Talking about nuclear fission power from California Shane and I talked about my Google Tech Talk titled “Fission is the new Fire”, the power of competition and human interests, the difference in atomic success between the US and France (emphasizing the fact that the US produces 2 times as much electricity with nuclear power as […]
Podcast
The Atomic Show #055 – Texas – next nuclear capital of US?
The great state of Texas seems to be poised to become the nuclear capital of the US based on the number of new nuclear plants that have been proposed for the state. TXU, Exelon, NRG and Amarillo Power have all proposed major new nuclear power plant projects in Texas, already the home of 4 of […]
The Atomic Show #054 – Russian – Canadian nuclear cooperation
Shane and I jumped around a bit, but spent most of the time on Russian interest in nuclear power The Russians are actively traveling the world marketing their nuclear power plants and services. They have been in South Africa and Canada recently looking for cooperative arrangements to share technology and skills. Shane and I also […]
The Atomic Show #053 – Commercial Nuclear Ships
Shane and I discuss commercial nuclear ship history and future opportunities Commercial nuclear powered ships were tried in the 1960s and 1970s with little follow on units. The United States built the NS Savannah, Germany built the Otto Hahn, and Japan built the Mutsu. None of these remain in operation today and all demonstrated various […]
The Atomic Show #52 – Climate change controversy
Shane and I discuss our understanding of human activity’s effects on global climate. As two geeks not trained in climate science, but comfortable with complex systems, our approach is unique. Unless you live under a rock, you have an opinion about whether or not man’s activity is causing a coming global catastrophe. Two recent films […]
The Atomic Show #51 – Uranium – interesting history and politics
We’re back after a couple of weeks off. The atomic geeks chat about uranium, which has an interesting history in politics, discovery and economics. Uranium is as common as tin and can be found in measurable quantities almost anywhere in the world. Its price often varies by several hundred percent over short periods of time, […]
The Atomic Show #050
The atomic geeks chat about the new radiation warning symbol, France’s interest in selling large plants to South Africa, Japan’s new mixed oxide fuel plant and much more. Enjoy the ride! Half of Atomic Show 50 comes to you from a food court in Norfolk, VA – I am on travel this week. Shane and […]
The Atomic Show #049 – Atomic ramblings – DTE new plant, TXU coal, etc
The atomic geeks ramble from DTE’s recent announcement of a site license application plan to TXU coal, to small atomic plants of the 1950s. Enjoy the ride! Rod and Shane discuss a variety of topics including DTE’s recent announcement of a plan to apply for a new nuclear plant site license (quite a change from […]
The Atomic Show #048 – J. Marvin Herndon of understandearth.com
Interview with Dr. J Marvin Herndon, best known for his development of the georeactor theory, an idea that the Earth’s core heat is provided by a natural fission reactor. Last night I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Dr. J. Marvin Herndon, a fascinating and independently minded geophysicist and chemist who is best known […]
The Atomic Show #047 – Atomic Batteries that last a very long time
Atomic batteries can store thousands of times more energy per unit mass than chemical batteries – leading to very long lives in special applications One of our listeners – Bruno Garcia – asked us to talk about nuclear (atomic) batteries. These devices make use of the energy that radioactive isotopes emit on a continuous basis […]
The Atomic Show #046 – CEO’s request mandatory federal greenhouse gas limits
Leaders of at least ten major corporations have requested mandatory federal greenhouse gas limits Shane and I talk about the somewhat counterintuitive request by the heads of ten major US corporations (Including GE, FP and L Group, PG and E, Duke Energy, Caterpillar, Alcoa, DuPont, BP America, Lehman Brothers, PNM Resources) for the federal government […]
The Atomic Show #045 – Nuclear CANDU for Alberta oil sands production
Alberta oil sands producers are taking a hard look at CANDU nuclear power plants. Alberta Canada is one of the few areas in the world where oil production has increased rather dramatically during the past 5 years. The area has a vast resource of unconventional oil in the form of oil sands, where the concentration […]
