I found then answer as to why we are not exploring LFTR technology as an abundant, green energy solution.  POLITICS!  SHOCK!

As a follow-up to my post on Making the Best of a Bad Situation, here’s a brief history on LFTR (pronounced “lifter”, stands for Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor) and why it was nicked in the 1970′s.

Power generated by LFTR technology was successfully tested and achieved in the 1960′s.  This is not “Star Terk” tech dreamed up by a bunch of grad students as a science project.  It is has been done.  And it was not simply replacing thorium with uranium to fuel the reaction.  LFTR is a completely different approach.

Thorium is about four times more abundant than uranium with abundant deposits in the United States.

In 1965, Alvin Weinberg and his team built a working LFTR system that generated electricity from thorium.  It had the following advantages over uranium reactors:

• Thorium is abundant in the USA
  Enough for about 1000 years of energy
• Very Little nasty radioactive waste
• Practically no risk for run-away reactions
  Like Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and recently Fukushima, Japan
• No weapons grade material as a byproduct (for use in making nuclear bombs)

Turns out the “no nukes” advantage was considered a bad thing.  In the cold war era of the 60’s and 70’s America’s appetite for nuclear weapons was greater than the desire for an inexpensive and safe energy source.  So much so that Admiral Hyman Rickover, de facto head of the US nuclear program, wanted the plutonium from uranium-powered nuclear plants to make bombs.

Rickover tossed aside Weinberg along with anybody who advocated LFTR.  His somewhat twisted logic was what good is a nuclear reactor if you can use it to make bombs?  In 1973 Rickover had Weinberg fired from his position at Department of Energy after 18 years of service.  Weinberg continued to be an outspoken, yet almost solitary voice for LFTR until he died in 2006.

It is ironic that in 1973, the same year Weinberg was blackballed, was “the most pivotal year in energy history,” according to the US Energy Information Administration.  It was the year the Arab states cut off oil supplies to the West, igniting the petroleum-fueled conflicts that plague the world to this day. The same year, the US nuclear industry signed contracts to build a record 41 nuke plants, all of which used uranium. And 1973 was the year that thorium R&D faded away.

Imagine what might have happened if the priority had been more about making affordable and clean energy instead of nuclear bombs.

Perhaps it is still not too late!

Here are some good links with more info on LFTR:
http://madmikesamerica.com/2010/06/lftr-energy-too-cheap-to-meter-part-1/
http://madmikesamerica.com/2010/06/lftr-energy-too-cheap-to-meter-part-2/
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/12/ff_new_nukes

My hope is that we can turn the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power in Japan into a conversation to face our long-term energy problems that we have been avoiding for decades.

First of all, this earthquake and tsunami is a tragedy and we all hope and pray those impacted.

To compound the catastrophe is the mushroom cloud of fear generated by the 24 hour profit-based news industry on the dangers of nuclear energy.  And while this fear based reporting makes for good ratings, it offers no solutions.

But science has presented the concept of liquid-fluoride thorium reactors (LFTR) as a safe, cost-effective, and green energy alternative.  So why aren’t we pursuing it, or at least talking about it?

Without going into a dissertation on sub-atomic physics, here’s video describing the benefits of LFTR energy.

Nuclear reactors that run on thorium offer superior advantages in safety, proliferation, waste, and cost.
-There is enough thorium in the US to power our economy for the next 1,000 years
-Its waste lasts only 300 years compared to 10,000 years for traditional plants
-Thorium plants are 50% cheaper than traditional plants

LFTR seems to have the best advantages when it comes to replacing fossil fuels, and improving the environment by offering safe, clean, efficient, cheap, and reliable power.

So once again I ask; why are we not aggressively pursuing this technology.

Here’s a thought…
Much like the drug dealer does not want to help the junkie overcome his addiction, those in power who control power and energy do not want to find a competing technology.  Then they lose control over an energy-addicted world.

Okay, this may hedge close to a paranoid conspiracy theorist.  But I am struggling to understand why we are not at considering this energy solution instead of fueling a fallout of fear.

Shouldn’t the USA be leading the world in discussions on liquid-fluoride thorium reactors and other green energy options?

Here’s more info on LFTR:
http://www.thoriumenergyalliance.com/
http://energyfromthorium.com/
http://www.facebook.com/EnergyFromThorium

1_Minute_LFTR_Thorium_Plant:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSzEjWz5T44

Rob_Morse – Thorium Reactors with out Formulas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHiPYROglp4

The Bottoms Up Draft Beer Dispenser is a great example of technology gone wild and solving a problem that doesn’t exist.  But it sure looks fun!

It pours beer from the bottom of the glass.  For those who graduated from college with a major in beer pouring, you could be in trouble.

Get ready to be dazzled – here’s a video demonstrating this amazing device.

Some ways bottoms-up beer can make the world a better place:

• Those who make those girls/boys gone wild videos, they can get their unwitting stars hammered and unclothed even faster.
• Frat boys of all ages worried that pouring their favorite beverage will give them carpal tunnel, you can relax.
• Finally, a gift for the guy who really does have everything.

My suggestion for the name of this device is the Beer Bidet, but turns out that name is taken.  (Google “Beer Bidet” to learn the urban definition.  Who knew!)

How does it work?  What magic allows beer to defy gravity?  Actually, the secret is in the cup.  The bottom of the cup has a magnetic valve that lets the beer in.  When it’s full and the pump shuts off, the pressure of the beer pushing down on the valve closes it.

Here’s the kicker – the round valve at the bottom of the cup is disguised as an advertisement for, you guessed it, beer.  After chugging a brew when you very open to suggestion, you find yourself starring at an ad for beer.  Talk about marketing gone wild!

Click here for more on the Bottoms Up Draft Beer Dispensing System.

Everybody is so concerned about airport body scanners invading their privacy.  So what do people do – start Facebook pages protesting these devices.  Here’s my question – if these people are so concerned about privacy then what are they doing on Facebook?  Does anyone else see the irony?

It just seems weird to complain about privacy on the place where people post every gory detail of their lives.

We’ve all had to live with beefed-up airport security since 911.  The lines, emptying pockets, removing shoes, the hand scanner, and the baggage checks have all become a part of the air travel experience as much as peanuts and pretzels.  And every time there is an incident (like the infamous underwear bomber) everyone screams “what are they doing to keep us safe”.

So technology provides a possible solution in the form of x-ray body scanners.  At first there was some logical discussion about the effectiveness along with debates about the health issues.  But like many security measures, it is impossible to determine how many possible breeches are stopped.  The idea is that a potential terrorist will think twice about packing explosives in his underwear if he knows he was going to be body scanned.

The health issues are being addressed by deploying machines that operate in the millimeter wave region.  This frequency range for x-rays is considered safe and no more of a risk than a chest x-ray at your doctor’s office.

Social media, camera phones, and GPS smart phones have almost made privacy a thing of the past.  People post pictures on Facebook doing all kind of crazy things – making out with strangers, passed out drunk, and the famous scantily clad photos (both men and women).
So how can you honestly cry foul when in the name of security a trained TSA officer may see a blurry x-ray of your body?

Scary Smartphone zombies are everywhere.  They walk aimlessly down the street without emotion, their eyes transfixed on their PRECIOUS.

Much like Gollum thought the ring made him powerful, they think their Smartphone gives them power by connecting them to others, but it really just makes them invisible to the real world.  Their PRECIOUS Smartphone is turning them into this:

There are moments when they return to the real world and interact with real live human beings.  But the uncontrollable urge compels them to pull out their iPhone, Blackberry, or Android so they can text, email, tweet, or check the status of their friends.  And this compulsion can occur at anytime – at dinner, while cuddling on the couch, during a business meeting while someone else is talking, and even on the can (yes, you have probably had a text exchange with someone on the toilet).

However, the Smartphone zombie has potential to be a very cool Halloween costume.  But first I must pull out my iPhone and check the status of my Facebook friends to see if anyone else has the same idea.  MUST check my PRECIOUS!

Watch Out Justin and Miley, the latest sensation is a robot pop star.
So here she is – the HRP-4C sings and dances in sync with live, human background performers.

She really works the crowd with those over-sized robot hands.  At first I though the man-hands were creepy.  But as the show progressed I found them almost hypnotic, which is well…kinda creepy.  (Grin)

Hey, I wonder if she can to the robot?  (Sorry, it had to be said!)

I’m not sure if this is a major advancement in artificial intelligence technology or because today’s pop stars are so robotic and predictable they can be programmed in to a machine.  You gotta admit, today’s pop music follows a formula designed to make money and not necessary good music.  No defense to the fans of today’s teen idols.  In my day we had pop stars with real talent, like the Partridge Family.  Okay, maybe that’s not the best example since it turns out SOME of those kids were lip syncing.  SHOCK!  And come to think of it, Tracy (the youngest) did seem a like a little girl fembot reject from the Bionic Woman.

The divabot, as she’s being called, is being developed at Japan’s Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. She uses special software to precisely mimic a human singer’s head movements and facial features and synthesizes notes with Yamaha’s Vocaloid software.

Could robots replace pop icons?  And what happens when these bots go “Lindsay Lohan” and get hooked on drugs.  It’s a given that robots are stronger than humans, so a cocaine crazed didvabot could make the terminator seem like a kindergarten teacher.  Scary!

It does create a whole new genre of Halloween costumes – Pop star robots gone bad.  The possibilities are endless!

Here’s a for-real sock sorting robot.  And when it is not sorting socks it can give you a “happy ending”.
Do we really need a robot that sorts socks?  And there’s no shortage of people ready-and-willing to provide a “happy ending”!
Sorry robot – what else you got?

At some time everyone wants toss their PC.  Here are some guys who have found the next best think – the keyboard toss.  You get most of the satisfaction at a fraction of the cost.  However, the last guy in this video could use a little work on his technique.  (Grin)

What language are they speaking?  Is that Russian?  Klingon?  (Yes, all geeks speak Klingon.)

For those with robot-phobia having nightmares about a terminator/Cylon takeover, you can relax.  Or at least have a beer and not worry about it.  They actually made a robot that fetches you a beer.

But if we let robots get us beer then what’s next?  The next thing we know they’ll want to get married.  I say stop the robot agenda!  Get your own beer!  LOL

Check out this beer fetching robot.  (Actually, it’s very cool!)