Comments on: Tornado Power, Shape-Shifting Planes and Why You Look Like Your Spouse

By: Don Edwards

Don Edwards — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 22:39:09 +0000

We actually do have wind-powered turbines that deal with speeds of 120 MPH and higher – quite a bit higher.

The problem is where to put such a thing. They must be extremely heavily built for their size, as compared to an ordinary low-wind-speed turbine. A turbine that does well at 120MPH airspeed would probably be unmoved by a 20MPH breeze.

And there’s a further complication that any given generator performs optimally only at a certain range of RPMs, which means that even if the windmill itself can handle a large range of wind speed, the generator probably has a narrow range.

So where do you put a high-speed windmill?

At present, we usually put them *inside* jet engines.

By: Doc

Doc — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:49:26 +0000

I, too, am a bit leery of trying to create and harness tornados.

For one thing, what if they get loose? Who’s going to pay for the damages.

Also, I don’t know of anyone that has designed an electric-generating turbine that can accomodate of 120+ mph winds. Mine go into idle mode if the wind hits 20 knots – would burn up the generators and fry the bearings…

By: leofishy

leofishy — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 23:19:16 +0000

The urine traces thing reminded me of a “Gilmore Girls” episode in which Rory (on a first date) tells her date an anecdote about scientists finding urine traces in bowls of mints sitting at the exit in restaurants and whatnot. So when you eat them, Rory says, you’re eating “urine-mints.”

By: JaneM

JaneM — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:33:19 +0000

Lindsay D I am with you! The way we humans often do things I can just seea ‘Whoops, my bad. I just unleashed a category 99 by mistake’

By: Lindsay D

Lindsay D — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 18:59:15 +0000

….I guess growing up and living next to Tornado Alley has given me more of a terrified respect of tornadoes than a desire to try to manipulate them.

By: Lindsay D

Lindsay D — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 18:57:24 +0000

I’m all for advances in the scientific field, however I feel uneasy about the fact that we might be creating tornadoes, even if it’s for the cause of harnessing energy. Does anybody else feel something nagging in the back or their mind that messing with nature in such a proportion as this could be devastating? Or am I just too narrow minded?

By: Anita

Anita — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:53:09 +0000

“…traces of urine on the prints.”?!?!???

And then everything they touch…

Ewwwwww. Someone pass the disinfectant, stat!

By: ac

ac — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:52:46 +0000

I was thinking the same thing.. I never eat from the candy bowl at my office’s reception desk… too many possibilties there.

By: B

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:49:02 +0000

Wait a minute – you said, “For example, they could tell…if the criminal was male by traces of urine on the prints.” You mean it’s not just the man in my life – you guys all just TAKE IT FOR GRANTED that you don’t have to wash your hands….??!!??