Things that make you go "Hmmmm…"

[Batalov]

https://thispersondoesnotexist.com/

[Dr Sardonicus]

This February 14, 2019 editorial in the Linden, Alabama Democrat-Reporter, which for some reason wasn't in their online edition, has raised a few eyebrows...

[firejuggler]

Charming
https://qz.com/1553777/a-teenager-fo...canyon-museum/

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by firejuggler

charming
https://qz.com/1553777/a-teenager-fo...canyon-museum/

I wouldn't be too concerned about the amount of radiation from a bucket of uranium ore: Uranium isn't all that radioactive -- ²³⁸U has a half-life of about 4.5 billion years, and ²³⁵U about 0.7 billion years. Both are alpha emitters. Your skin can stop alpha particles.

So, no problem, right? WRONG! One of the buckets was open, because it was too full to get the lid on. This creates the possibility of having radioactive dust floating around in the air. And while alpha emitters outside the body aren't much cause for concern, getting small alpha-emitting particles inside you is definitely cause for concern. Small enough dust particles can be inhaled, and lodge in the lungs. In that situation, emitted alpha particles will almost certainly hit living cells, and could make them cancerous.

There is another possible hazard, namely radon gas -- a "hot" (short half life) alpha emitter. My guess is, in the situation here it probably wasn't much of a hazard -- radon gas generally doesn't accumulate to dangerous levels except in underground locations in which the air is still.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

There is another possible hazard, namely radon gas -- a "hot" (short half life) alpha emitter. My guess is, in the situation here it probably wasn't much of a hazard -- radon gas generally doesn't accumulate to dangerous levels except in underground locations in which the air is still.

Such as basements of houses built on granite. Very common in places like Cornwall.

Even then, the radiation dosage is comparable to having a medical X-ray once a year or so.

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by xilman

Such as basements of houses built on granite. Very common in places like Cornwall.

Exactly! Also, in mines, which, if my understanding is correct, are also common in Cornwall. Hopefully, active mines use radon mitigation, but inactive or abandoned mines might have very high concentrations of the stuff. I'd be extremely wary about entering such a place.

[Batalov]

Another ‘genealogical DNA hit’ discovery brings DNA testing again in the news: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...r-1973-n973526
(in addition to the Golden State Killer news stream since last year)

People who sequence themselves via DTC services (23andme, Ancestry.com) probably don’t expect that FBI also gets access to that data (and then, by extension, to their relatives). This might become a factor in whole genome/exome sequencing recruitment (more than it already does).

[Dr Sardonicus]

Hmm. It seems that Jussie Smollett staged the attack reported recently, and has been charged with violating the Ninth Commandment filing a false police report, a felony.

This case immediately brought to mind that of Tawana Brawley.

There is some irony here. A certain Al Sharpton took up her cause, and wound up (along with Brawley and two other of her "advisors") on the wrong end of a defamation lawsuit by prosecutor Steven Pagones. Now, 31-plus years older, many pounds lighter, and perhaps a bit sobered by his experience as defendant in a defamation suit, Sharpton is criticizing Smollett for his little stunt.

[ewmayer]

Amazon.com: Customer Questions & Answers: Wenger 16999 Swiss Army Knife Giant -- Based on the wide-ranging Q&A, clearly this product has attracted a passionate following. If you click on the link to the actual item page at top you see used ones on offer for over $8000 - given that this little beauty retailed for $1000 when it first came to market, buying a bunch new at the time for later resale would've proved a very good investment.

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

Amazon.com: Customer Questions & Answers: Wenger 16999 Swiss Army Knife Giant

I have what I believe to be the largest practical SAK. I used to carry it all of the time. I need to send it in for service.

[Xyzzy]

https://www.cnet.com/news/google-doo...ladyzhenskaya/