• Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 days ago

    The alternative is to use extremely limited quantities of gas crucial for MRIs, chip making, metallurgy, and a few other high tech applications. But hey, pretty balloons.

      • RedEye FlightControl@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Only a matter of time before they can’t get any because we wasted such a limited resource on vanity instead of the pursuit of science.

        • el_abuelo@programming.dev
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          2 days ago

          Perspective my dude. An insignificant small amount is spent on vanity.

          I’ve used more helium on a single dive than I’ve ever used in balloons in my entire life.

    • frezik@midwest.social
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      2 days ago

      When I was a kid, Dave Berry had a column where he made fun of the US Strategic Helium Reserve. This taught me an important lesson: when people make fun of what seems like government waste, 75% of the time it turns out to be really important. Not always, but you should look into it more.

      • Aqarius@lemmy.world
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        20 hours ago

        Yeah, there’s areas where it’s surprisingly hard for laypeople to tell apart “mostly useless” and “saves lives on a daily basis”.