Helium. This I did not see coming.

[knowprose@mastodon.social]

@Su_G yeah.

Clowns to the left, jokers to the right...

[lfzz@mastodon.social]

@knowprose so my next ram upgrade is going to cost 2k and a kidney?

[boredomfestival@sfba.social]

@knowprose Yep. Most of our helium comes from natural gas production.

[landley@mstdn.jp]

@knowprose Bill Clinton was a republican in sheep's clothing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Helium_Reserve

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium_Privatization_Act_of_1996

[knowprose@mastodon.social]

@landley that's interesting!

[rootwyrm@weird.autos]

@knowprose @cstross yeaaaaaah, unfortunately, I did. You learn lots about the helium supply chain (and lack thereof) when you're in storage and HGST just announced their new helium filled drives. And you go "uh, isn't that required for MRIs?"

Another fun fact: the US Federal Helium Reserve was *sold* in 2024 to private equity. Thanks Obama.
(No, seriously. The intentionally misnamed 'Helium Stewardship Act of 2013.')

[assimilateborg@kind.social]

@knowprose when can we finally put a guillotine at the white house and make it work for a couple of weeks?

[davidm_yeg@mstdn.ca]

@knowprose

Not surprising … I recall at least a couple helium crises in the last couple decades, certainly shouldn’t have been a surprise to those who launched the war, but it seems like they didn’t bother to properly think anything through.

[knowprose@mastodon.social]

@DavidM_yeg 1/ they honestly expected decapitation would be enough.

Interestingly... they did not know that control had been passed to local commanders.

That's a pretty big oversight on intelligence.

But it would not be obvious to those with authoritarian mindsets.

True theological authoritarianism puts the supreme being above all. The late Ayatollah was a true believer, looks like.. I am not saying he was a good guy by any measure....

[knowprose@mastodon.social]

@DavidM_yeg but... that level of commitment is...

Well, extreme beyond what we in the West know. And it certainly threw everyone.

So now, it's still not a war, and yet...

Charlie Foxtrot exponential. Hydra.

///

[cadbury_moose@wandering.shop]

@otfrom @jochenwettach @knowprose

I haven't seen "Distillers" tanker trucks around for many years - one source of CO2 was the brewing industry (it's not that difficult to liquefy at atmospheric pressure). Later they got it (and industrial ethanol) from the petrochemical industry.

Helium is from radioactive decay in the earth, and separated out from natural gas wells. It's scarce and any leakage ends up in outer space.

[richardh@mastodon.nz]

@knowprose Interesting. I had thought the USA was the main source of helium.

[blargyblargh@a2mi.social]

@knowprose War is Hell...

...aciously Stupid!

oil troubles make sense, but helium sure wasn't on my bingo card either

[knowprose@mastodon.social]

@blargyblargh yeah. When I saw it, it was just as I wrote it.

[cawguy@mstdn.ca]

@knowprose Finally I’m in on the investment action. I don’t have any precious metals squirrelled away, but I do have a few big tanks of helium for welding here. 🤑

[knowprose@mastodon.social]

@CAWguy 🤣

[softwaretheron@mas.to]

@richardh
I had that impression as well, till I found out better in the early 2000s.
Back in the day (1970s?) the only source was an oil well in Texas.

@knowprose

[softwaretheron@mas.to]

@lfzz
Yes. If you get away with one.

@knowprose

[softwaretheron@mas.to]

@knowprose
And the fertiliser. Expect food prices to rise quickly in the summer.

@carstenfranke

[carstenfranke@mastodon.social]

@SoftwareTheron @knowprose and I just saw a blib about a aluminum smelter that is shutting down capacity. Fun fun fun /s