Off-Topic: Nuclear waste: keep out for 100,000 years
https://next.ft.com/content/db87c16c-4947-11e6-b387-64ab0a67014c?siteedition=intl
The final designs for the warning markers do not need
to be submitted to the US government until about 2035, as the
facility will not be closed until about 2050. Today, the
official proposal is to have 48 granite monuments around the
site, each standing eight metres tall and weighing 20 tons.
But the idea of giant granite blocks -- trying to scare the
future into submission -- is already going out of style.
Charton calls it a "classic American solution" - "very big"
but also ugly, and "there is always a risk ugly things will be
destroyed" by locals. Another criticism is more fundamental.
The history of archaeology and tomb raiding suggests that
warnings have a tendency to be ignored or, worse, to incite
curiosity. The pharaohs' tombs in Egypt, hidden deep below the
desert, were raided in spite of dire curses warning against
it. Indiana Jones is a hero for breaking rules, not keeping
them. "Humans are naturally curious," says Charton. "Warnings
are an invitation."
- - -
"Do not press the red button."
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein ([email protected]): https://www.vortex.com/lauren
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: https://www.nnsquad.org
- PRIVACY Forum: https://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: https://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: https://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: https://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
I have consulted to Google, but I am not currently
doing so -- my opinions expressed here are mine alone.
_______________________________________________
pfir mailing list
https://lists.pfir.org/mailman/listinfo/pfir
