Adam Curry, host of The Daily Source Code (DSC), has talked about fission during his last three shows (753, 754, 755). This is an “answer show” for some of his questions.

(MP3 - 21.3 MB - 00:23:16 M)

Listen to Atomic Show #093 Here!

During my 27 years of association with atomic technology, I have engaged in a number of conversations with people on the topic of “why don’t people like us?” There is little doubt that choosing to be a nuke is NOT the way to gain immense popularity; there are few technologies that have inspired so much visceral dislike despite having some very useful properties.

Within the nuclear field and number of theories have been offered, some not well thought through. Here are some of the more common completions to sentences in water cooler conversations that start with “People do not like nuclear power because”:

• the media has misinformed them.
• the bomb scares them.
• Ralph Nader and the environmentalists have scared them.
• they do not want to take the time to learn the necessary math and science to allow them to understand.

I think all of the above are weak answers that need to be overcome, but it will take some concerted effort. One of the ways that I have been working on the list is to engage in conversations with influencers in the media, with a lot of focus on “the new media” of podcasts, blogs and other on-line publications.

For more than 2 years, I have had a running, intermittent conversation going with Adam Curry, the host of one of the most popular podcasts on the web. In the past week, the conversation has expanded with responses by a number of other listeners who have comments and questions about the technology. One of Adam’s thoughts is that nuclear power or atomic fission needs a new “brand”.

Since Adam has a big show to run that covers a lot of topics, there simply is not enough time available on his show for me to properly respond to all of the commentary, so I figured I would put together an old fashioned “answer show”. That way, any audience members that we share who want to focus a little more on the specifics of the fission discussion can get my thoughts and perhaps even get motivated to submit some of their own comments to Adam.

As a dedicated nuke who believes deep down that the world needs more fission and needs it now, I cannot allow a comment like “the media does not like us” without working to change the equation.

Link to previous episodes of The Daily Source Code. Warning - Adam’s show is aimed at adults and his demographic base tends to be educated males between the ages of 24 and 50. If you get embarrassed by “four letter words” or casual discussions with adult themes, you might not want to listen.

Chuck DeVore is a rarity - he is a California State Assemblyman actively working to pass legislation overturning the state’s de facto ban on new nuclear power plants.

(MP3 - 21.4 MB - 01:02:08 M)

Listen to Atomic Show #092 Here!

Chuck DeVore is a California State Assemblyman representing the 70th Assembly District. Among a number of other issues, he has recognized that the state desperately needs more energy and believes that it is past time to overturn the state’s de facto ban on new nuclear power plants.

He is an eloquent speaker with a good grasp of the technical details of why nuclear power plants should be built in California to serve the current and growing needs of the state’s large population base.

You can find out more about Chuck by visiting his personal web site at ChuckDeVore.com

To learn more about his efforts regarding power and energy, visit his web site titled PowerForCalifornia.com

Alexandra Prokopenko is a Belarusian journalist living, working and studying in Sweden. She spoke with Rod Adams while on holiday in Kiev, Ukraine.

(MP3 - 21.3 MB - 01:01:45 M)

Listen to Atomic Show #091 Here!

This show truly demonstrates the individual power and freedom provided to the world by the Internet. While we talked via Skype video conferencing (without additional charges above our internet connection fees) Alexandra was in Kiev, Ukraine celebrating the Orthodox Easter holiday while I was in Annapolis, Maryland on drizzly Sunday afternoon. Disregarding the two hard drops of our Skype connection, it sounds like we are in the same room or at least in the same town talking over a very clean phone line.

I recently “met” Alexandra online through the introduction of a mutual friend. She is a young woman who was a four year old in Belarus at the time that the operators of the Chernobyl power plant decided to perform an undocumented test procedure and ignored all warning signs to the point where they blew up the reactor.

Alexandra, like many of her contemporaries, has an enlarged thyroid and a few other medical problems that she attributes to the effects of the materials released during the subsequent fire, but instead of becoming a bitter victim, she chose to become an inquisitive journalist and fact seeker.

We talked about a number of different topics including the accident, energy supplies in Eastern Europe, the Ignalina reactor in Lithuania, Sweden’s current plans regarding its nuclear future, Russia’s recently announced plan to build a large power station in Kaliningrad for the electricity export market, and the business practices that she observed as a translator working for Gazprom.

Alexandra is a fascinating person, an experienced print, radio and television journalist, a linguist (she speaks excellent English, Russian, Swedish, Belarusian, and can get by in Polish, German, French and Japanese), and a world citizen with a questioning attitude.

Please listen carefully to this interview and share it with your friends. I am sure you will not be disappointed and may even be energized - like I am - to find out that there are people like Alexandra in the business of informing the world about what they know and what they can find out.

Mark Seall and Rod Adams talk about nuclear power, its role in fighting climate change and poverty, and Mark’s growing understanding of the risk tradeoffs associated with energy production systems.

(MP3 - 23.8 MB - 01:09:07 M)

Listen to Atomic Show #090 Here!

Mark Seall is a Brit living in Switzerland who has developed a strong interest in environmentalism and in the European activities aimed at reducing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. Last year he started a blog titled TalkClimateChange.com and he also is a contributing blogger at Green Options.

He recently determined that he wanted to participate in the nuclear power debate that has been growing in the UK and in Europe, but upon consideration decided that he did not yet know enough to make a well reasoned comment. Instead, he set up a debate forum on Green Options that he titled Nuclear Energy “Live” Debate and invited me to play the role of the pro-nuclear “expert”. I enjoyed the experience and decided that it would be useful to invite Mark onto The Atomic Show so that he could talk about his efforts, what he learned about nuclear energy from the debate and how he now feels about its potential for good in the future.

We talked about a range of topics including risk perception, Chernobyl (who can avoid that topic in any pro or con discussion about nuclear energy), technology improvements in nuclear power, personnel training programs, and energy system marketing efforts.

Hope you enjoy the conversation.

Okay - I cannot help myself. It is time to brag just a little. Yesterday, Mark made an announcement on his blog that he was Coming Off The Nuclear Fence and stating that “However, when faced with pressing realities and faced with a choice between relieving poverty, aggravating climate change, or accepting a manageable risk it looks like nuclear is our option – for now.”

I like to think that my atomic evangelism effort has had something to do with this decision.

Rod Adams and Andrew Feinberg of the blog Capitol Valley discuss motives behind anti-nuclear activism.

(MP3 - 26.8 MB - 01:17:52 M)

Listen to Atomic Show #089 Here!

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew Feinberg of Capitol Valley interviewed one of the new heros of the pro-nuclear world, Dr. Patrick Moore. You can hear the interview and read Andrew’s thoughts at Everything Old is New Again: From “No Nukes” to “Nukes Now” with Dr. Patrick Moore.

Here is a sample quote from that blog entry:

Here at CV we spend most of our time looking at new technologies, the future, and how a rush to judgment or a poor public relations decision can doom a promising technology, service, or company to failure. We see how sensationalism, poor reporting and massive “click to complain” campaigns can generate outrage where there should be none, and amplify the shrill cries of a few to the point where they dominate the public discourse.Now, instead of looking forward, we look back to the 1960’s, when the relatively new technology of nuclear power brought a promise of unlimited, clean energy. Those days also were the height of the cold war, when the fear of atomic weapons clouded the nation’s judgment of atomic power.

I made a comment on that blog entry that resulted in Andrew thinking that I might be a “crackpot”, so I decided to invite him onto the Atomic Show so that he could see for himself that I really am kind of kooky.

We had a great chat that I think you will enjoy. It is fun to share thoughts about history with someone just about half your age. Our personal experience lenses are quite different; the mixed points of view result in a good conversation.

Ted Rockwell, Michael Stuart, Robert Margolis and Rod Adams discuss the Linear, No Threshold radiation dose assumption, the political controversy that it has generated, the costs it imposes and the people who think of the costs as a valued revenue stream.

(MP3 - 23.2 MB - 01:07:20 M)

Listen to Atomic Show #088 Here!

There is an assumption that underlies most of the world’s radiation protection standards called the Linear, No Threshold dose assumption. This hypothesis - which has never made it to the scientific stage of being even a theory - claims that the negative human health effects from radiation exposure can be plotted on a straight line that extends from the high dose/death regime down to a minute hazard from the very lowest possible dose.

This assumption has been used to compute something called “collective dose” where exceedingly minor doses to very large populations result in a statistical prediction that the dose will cause several deaths. If the population that is assumed to be affected is large enough, the predicted deaths can even turn into rather scary numbers in the thousands.

There is no science that backs the linear no threshold dose assumption, but it remains the basis for regulations and is used to cause excessive fear of radiation, which happens to be a natural part of our earthly environment. An old friend of mine - Jim Muckerheide - has devoted a major, sustained effort to collect and provide ready access to thousands of peer reviewed studies, journal articles and even reports from the advisory committees that supposedly influence the regulatory decision bodies. You can find them at http://www.radscihealth.org/rsh/.

Here is a blurb about the organization that Jim founded, Radiation, Science and Health, an international non-profit organization.

RSH was organized by independent individuals knowledgeable in radiation health effects science, and related radiation protection, and medical applications, public policies. They know the scientific literature, misrepresented data, and wasted public funds, that do not protect public health.

• RSH seeks to change public policy in the public interest.
• It advocates for appropriate research and policy changes.

When you visit the site, remember that it is a voluntary effort produced by scientists and engineers; they are not graphic artists or web designers. (I hope I do not offend any of the members of RSH, but their site is darned ugly. However, look past that and read some of the valuable information that they have collected and made readily available. If the RSH web site was a high school student, it might be described as having an excellent personality.)

Jim was not able to join us for this show, but I did find some extremely knowledgeable guests. Ted Rockwell is the author of one of the seminal books on radiation shielding. He was Admiral Rickover’s technical director for about a decade and was a key member of the team that built the Nautilus and the Shippingport power station. Robert Margolis is a reactor engineer with 21 years of experience in the nuclear industry; he is regularly affected by the extreme conservatism imposed by the LNT based regulations. Michael Stuart started his career as a health physics specialist who was charged with finding ways to continually lower doses. He is now a technical instructor for Dominion Resources and is an exceptional communicator.

During the show we talk about the costs imposed by the LNT assumption, the logical fallacies that it imposes, the hazards that can result from excessive fears and controls of low levels of radiation and the people who view the excessive costs as important sources of revenue. We also mention the interests of nuclear power competitors in keeping the LNT obstacles in place as a way to improve their position in the very lucrative market for commercial heat and power.

I think you will enjoy this episode.

Ben Kenney is the host of theWatt Podcast a well established and popular discussion show about all things energy. We talked about power decisions in Canada, CANDU technology, and New Brunswick’s electricity export plans.

(MP3 - 22 MB - 01:03:49 M)

Listen to Atomic Show #087 Here!

Ben Kenney is studying for his PhD in chemical engineering, with a focus on solid oxide fuel cells. He expects to be finished by early summer 2008. As part of his education on energy matters, he started up theWatt Podcast several years ago and has built it into one of the most respected and frequently referenced energy discussions on the web.

Ben and I had a great time chatting about CANDU reactor technology, the future of Ontario’s electrical power supply, New Brunswick’s interest in increasing its share of the electrical power market in the Northeast US, and the future of suburbia in the face of ever increasing gasoline prices.

I promised Ben that I would invite him back, but I highly recommend that you subscribe directly to theWatt Podcast. You will enjoy his style and his guests.

Howard Shaffer is a Rickover selected former Navy nuclear officer, he helped to build and operate several plants in the US and Taiwan, and volunteered throughout his career to share nuclear information with anti-nuclear advocates.

(MP3 - 19.8 MB - 00:57:28 M)

Listen to Atomic Show #086 Here!

Howard Shaffer is a retired nuclear engineer who received his initial nuclear training and experience as a member of the Nuclear Navy. He attended nuclear power school at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, served on the USS Seawolf at sea and in the shipyard during a conversion to SUBSAFE, and he spent a long an active career in the nuclear industry.

He was involved in the startup of several plants in the US and in Taiwan and often voluntarily represented his company and nuclear technology in general in discussions involving anti-nuclear activists. One of the successes of his efforts was during the licensing and start-up of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant - the site of a lengthy anti-nuclear effort led by the Clamshell Alliance.

Many of the people on the other side of that effort are still actively pursuing their anti-nuclear goals - as Howard said during our conversation, some of them give every appearance that they will go to their graves before they give up their almost religious aversion to all things nuclear.

We had a good chat, hope you agree.

Duke Energy, Ameren, US Navy Nuclear Power Program, Dominion

(MP3 - 10.7 MB - 00:31:09 M)

Listen to Atomic Show #085-2 Here!

On February 29, 2008, I visited the American Nuclear Society Student Conference 2008 Career Fair and talked to a number of organizations that had booths set up to find out what kind of opportunities were available. I tried to get a reasonable selection of contractor, government agency, national laboratory and operating utilities to provide a flavor.

As I reviewed the clips, I realized that I did not talk to any of the reactor plant vendors. Oh well, I will learn from that oversight and try to do better the next time.

There are a total of eight different interviews that are spread out over two episodes. This second section includes talks with the following potential employers:

• Duke Energy
• Ameren
• US Navy Nuclear Power Program
• Dominion

If you hear a particular segment that interests you and you want to make contact with the speaker, send me an email (rod_adams(at symbol)atomicinsights.com) and I will try to help you make the direct connect. That way, you can tell them that you heard about the opportunity on The Atomic Show.

NRC, Black and Veatch, Southern California Edison, and Argonne National Laboratory

(MP3 - 13.4 MB - 00:38:46 M)

Listen to Atomic Show #085-1 Here!

On February 29, 2008, I visited the American Nuclear Society Student Conference 2008 Career Fair and talked to a number of organizations that had booths set up to find out what kind of opportunities were available. I tried to get a reasonable selection of contractor, government agency, national laboratory and operating utilities to provide a flavor.

As I reviewed the clips, I realized that I did not talk to any of the reactor plant vendors. Oh well, I will learn from that oversight and try to do better the next time.

There are a total of eight different interviews that are going to be spread out over two episodes. This first section includes talks with the following potential employers:

• US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
• Black and Veatch
• Southern California Edison
• Argonne National Laboratory

If you hear a particular segment that interests you and you want to make contact with the speaker, send me an email (rod_adams(at symbol)atomicinsights.com) and I will try to help you make the direct connect. That way, you can tell them that you heard about the opportunity on The Atomic Show.