Incidents like this show that “nuclear safety” is as much cultural as technical. Even the best systems fail when people and organizations stop treating the environment with the respect it demands.
This harmless incident shows us nothing aside from why nuclear is so expensive.
There is essentially zero risk to the operation of the plant (or this worker!) from such an event.
Imagine if oil and gas facilities were required for any worker fall to have federal government workers visit onsite, draft a report for review, have it examined by expensive niche lawyers with rounds of revisions, and then have it published it publicly.
This is just a silly example of the hysterical safety-ism involving anything nuclear-related in the US.
Yes, working in any job related to energy carries risks. Just ask a roughneck, lineman, or wind turbine installer.
Many computer science programs today have basically turned into coding trade schools.
Students can use frameworks, but they don’t understand why languages are designed the way they are, or how systems evolved over time.
It’s important to remember that computing is also a field of ideas and thought, not just implementation.
My large state university still has the same core required classes as it did 25 years ago. I don't think CS programs can veer to far away from teaching core computer science without losing accreditation.
This reminds me of the Space Shuttle era. Back then, relying too much on a single vendor and working under tight timelines led to repeated delays and safety risks. SpaceX is incredibly capable, but past experience shows it's always safer to have alternatives.
I used to recommend Synology everywhere, but ever since the hard drive lock issue, I'm now trying to dissuade people from buying it. The policy reversal is a good thing, but trust isn't something you can restore simply by "reversing" it.
This line really hit me. I used to think that mastering one advanced skill would be enough to rely on for life, but it seems that’s no longer the case.
I believe every airline should offer a basic service: when minors are traveling with an adult, they should automatically be seated together. Ideally, airlines should provide a designated family seating area to avoid situations where a child ends up sitting next to a stranger.
Earth's internal heat regulation is such an underrated hero in the climate story. Half of Earth’s heat comes from internal sources, constantly driving plate tectonics and helping regulate CO₂. Venus lacks that it’s like a pressure cooker with no release valve.
Tectonic and volcanic activity release CO2 into the atmosphere. They comprise a major part of Earth's carbon cycle. Over time, carbon would be depleted from the outer lithosphere without this replenishment, and one of the mechanisms by which the Earth ultimately becomes unsuitable for life is a slowing of the tectonic cycle and depletion of said carbon.
This point is addressed (briefly) in TFA:
If or when Earth’s large-scale subduction shuts off in about 3.5 billion years, kneecapping the planet’s ability to bury carbon...
See also:
"Evolution of Earth’s tectonic carbon conveyor belt" (2022)
Concealed deep beneath the oceans is a carbon conveyor belt, propelled by plate tectonics. Our understanding of its modern functioning is underpinned by direct observations, but its variability through time has been poorly quantified. Here we reconstruct oceanic plate carbon reservoirs and track the fate of subducted carbon using thermodynamic modelling....
This is somewhat speculative, and the precise nature / timing of carbon collapse may differ. But what strikes me is that the various pathways by which Earth exits its Goldilocks state are numerous and comparatively soon on a geological timescale. We're far nearer the evening of Earth's day than its morning, by multiple such measures.
