ATM Ultimate Power Supply: Laser Collimation

[Art Russell <artrussell@mindspring.com>]

A friend who follows beer (Hounds and Hare type) sent the basic article 
along for a bit of summer grins. However, as a good ATMer, I immediately 
got to thinking, what can I do with this information? How can I put this to 
good use in the ATM community? Then in a flash I remembered the recent 
postings on Laser Collimation. Voila, synthesis! A portable source of 
Hydrogen gas plus our collimated laser beams yields a solution for those 
who are burdened with the dead weight of batteries. Now you can be your own 
Fusion power supply!  Just watch out for night blindness (and other 
associated hazards).



How to truly "get toasted" at your next keg party ...


TOKYO (AP) -- Here in the chic pubs of the Aoyama district, the latest fad 
inspired by beer makers struggling through a sluggish economy is the 
flammable suds of the new Hydrogen Beer.  The latest craze among the
environmentally conscious crowd of twentysomethings, the "Suiso" beer made 
by the Asaka Beer Corporation has been extremely popular at karaoke 
sing-along bars and discotheques.

Hydrogen, like helium, is a gas lighter than air.  Because hydrogen 
molecules are lighter than air, sound waves are transmitted more rapidly; 
individuals whose lungs are filled with the nontoxic gas can speak with an 
uncharacteristically high voice.

Exploiting this quirk of physics, chic urbanites can now sing soprano parts 
on karaoke sing-along machines after consuming a big gulp of Suiso beer.

The drink comes in a transparent hexagonal bottle imported from the maker 
of the new American drink "Zima," according to Hideki Saito, marketing 
director of Asaka Beer Corp.  While the bottles are imported from 
Tennessee,
the labels are made with a 100% biodegradable polymer.  The bottle caps are 
equipped with a safety valve to prevent excess build-up of pressure in high 
temperatures.

The flammable nature of hydrogen has also become another selling point, 
even though Asaka has not acknowledged that this was a deliberate marketing 
ploy.  It has inspired a new fashion of blowing flames from one's mouth 
using a cigarette as an ignition source.  Many new karaoke videos feature 
singers shooting blue flames in slow motion, while flame contests took 
place in pubs everywhere in Tokyo on New Year's eve.

So far, Asaka beer has insisted that the quantities of hydrogen used in the 
drinks is too low to create potential for bodily harm. In the factory, the 
carbon dioxide that is dissolved in the beer is partially extracted and 
replaced with hydrogen gas.  Mr. Saito maintained that the remaining carbon 
dioxide mixed with hydrogen prevents the rate of combustion from increasing 
dramatically.  Carbon dioxide is a nonflammable gas that is naturally 
contained in the exhaled breath of humans.

However, the company has hesitated from marketing the product in the US due 
to legal complications. Each bottle of Suiso beer sells for approximately 
1,200 yen, or eleven US dollars. The bottles are packed in special crates 
lined with concrete to prevent chain explosions in the event of a fire.


With my apologies...Back to lurking...

Clear Skies!

Art Russell

Doctoral Candidate, Educational Psychology, Georgia State University, 
Atlanta, GA
Part Time Amateur Astronomer, Deep Sky Zombie Wannabe

"Only the educated are free." -- Epictetus, Discourses