4 ms·

Hilarious to read such a detailed answer to a stupid question. Scary that nukes seem to become a swiss army knife solution to every problem (isis, north korea

by shroom 9y ago

Hilarious to read such a detailed answer to a stupid question. Scary that nukes seem to become a swiss army knife solution to every problem (isis, north korea and now hurricanes). Aweful rhetoric from world leaders combined with media hype I guess. Reminds me of the also hilarious poster from The Simpsons "Nuke the whales" :)

gambiting 9y ago
There are nukes and there are nukes. You can build a nuke that produces a lot of fallout and contaminates large areas for decades, or you can build one that is just a big explosive with little if any side effects. If a particular problem can be solved by releasing a lot of energy in one place quickly then it's worth at least considering a nuclear explosion. As others have mentioned - nukes have been considered for peaceful engineering projects in the past, and successfully used in some, like closing off oil well fires that couldn't be extinguished in any other ways - small nuclear device solved the problem without any side effects.
- shroom 9y ago
  I'm aware that nuclear tests are done at sea but there is always going to be fallout. The oceans and the planet is already contaminated enough. Fallout aside, we understand very little about weather. It's difficult to predict if it's going to rain tomorrow or not. We have no idea what happens to the weather if we manage to stop a hurricane...
  - gambiting 9y ago
    Of course, and that's why using nukes against hurricanes is a bad idea, but I don't think there's anything stupid about at least asking the question.
    - xxxdarrenxxx 9y ago
      Nuking and fallout also tend to carry somewhat abstract and emotional meanings to the every day person. You essentially dispersing (or fusing likewise) certain molecule bonds which release heat and energy, which can be deadly, and the layer of "molecule depth" in which this happens makes it so it messes up the molecule bonds off the human body with rigorous results. While there are certain difference, without the negative connotation these kinds of manipulation can equally bring something good. You can't cut diamond with a a cardboard knife either and life itself is power by a giant fusion reactor

by shroom 9y ago

gambiting 9y ago

There are nukes and there are nukes. You can build a nuke that produces a lot of fallout and contaminates large areas for decades, or you can build one that is just a big explosive with little if any side effects. If a particular problem can be solved by releasing a lot of energy in one place quickly then it's worth at least considering a nuclear explosion. As others have mentioned - nukes have been considered for peaceful engineering projects in the past, and successfully used in some, like closing off oil well fires that couldn't be extinguished in any other ways - small nuclear device solved the problem without any side effects.

shroom 9y ago
I'm aware that nuclear tests are done at sea but there is always going to be fallout. The oceans and the planet is already contaminated enough. Fallout aside, we understand very little about weather. It's difficult to predict if it's going to rain tomorrow or not. We have no idea what happens to the weather if we manage to stop a hurricane...
- gambiting 9y ago
  Of course, and that's why using nukes against hurricanes is a bad idea, but I don't think there's anything stupid about at least asking the question.
  - xxxdarrenxxx 9y ago
    Nuking and fallout also tend to carry somewhat abstract and emotional meanings to the every day person. You essentially dispersing (or fusing likewise) certain molecule bonds which release heat and energy, which can be deadly, and the layer of "molecule depth" in which this happens makes it so it messes up the molecule bonds off the human body with rigorous results. While there are certain difference, without the negative connotation these kinds of manipulation can equally bring something good. You can't cut diamond with a a cardboard knife either and life itself is power by a giant fusion reactor