<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">In a message dated 7/4/04 1:31:34 PM Pacific Daylight Time, geneb@deltasoft.com writes:<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">>hi,<BR>
><BR>
>what next, fissile material?<BR>
<BR>
No, I'm keeping that for the reactor Rob and I want to build in the back<BR>
yard.</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
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Some kid here in California recently came up with an idea for a reactor using the radioactive material from inside industrial smoke detectors. A manufacturer obligingly sent him over a hundred broken ones to play with.<BR>
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He told the paper he had set up digital thermometers in the hope that if his idea worked out, the coffee can his reactor was in might show a slight but measurable increase in temperature. Cool Science Fair project, yes?<BR>
<BR>
He called the NRC and got sent a response team when it started glowing red hot and the needle on his (Also home made) geiger counter was pegged against the top end of the scale. They had to remove his entire garden shed and about three truckloads of topsoil.<BR>
<BR>
Richard</FONT></HTML>