Titanic Tech

Size Titanic (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The luxury liner Titanic sank on its maiden voyage in A.D. 1912 from England to America.  Before it embarked, the ship’s captain said, “I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel.  Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.”

The captain was convinced that “modern shipbuilding” technology had advanced to a point where “modern” ships were unsinkable.

The man responsible for building the Titanic reportedly declared, “God, Himself, could not sink the Titanic.”  That report is probably false.  Nevertheless, the sentiment expressed and subsequent sinking of the Titanic perfectly illustrates mankind’s tendency to arrogant overconfidence in our technology.  Whenever we think we’re “so smart” that nothing can possibly go wrong, we’ve embraced a “Titanic Technology” that’s more akin to magic and superstition than science.

“Titanic Technology” embraces a mix of science and human arrogance.  When the arrogance outweighs the science, unsinkable ships sink and thousands, maybe millions, die.

 

Fukushima Could Be 85 Times Worse than Chernobyl

English: Internationally recognized symbol.  Image:Radioactive.svg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sobering.  Worst case: global catastrophe.

It’s hard to listen to this video without thinking about End Times.

General Electric has built a number of nuclear power plants in the US that are reportedly identical to Fukushima Reactor #4.   If so, those US reactors may also store their radioactive waste on the roof of the reactors.  If the reactor building is destroyed, the nuclear waste might render hundreds, perhaps thousands, of square miles uninhabitable.

Nuclear power is a colossally stupid, short-sighted technology.  We get cheap energy for 20 to 50 years, then we have to figure out how to safely store the highly toxic, radioactive waste for thousands, perhaps even a million,  years. Given the storage problem, the nuclear power technology is insane.

video   00:05:31

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=epixkCHOfR0

 

Japan is Dying III

Image via Wikipedia

As opined in Japan is Dying, and Japan is Dying II, Japan is facing a host of problems that do not bode well for its ultimate survival.  I don’t expect Japan to suddenly expire in the next weeks or months.  I don’t doubt that twenty years from now, the nation of Japan will still be with us.  But Japan is in a state of decline that may be irreversible and, if Japan still exists in 20 years, it will not be the world’s 3rd largest economy.  Instead, Japan might not be in the top 10; maybe not even in the top 20. There are demographic (some claim 75% of Japanese woman are remaining unmarried and often childless) and technical (Fukushima) problems pushing Japan towards extinction or at least economic irrelevance.

Here’s another video describing the current state of affairs in regard to Japan’s failed Fukushima nuclear reactors.

Included in this video are reports that some or all of Tokyo might have to be evacuated.  I find it hard to believe that such evacuation will take place.  But the fact that it’s being considered is evidence that Fukushima is the single worst nuclear catastrophe in human history.  (So far.)

 

Japan is Dying II

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On March 31st, I posted “Japan Is Dying” on this blog.  That article was largely a response the the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdowns, but also dealt with fundamental demographic problems:  1) Japan’s economy has been moribund during its “Lost Decade”; and 2) 75% of Japan’s women are unmarried and therefore unlikely to reproduce.

Japan is aging, it’s population is falling, it’s economy is depressed, and the Fukushima radiation may ultimately cause Japan to lose Tokyo and much of northern Japan to a “dead zone”.

Unless at least two or three of those problems are resolved, I doubt that Japan will recover in my lifetime. I wouldn’t be surprised to China invade Japan within the next ten years.

 

Tectonic Weapons and End Times

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Earthquakes are much in the news.

The Java earthquake of May, A.D. 2006 killed nearly 6,000, injured 36,000 and left 1.5 million homeless.

In March of this year, an earthquake off the coast of Japan caused three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant to suffer meltdowns and spew radioactive particles into the atmosphere that may ultimately affect the entire northern hemisphere.

This week, an earthquake struck The State of Virginia and, while it didn’t do much real harm, nevertheless astonished most Americans since most people don’t associate earthquakes with the east coast of the United States.

I don’t know if the world is experiencing a higher than average incidence of earthquakes, or if global, electronic communications simply cause us to hear about distant earthquakes that, in other times, would be unreported.

But for some, the seeming increase in the incidence of earthquakes is reminiscent of the various verses in the Bible that associate the onset of “End Times” with “earthquakes”.  For example:

 

Fukushima Disaster Continues

Image by Sterneck via Flickr

On March 11th, A.D. 2011–just 5 months ago–a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and following tsunami caused a catastrophic failure of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  Three nuclear reactors suffered “meltdown”.   Initially, there was great international concern over the radiation leaking from the Fukushima plant which might not merely affect Japan, but also Canada, the United States and potentially the entire northern hemisphere.

Over the next few months, however, mainstream media attention was diverted from Fukushima, people lost interest and today, most Americans don’t recognize the word “Fukushima” or remember the three meltdowns.  It’s amazing how quickly people forget.  It’s amazing how easily we are led by “entertainment” to ignore reality.  It’s not just amazing.  It’s frightening.

 

Chernobyl Roulette

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After Fukushima, the nuclear power industry can’t catch a break.

Record-high flood levels on the Missouri River are threatening the operation of Nebraska’s Fort Calhoun nuclear power generator.  If any one of six Missouri dams breaks, the result could be an “inland tsunami” which might have a result similar to that of the tsunami that hit the Fukushima nuclear power plant.  (Coincidentally, it’s already reported that the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant is experiencing a “level 4″ emergency.  There is some sort of fire taking place in the plant even before the Missouri floodwaters reach the reactor building.)

In Nebraska, we’re seeing another instance of man’s technological hubris being bruised (and potentially crushed) by the forces of nature.

It becomes increasingly apparent that nuclear power is “too hot to handle” and may be too dangerous to be employed anywhere.