An exploration of ultracoffee, radiation safety, and more often than not a beer or two.
When I put these polls up, one of the most common responses is “Why on Earth would anyone ask *me* to do this?” That’s fair, but this is my game. ;) But for reactor siting? The number of different fields we talk to is astounding, lest we miss something. You never know when you might …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – The NYC Reactor Problem”
No BBotE and shipping talk today. When people ask how I got into safety work or how to improve the safety culture in their research labs (industry is much easier to fix), I like to share this wisdom from my undergraduate advisor: “Working safely is not just something you do in addition to your research …
To reiterate, the good news here is zero chance of zombies. The bad news is that you have to cope with the living instead. Unlike the shambling dead, who are fairly goal oriented (re: your brains), the living have Opinions™ and they are often contradictory. [The twelfth in an ongoing series of my compiled explainers …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE: Radioactive Dead”
A good place to start is that counting labs rarely (read: I have never seen one) end up on the top floor with beautiful views of your surroundings. No, you get the dungeon labs where sunlight & windows are a rumor, but the radon down there is quite real. [The eleventh in an ongoing series …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – Radon Hijinks”
When you’re regarded as a teacher/professor’s favorite student over their entire career, it makes it very likely the school administration or alumni association will drop you a line for help, no matter what you went on to do in life. This may encourage you to move far from home. [The tenth in an ongoing series …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – Demonstration Radiation”
Mooching off of other departments is always a challenge, if for no other reason than they’re gonna mooch right back at you later. Of course, the things they’re most willing to give you is their garbage. As the saying goes, “It’s not waste if someone else has a use for it.” [The ninth in an …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – The Counting Experiment”
Medical Emergency vs. Rad is the natural follow up to Fire vs. Rad because the responder priorities are exactly the same: Life, Property, and Environment. Though in some jurisdictions they swap the order of those last two. Life saving efforts are always top priority though. [The eighth in an ongoing series of my compiled explainers …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – Med vs. Rad”
This scenario is much like when the Local Color brings you a dead radioactive seagull, except this time your surprisingly competent coworkers may have captured an actual live, radioactive, and displeased animal to bring to you. It’s just another day in paradise. [The seventh in an ongoing series of my compiled explainers for my CHOOSE …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – Urban Explorer Wildlife”
The traditional answer to avoiding NIMBY crap, whatever your particular issue may be, is to build your facility three miles down the road from the ass end of nowhere. Unfortunately, the suburbs will follow you and suddenly it’s your fault that you’re in their backyard again. You can’t win. [The sixth in an ongoing series …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – Wildfire vs. Rad”
It’s clear that folks have some experience clearing out the homes & offices of deceased friends and relatives who were eccentric. From the previous Radioactive Seagull Adventure, perhaps they were the Local Color. Inherit enough interesting things, you might get known as the Local Color too. [The fifth in an ongoing series of my compiled …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – Collections of the Dead”
For this scenario, count your blessings that they bothered to call you at all. SURPRISE ACCELERATOR is the worst kind of accelerator. I wish I could say this has never happened in my career. But you already knew this one existed. It’s the modification that’s the problem. [The fourth in an ongoing series of my …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – Surprise Positrons”
Since I used the word earlier today, “extended, unplanned deployment to an uninhabited island” is an excellent euphemismspeak for being marooned. Luckily, you aren’t marooned. You’ve just been sent in on a zodiac raft to get samples while boss-type sips coffee back on the boat. [The third in an ongoing series of my compiled explainers …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – Nuke Crabs”
Well folks, you did it. You all have a future as remediation contractors. Go get yourself some licenses, equipment, and hire some workers that you, personally, absolutely never have to suit up do this work. Oh wait, the money is thin. Welp, looks like you are. [The second in an ongoing series of my compiled …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE – Radio Shack”
The people who work in secured facilities will never know the pleasure of randos walking in off the street to drop things off. Maybe it’s an interesting shaped rock they’re CERTAIN is a dinosaur egg. Maybe it’s a grenade from grandpa’s war chest. Sometimes it’s a dead bird. [The first in an ongoing of compiled …
Continue reading “CHOOSE YOUR OWN RADIATION ADVENTURE: Radioactive Seagull”
I don’t know how many times I’ve started, stopped, and deleted trying to write something up on my trip to the Fukushima Hard-To-Return-To Area, AKA the Futaba District of the Fukushima Prefecture. Unfortunately, thanks to COVID-19, I have plenty of time to write this up now. I want to give thanks at the outset to …