Support NeoGAF

[woodland]

So how will this affect my chances of studying abroad in Kansai Gaidai in spring? I know they're pretty far away, but still..

 

[Desmond]

So how will this affect my chances of studying abroad in Kansai Gaidai in spring? I know they're pretty far away, but still..

You should be good!


I know some people from Kansai Gaidai, very enjoyable University from what I've heard. (A huge party University I'm led to believe) Unfortunately it's not an option for my exchange programme this year, but has been in the past.

 

[wenis]

Jesus Christ... They really fucked this up.

 

[Skinpop]

You should be good!


I know some people from Kansai Gaidai, very enjoyable University from what I've heard. (A huge party University I'm led to believe) Unfortunately it's not an option for my exchange programme this year, but has been in the past.

I wouldn't go to kansai gaidai, I think it's a horrible choice but it depends on what you want out of your time in japan.

Osaka is far away from tokyo, nothing to worry about.

 

[Upsidedown Fuji]

So do they have pictures of what the spent fuel pool currently looks like? Surely the first step is to send in some robots, get some pics, then design another robot to handle it. Japan is good at making robots.

Wish I were wrong but nope.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ2011102215456

The Quincy robot has failed at least twice despite being somewhat hardened to radiation. Japanese robots aren't really designed for real world applications, especially ones that require nuclear hardening and zero human interaction... Japan spends too much time focusing on automations, humanoid looking robots that mimic human movement like playing instruments or dancing traditional dances. Basically Japanese robotics isn't ready for such applications but hopefully they're learning quickly.

The robot line has been improved since 2011's mishaps of losing its tether and getting stuck on stairs within a reactor building although not much has been reported since.

As for the guy above going to kansai next year, yes you are far enough south of Fukushima that it will not be the slightest of worry to you. Best Japan is Kyoto IMO. Let's just hope the reactor in neighboring Fukui prefecture is in better shape than TEPCOs Fukushima I.

 

[Skinpop]

The Quincy robot has failed at least twice despite being somewhat hardened to radiation. Japanese robots aren't really designed for real world applications, especially ones that require nuclear hardening and zero human interaction... Japan spends too much time focusing on automations, humanoid looking robots that mimic human movement like playing instruments or dancing traditional dances. Basically Japanese robotics isn't ready for such applications but hopefully they're learning quickly.

That's like saying submarines aren't ready for space travel. Japanese robot research is focused on human-robot interactions, not industrial applications. They aren't intended nor supposed to be "ready" for those scenarios.

 

[Upsidedown Fuji]

My point being that Japan's assumed leadership in the field of robotics isn't quite what it seems to be. Nuclear disasters is not their field, this is more military, rugged terrain stuff kind of what Boston Dynamics' Big Dog was designed for. Japan is more civil works focused hence sending submarines into space.

This also goes back to my other main point that the recovery and restoration for Fukushima should be an internationally coordinated effort, not national only. This is biting them in the ass nearly 3 years after the fact. Allowing TEPCO to head this whole mess after the fact is insane.

 

[Desmond]

I wouldn't go to kansai gaidai, I think it's a horrible choice but it depends on what you want out of your time in japan.

Osaka is far away from tokyo, nothing to worry about.

Nah, I wouldn't have picked it personally even it I couldv'e. I have my mind set on Sophia Uni in Tokyo, but Rikkyo and Ritsumeikan are other options.

 

[Skinpop]

My point being that Japan's assumed leadership in the field of robotics isn't quite what it seems to be. Nuclear disasters is not their field, this is more military, rugged terrain stuff kind of what Boston Dynamics' Big Dog was designed for. Japan is more civil works focused hence sending submarines into space.

This also goes back to my other main point that the recovery and restoration for Fukushima should be an internationally coordinated effort, not national only. This is biting them in the ass nearly 3 years after the fact. Allowing TEPCO to head this whole mess after the fact is insane.

I agree on that, most japanese would as well. People don't have any faith in politics over there.

 

[Skinpop]

Nah, I wouldn't have picked it personally even it I couldv'e. I have my mind set on Sophia Uni in Tokyo, but Rikkyo and Ritsumeikan are other options.

If you're going to study japanese I'd say any decent school that isn't overly gaijin-focused is a good choice.
People shouldn't be afraid of making all the arrangements themselves either, it's not hard at all. There are lists detailing pretty much every japanese language program with lots of stats like tuition fee and nationality distribution. Just pick one where you want to live and email the school directly
sorry for OT

 

[hydragonwarrior]

1. Hopefully this makes look more into salt reactors (very low chance given the media)
2. I'm hoping this means there's even stricter guidelines for long term plans when it comes to operating a nuclear power plant that houses such deadly material.

 

[HK-47]

The problem I have with nuclear plants is not that they're unsafe, is that the worst case scenario is just really really bad.

And this is coming from someone who believed the nuclear is a great stop-gap until renewable become more viable.

Believes it still is or believed it was?

 

[HK-47]

1. Hopefully this makes look more into salt reactors (very low chance given the media)
2. I'm hoping this means there's even stricter guidelines for long term plans when it comes to operating a nuclear power plant that houses such deadly material.

Salt, thorium or even the new newer, safer standard nuclear reactors...we will never get them. Instead we will have no advancement and a bunch of outdated shit waiting to become a problem. So basically the stupidest option.

 

[chaosblade]

Salt, thorium or even the new newer, safer standard nuclear reactors...we will never get them. Instead we will have no advancement and a bunch of outdated shit waiting to become a problem. So basically the stupidest option.

People would rather burn ever-increasing amounts of fossil fuels for decades while we maybe hopefully develop some viable alternative energy source. Because doing stuff that is guaranteed to fuck things up on a global scale is better than doing something that has a low possibility of fucking things up on a local scale.

 

[Upsidedown Fuji]

So today's new news on the fuel rod removal at Fukushima daiichi is that TEPCO has postponed the removal operation for a few weeks for practice runs.

Seriously? TEPCO, do you mean to say this wasn't already a part of the plan already? Or is this last minute jitters? Either way this isn't very reassuring. Hopefully these dry runs will help steady three nerves of the people involved.

Article link below.
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/04/national/tepco-to-conduct-fuel-removal-test-at-reactor-4/

 

[GorillaJu]

I love the FUD surrounding this topic. Yes, it's going to be a significant endeavor to remove the fuel rods, but the idiotic "this has the potential to be the greatest threat to mankind since blah blah blah" is hilariously stupid.

They know the location of these rods down to the millimeter. It'll be done with the absolute utmost care and precision.

As for another earthquake causing doomsday, there have been at least 15 or 20 6.5-7.2 earthquakes (technically aftershocks) on the same fault line, hitting the same areas since the big earthquake and none have caused any noteworthy damage.