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Yearly Archives: 2011

Nuclear Power

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The earthquake and tsunami in Japan was a horror on its own, but the effects on several nuclear reactors has added to the emergency.  There has almost certainly been a partial “meltdown” in two reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi and there may be more.  This is still unlikely to lead to a catastrophic failure and release of a large plume of radioactive material, but even a small chance multiplied by the potential for thousands more deaths makes the situation very tense.

There will be some “fallout” from this event no matter what – at least in terms of our interest in expanding or even maintaining our nuclear plants.  There is likely to be another tense event here in Minnesota in the next few weeks that will face a lot of scrutiny.  What has happened in Japan, and can it happen here?

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Like an Earthquake

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Every day starts with open eyes.  If you’ve had what you need to keep going, the world has been turning for about 8 hours and the news stories piled up around our humble ball that is spinning and pitching through space.  This information comes to you over airwaves or the internet or a newspaper that greets you on the porch, however you choose.

When the world is close to equilibrium, the news stories are easy to understand.  We all have our own frames that allow us to filter our world and make sense of it, assuming that today is a lot like yesterday and tomorrow won’t be that different.  The institutions that keep the world truckin’ on while we sleep operate more or less the same way.  But what happens when an awful lot happens at once?  That depends equally on the events of the day and the smugness that we greet it with.

Today is one of those days.  An awful lot is happening.

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Gotcha!

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There’s nothing new about the “Gotcha!” moment in teevee nooze.  It was pioneered by some of the most respectable figures in journalism long ago, most notably “60 Minutes” over 30 years ago.  Back then, it was a camera crew led by Mike Wallace openly hunting down people where they least expected it – as they got out of their car or on a golf course.  More recently we’ve seen public figures such as NPR’s former chief Ron Schiller and Wisconsin Gov. Walker taken in by ruses that make the “gotcha” even more intimate than it was in the past.  But is it really newsworthy, and is it really fair game?

These private moments where public figures are goaded into speaking their minds are only news because that they reveal that our institutions are run by actual humans.  What’s shocking about this is that it’s considered shocking at all.

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Crackle and Spark

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Few people would believe that there is anything new about antique music.  The ratings show Minnesota Public Radio’s classical music service runs a pretty solid 20th, behind their own news stations and the alternative music service, The Current (but ahead of the overtly political talk stations).  Isn’t this just a parade of long-dead white guys who wrote tunes you can’t dance to?

For a new generation of performers and listeners, there is nothing quite as exciting as very old music.  Their energy and passion infused into the ancient has created a new creation that defies time and convention, opening up new worlds of possibility to those who are daring enough to give it a try.  Newness is, as always, in the passion of the beholder.

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Beware Big ‘Net

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Users of the internet are supposed to be used to change, but like any chaotic system it has its bounds.  Recent developments at two large ‘net companies, google and facebook, have done more than feed the usual chatter – and may be significant developments in the evolution of how we connect.

What is clear, however, is that they have demonstrated that complete reliance on one big company is dangerous for users, advertisers, and internet businesses alike.

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