In this episode I talk about how nuclear energy is being framed in Germany, the environmental laggard currently mining lignite coal for heat. I review some of the blatant anti-nuclear rhetoric being broadcast internationally and expose the flaws in the arguments. On social media I have been heavily critical of Germany’s Energiewende. This is their national program to shut down their clean nuclear fleet and attempt to replace it with hundreds of billions of euros worth of variable wind and solar ...
Jan 21, 2023•43 min•Ep. 135
In this episode I am bringing you my 2022 Rational View year in review, followed by a cool Pecha Kucha presentation that I made last year to a group of football alumni, put on by my public school friend Andy Vasily host of the Run Your Life podcast. The presentation is called ‘Why we need a Rational View’, and it defines much of what I have learned about communicating science, and the need for a rational discussion in a polarized world. Pecha Kucha is, I believe, a Japanese term meaning chit-cha...
Jan 14, 2023•15 min•Ep. 134
Dr. Alexander Wong rejoins the Rational View to review the new and exciting advance in Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a variant of GPT-3 (Generative Pretrained Transformer 3) that is specifically designed to be used in chat applications. It is a large language model that has been trained on a huge amount of text data in order to generate human-like responses to various types of inputs. Some key features of ChatGPT include its ability to generate responses in a conversational style,...
Jan 07, 2023•51 min•Ep. 133
In this episode I’m continuing to provide a free public service to educate the world about cognitive bias. You’re welcome. Today we’ll be exploring how the multi-billion dollar global marketing industry is implicitly given moral licence to exploit our cognitive biases, and how to prevent falling victim to this ethically questionable practice. Marko Kovic, PhD, has a background in political science and communication science. He's a lecturer, researcher, author and activist in the areas of decisio...
Dec 17, 2022•50 min•Ep. 132
In this episode I describe several cognitive biases that we commonly fall victim to. Can you identify any of these from your own experiences? If you have been following the controversy over social media you are aware of the problems with confirmation bias that leads us to believe dodgy sources when they agree with our preconceived opinions, but to hold other opinions to a much higher standard of evidence. In this episode I’m going to explore a few lesser-known types of cognitive bias that could ...
Dec 10, 2022•27 min•Ep. 131
In this episode I’m continuing my investigation of cognitive bias by interviewing an expert who has thought about this topic a lot. Committed to expanding happiness and inclusion in all communities, Valerie Alexander is a globally-recognized speaker on the topics of happiness in the workplace, the advancement of women, and unconscious bias. Her TED Talk, “How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias” has been viewed over half a million times and is used in boardrooms and classrooms around the world...
Dec 03, 2022•59 min•Ep. 130
In this episode I have the honour to interview a Nobel Laureate who has devoted his life to understanding the way we think. His work has interesting links, not only to my new research topic of cognitive biases, but also on humanity’s continuing self examination of consciousness and the mysteries of the mind. Berkely-trained psychologist Daniel Kahneman was corecipient of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2002 for his integration of psychological research into economic science . His pioneering wor...
Nov 26, 2022•26 min•Ep. 129
In this episode I am interviewing the lead author of a recent paper describing a new theory of how consciousness works. It is based on evolutionary principles, and it posits that we mostly go about our lives unconsciously acting and reacting with no free will in the present moment. Their theory is that the conscious mind has evolved to enable reasoning and goal-driven behaviour through manipulation of memories. In this theory, we have no direct control over our actions in the present, as our obs...
Nov 19, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 128
I’ve had several good interviews on the topics of hot and cold fusion. Omar Hurricane and Alex Zylstra from NIF in the US, Fulvio Millitelo of MAST-U in the UK, Edmund Storms LANL and Lutz Jaitner on cold fusion & LENR. What have we learned? Cold Fusion has not yet been reliably harnessed despite decades of study, but I don’t think we should shame them for this—hot fusion has been working for much longer and they haven’t commercialized yet either. Fusion is not coming to our rescue in the ne...
Nov 12, 2022•25 min•Ep. 127
In this episode I want to address what I’ve come to realize is an asymmetry in society’s approach to energy technologies, and most specifically nuclear energy, after decades of mostly unopposed anti-nuclear lobbying. Nuclear energy must struggle on an uneven playing field with other energy technologies. This asymmetry is one of the leading reasons that new nuclear reactors have struggled to be built in regions that have been dominated by anti-nuclear ideologies for the past several decades and i...
Nov 05, 2022•33 min•Ep. 126
In this episode I am interviewing someone deeply involved with advising Canadian institutions on the energy policy, especially sustainable energy transitions. As this has also been a focus of the podcast, I’m looking forward to discussing the best approaches for the country. Mark Winfield is a Professor of Environmental and Urban Change at York University. He is also Co-Chair of the Faculty's Sustainable Energy Initiative, and Coordinator of the Joint Master of Environmental Studies/Juris Doctor...
Oct 29, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 125
This episode is the digitally enhanced re-release of 'Nuclear Power-is it rational to worry?' episodes 21 and 22 from October 2020 where I interviewed D.J. LeClear, 'The Rad Guy', before he started his successful YouTube channel dealing out short educational videos on nuclear radiation, and before he grew that magnificent handlebar moustache. If you've been with me since 2020, please enjoy this blast from the past. If you are new to The Rational View, you will love this coherent and incisive dis...
Oct 22, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 124
In this episode I am interviewing a new-space entrepreneur who is using optical remote sensing to provide important data on localized greenhouse gas emissions. The NordStream fossil gas pipelines ruptured a few days before this podcast was taped. My guest’s company has the hardware in place to measure these emissions from space and determine the impacts of this apparent sabotage on the climate. Stéphane Germain is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GHGSat whose technology provides action...
Oct 15, 2022•42 min•Ep. 123
In this episode I am continuing my exploration of the state of nuclear fusion research. I will be interviewing a leader in the MAST fusion experiment. MAST is an acronym for Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak. A Tokamak is a device that typically uses extremely strong magnetic fields to confine an energetic plasma and ram hydrogen nuclei together at high energies, essentially trying to replicate the processes occurring at the core of the sun, to create fusion energy. This process takes tremendous ene...
Oct 08, 2022•52 min•Ep. 122
Over the past couple weeks the COVID virus has gone through my household, and I’ve been too busy to put together a well researched podcast. But I wanted to share a story with you that I think some of you might be able to relate to. It is a story about where all of our time has gone. In the modern era we’ve traded customer service for convenience. This is my saga. We think that we're saving time by online shopping, but sometimes that turns out to be the opposite of the truth. Join me while I take...
Oct 01, 2022•29 min•Ep. 121
In this episode I am continuing my investigation into cold fusion, looking into potential scientific explanations of the excess heat and fusion products hinted at by Dr. Edmund Storms in my last podcast. There seems to be a dedicated research group that is working on these theories and I am eager to find out whether or not their hypothesis about condensed plasmoids can stand up to skepticism. Lutz Jaitner from Hamburg Germany is the father of three adult daughters. He holds a Master of Science d...
Sep 24, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 120
In this episode I start my investigation into the Cold Fusion controversy. In 1989 Pons & Fleischmann announced in a hastily convened press conference, the discovery of a new clean energy source that would revolutionize power grids and save humanity from climate change. They had measured the production of excess heat and neutrons in a room temperature electrolytic reaction using heavy water and a palladium cathode. It shortly became evident that their claims were not entirely correct. After ...
Sep 17, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 119
In this episode I’m reviewing the fine line between science, pathological science, and pseudo-science. In most cases the line is not fine at all. There are, of course, many pseudo-scientific practices that are clearly not based on the principles of honest scientific investigations including things like Creationism, Homeopathy, Astrology, and Flat-Earthism. Some of these pretend to be scientific, but it is pretty clear in all cases that they exist not because of evidence, but instead are based on...
Sep 10, 2022•33 min•Ep. 118
In this episode I’m starting to explore another interesting scientific topic that has recently made a big media splash—nuclear fusion. For decades the promise of nuclear fusion has been held out as the ultimate in clean energy sources—the same energy as the sun, with no transuranic radioactive waste stream. Just fusing hydrogen together to make helium and boundless energy. The problem is that it is very difficult to simulate the sun. Even in the core of the sun where temperatures are measured in...
Sep 03, 2022•47 min•Ep. 117
I’ve recently begun to suspect that we, as a society, favour competition over cooperation to our detriment. As children we are trained to compete. We play competitive board games like Sorry, and Monopoly where you win by sabotaging the other players. We fetishize competitive sports, spending 100’s of billions of dollars watching athletes violently punish each other. It would seem that these attitudes carry over into the political arena. States and religions and corporations all compete for power...
Aug 27, 2022•50 min•Ep. 116
In this episode I’m exploring the story of the father of atomic power, Admiral Hyman Rickover. This was based on a suggestion from a listener. Thanks Loki! Rickover is best known for his role in developing the US nuclear submarine program in the 1950’s. His ground-breaking work demonstrates that Small Modular Reactors are a safe and effective method of generating clean carbon-free energy. Today I will be interviewing an author who has recently published a biography of Rickover. Marc Wortman rece...
Aug 20, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 115
This is a fun joint podcast with co-host Andy Vasily of the successful ‘Run your life’ podcast. Andy is a friend from way back. We went to public school together. Andy helped me set up my podcast a couple years ago and get started with a few helpful hints. His Run Your Life podcast is focused on physical fitness and self realization. In this episode we reminisce a bit and share the wisdom we have gathered over the forty or so years since our last meeting. We chat about how we both ended up in po...
Aug 13, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 114
In this episode I book-end my two episode investigation on the impacts of bullying with someone who has interviewed victims of bullying to attempt to characterize the impacts. I recently did a podcast that reviewed my experiences with bullying as a child and how it seemed to have impacted my personality and my life. From a high level, Dr. deLara’s results resonated with me. It felt good to identify an external reason for why I found it hard to interact with others. But let’s be careful and quest...
Aug 06, 2022•48 min•Ep. 113
In this episode I want to share something personal about my life. This episode is about bullying and its lifelong effects. My bully made me who I am today. I hope if you are experiencing bullying that you take the time to listen. I learned a lot in school, and most of it in the schoolyard. I learned to run fast, and dodge. I learned that there is no justice in the world. I learned the world is a harsh place and the good guys lose. I learned to be self sufficient. I learned to escape into fantasy...
Jul 30, 2022•14 min•Ep. 112
In this episode I summarize my investigation of consciousness. I’ve been interviewing several experts and there is a huge diversity of thought on the topic of thought. It is called ‘the hard problem of consciousness’ to explain why we have a subjective experience of existence. What have I learned? The problem is hard because people don’t agree on an objective set of criteria about what consciousness entails. If there is no clear definition, it is no surprise it is hard to explain. Philosophers f...
Jul 23, 2022•32 min•Ep. 111
In this episode I am interviewing a fellow supporter of nuclear energy who, although not a Canadian, she posted an article on Canada Day singing the praises of the CANDU reactor. I think CANDU is an underappreciated technological wonder, similar to the Avro Arrow. It is also at risk of going down that same path unless Canadians rise up and tell their MPs and MPPs that we need more of them. Angelica Oung is a journalist specializing in Asia and energy matters living in Taipei, Taiwan. In her spar...
Jul 16, 2022•48 min•Ep. 110
In this episode I return to my investigation of the physical and philosophical bases of consciousness. Today I will be taking on a new perspective from a leading expert in both philosophy and artificial intelligence. Bernardo Kastrup is the executive director of Essentia Foundation. His work has been leading the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism, the notion that reality is essentially mental. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy and another Ph.D. in computer engineering specializing in artific...
Jul 09, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 109
In this episode I am returning to one of my favourite topics—the clean energy transition. Today I wanted to explore the life cycle greenhouse gas footprint of the shift to electric vehicles. Many governments are using a transition to electrified transportation as the foundation of their GHG emissions reduction programs. Today I’m going to an expert to find out how effective this transition will be on our society’s GHG emissions profile. Dr. Gerfried Jungmeier holds a Master’s degree in mechanica...
Jul 02, 2022•43 min•Ep. 108
On my episode today I will be exploring a fun topic—science fiction, with a friend an colleague who is also an up and coming science fiction author. We will discuss themes of communicating science and our shared love of science fiction. Eric Choi is a writer, editor, and aerospace engineer in Toronto. He has twice won the Prix Aurora Award – Canada’s national prize for excellence in science fiction and fantasy – for his short story “Crimson Sky” and for the anthology The Dragon and the Stars , a...
Jun 25, 2022•40 min•Ep. 107
In this episode I am continuing my investigation into the so-called hard problem of consciousness. I’ve spoken to several people who believe that consciousness arose in single celled organisms and is somehow integrated at higher levels through electrical synchronization or intercellular molecular transport into a unified experience. Hindus and Buddhists believe that there is a Universal consciousness of which we all partake. This is similar in some ways to Sir Roger Penrose’ theory of consciousn...
Jun 18, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 106
