Wednesday, June 15, 2005

A thread on nuclear power safety issues

I stumbled across this post a couple of days ago. Someone in Australia was concerned about the vulnerability of nuclear power plants to attack, and we had some exchanges in the comments.

While reading it I couldn't help but remember a post a couple of weeks ago in which I questioned the manners and productivity of evolutionary biologists, who have so few actual speciation events to claim while responding to critics with bluster, insults and other things unworthy of professionals. I was amused at the strange combination of rudeness and touchiness, and the unfounded accusations about my beliefs coming from those who supposedly revered logic and research.

I can see getting frustrated with some arguments, which can make you wonder just how !@#$@ stupid someone thinks you must be, and I've certainly run into partisans against whom reason contends in vain.

But hey, I don't work at nuke plants any more. I don't even own any stock in companies who own them, and it's been awhile since I've seen anyone I used to work with. I really don't care where my power comes from - as a mechanical engineer I can make money off it no matter what its source.

So by now I speak as one with a decade's worth of relevant firsthand engineering experience without any economic or other conflicts of interest besides a desire to keep the lights on at a price I can afford.

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