Category: anonradio

ASFO 2024–01–06

First show of the year, and I manage to flub the date. No, I didn’t announce that it was 2024 ― I announced that it was January 7th! I mention a couple of money–related annoyances that may perhaps be relevant to the topic of robustness and resiliency ; and briefly wax rhapsodic about a piece of antique office equipment I bought ; before spending some time attacking the concepts of nationality and race which loom so large among the reasons why people today are willing to kill one another.

On a worktable, a white ceramic roller-moistener sits, accompanied by envelopes in manila, cream, and white, and the working end of a long-arm stapler
“The Moistener” sounds like a Silver–Age comic–book villain, but is actually a very useful piece of office equipment

ASFO 2023–12–30

As the old year passes away, I try to leave with hope, rather than dread and forebodings. A better future is ours to build ― we cannot depend on gods to bestow it upon us. And that means we must learn lessons from what we are doing now and have done in the past, and let the understanding so gained (sometimes most bitterly gained) guide what we do with the awesome powers we have developed through scientific technology. Unfortunately, (in a roundabout way) because I was nearly crushed by a falling shelving unit an hour before the show, I ended up talking at length about computer technologies and their applications and misapplications, which is not my usual topic nor my field of expertise.

Several folded letter-size sheets of cardstock, printed with text and images. One lies open, revealing a bright yellow card perforated with a hole, in which a coin is pressed. Affixed to the card is a blue "Atoms for Peace" postage stamp,
Coin cards (see last week’s post) in their presentation folders, ready to mail
A heap of booklets. In large hand-drawn letters, running vertically downward, is the title "blast". "Sample Copy" is stamped on them in red.
Sample copies of blast, also ready to mail

ASFO 2023–12–23

Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men! This is one of those shows in which I read poetry, so if you don’t like that, you are now properly warned. One poem is 160 years old, the other, more than 2400.

Supplementary Show

2023–12–29 Selections from “Let’s Talk About the Atom”, “Let’s Talk About Energy”, and “Energy and the Atom” with the general theme of future.

Nine cards of different colors in a three-by-three arrangement. Each shows a US 3-cent "Atoms for Peace" postage stamp of 1955, and a Greek 10-drachma coin depicting Democritus, father of the atomic theory. A tenth card is turned over to show the back.
Pick a colour!

ASFO 2023–12–16

A new film transfer for your viewing delight! A tease of something which patrons have seen and everybody will be able to see soon ; more about plastics recycling ; an extended discussion of the implication of rapid adoption of hand–held computers with radio data links ; and a few thoughts about the unexpected dystopian scenario in which so–called AI (which certainly is not “artificial intelligence” by any believable definition) is using humans as end effectors to destroy other humans. Skynet and its Terminators would arguably have been preferable!

Supplementary Shows

  • 2023–12–18 DJ Marcus, in his “News to Me” timeslot, played a recording of US President Eisenhower’s famous “Atoms for Peace” speech, delivered 8 December 1953. We thank him for that!
  • 2023–12–22 “Atomic Year 25”, and some other selections from Argonne National Laboratory and the American Nuclear Society on the subject of breeder reactors, in an attempt to provide some kind of commemoration for EBR–I.
Photo of the French gaseous-diffusion plant at Pierrelatte, with superimposed text "La Separation des Isotopes de l'Uranium (Diffusion Gazeuse)"

ASFO 2023–12–09

Essequibo is another word you may be totally unfamiliar with, but perhaps not for long. In a world where there is allegedly a broad consensus that use of fossil fuels should be decreasing, and where there are realistic alternative for most major applications of those fuels, a war over oil is even more of a disgusting spectacle than it was in the past. Also, a little good news from COP28 in Dubai, and a trifling reflection on just what “AI” is supposed to do.

Editorial cartoon by "Bannerman". Two backpackers stand looking over a smoke-belching factory complex. One asks "what do you think our most powerful renewable resource is?" The other answer "denial".