Artifact #3 Digital: POWER

1. Artifact #3 Digital:POWER Marshall Stouffer

2. Click on a “fuel rod” for a new meaning POWER Output: 42 GW

3. 1A particular mental or physical faculty, capacity, or ability. When I was in fourth grade, a handful of my friends and I decided to make our own group of superheroes, each with super powers based off of something unique about us. I played ice hockey all through elementary school, so my character was based on ice. I could skate incredibly fast on ice that would create a path to my destination (somewhat like Freeze in The Incredibles, which came out after our ideas) while being able to slap-shot pucks of different abilities (freeze on contact, burn, explode, the usual). I cannot remember exactly what my friends’ powers were, but we spent hours on end not only enacting scenes we created on the spot, but creating a whole universe of objectives, villains, and allies. As we grow older, these ideas are harder to imagine as they become less and less real. The more of a stretch from reality the idea is, the harder it is to enact, and the less fun it becomes. The only ways left for such ideas to grow are in text or animated film, which can then be adapted into film and into live action. Text and animation are practically out of reach for the kids with such minds, leaving stories like that of my friends and I to wither and become stories reminisced upon when writing in each other’s senior yearbooks before parting ways for college and life. And only the most generally appealing stories become successful, like Batman (a masked vigilante with an endless array of tools) or Spiderman (a smart kid whose body is altered for superior senses) while not so popular ones (the list is too long) fall out. Although many of us occasionally have “what if” moments of thought, we are always forced to dismiss them and wake up to a reality without super powers. “A bite from a radioactive spider on a school field trip causes a variety of changes in the body of Peter Parker and gives him superpowers. In the original Lee-Ditko stories, Spider-Man has the ability to cling to walls, superhuman strength, a sixth sense ("spider-sense") that alerts him to danger, perfect balance and equilibrium, as well as superhuman speed and agility. Some of his comic series have him shooting webs from his wrists. Brilliant, Parker excels in applied science, chemistry, and physics. The character was originally conceived by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko as intellectually gifted, but not a genius. However, later writers have depicted the character as a genius. With his talents, he sews his own costume to conceal his identity, and constructs many devices that complement his powers, most notably mechanical web-shooters. This mechanism ejects an advanced adhesive, releasing web-fluid in a variety of configurations, including a single rope-like strand to swing from, a net to bind enemies, a single strand for yanking opponents into objects, strands for whipping foreign objects at enemies, and a simple glob to foul machinery or blind an opponent. He can also weave the web material into simple forms like a shield, a spherical protection or hemispherical barrier, a club, or a hang-glider wing. Other equipment include spider-tracers (spider-shaped adhesive homing beacons keyed to his own spider-sense), a light beacon which can either be used as a flashlight or project a "Spider-Signal" design, and a specially modified camera that can take pictures automatically.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiderman Back to the Reactor

4. 2A supply of energy, esp. a public supply of electricity. I’ve already decided what I want to do in the Navy. I aspire to be a Nuclear Officer, either surface warfare or submarine. Aircraft carriers seem more inviting than submarines to some people, for claustrophobic reasons, but from what I’ve heard there isn’t really much sunlight to be seen either way. Submariners get paid more, but if I go surface warfare I could have the opportunity of serving on the USS Fort Worth, a Littoral Combat Ship named after my hometown. Nuclear power is much less scary than the public believes it to be. A nuclear reactor is just an advanced steam turbine, and the nuclear fission that is occurring is both contained and small scale. Any “leaks” are often more of a leak to the press than to the environment. Three Mile Island? No significant change in radiation levels within a half of a mile radius. Chernobyl? An understaffed ‘30’s design built in the ‘80’s by the Soviets, what can you expect? Fukushima? Freak unpredictable natural disaster with improbable results, and the results aren’t catastrophic. Nuclear power is safe and becoming safer, yet because of public stress it is becoming less popular. “Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity. In 2007, the IAEA reported there were 439 nuclear power reactors in operation in the world, operating in 31 countries. Also, more than 150 naval vessels using nuclear propulsion have been built. … As of 2005, nuclear power provided 6.3% of the world's energy and 15% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for 56.5% of nuclear generated electricity. In 2007, the IAEA reported there were 439 nuclear power reactors in operation in the world, operating in 31 countries. As of December 2009, the world had 436 reactors. Since commercial nuclear energy began in the mid 1950s, 2008 was the first year that no new nuclear power plant was connected to the grid, although two were connected in 2009. Annual generation of nuclear power has been on a slight downward trend since 2007, decreasing 1.8% in 2009 to 2558 TWh with nuclear power meeting 13–14% of the world's electricity demand. One factor in the nuclear power percentage decrease since 2007 has been the prolonged shutdown of large reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Japan following the Niigata-Chuetsu-Oki earthquake. The United States produces the most nuclear energy, with nuclear power providing 19%of the electricity it consumes, while France produces the highest percentage of its electrical energy from nuclear reactors—80% as of 2006. In the European Union as a whole, nuclear energy provides 30% of the electricity. Nuclear energy policy differs among European Union countries, and some, such as Austria, Estonia, Ireland and Italy, have no active nuclear power stations. In comparison, France has a large number of these plants, with 16 multi-unit stations in current use.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Power Back to the Reactor

5. 3Ability to act or affect something strongly; physical or mental strength; might; vigour, energy; effectiveness. A simple tornado can display the sheer power of nature, especially wind currents. I remember huddling in my sister’s closet with my brother and two of our friends (also brothers) wondering what was going to happen. As a first grader, the only thing I knew about tornadoes was that they occur during thunderstorms and that they were scary. Although its path was not through my neighborhood, I soon learned that it went through some of my friends’ neighborhoods. When the tornado passed through the outskirts of downtown, an area now known as the “West 7th” district, the winds damaged over a billboard. However instead of ripping off the board, the board was simply pushed over, bent backwards, as if a hand simply pushed too hard on the top. The steel supports, left in place with the board gone, still sit at the major intersection as a monument. A few years ago, the postal service built a new building on that corner, and after the public refused to move the supports, USPS improvised. Now one of the walls of the post office is a mural depicting a storm with the unofficial motto of the postal service (Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds). Every time I drive by this unique monument, I am simply struck with awe of the power that nature can wield. “The Great 2000 Fort Worth Tornado occurred on March 28, 2000, moving eastward through the downtown area of Fort Worth, Texas (USA). The tornado passed through the west side of Fort Worth at about 6:18 p.m. It tore a 4-mile (5-km) path through the city, blowing out windows and causing significant damage to many of the downtown high rise buildings. The tornado dissipated around 6:28 p.m., and at its worst, was approximately one-quarter mile wide (0.4 km). The tornado was classified as a low end F3 on the Fujita scale. Two people were killed by the tornado and 80 were injured, with six seriously injured. The heavy rain and hail that followed damaged many interior areas of buildings which were exposed by the tornado's winds. The storm system spawned a second tornado which moved through Arlington and Grand Prairie. The second tornado caused a mile long track of damage mainly through residential areas, leaving 80 people homeless. The storm system caused approximately $500 million in damage to Tarrant County in year 2000 values. A KXAS outdoor camera in downtown Fort Worth broadcast parts of the tornado coverage on live TV during the 6 p.m. weather segment.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Fort_Worth_tornado Back to the Reactor

6. 4Capacity in an inanimate thing for producing a certain effect. Throughout history, different plants or other substances were held as containing certain powers or abilities, mostly medicinal. Other than simple hallucinogens, many of them are still used today, only in more scientific and precise manners. Willow bark was chewed by many civilizations as a pain reliever. The drug that is responsible for Aspirin’s pain relieving effect is a chemical found in that bark. Once, I had a headache on a campout and I remembered this little fact. I decided to see for myself if it worked. I found some willow trees and ripped off some bark. Turns out only certain species of willow do this and splinters in your gum take your conscience off of a headache. “Aspirin (USAN), also known as acetylsalicylic acid is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was discovered by Arthur Eichengrün, a chemist with the German company Bayer. Salicylic acid, the main metabolite of aspirin, is an integral part of human and animal metabolism. While much of it is attributable to diet, a substantial part is synthesized endogenously. Aspirin also has an antiplatelet effect by inhibiting the production of thromboxane, which under normal circumstances binds platelet molecules together to create a patch over damaged walls of blood vessels. Because the platelet patch can become too large and also block blood flow, locally and downstream, aspirin is also used long-term, at low doses, to help prevent heart attacks, strokes, and blood clot formation in people at high risk of developing blood clots. It has also been established that low doses of aspirin may be given immediately after a heart attack to Aspirin is part of a group of medications called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but differs from them in the mechanism of action. Though it, and others in its group called the salicylates, have similar effects (antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic) to the other NSAIDs and inhibit the same enzyme cyclooxygenase, aspirin (but not the other salicylates) does so in an irreversible manner and, unlike others, affect more the COX-1 variant than the COX-2 variant of the enzyme. For example, NSAIDs' antiplatelet effects normally last in the order of hours, whereas aspirin's effects last for days (until the body replaces the suppressed platelets). Hence, when physicians tell patients to stop taking NSAIDs, they usually imply aspirin as well.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin Back to the Reactor

7. 5Control or authority over others; dominion, rule; government, command, sway. In the game of “4-square” (at least the way my friends and I played it in elementary school), there is a “king” who serves the ball and sets the rules. It was always a cushy spot, since if you got there you must be decent at the game, and you could set the rules to best fit you and keep you in power longer. Of course we would always abuse this and occasionally get in arguments regarding what was really fair. But it always ended up as whoever was king decided what happened, an unwritten, respected rule of the game. “A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected. These exceptions make it difficult to define "monarchy" precisely; the most objective and comprehensive (albeit circular) definition would seem to be that a monarchy is a government that calls itself a monarchy. The monarch often bears the title king or queen. However, emperors/empresses, grand dukes/grand duchesses, princes/princesses and other ranks, are or have been used to designate monarchs. As explained below, the word monarch means 'single ruler', but cultural and historical considerations would appear to exclude presidents and other heads of state. Historically, the notion of monarchy may emerge under different circumstances. It may grow out of tribal kingship, and royal priesthood and the office of monarch (kings) becoming typically hereditary, resulting in successive dynasties or "houses", especially when the leader is wise and able enough to lead. It may also be a consequent emergence after an act of violence is committed upon local communities by an invading group, which usurps the communities' rights over traditions. The leader of the usurping group often establishes himself as a monarch. A state of monarchy is said to result that reveals the relationships between resources, communities, monarch and his office. Even in antiquity, the strict hereditary succession could be tempered by systems of elective monarchy, where an assembly elects a new monarch out of a pool of eligible candidates. This concept has also been modernized, and constitutional monarchies where the title of monarch remains mostly ceremonial, without, or with very limited political power.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy Back to the Reactor

8. 6Political or national strength. The United States, ever since the end of World War II, has maintained a forward presence based on the core strength of our arsenal. No large nation has dared attack us, especially under the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, which practically dictates that any nuclear weaponry aimed at the United States or our allies will be met with equal if not greater firepower, leading to a mutual nuclear holocaust. And with methods of surviving these scenarios (like submarines, often nicknamed “dominant platforms” because some can launch nuclear weapons and all can survive nuclear surface warfare when submerged), nobody wants to attack us. This also allows us a large degree of persuasion involving the betterment of our interests and those of our allies. “There are currently eight states that have successfully detonated nuclear weapons. Five are considered to be "nuclear-weapon states" (NWS) under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In order of acquisition of nuclear weapons these are: the United States, Russia (successor state to the Soviet Union), the United Kingdom, France, and China. Nations that are known or believed to possess nuclear weapons are sometimes referred to as the nuclear club. Since the NPT entered into force in 1970, three states that were not parties to the Treaty have conducted nuclear tests, namely India, Pakistan, and North Korea. North Korea had been a party to the NPT but withdrew in 2003. Israel is also widely believed to have nuclear weapons, though it has refused to confirm or deny this, and is not known to have conducted a nuclear test. South Africa has the unique status of a nation that developed nuclear weapons but has since disassembled its arsenal before joining the NPT.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_nuclear_weapons Back to the Reactor