[conspire] Fusion [was: Discussion: Using LLMs the Right Way: 10/1/2025 7pm Eastern Daylight time]

[Steve Litt]

Ron said on Thu, 2 Oct 2025 15:40:06 -0700

>Steve Litt wrote on 2025-10-02 14:00:
>
>> If the anti-LLM crowd had foundationed their anti-LLM complaints on
>> the environment instead of "dumbing down programmers", they'd have
>> been a lot more credible to me.  
>
>Boy, that sentiment sure feels familiar to me. I can't quite place my 
>finger on where I hear it (ad nauseam) in technology these days.
>
>Somehow years-long shouting to everyone may diminish.
>
>
>> I keep hoping we'll have practical fusion energy in 10 to 20 years  
>
>I used to have that hope, but allow me to deflate yours too:
>
> > Why fusion will never happen  
>
>https://matter2energy.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/why-fusion-will-never-happen/

1) Superconductors are already much, much better than they were in
   2012. Other things will improve too.

2) The article is built on the premise that air, water, and
   non-radioactive earth are zero cost. Sooner or later, and perhaps
   too late, international laws will require payment to dirty up air.
   Now all of a sudden combustion starts getting very expensive and
   will stop. Nuclear fission doesn't pollute the atmosphere normally,
   but where are you going to put the spent but still dangerously
   radioactive spent fuel? And tell me true, would you like a nuclear
   fission plant built within 40 miles of your home? I wouldn't. A
   fission plant? I'd be cool with 10 miles. And Three Mile Island,
   Chernobyl and Fukashima. Need I say more? Some day fission builders
   and plants will need to pay to safely dispose of waste, and will
   need to pay a bond in case things go bad.

As far as windmills and photovoltaic, those are nice, and they're part
of the equation, but they use more land than coal, oil, gas, or fusion.
And they're more delicate.

Once the damage of combustion and fission are required to be paid in
full, fission will become a much better deal.

Now it would be pretty cool to have four square miles in the Arizona
desert of the California desert devoted to windmills and solar cells.

SteveT

Steve Litt 

http://444domains.com