I Wonder If They Know Something

[madwriter]

Maybe it's a fear of terrorism...maybe it's a certainty that we're going to attack Iran and face homeland consequences...maybe both, maybe neither. But old Geiger counters (the classic-styled yellow-cased 1960's models that are today considered "unreliable" at worst and not nearly as good as the newer ones at best) that were selling for $20-25 on

Comments

[raininva]

No idea if this would be part of it but....

I do something called 'geocaching' for fun... basically looking for items with a gps others have placed different places.

Some people like to do 'extreem' geocaching. I.E. place items down places that are hard to get/dangerous. I actually know of at least one cache (but have heard of others) that are in areas with slight radiation contamination and you have to wear suits and they suggest Geiger counters too.

Now... honestly like I said at the start who knows how many sales of Geiger counters that is actually causing... but I do know most cachers would be fine with 'not super accurate' just want something that would give a rough idea.

[madwriter]

Sounds like a potential Darwin Award winner to me. :)

[madwriter]

My primary interest in one wasn't for specific readings of localized areas, but rather the ambient amount of radiation in the air (if any) in case of a nuclear accident, terrorist attack, or whathaveyou. I don't need decimals so much as I need to know if the needle is pointing closer to 1 or 20.

[madwriter]

It may be, but as I recall this definition of radioactive would be broad enough to include light (as in, hold this item in the sun for 30 seconds to make it glow. On the other hand, if there isn't an ambient light source and your item starts glowing, that might be a worry. :)