I apologize for an energy-related post that is slightly off-topic. No hard feelings if you wish to delete it. I thought I would pass along a few items that may be of interest to you.

You’re probably aware of the British site http://www.LabLit.com , which promotes the accurate portrayal of science in literature and other entertainment. There is a lot of interesting stuff there, among which is some discussion of how hard it is to get portrayals of science into print in the fiction realm.

This leads to my second item, an essay I wrote for LabLit awhile back on the above topic. It’s at http://www.LabLit.com/article/83 . To summarize: I’ve worked at nuclear power plants for over twenty years. Watching commentators discuss our energy future, its obvious most have no clear picture of how our energy present really works — and surveying what’s in print, I can see why. So I wrote a book that describes large-scale electricity production in general, and specifically the people, politics and technology of nuclear power in the US. For popular consumption I also made it a thriller, with all the mayhem and intrigue one would expect. By the end, the reader has a pretty complete picture of the subject – which is far different than what most imagine (both good and bad). Unfortunately, I had difficulty getting “Rad Decision: A Novel of Nuclear Power” past the screen of literary agents — as described in my essay. Science isn’t of much interest in the fiction biz.

Steward Brand has said “I’d like to see Rad Decision widely read”.

I also have references from a Pulitzer winner and a National Science Medal recipient.

I’ve put Rad Decision out there on the net for free at RadDecision.blogspot.com
, and finally there is a paperback version available at online retailers, from which I receive no royalites. Reader reviews at the homepage have been very positive, both for the book’s entertainment value and it’s technical underpinnings. One said: “This book shows you can have an-edge-of-your-seat read without rewriting the laws of physics.”

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to look at the above references, and/or pass the information about Rad Decision along to someone interested in energy issues. Before we start treating big future energy machines as if they’re practically built, why not see how today’s behemoths are doing?

Regards,

James Aach

jimaach@comcast.net http://RadDecision.blogspot.com http://www.LabLit.com/article/83

My Favorite SF Novels: Darwin’s Radio and Childhood’s End
SF Films: Gattaca and The Andromeda Strain (the original)