[R-390] METERS What To Do?

[Barry Hauser]

Boomer wrote
> Whatever the case, the radium is still very active. Don't think I'd care
to dig
> into them for the sake of glass-cleaning, either.

The radium will be good to go for a few thousand more years, whether or not
the phosphorescent paint loses its mojo and fails to glow.  I think the deal
is this -- the phosphor paint they use now on watch dials, etc. is "charged"
with light.  In the good old days, the glow-in-the-dark stuff was energized
with the mystical atomic rays from the radium that was mixed in with the
paint.  (Look, Ma ... no batteries!)  This way, it would glow 24/7 without
need for light exposure.

Reminds me ... like that auto commercial with the cars of the future,
according to all those magazines like Popular Science in the 50's.  We were
also supposed to be unhooked from the power co's by now -- and no need for
gas or fuel oil.  Yup, down in your basement shoulda' been by now a very
small nuclear (not "nucular", dammit) reactor about the size of a toaster
providing all the 'lectric and heat you'll need.  Only needs to be recharged
with more uranium or plutonium every few millennia.  You should also have a
fallout shelter fully stocked -- just in case something goes wrong with your
reactor (or the neighbor's) Sumpin's wrong .. I still have an oil burner
down there.

Back to the meters -- if you open them and let the genie out, your hair and
teeth won't fall out and you won't develop cataracts -- not immediately.
Depending on your age and future plans, you might want to don your
lead-lined jocky shorts, or stop by the dentist and ask to borrow that thing
they put on you when they blast your head with X-rays -- which I suspect
promote tooth decay, gum trouble and hair & teeth falling out, etc.

Barry
Runnin' -- duckin' & coverin'