Discussion on:

Geek Trivia: Cold (con)fusion

I am wondering if Szilard ever sold or was compensated for his first patent for a nuclear fission chain reaction. That's quite a patent to have on your resume.

I claim I discovered it on my resume; nobody as ever questioned me on it though, so I doubt someone else patented it.

I take issue with the phrase "mere theoretical physics".

If we didn't have the theoretical physics knowledge, engineers wouldn't know how to build anything.

...the refrigerators used in travel trailers and motor homes (oh...and the one that blew up in the movie "Mosquito Coast").

A family cabin I have stayed in uses an ammonia refrigerator heated by a small propane tank. Its a pretty old fridge, but it works very well (nothing to wear out!).

That sounds like the system used in "Gas Airconditioners" too.

Servel made large quantities of refrigerators which ran gas or kerosene for places the electric grid had not yet reached.

Electrolux AB still makes house-sized (if smallish) refrigerators set up to burn propane or kerosene.

The only US dealer I'm aware of for these is Lehman's Hardware in Kidron, Ohio. They have a catalog and a web site. . .

The Natural Home Building Source in Silverthorne, CO also sells the Servel gas refrigerators. See this site )4th item down on home page):
http://www.thenaturalhome.com/index.html

This week's Geek Trivia leaves the distinct impression these gas absorption fridges never made the market. As wmludine indicates, that's definitely not true, as millions of back-to-nature, caravaning, Y2K hermit, government paranoid folks will tell you.

Here's an example website for a propane fueled fridge alternative:
http://www.thenaturalhome.com/gasappliances.htm

But here's what I don't understand: Wikipedia makes it clear that the Einstein Fridge is *like* the gas absorption fridge invented by von Platen and Munters in 1922, but it must be different enough to have gotten it's own patent. Howso?

Here's the link to the wikipedia article on the Einstein Beer Cooler:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_refrigerator

Known as the "Absorbtion" type refrigerator, the closed circuit (compressorless) system is still used where suitable a/c power is unavaiable. This normally uses propane or even wood as fuel. Check around the "Hick" areas and campers.

Gas and kerosene fridges are in use now

US patent number 1781451 is for a Means for making double sided molds. You want patent number 1781541.

People are responding to Roosevelt's reaction to the letter, but are not reading the letter for themselves. The letter asks Roosevelt to forcefully keep African Uranium from being shipped to Germany because Germany might build an atomic bomb with it. The letter does not advocate that the United States build a bomb. The letter was the first to place the concept of an Atomic Bomb on the president's desk.