I was walking down the street yesterday when I came across a garage sale. With nothing better to do, I started going through these people's junk. I happened upon a box of old paperback books marked "25 cents each." Inside the box was dozens of Tom Clancy and John Grisham novels, nothing too exciting. But as I dug further a little orange booklet caught my eye. It was titled, "Nuclear Terms: A Brief Glossary, 2nd Edition. U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Division of Technical Information"
Long story short, I threw a quarter at an old man and ran off with it.
Inside the front cover is even more juicy information from the past, all of it very Fallouty and inspiring.
"Nuclear energy is playing a vital role in the life of every man, woman, and child in the United States today. In the years ahead it will affect increasingly all the peoples of the earth. It is essential that all Americans gain an understanding of this vital force if they are to discharge thoughtfully their responsibilities as citizens and if they are to realize fully the myriad benefits that nuclear energy offers them.
The united States Atomic Energy Commission provides this booklet to help you achieve such understanding.
Edward J. Brunenkant
Director
Division of Technical Information"
It's basically a government atomic dictionary dated February 1967, with an amazing appendix with important information, such as the rate of radioactive decay for dozens of unstable elements, known isotopes of all of the elements, and the half life of 27 different "Principal Primary Fission Products" whatever that means. My inner geek has been awakened, and this little gem shall be naught but ash by the time I'm done with it.
The back cover explained that the booklet was one in a series of booklets that the AEC gave out to high schools. Anyone ever hear of these? It'd be cool to have the whole set. Looks like there's about 30-50 in the series, and googling finds the costs around $10-$20 each.
But my question is where does the copyright lie? Would it be legal to download them in PDF? My only guess would be the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which took over the AEC in 1975, but info on these specific booklets is sparce at best.
Long story short, I threw a quarter at an old man and ran off with it.
Inside the front cover is even more juicy information from the past, all of it very Fallouty and inspiring.
"Nuclear energy is playing a vital role in the life of every man, woman, and child in the United States today. In the years ahead it will affect increasingly all the peoples of the earth. It is essential that all Americans gain an understanding of this vital force if they are to discharge thoughtfully their responsibilities as citizens and if they are to realize fully the myriad benefits that nuclear energy offers them.
The united States Atomic Energy Commission provides this booklet to help you achieve such understanding.
Edward J. Brunenkant
Director
Division of Technical Information"
It's basically a government atomic dictionary dated February 1967, with an amazing appendix with important information, such as the rate of radioactive decay for dozens of unstable elements, known isotopes of all of the elements, and the half life of 27 different "Principal Primary Fission Products" whatever that means. My inner geek has been awakened, and this little gem shall be naught but ash by the time I'm done with it.
The back cover explained that the booklet was one in a series of booklets that the AEC gave out to high schools. Anyone ever hear of these? It'd be cool to have the whole set. Looks like there's about 30-50 in the series, and googling finds the costs around $10-$20 each.
But my question is where does the copyright lie? Would it be legal to download them in PDF? My only guess would be the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which took over the AEC in 1975, but info on these specific booklets is sparce at best.
