Wanted: Research Assistant

I’m hiring a part-time research assistant to support work on my essays, talks, and the book I’m writing on the history of industrial civilization. You must have the ability to orient yourself in unfamiliar mental territory; to penetrate the fog of confusing, incomplete, and contradictory information; to sniff out reliable sources of key facts and to corroborate them; and to quickly sketch out a new intellectual landscape. Up to 10–15 hours/week, $25–30/hour, any time zone OK. Learn more and apply here.

Why has nuclear power been a flop?

In the 1950s, nuclear was the energy of the future. Two generations later, it provides only about 10% of world electricity, and reactor design hasn‘t fundamentally changed in decades. (Even “advanced reactor designs” are based on concepts first tested in the 1960s.)

What happened? A recent book addresses this question. Read my review of Jack Devanney's Why Nuclear Power Has Been a Flop.

Interview: Futurati Podcast with Thomas Frey and Trent Fowler

I was interviewed on the Futurati Podcast with Thomas Frey and Trent Fowler; we talked about “skeptics of progress, progress in political and social domains, stagnation, and what excites him about the future.”