Can world's largest laser zap Earth's energy woes?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/04/28/laser.fusion.nif/index.html?hpt=C1

Livermore, California (CNN) -- Scientists at a government lab here are trying to use the world's largest laser -- it's the size of three football fields -- to set off a nuclear reaction so intense that it will make a star bloom on the surface of the Earth.

I've only gotten this far into the article so I haven't read anything that expands upon this yet, but just on its face isn't this like a bazillion times more terrifying than the particle accelerator?

That article perfectly encompasses everything that's wrong about most mainstream science journalism.

how will james bond escape this latest predicament

"it will make a star bloom"

no it won't

a bazillion times more terrifying

No, since the "star" is very very very very very very very very small.

Also "not terrifying at all" x a bazillion = "not terrifying at all"

a very very very very very very very very small star can still be pretty big

Step three: On that tiny target, apply a smidge of deuterium and tritium, two reactive isotopes of hydrogen that can be extracted from seawater. Surround those atoms with a gold capsule that's smaller than a thimble.

Step four: Fire the laser!

....

Voila. An itty-bitty star is born.

Then they go into a he said she said argument about laboratory budgets and sustainable energy sources that we're supposed to take seriously after all this nursery rhyme bullshit.

I'm trying to figure out what part of "I've only gotten this far into the article so I haven't read anything that expands upon this yet" was unclear in my original post

also:

"There's no danger to the public," said Lynda Seaver, spokeswoman for the project.

"The [worst possible] mishap is, it doesn't work."

lol @ editing

Nobody's calling you an idiot. I'm just saying that it's an asinine article, from the title onward. Everything about it is written to provoke exactly the reaction you had, i.e. mad scientists in white coats made a megasuperdeath ray and think they're going to save the world -- or they might blow it up!!! The guy who wrote it isn't a journalist, he's a guy who with a science fiction fetish who wasn't important enough to report on what CNN considers to be "real" news.

eh don't look a gift horse in the mouth imo

lols are where you find them

I'm trying to figure out what part of "I've only gotten this far into the article so I haven't read anything that expands upon this yet" was unclear in my original post

― Marriage, that's where I'm a Viking! (HI DERE), 28 April 2010 14:17 (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I'mma say right out that you've been on both the internet and ILX long enough to know better than to post an article without having read it in full. You know full well you're gonna be held personally responsible for the content- Internet Law 101.

Actually, the slide show (and the captions) are very well done. I would just look at that and skip the actual article.

capsule in pic 3 is some mad scientist shit for real

I haven't read the article or this thread but I'd like to say, in response to the question asked in the title, that I am 100% certain that it can.

'This summer, scientists (...) will try to make a tiny star in this building"

So? Simon Cowell tries to make a star every year (and usually fails).

And he gets a lot more press, every single time. You'd think they would know better by now.

This experiment sounds awfully twee.

Nobody's calling you an idiot.

ftr that was for snoball, not you

also darraghmac OTM but hey

http://www.variety.com/graphics/photos/reviews/spider-man2_03.jpg

This think will eventually work, IMO.

^*thing"

http://www.demonbabies.com/blog/zapped.jpg

^^^movie is amazing fwiw

esp the part where Scatman Crothers gets high and steals Albert Einstein's bicycle

OK, is that really in that movie?