It Was Twenty Years Ago Today...

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

But in terms of human lives lost, believe it or not hydro power has killed many, many more people.

There's a story about Thomas Edison setting about convincing New York City that DC was the better option for the streetlights than AC (George Westinghouse's baby). The story just gets more and more morbid:

The threat to this dream of profit came from another successful inventor with big money to spend: George Westinghouse, developer of the railroad air brake. By the mid-'80s, his Westinghouse Electric Co. was pushing a delivery system based on alternating current, or AC. AC could be transmitted for many miles; generators could be bigger and fewer, and built far out of earshot, even out of town. Soon Westinghouse was competing with Edison for the franchise in dozens of cities. The contest between the two stubborn and proud tycoon/inventors has been called "the War of the Currents."

Fear became a weapon. Edison believed AC was far more dangerous than DC, and soon started a campaign to make AC illegal. He flooded cities with pamphlets warning of AC's danger to families.

An aide, H.P. Brown, began experimenting with alternating current "electricide," killing dogs and cats brought to him by local kids who got a quarter per pet. Brown said he was doing research on the dangers of AC, but made sure the press got to watch a killing or two.

(from Urban Legends: Edison )

This set of "experiments" led more or less directly to the development of the electric chair.

One of those ironies, I guess, sort of like Mr Peace Prize Alfred Nobel having been the inventor of dynamite.

[Asparagus]

Apparently, Edison suggested that executing people by electrocution be called 'Westinghousing'. From what I've read, I understand Edison was a very nasty person. His relationship to Tesla is pretty interesting as well.

[Asparagus]

Oh, and just so we're clear, I meant by the production of hydro power (ie. dams, flooding, etc.), not the hydro-electricity itself.

[Im going home Donny]

sorry asparagus....I was frustrated.

I know you well enough to know your way of thinking is deep and expanded and that by no means were you calling anything 'good'.

I find it sad that the powers that be haven't and aren't pouring suitable funding into developing better sources of energy.

I could go on for pages but I'll spare everyone.

My emotions take over whenever I witness the effects of such appalling and preventable disasters.

...anyways....a few drinks sure would be nice.

[timouse]

while coal isn't the way to go, when you take in to account all of the energy required to mine/refine/ship uranium, not to mention the energy inputs required to build the actual reactor, it takes something on the order of 20 years for a nuclear plant to pay off its' "emissions debt" and actually be clean power.

not to mention the matter of storing the waste, or as chernobyl demonstrated, what happens when something goes wrong. as a matter of course, nuclear reactors continually vent small quantities of radioactive gas and water. even if nothing is wrong, reactors emit a far worse kind of persistent pollution that has an unknown and frankly terrifying impact on the surrounding area.

booo-urns!

[Asparagus]

You are completely right timouse. Unfortunately, the same can be said for something like solar power. The impact of mining the precious metals needed to build the solar cells is huge, not to mention the as of yet unknown impact that huge plains of these cells will have on the climates they are set up in. It is also unfortunate that the efficiency of solar cells is absolutely terrible (something under 15%). There is a huge land need for such solar farms, and not just any land, it has to be the right kind of land. This is also true of wind farms.

I would be curious to know how much radioactive gas and water is let out into the atmosphere in comparison to the known amount of radon gas circulating in the average basement, which is becoming more and more of a concern with newer, more airtight and energy efficient homes.

Again, I'm not saying that nuclear power is the one and only way to go. What I am saying is that I have a problem with, what I perceive to be, people's reactionary opinion that nuclear energy equals bad, and new, alternative sources equal good without really understanding what the new technology involves on a larger scale.

Edited April 26, 2006 by Guest

[c-towns]

anyone remember the website that had a guy riding his motorcycle through chernobyl in some off limit zones taking pictures?

It was pretty cool/creepy to see.

[Asparagus]

I think this is what you're writing of:

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/default.htm