Decouple

• The Machines Behind The Machines

  This week, we talk tools. With precision machinist Noah Rettberg, we explore a facet of modernity as important as energy, for it is the technology that energy powers and the technology that makes that technology: machine tools. Noah draws from his professional knowledge and passion for history to takes from Roman metallurgy through the guild-protected craftsmanship of medieval Europe to the steam-powered revolution in machining to the cutting-edge of metalworking tools. Riveting!

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• Respect the Rads

  This week, we talk radiation—the elephant in the room during many conversations about nuclear power. Nick Touran, a reactor designer and nuclear historian, helps us along. While nuclear advocates have made remarkable strides in dispelling public fears about radiation, Touran warns against the pendulum swinging too far toward complacency. We explore why maintaining a healthy respect for radiation remains crucial even as we champion nuclear power's expansion.Read the extended shownotes on Substack.

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• Pass the Salt

  Molten Salt Reactors are often portrayed as nuclear’s great missed opportunity, promising unparalleled safety, efficiency, and fuel sustainability. But are these promises reality or hype? Nick Touran, reactor designer and nuclear historian, joins me to tell the complex story behind molten salt reactors—from their ambitious beginnings during Cold War nuclear airplane experiments to the realities of managing radioactive liquid fuels. This conversation clears the mist around one of nuclear's most intriguing yet misunderstood technologies.Read more in-depth show notes on Substack.

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• "Better Water Reactors"

  This week, we talk Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) with James Krellenstein, the CEO of Alva Energy. We dive into the engineering, history, and physics of these reactors, how they differ from other designs, and why the United States may have erred in not choosing the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) instead of the Westinghouse AP-1000 for the Vogtle nuclear power plant.For this episode, we’ve included a glossary below to help with unfamiliar terms:ABWR: Advanced Boiling Water ReactorATWS: Anticipated Transient Without ScramBORAX experiments: Historical experiments testing reactor limits through deliberate failuresBWR: Boiling Water ReactorCOPS: Containment Overpressure Protection SystemCRDM: Control Rod Drive MechanismESBWR: Economic Simplified Boiling Water ReactorFLEX: Diverse and Flexible Coping Strategies (post-Fukushima enhancements)FOAK: First of a kindIGSCC: Intergranular Stress Corrosion CrackingNOAK: N-nth of a kindNRC: Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNSSS: Nuclear Steam Supply System (N Triple-S)PRA: Probabilistic Risk AssessmentPWR: Pressurized Water ReactorRCIC: Reactor Core Isolation Cooling System RPV: Reactor Pressure VesselSLC: Standby Liquid Control SystemRead more on Substack!

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• The Industrialization Playbook

  This week, we talk industrial policy. Economist and author Steve Keen joins me to shine light on the present moment by exploring the historical use of tariffs and industrial policy in the development of industrial powers from Britain to China. In his usual style, Keen aims to dismantle the myths of free-market economics, explaining how virtually every successful industrial nation began with protectionist policies. With the US now engaged in a trade war with Canada and other nations under Trump's renewed tariffs, we examine whether such measures can effectively rebuild American industry without the comprehensive industrial policies that powered China's meteoric rise. Hint: Keen believes this simplistic tariff solutions may create more chaos than revival for America's industrial base.

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