If Sisyphus were alive today...
...he would be wondering what to do with all of the nuclear waste.
According to MapScience, under the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste plan, this is my...
Distance from the nearest nuclear waste route: 40.8 miles Distance from Comanche Peak, the nearest waste source: 140.4 miles
Not too bad, until you realize that I travel on the route on a regular basis. That 40 miles is nothing in Texas—people regularly drive that far to go out to dinner at a restaurant. Try it yourself and see what your results are.
And check out these chilling facts!
Yet more proof that the energy plan of the Bush administration is ill-conceived, dangerous to both the environment and national health conditions, and completely lacking in a forward-looking vision. Hell, it doesn't even promote technologies available in the present that could reduce emissions and nuclear waste. Instead funding for alternative sources research is reduced while they propose wildlife-refuge oil drilling, national missile defense, and initiatives against Iraq.
News flash: we won't need missile defense or action against Iraq if we don't need oil, if we don't behave badly in other countries because of our dependence on oil, thereby giving them reasons to hate us (and no, I am not saying we are responsible for 9/11, but we are partially responsible for the global climate in which it happened). And contrary to what the Bush administration says, drilling in ANWR would be inconsequential in reducing this dependence.
You want nuclear waste solutions? These are nuclear waste solutions:
Solar / photovoltaic Wind Hydroelectric Fuel cells
In other words, stop producing nuclear waste until we know we can store and transport it safely. Fund some research to hurry along the most promising technologies that are still prohibitively expensive (e.g. fuel cells). Reduce our dependence on oil by creating viable alternatives.
Bullying the world because of oil will get Americans killed. Shipping nuclear waste across the country will get Americans killed.
To put it simply: Think! Think!
Does anyone in the administration do that?
This rant brought to you by the Hell In A Handbasket files of Makura No Soshi.
weekend plans...
If they are good enough for me, maybe they are good enough for you, no?
Tonight - see Mr. Sinus Theater 3000 provide comical commentary on The Karate Kid.
For all of the non-MST3Kers, once upon a time there was a show called Mystery Science Theater 3000 on American and Canadian TV, which showed bad movies and had a guy and his robot-puppet friends making fun of the movies.
For all of the non-Austinites, a local theater called the Alamo Drafthouse has continued the tradition by showing a series of bad movies with 3 local comics providing the live commentary and other hilarious mayhem.
Karate Kid should give them plenty of comic fodder. All that "wax on, wax off" stuff just begs to be exploited for cheap sexual humor.
Tomorrow Night - Take in the latest play by The Bedlam Faction, Romulus. They are a lot of fun, and very witty. I light-designed their last production.
Go see Romulus! Go!
If you don't live in Austin, well, it's your loss.
Sunday Night - Go see the premiere of Plow Monday's new music video, followed by a live performance by the band.
If you are the sort of person who likes alt-rock in principle, but wishes all these alt-rock bands (@#%&! Creed) would get some originality and sound like themselves, then you might like Plow Monday.
I'm generally more of an indie-head, and dislike most of that Systemofacreedcubus stuff with a passion, but these guys are really energetic and melodic, with a lot of diverse sounds, and they rock in live performance.
So...those are the highlights. If you're a friend of mine and have been thinking we don't hang out enough, or if you're a lovelorn stalker I've never met, then hey! Now you know where to find me.
One week later, but still Princeton
So, now I am travelling to the Northeast not next week, but the week after (the 24th to 27th). Unfortunately, I'm still going to Princeton instead of the city. Oh well.
From the sound of things, I may end up doing a lot of back and forth between here and there over the next few months. The Princeton people appear to want / need a lot of help getting the system I developed working. Whee.
In the good news department, word is that the new parent company's IT department is not very good. This could equal substantially improved bargaining position.
Number 1 on my list of demands? It's not bigger salary...just give me my own bloody cubicle! This sharing scheme is thoroughly inhumane!