium nitrate needs to be mixed with a catalyst (like diesel fuel) in the right proportions before it becomes that explosive (like the Oklahoma City truck bomb which was mixed in 55 gallon barrels). So unless the stored ammonium nitrate had been specially prepared ahead of time, I don't see how a fire could have caused it to explode with that magnitude.[/QUOTE]Ok, watched some again, I see what you mean about plume color timing. In a truck-bomb, such as Oklahoma City, or [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Hall_bombing"]Sterling Hall Madison WI[/URL], the liquid fuel is there partly to help the detonation shock wave propagate through the granular nitrate material. If the nitrate is already consolidated it will sometimes detonate without liquid fill with a sufficient trigger, even accidentally. See the Oppau disaster, where they were doing small blasting with dynamite to break up consolidated material, intending NOT to cause a bulk detonation, just help the workers using pickaxes by breaking up the material. [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppau_explosion[/URL] Fuel oil or other fuel combusting may boost the yield of a truck bomb, but it is not required to cause a fertilizer detonation. [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANFO#Disasters"]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANFO#Disasters [/URL]
The sudden appearance of the reddish part of the plume is consistent with explosive decomposition of nitrate to produce nitrogen dioxide. [URL]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_dioxide[/URL]
Explosives become unstable upon heating. A fireworks factory fire can both send initiators flying, and provide heating.

[QUOTE=PhilF;552570]But I have a problem with that story. As far as I know, ammonium nitrate needs to be mixed with a catalyst (like diesel fuel) in the right proportions before it becomes that explosive (like the Oklahoma City truck bomb which was mixed in 55 gallon barrels). So unless the stored ammonium nitrate had been specially prepared ahead of time, I don't see how a fire could have caused it to explode with that magnitude.[/QUOTE]
On April 16, 1947, the almost 2000 metric tons of ammonium nitrate deep in the hold of the French cargo ship [i]Grandcamp[/i] at Texas City, Texas [url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fertilizer-explosion-kills-581-in-texas]caught fire, and ultimately exploded[/url]. The ship's 3000-pound anchor was found two miles away.

So plain old ammonium nitrate can make a big explosion if you simply get enough of it hot enough.

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;552577]On April 16, 1947, the almost 2000 metric tons of ammonium nitrate deep in the hold of the French cargo ship [i]Grandcamp[/i] at Texas City, Texas[/QUOTE]I knew a lady that lost her father in that event. Some things just disappeared with no trace of them ever found.

Airlander 10. Section: Design. "Hmmmm…"
 

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_Air_Vehicles_HAV_304/Airlander_10#/media/File:Airlander_-_Mission_Module_Fitting.jpg[/url]