The alternative is to use extremely limited quantities of gas crucial for MRIs, chip making, metallurgy, and a few other high tech applications. But hey, pretty balloons.
When I was a kid, Dave Berry had a column where he made fun of the US Strategic Helium Reserve. This taught me an important lesson: when people make fun of what seems like government waste, 75% of the time it turns out to be really important. Not always, but you should look into it more.
When I was in school decades ago, my science teacher brought in a big balloon filled with hydrogen and lit the string on fire without telling us that it was filled with hydrogen.
I could feel the explosion in my bones. It was neat.
We should go back to filling them with hydrogen.
What could go wrong?
I mean other than that…
Would make for more exciting birthday parties.
Seems more like a gender reveal party sort of thing.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/23/us/gender-reveal-explosion-new-hampshire-trnd/index.html
The alternative is to use extremely limited quantities of gas crucial for MRIs, chip making, metallurgy, and a few other high tech applications. But hey, pretty balloons.
(The store was just out of helium.)
Only a matter of time before they can’t get any because we wasted such a limited resource on vanity instead of the pursuit of science.
Perspective my dude. An insignificant small amount is spent on vanity.
I’ve used more helium on a single dive than I’ve ever used in balloons in my entire life.
At least you spent yours on something scientific in nature.
At a stretch perhaps, but it’s more recreational - I liken it to going to visit a castle, or going on a safari…just underwater!
When I was a kid, Dave Berry had a column where he made fun of the US Strategic Helium Reserve. This taught me an important lesson: when people make fun of what seems like government waste, 75% of the time it turns out to be really important. Not always, but you should look into it more.
Yeah, there’s areas where it’s surprisingly hard for laypeople to tell apart “mostly useless” and “saves lives on a daily basis”.
Oh the huge manatee!
Am I missing a joke? Airships used hydrogen gas
Specific airships made by a specific country that had no access to helium…
Not exclusively, hydrogen being lighter and cheaper meant it was still sometimes used when helium could have been.
wasn’t that just the flammable lining?
When I was in school decades ago, my science teacher brought in a big balloon filled with hydrogen and lit the string on fire without telling us that it was filled with hydrogen.
I could feel the explosion in my bones. It was neat.
I’m not sure you could do that in schools today.