The UN's new international radiation symbol
By Ryan Block 
posted February 18th 2007 1:31PM
posted February 18th 2007 1:31PM
[Via bookofjoe]
posted February 18th 2007 1:31PM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
If only there had been one of those on the Lambada Core....
How many innocent alien lives could have been saved?
I'm confused about the aliens/Lambada remark. Were the aliens killed while taking dance lessons?
"When someone throws shit on the fan, run from the skulls"
The way I see the sign: there's a massive fan high up on the wall, blowing in hot, smelly gas that chases after you and the skull (?).
They should have this sign up after I eat Taco Bell!
This made me think of Anders Sandberg's warning signs for tomorrow. They actually look quite nice, but doesn't have the same edge like this one, that makes you want to run away from laughing skulls.
http://www.aleph.se/andart/archives/2006/10/warning_signs_for_tomorrow.html
GAA! Once again, Engadget has shown they cannot tell the difference between nuclear/ionizing radiation and non-ionizing/RF radiation.
Let me try to help:
Trefoil (the thing that looks a bit like a fan or a tape reel):
Nuclear reactors
Nuclear bombs
Radioactive isotopes (Sr-90, Cs-137, Ra-226)
Cosmic Rays
Particle Accelerators
X-Ray Machines
RF radiation or electromagnetic fields:
Radio and wireless communications
Radar
Microwave ovens
Microwave imaging
Uplink Satellite Dishes
Magnetrons
High frequency, high impedance electronics
These are NOT denoted by the trifoil. The symbol shows the outline of an antenna can can be seen here: http://beradio.com/media/0505/505br1108.jpg
Or here http://www.gaijin.com/images/journal/gallery/rf-hazard-00.12.03.jpg
You would NEVER put the trefoil on any radio equipment.
Also, low-frequency electromagnetic fields or DC fields, such as those produced by MRI machines are symbolized differently, usually with a picture of a magnet.
Please get this right. Every time I see the nuclear radiation symbol on a cell phone it makes my skin crawl!
Ha. You may be right, but it was a joke!
Buzz. Let me introduce you to the concept of the joke.
LOL you referenced a site named "gaijin" LOL
Not saying anything against you, but I thought it was funny.
Quick, run away from the sperms and the skull!
Is it just me, or does it seem like this image would work even better for a "wear sunscreen" campaign?
SUN + RAYS = ZOMG SKIN CANCER DEATH RUN!!!
They should make one symbol for all the bad stuff... poison, radioactivity, biohazard... really, who cares? All I need to know is "bad stuff here" and I'm out.
"They should make one symbol for all the bad stuff... poison, radioactivity, biohazard... really, who cares? All I need to know is "bad stuff here" and I'm out."
they do:
this
http://www.donoharm.org.uk/alert/images/danger.jpg
this
http://www.health-safety-signs.uk.com/productimages/Caution-outdoor-sign.gif
or anything else in a yellow triangle.
are we running from the skull or the things coming off the radiation symbol
And Dr Buzz0, are you saying that the time I put my hamster in the microwave, I actually did not ionize him? Damn, now I have to redo the entire experiment. Do you happen to know where I can get some Sr-90?
When ever you see a skull or a fan, always run towards your right :P
Why does he have one round hand and one square hand?
Ones a gauss gun.
gj taking a joke Dr Buzz0. Once again, you have shown you are not familiar with Engadget's editorial style. :D
I think everyone is the loser in this thread.
Let me try to understand this:
If you see a mass of squiqqly lines are coming towards you, run perpendicular to them. Whether you choose left or right depends on which side the zombies are coming from.
Choose to run in a direction that is both perpendicular to the squiqqly lines and away from the zombies.
Would this work for the robot revolutions too? Perhaps if we replace the skull and cross-bones with a PS3 slinging BlueRay disk of death...
deadly radiation commin in beams of light will kill the guy to your left only if you run to your right...?
thats the message im getting from this...kinda fu..ed up...
Commies died because of "Nukulear" Radiation, Don't be liberal, run to the right.
Pretty sure a yellow symbol with the words ZOMG would be enough to indicate danger.
Why exactly do danger symbols have instructions on them now? Are we really that stupid?
Only Pirates are cool enough to handle the YOO-VEEZ from sun-tanning. If you are not a pirate, run for it.
Very good article on the need to come up with a new "radiation danger" symbol:
http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=160
I think that's mostly just strange. Not an improvement. Thumbs down!
So... the UN took time coming up with a clever new radiation symbol, and in the end all they did was take a skull, a nuclear sign, and a wet floor stick figure and put them in a triangle. Excellent.
They should learn to put 5 second looping clips as signs. Then just have a loop of toddlers on fire, running from a mushroom cloud.
but do i run to my right of my left? because the sign points right but hte guy is running to his left... i just dont want to get it wrong when the gigantic skulls invade spewing their sperm from above.
Seriously though, THIS is the "symbol" they came up with? It's more of a 3 panel comic if anything and, as the comments have shown, easily interrupted as anything. I thought the idea of changing the symbol would be so it was easier. But it seems burocracy as once again made things more complicated.
I dont see too much wrong with the origional one. Just as with any symbol it needs to be explained, but once you learn it you've got it in your brain forever with out an explination. Having to relarn a symbol that really needs to be read is bad practice.
Look at it from the point view of someone coming across it 1000 years from now, and no assumption about language. It works.
I looked at that and saw, "One does not simply walk into Mordor."
:)
-Ghoti
No no,
It's when the sperm fly from the fan, run to the right, away from the pirates.
As a typographer I can say: Mission failed.
This sign is far too complex and it isn't working at all. Anyone who knows the radiation symbol with the three "rays" would know enough by just looking at the much simpler symbol. Anyone who doesn't know the radiation symbol is just as lost as looking at the symbol only.
So some poor 3rd world guy looking at the sign might intepret this as when the fan starts blowing flee from the giant skull to the right...
RUN AWAY FROM RADISKULL!!!
MP3: No sorry, the microwave will not effect ionization. However, I can get you Sr-90, if you are interested. It's $75 for a .1 uCi sample, which is less than a nanogram and is embedded in a plastic disk or a needle source. You can buy up to 10 of them without a license. Any more than that you will have to stager the order. However, you are going to be limited in the total number, depending on your state and NRC regulations. I am afraid if you want more than 20 I will need to call the NRC for approval for that.
"Why does he have one round hand and one square hand?"
The bottom half of the sign should be AOL's new log on symbol. That way they can let people know what they are in for.
i agree with deepdarksee.
don't you guys remember this: http://digg.com/general_sciences/How_to_Warn_500_Generations_of_Nuclear_Waste_
We still need to warn the aliens that take over our world that this stuff is deadly (to us at least).
'Cause the circle and sections wasn't globally recognizable already...
What a waste.
Did you see the Japanese Version of this new sign?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kt/395457657/