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Polonium Pen a Pocket-Sized Must-Have for Anti-Putin Russians
Posted by Addy Dugdale at 10:19 PM on November 30, 2007
Those of you who fear they've got on the wrong side of Vladimir Putin just might find the Polonium Pen a must-have. Basically a hand-made ion chamber with LED read-out, the Polonium Pen will sniff out excessive doses of the radioactive element in your cocktail, dim sum, or caviar when held over the suspect glass or dish.
There are a few downsides, though. Firstly, the Polonium Pen is extremely fiddly to make. If the wire probe that feeds into the ion chamber touches anything remotely conducive, it won't work. Secondly, the electronics must be shielded by a metallic cover to keep them safe from stray electric fields. And thirdly, the ion chamber is so small that only significant amounts of radiation can be detected. That swings it, then. [TechLib via Hack a Day]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
s0crates82
Posted 2:07 PM 30/11/07
Assassination by poisoning...
...what century is this again?
s0crates82
Munch
Posted 10:21 AM 30/11/07
@Blue_Six: Well said
My strategy to avoid Polonium posioning is to remain a politically unimportant pee-on. It's worked pretty well for me so far.
Munch
yougottabekidding
Posted 10:04 AM 30/11/07
@Blue_Six: Hehe...good point!
yougottabekidding
Blue_Six
Posted 7:55 AM 30/11/07
The best thing for the manufacturer of this device is, your customers will never complain about a defective product.
Blue_Six
opiferus
Posted 7:44 AM 30/11/07
No Roofy detector?
opiferus
stre
Posted 3:57 PM 30/11/07
@s0crates82: it's the 21st century, and a polonium poisoning death happened with the last year.
shouldn't call it a polonium pen though, as it'll pick up anything that that kicks out a particle with enough energy to ionize the gas in the ion chamber. it's an oh-so-tiny geiger-mueller counter. it better come with a speaker so you can hear the fun clicks as you realize you should have tested the wine before the first sip.
stre
Amiash
Posted 7:51 PM 30/11/07
@s0crates82: haha! socrates died by poison
Amiash
s0crates82
Posted 4:23 AM 1/12/07
@stre: Yeah, I remember the guy that died in Britain of polonium poisoning. It just seems, I don't know, antiquated. It's a Jason Bourne kind of world, and they're using techniques that are more suited for Brother Cadfael's era.
@Amiash: Yes, hemlock. :P
s0crates82