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From: kring@washoe.Berkeley.EDU (Chuck Kring)
Newsgroups: sci.research,sci.space,sci.environment,misc.headlines,sci.misc
Subject: Re: Success with cold fusion reported
Message-ID: <11685@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 30 Mar 89 19:51:34 GMT
References: <8328@csli.STANFORD.EDU> <18213@glacier.STANFORD.EDU> <3451@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu> <77762DBH106@PSUVM> <1989Mar28.041030.2291@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> <1113@gvgpsa.GVG.TEK.COM>
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In article <8328@csli.STANFORD.EDU>, cphoenix@csli.STANFORD.EDU (Chris Phoenix) writes:
> Path: pasteur!ames!mailrus!purdue!decwrl!shelby!csli!cphoenix
> From: cphoenix@csli.STANFORD.EDU (Chris Phoenix)
> Newsgroups: sci.research,sci.space,sci.environment,misc.headlines,sci.misc
> Subject: Re: Success with cold fusion reported
> Message-ID: <8328@csli.STANFORD.EDU>
> Date: 30 Mar 89 09:30:26 GMT
> References: <18213@glacier.STANFORD.EDU> <3451@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu> <77762DBH106@PSUVM> <1989Mar28.041030.2291@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> <1113@gvgpsa.GVG.TEK.COM>
> Sender: cphoenix@csli.Stanford.EDU (Chris Phoenix)
> Reply-To: cphoenix@csli.stanford.edu (Chris Phoenix)
> Organization: Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford U.
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> Xref: pasteur sci.research:876 sci.space:10590 sci.environment:731 misc.headlines:12080 sci.misc:3720
> 
> In article <1113@gvgpsa.GVG.TEK.COM> johna@gvgpsa.gvg.tek.com.GVG.TEK.COM (John Abt) writes:
> 
> Imagine how cheap it would be, with unlimited power, to turn large areas of
> land into mirrors.  Just find any sandy area such as a desert, then melt it
> smooth, then sputter on some shiny metal.

Not to flame, but this is one of the stupidest ideas that I've read in this 
group.  In addition to totally destroying part of the environment, it simply 
will not work for two reasons:

    1> Deserts get cold at night because there is little vegetation or 
       water in the atmosphere to hold the heat.  Reflecting it during the 
       day would not significantly increase amount of heat which is radiated
       over time.

    2> If the greenhouse effect were a problem, then much of the reflected 
       sunlight would get trapped on the way back up and end up warming the 
       atmosphere anyway.

Finally, unlimited power does not imply cheap power.  Cold fusion aside,
everything that I've heard about fusion implies that it will be very 
expensive.  I haven't heard anyone who would really know claim that cold
fusion will be cheap.  How much does palladium cost?  How long will it 
last in in a fusion environment?

I hope that if you are ever in a position to make decisions which will affect 
the envorinment, you will give more thought about the ramifications of your
position.

Chuck Kring
UC Berkeley CAD Group
kring@ic.Berkeley.EDU