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Helium Shortage!


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19 minutes ago, The Senator said:

 

You ARE kidding, yes?  You must be.

 

I don’t want to exaggerate, but I’ve had at least, at the very least, 20 or 30 MRIs. Am going for my next one this Thursday.

 

I have no neurological issues, just quite a bit of cancer, and, never before, but now, claustrophobia.

 

I love the drugs they give me (valium/ativan) before they stuff me in that loud coffin for half an hour or so, but those soporifics really don’t comfort me, keep me awake, nor make me less claustrophobic.

 

Are you saying that, if I went to the Dollar Store and bought a bunch of helium balloons beforehand, it’d be better?

 

 I’ll have to try that curative. And inform my oncologists.

.

 

 

You helium abuser!

 

We have methods for your type!

 

?    

 

There was this guy:

 

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-priest-lost/brazil-priest-flying-party-balloons-lost-at-sea-idUSN2228192120080422

 

They found him a few months later:

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/balloon-priests-body-identified-using-dna/

 

Has it really been 11 years? Seems like yesterday!

 

 

 

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34 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

You helium abuser!

 

We have methods for your type!

 

?    

 

There was this guy:

 

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-priest-lost/brazil-priest-flying-party-balloons-lost-at-sea-idUSN2228192120080422

 

They found him a few months later:

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/balloon-priests-body-identified-using-dna/

 

Has it really been 11 years? Seems like yesterday!

 

 

 

 

OMFG, almost lost it, laughing so loud!

 

”Father, an experienced pilot,  also had a ‘boy in chair’, searching for truck drivers?”

 

Serves ‘im right - those Jesuits will do just about anything, searching the planet for young boys!

 

Still, I need my helium balloons!

 

(The fentynal, dilaudid, morphine, et al,  are not as effective.)

.

Edited by The Senator
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1 minute ago, apuszczalowski said:

There was a sign on the door to the dollar store today saying they did not have helium, also an article about 45 Party City stores closing due to the shortage.

 

Dammit all to hell, now I’m going under the knife without my balloons?

 

 

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25 minutes ago, The Senator said:

 

OMFG, almost lost it, laughing so loud!

 

”Father, an experienced pilot,  also had a ‘boy in chair’, searching for truck drivers?”

 

Serves ‘im right - those Jesuits will do just about anything, searching the planet for young boys!

 

Still, I need my helium balloons!

 

(The fentynal, dilaudid, morphine, et al,  are not as effective.)

.

It's a boatswain (bosun's) chair.  LoL... Too funny: "Boys in chair."

 

3NGH9_AS01?$zmmain$

 

 

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39 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

It's a boatswain (bosun's) chair.  LoL... Too funny: "Boys in chair."

 

3NGH9_AS01?$zmmain$

 

 

 

As an honor student at a prominent Jesuit school on Delaware Avenue, my parents and I were oft invited to dine with Father Rector President in the adjacent residence (or some restauranr, usually of his choosing).

 

The young Jesuit scholastics had such chairs for young boys, I’m sure, but, like many things, kept them ‘in the closet’!

 

Anyway, we got a real problem here ... can you guys fix this?

 

https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/black-rock-locks-delayed-in-opening-for-spring/1995167835

.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

Of course.

 

Other than NFL athletes ARE shopping around to get biggest payment and the fund is going dry early.

 

There's no "of course" these days.

 

And MRIs are one of the biggest uses of purified helium. 

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1 minute ago, DC Tom said:

MRIs are one of the biggest uses of purified helium. 

 

Really?

 

I’ve had at least 30 MRIs, never once administered helium of any sort.  Does that go on in the ‘back room’’where they don’t dare walk in the room?

 

Or where they shout in my headphones about how uncomfortable I am,  and ask if I’d prefer some different inaudible music?

 

I’m not challenging you, just asking if you know something I don’t, and can maybe enlighten me.

 

All i know about MRIs is, you’re gonna be very uncomfortable for 30/40 minutes, loud noise and instructions barking in your ears, and  better be bare-assed naked, with no metal in your body.  (Lucky for me, whoopee, all my plates snd screws are titanium.)

 

You maybe know something about MRIs that I don’t?

.

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1 hour ago, The Senator said:

 

Really?

 

I’ve had at least 30 MRIs, never once administered helium of any sort.  Does that go on in the ‘back room’’where they don’t dare walk in the room?

 

Or where they shout in my headphones about how uncomfortable I am,  and ask if I’d prefer some different inaudible music?

 

I’m not challenging you, just asking if you know something I don’t, and can maybe enlighten me.

 

All i know about MRIs is, you’re gonna be very uncomfortable for 30/40 minutes, loud noise and instructions barking in your ears, and  better be bare-assed naked, with no metal in your body.  (Lucky for me, whoopee, all my plates snd screws are titanium.)

 

You maybe know something about MRIs that I don’t?

.

 

Liquid helium is used to supercool the magnetic coils inside the machine.  

 

It's not consumed, but even in a closed-cycle zero-loss cryogenic unit there is some boil-off.  But a single MRI machine can need as much as 400 gallons or so of liquid helium.  In comparison, the Goodyear Blimp uses around 3000 gallons for lift (a much greater volume of gas, but that's the rough equivalent of you condensed the blimp's helium to a liquid.  That'a a rough back-of-the-envelope calculation - literally, for once.  I did it on the back of an envelope sitting on my desk.  :lol:)  

 

But there's only three blimps.  Whereas about 3000 MRI machines are sold each year.  So that's 10000 gallons for blimps, vs. 1.2 million for new MRI machines annually.  So the medical imaging industry uses a hell of a lot of helium - I have to admit, I was shocked enough at those numbers that I did the caluclation four times.  And the economics of it is probably even more imbalanced, since cryogenics needs "refined" helium (99.9% pure), whereas the Goodyear blimp can probably get away with using "raw" helium (85% or so pure), which is significantly easier to produce.

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8 hours ago, The Senator said:

 

As an honor student at a prominent Jesuit school on Delaware Avenue, my parents and I were oft invited to dine with Father Rector President in the adjacent residence (or some restauranr, usually of his choosing).

 

The young Jesuit scholastics had such chairs for young boys, I’m sure, but, like many things, kept them ‘in the closet’!

 

Anyway, we got a real problem here ... can you guys fix this?

 

https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/black-rock-locks-delayed-in-opening-for-spring/1995167835

.

 

 

Yes.  I can fix it.  I worked there at one time.

 

But, can't help you.  They had all winter to fix it.  We have been running 24/7/365 here in S.Chicago since 1959. There has never been a time when a person was NOT here (like I am now). Here, probably 10s of 1,000s more cycles a year and never had "hinge problems."  In fact we just replaced the pintle and hinges in 2014-15 when we had a dewater in the winter.  Closed for November, passed traffic in December & January and then dewatered other gates in February.

 

What the hell is USACE-BFLo District doing? They are closed all winter. And don't run 24 hours a day.  They don't have a midnight shift.  Get out there and fix before the God awfully short navigation season in BFLo gets under way!

 

Those gates @ BlackRockLox have been replaced how many times since 1913?

6 hours ago, DC Tom said:

 

Liquid helium is used to supercool the magnetic coils inside the machine.  

 

It's not consumed, but even in a closed-cycle zero-loss cryogenic unit there is some boil-off.  But a single MRI machine can need as much as 400 gallons or so of liquid helium.  In comparison, the Goodyear Blimp uses around 3000 gallons for lift (a much greater volume of gas, but that's the rough equivalent of you condensed the blimp's helium to a liquid.  That'a a rough back-of-the-envelope calculation - literally, for once.  I did it on the back of an envelope sitting on my desk.  :lol:)  

 

But there's only three blimps.  Whereas about 3000 MRI machines are sold each year.  So that's 10000 gallons for blimps, vs. 1.2 million for new MRI machines annually.  So the medical imaging industry uses a hell of a lot of helium - I have to admit, I was shocked enough at those numbers that I did the caluclation four times.  And the economics of it is probably even more imbalanced, since cryogenics needs "refined" helium (99.9% pure), whereas the Goodyear blimp can probably get away with using "raw" helium (85% or so pure), which is significantly easier to produce.

So... What are you saying?  You're an idiot for doubting @Limeaid?

 

LoL... Last time I trust you just blindly!  ?

Edited by ExiledInIllinois
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16 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

All you have to do is fly to Saturn or Jupiter and suck up some helium from the atmosphere. Easy peasy

 

Well, they made it look pretty easy in Spaceballs.

Edited by Mark80
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I remember back in the late 50's. the Macy's Thanksgiving parade had to use mobile cranes to "carry" the balloons.  They inflated with air, but wouldn't float. At the time, they said there was a shortage because of the demands of the space program.  I think that only lasted for that one year.

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10 hours ago, DC Tom said:

 

Liquid helium is used to supercool the magnetic coils inside the machine.  

 

It's not consumed, but even in a closed-cycle zero-loss cryogenic unit there is some boil-off.  But a single MRI machine can need as much as 400 gallons or so of liquid helium.  In comparison, the Goodyear Blimp uses around 3000 gallons for lift (a much greater volume of gas, but that's the rough equivalent of you condensed the blimp's helium to a liquid.  That'a a rough back-of-the-envelope calculation - literally, for once.  I did it on the back of an envelope sitting on my desk.  :lol:)  

 

But there's only three blimps.  Whereas about 3000 MRI machines are sold each year.  So that's 10000 gallons for blimps, vs. 1.2 million for new MRI machines annually.  So the medical imaging industry uses a hell of a lot of helium - I have to admit, I was shocked enough at those numbers that I did the caluclation four times.  And the economics of it is probably even more imbalanced, since cryogenics needs "refined" helium (99.9% pure), whereas the Goodyear blimp can probably get away with using "raw" helium (85% or so pure), which is significantly easier to produce.

 

Who still uses envelopes?

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1 hour ago, Reed83HOF said:

 

Who still uses envelopes?

 

1 minute ago, DC Tom said:

 

Health insurance companies.

 

I think they're invested in the paper industry. Last week I got a letter explaining how much my insurance would cover for my recent visit to the eye doctor. That was one sheet of paper to explain the benefit and a twelve-page booklet outlining the grievance procedure if I wanted to complain. Nowhere is there any option for me to get this information electronically. I can't imagine why the cost of health insurance is so high.

 

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12 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

 

 

I think they're invested in the paper industry. Last week I got a letter explaining how much my insurance would cover for my recent visit to the eye doctor. That was one sheet of paper to explain the benefit and a twelve-page booklet outlining the grievance procedure if I wanted to complain. Nowhere is there any option for me to get this information electronically. I can't imagine why the cost of health insurance is so high.

 

 

We've gotten mail from insurers that consisted of nothing but one page saying "This Page Intentionally Left Blank."

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