Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts

Monday, November 14, 2011

I like to have tea with cats in Japan because I'm shy

Perhaps I should move to Japan after all. Cat cafés? Fantastic idea. Maybe animal shelters should coordinate with cafés and feature their pets. Or something. I don't now how it would work here.

I'd rather go to a cat café than a "family friendly" one.

Meow Meow Meow | VICE: "United States" 'via Blog this'

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Instead of putting the brakes on nuclear plants, should we be building safer ones?

Instead of putting the brakes on nuclear plants, should we be building safer ones? | Grist

An interesting counterpoint to the knee-jerk anti-nuclear argument. I admit that radiation and nuclear plants freak me out in a way that's somewhat of an irrational fear, but I just really hate the idea of an area that's contaminated for SO long.

Mainly I like that a good design goes a long way towards solving major problems, like almost everything else in the world.

Also, as the XKCD radiation dose chart shows, you get more radioactive exposure next to a coal plant than a nuclear plant (in a non-emergency situation obviously). Coal plants have higher on-average health risks than nuclear plants, it's just worse during the rare times when everything goes horribly wrong.

Kind of like how I'd rather live in an area at risk of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes but they don't happen very often, rather than in a place like Kansas where I'm at a more common risk of tornadoes and living in Kansas.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

How to drive away from a tsunami

How to drive away from a tsunami

Unless you're being warned several hours in advance, it's true that driving away usually won't get you anywhere. The wave hits land at 500 or so mph (obviously it slows down after that but still).

If you only have a few minutes, or even half an hour, get vertical. Take the car (or bike!) to the edge of a cliff or hill or tall, concrete building and climb.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Japan’s Strict Codes and Drills Are Seen as Lifesavers - NYTimes.com

Japan’s Strict Codes and Drills Are Seen as Lifesavers - NYTimes.com

Good article on what preparedness can do. Without these precautions it's almost certain that the death toll would be much greater.