Nuclear Barbarians

Rachael Zisk (https://twitter.com/RachaelZisk) just launched a nuclear energy newsletter — Ignition (https://twitter.com/ignitionnuclear) — which is great. I brought her on to talk about her new venture, the challenges of covering highly technical topics, how the media landscape is changing, and more! Subscribe to Ignition. (https://ignition-news.com/) Subscribe to Payload. (https://payloadspace.com/)

John and I finish up our discussion of the Machine in the Garden. We reflect on Leo Marx’s contribution—both its successes and failures. And we consider what opportunities there are to think about the American relationship with the Machine.

Director Tyson Culver joined me to talk about his new docu-series with Robert Bryce —Juice: Power, Politics, and the Grid. We talk about what Tyson learned while making documentaries with Robert about the grid and what’s currently going around with America’s electricity sector. Check it out! You can watch it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/J3G3HFmpb4Y?si=wSbihactrMKBllIu And you can watch their first documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYMXNn56kTo

John and I continue our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden. In this episode, we talk about Emerson, Thoreau, Melville, and Hawthorne. We recorded this one a bit before Christmas last year.

Author and mechanic Matthew B. Crawford joined me to talk about the nature of progress, our over designed world, the limits of laissez faire, safetyism, the current golden age of hotrodding, and so much more. Here are the pieces we discussed: Misanthropic Use of the Nudge (https://mcrawford.substack.com/p/misanthropic-uses-of-the-nudge) by Matthew B. Crawford A $5,600 Taillight Repair? (https://mcrawford.substack.com/p/a-5600-tail-light-repair) by Matthew B. Crawford For a way more thorough look into Chernobyl, which comes up towards the end, check out this thread (https://twitter.com/MadiHilly/status/1557399822600216577) from my friend Madi Hilly which has tons of links to resources etc. if you want a way better explanation of what happened than what I give here.

I got to sit down with Doug Sandridge (https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-c-sandridge-63996312/), an oil and gas guy with decades of experience, to talk about his shocking new project: OIL AND GAS EXECS FOR NUCLEAR. This is the story of someone called to action to stand up for energy abundance for all—Doug’s a great guy and I loved chatting with him. Check out the declaration of Oil and Gas Execs for Nuclear (https://executives4nuclear.com/declaration/). Read Doug’s op-ed for Grid Brief. (https://www.gridbrief.com/p/guest-oped-oil-gas-execs-nuclear) Check out Doug’s Substack: ENERGY RUMINATIONS (https://douglascsandridge.substack.com/)

Isaiah Taylor (https://twitter.com/isaiah_p_taylor), the founder of Valar Atomics, joined me to talk about his new venture, how he wants to turn the nuclear energy over on its head, how his Christian faith and Midwestern roots inform his work, and much more. Reach more about Valar here (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/isaiahptaylor_today-im-excited-to-unveil-valar-atomics-activity-7126201405811372032--twM/).

John and I are back with our third installment of our reading series on The Machine in the Garden by Leo Marx. This chapter is all about “the machine” as a symbol in American life and letters. We talk about obscure figures like the Pennsylvanian manufacturer Tench Coxe, Thomas Carlyle’s “Signs of the Times,” the Newtonian reconciliation of art and nature, 19th century machine boosterism, and more!

Writer and film critic Andrew Plimpton returns to the pod to speak with me about Scorsese’s latest film, which centers around oil rights and a covert assault on the Osage tribe. We discuss the merits and demerits of this epically long film, Scorsese’s legacy, the American project, and more.

John and I continue our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America. This chapter delves deep into the symbol of the garden—we dive into Marx’s reading of Jefferson, the nature of the pastoral ideal and how it evolved, the vision of Virginia, and more.

Hugo Kruger is a razor sharp engineer with a deep knowledge of energy systems. He came onto the show to talk to me about what’s going on with South Africa’s grid. I learned a ton from this episode—I hope you guys enjoy it! Check out Hugo’s work on Substack (https://substack.com/@hkrugertjie). Connect with him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hkrugertjie/).

John Goodson, my old co-host from the ex.haust podcast, joined me in the first of our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America (https://www.amazon.com/Machine-Garden-Technology-Pastoral-America/dp/019513351X/ref=sr_1_1). There are a few audio problems in this episode, for which we apologize. Thankfully, they’re brief. “Believing in America (https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/leo-marx-believing-america/),” Leo Marx, Boston Review. The Elizabethan World Picture: A Study of the Idea of Order in the Age of Shakespeare (https://www.amazon.com/Elizabethan-World-Picture-Shakespeare-Milton/dp/0394701623/ref=sr_1_1), Donne and Milton by Eustace Tilyard

Spencer Klavan (author, podcaster, and editor) joined me to talk about that horrible Apple clean energy/Mother Nature video, neo-paganism as social and ideological force, quantum physics, epistemology, THE LORD, and more. Watch the Apple video here (https://www.apple.com/environment/mother-nature/). “Mother Nature Returns,” Spencer Klavan, Rejoice Evermore (https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/p/mother-nature-returns) “Where Wind Meets Matter,” Spencer Klavan, Claremont Review of Books (https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/where-mind-meets-matter/) Listen to Young Heretics (https://open.spotify.com/show/4UKFl0u5XTidzoWuebltZj), The Round Table (https://americanmind.org/audio/), and The Close Read (https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/podcast/) Buy Spencer’s book: How to Save the West: Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises (https://www.amazon.com/How-Save-West-Ancient-Wisdom/dp/1684513456/ref=sr_1_1)

Nick O’Hara—writer, host of the Gridlocked podcast, and owner of an enviable speaking voice—joined me to talk about climate, energy, how to have a sane conversation in insane times, and much more. Listen to Gridlocked: Why the 21st Century is Broken and How to Fix It. (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gridlocked-why-the-21st-century-is-broken-and-how-to-fix-it/id1683354460) Why Big Oil Loves the Renewable Energy Industry (https://www.salon.com/2023/06/18/why-big-oil-loves-the-renewable-energy-industry/)by Nick O’Hara, Salon. We abandoned nuclear power. Now the earth is paying the price. (https://www.salon.com/2023/07/16/abandoning-nuclear-power-was-a-mistake-germany-must-return-to-the-future-of-energy/) by Nick O’Hara, Salon. Abandoning nuclear power was a mistake. Germany must return to the future of energy. (https://www.salon.com/2023/07/16/abandoning-nuclear-power-was-a-mistake-germany-must-return-to-the-future-of-energy/) by Nick O’Hara, Salon.

Wireline worker Andrew De La Rosa came on to talk to me about the fracking process and how wireline works. I learned a ton from this conversation and had a great time. I hope you guys enjoy it! Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tejanobrown

Writer and film critic Andrew Plimpton joined me for a new running series we’re doing: Energy Cinema. For our inaugural episode, we decided to talk about the new Oppenheimer movie. Hope you enjoy it!

Entergy’s Chief Nuclear Officer Kimberly Cook-Nelson stopped by the pod to talk to me about Entergy’s nuclear fleet, her experience working in the nuclear industry, how utilities are changing nuclear comms, and more.

Juan David Rojas (https://twitter.com/rojasrjuand) returns to Nuclear Barbarians to talk to me about Brazilian industrial history. We touch on Eletrobas, Petrobras, Brazil’s nuclear energy missteps, and a whole lot more. “The Center That Will Always Hold: Brazil’s Lost Decades (https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2023/05/the-center-that-will-always-hold-brazils-lost-decades/),” by Juan David Rojas, American Affairs

Pat O’Brien, Holtec’s Director of Government Affairs and Communications, sat down with me to talk about his background in nuclear energy, Holtec’s attempts to save the Palisades plant in Michigan, its new SMR design, and more!

Jonah Messinger (https://twitter.com/JonahMessinger) wrote a thoughtful piece on cold fusion for the Breakthrough Institute. I brought him on to talk about cold fusion, science as a process vs. science as an institution, and more! Fusion Runs Hot And Cold (https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/fusion-runs-hot-and-cold) by Jonah Messinger