China has Developed a New Method to Extract Uranium from Seawater Cheaper and More Efficiently

New Scientist reported that China has developed a new way to extract uranium from seawater efficiently and more economically, possibly paving the way for a large-scale industrialization of uranium extraction.

China has developed a new method for uranium extraction

China Leads the World in Nuclear Power Plant Expansion

According to New Scientist, China is leading the world in building new nuclear power plants, which will only be aided as they have developed a new method for efficient extraction of uranium from seawater. New Scientist reported that "half of the nuclear reactor projects currently under construction are in China," with their installed nuclear capacity to surpass both the US and European Union by 2030.

China has developed this as New Scientist reports that "the world's oceans hold an estimated 4.5 billion tonnes of uranium, which is more than 1000 times the amount that is available through mining."

China Develops New Method for Trapping Uranium with Electric Fields

Previous experiments have harvested uranium from seawater using artificial sponges made of a polymer material. Then there was a method that trapped uranium using an electric field.

According to New Scientist, researcher Shuangyin Wang at Hunan University along with colleagues have developed a new electrochemical method that is both cheaper and more efficient to extract uranium from seawater.

When they tested the method, they were able to extract 100% of the uranium from East China Sea and 85% of the uranium from the South China Sea. 

The Cost Savings of New Uranium Extraction Method

They did this by running 1 liter of seawater through the system using two copper electrodes - one positive and one negative, and both collect uranium. This highly efficient method allows both electrodes to gather uranium with incredible cost savings.

Previous electrochemical methods cost $360 per kilogram of uranium extracted, while this new method claims that it cost $83 per kilogram of uranium extracted.

Restaurant Power Ranger Servers 'Morph' into Real-Life Heroes to Save a Woman Being Attacked by a Man in Ramen Shop

Real-life employees dressed as Power Rangers spring into action when a woman is being attacked by a man having a "mental health crisis" near Noka Ramen cocktail bar in Oakland, California. The woman runs into the noodle shop and cocktail bar for help and the Power Rangers spring into action. It's Morphin' Time!

Noka Ramen staff photoTwitter user: @LACTAID

What happens when Oakland restaurant servers show up to their shift dressed up like Power Rangers?

They jump into action, of course, to save a woman in distress. The employees at Noka Ramen are real-life heroes.

For these employees, it was just a typical Friday night of cosplay to promote Asian culture when the situation happened at Noka Ramen, and they had to think fast to protect a woman in danger.

The employees don’t typically come to work to fight crime at the two-month-old Noka Ramen at 90 Franklin St. in Oakland, California, but on this occasion, it really happened.

Oakland's Noka Ramen Staff Help an Endangered Woman

Inside Noka RamenJason F./Yelp

ABC 7 News reported that on Friday, 14 October 2022, a woman ran into Noka Ramen in Oakland to take refuge while being attacked by a man around 8 p.m.

Employees dressed in their Friday Power Rangers costumes sprung into action to save the woman. The man attacking her put her into a chokehold and was shouting racial slurs. (Source: ABC 7 News)

Ploi Pirapokin witnessed the event. At first, she was unaware if the whole thing was staged but quickly realized that it was not a staged event. It was a real woman in a crisis situation needing real help.

She posted on Twitter:

“The craziest thing just happened at dinner. I’m at a ramen shop owned by Thai people in Oakland dressed as power rangers, when a woman comes rushing in saying she wasn’t safe — and a man came running in after her and puts her in a chokehold.” -Ploi Pirapokin, witness (Source: Twitter)

All of a sudden, the employees of Noka Ramen decide to help this woman.

“All of the servers, slash Power Rangers were moving towards the scene to help one another out.” -Ploi Pirapokin, witness (Source: Twitter)

She continued to describe the situation:

“Once the woman had expressed she wasn’t safe, and she didn’t want to go home with this man who was choke holding her, the black power ranger (the manager with a kickass bob) and the yellow ranger, told the man to leave.” -Ploi Pirapokin, witness (Source: Twitter)

According to ABC7 News, the “Power Rangers ended up piling onto the man and police showed up.”

Ploi Pirapokin noted that it was “the yellow ranger that took the man by the collar and dragged him out of the restaurant.” (Source: SFGate, Twitter)

ABC7 News learned from police after they detained the attacker, they believe the man was “undergoing a mental health crisis, and transported him for medical attention.” (Source: ABC 7 News)

Witness Ploi Pirapokin said that the way the employees came to help was very typical of Thai culture.

She said:

"Thai people are very playful. We like to laugh. Whether it’s to create harmony or balance, that’s our ethos. That’s how we approach something that’s scary or shocking or surprising. It’s something within us that we turn to laughter to try and peacekeeper right away.” -Ploi Pirapokin, witness (Source: Twitter)

These Restaurant Workers are not Crime-Fighting 'Vigilantes'

Ploi Pirapokin wanted to clear the air about these restaurant heroes:

”The restaurant wants to make sure the community understands the workers are not vigilantes but are ready to assist anyone in need of help. This was just an isolated incident.” -Ploi Pirapokin, witness (Source: Twitter)

So, to be clear, if you decide to eat at Noka Ramen in Oakland on a Friday night, don’t expect to see real crime fighting during your meal, but if someone is in need of help, the Power Ranger will be there to help.

Sources

Lim, Dion. “EXCLUSIVE: Servers dressed as Power Rangers at Oakland restaurant save woman being attacked.” ABC7 News. 17 October 2022.

Madrigal-Yankowski. “Bay Area restaurant workers dressed as Power Rangers intervene in alleged assault.” SFGate. 19 October 2022.

Twitter account: @ppirapokin

Apple iPhone 11 Error Messages

iPhone 11 Error: "Important Display Message"

Please be aware, the iPhone 11 will display an error message that says, "Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple display" if the screen has been replace with non-genuine parts.

Apple says: "Only technician who have completed Apple service training and who use Apple genuine parts should replace iPhone displays."

Repairs are becoming increasingly difficult by third-party repair shops.

iPhone 11 error message

"This accessory may not be supported" iPhone error

Have you received the following error message when charging your iPhone:

“This accessory may not be supported.”

This message has been seen by millions of iPhone owners that buy a third-party phone charger. This could include car kits for charging iPhones that are not official Apple products.

Third-party iPhone charging cords could trigger the error message in your iPhone: “This accessory may not be supported.”

iPhone USB charger

Keep in mind that it has been reported that even after receiving this error message, a person can still charge their iPhone successfully.

Troubleshooting with a Third-Party iPhone Power Cord

It has also been reported that an iPhone charger saying the error message “This accessory may not be supported” may not charge your iPhone properly. In fact, it may show the lightning bolt next to your battery on your iPhone screen, but you could be losing battery life despite it showing that it is charging.

In this case, you would need to unplug the third-party iPhone charger and attempt to plug it in to actually get it to charge. This has happened as well. Simply unplugging the USB from the computer, and replugging it in can get the iPhone to start charging properly.

Should I Buy an official Apple Power Cord or a Third-party charger?

It is always best to buy brand-sponsored accessories because your success rate will be much higher. However, it is understandable that one doesn’t want to pay a lot of money for Apple accessories. Hence, the third-party iPhone USB cord.

If you buy an iPhone USB cord from a third-party, it is recommended that you do some research, and read customer reviews to see if there are any compatibility flaws with the product.

Image credit: Flickr Creative Commons; by IntelFreePress