ASFO 2024–09–07

The triumphant (?) return to Earth of the Boeing CST–100 “Starliner” ; a long discussion of British energy policy and the implications of the “Contract for Difference” mechanism ; and benefits afforded to my Patreon supporters, in the form of postcards from unusual and even unique post offices. All while I eat an ice–cream cone!

Supplementary Show

2024–09–10 After occupying the first quarter of the hour with something else, we hear from the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, and a recently published report on “Technology Monitoring of Nuclear Energy”. This is officially part of the “Energy Strategy 2050”, which calls for Switzerland to decarbonize its whole energy supply while withdrawing from nuclear power, which currently supplies more than a third of Swiss electricity. Recent decisions by the Federal Council will hopefully lead to a reconsideration of this “Strategy”.

ASFO 2024–08–24

Service is resumed, huzzah! (You may all now commence rejoicing.) I talk about what I’ve been doing the past few weeks, notably my visit to Torness, with photos here and here ; the continuing CST–100 debacle ; some decidedly unsatisfactory engineering in the vicinity of Amsterdam ; and an extraordinary and deplorable matter in Britain.

ASFO 2024–08–03

Greetings from Munich! Not the most coherent show, but I manage to allude to the major Power Outrage in Omaha, “battery trains” (the new secret sauce for solar power), the October 1987 storm in Britain, and A Trans–Atlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! by Harry Harrison. You also learn details of how I’ve handled blast №2, and a new order of stickers.