Blogs I follow

This New Years Day I decided that I should list some of the blogs that I follow on my blog. The list is somewhat eclectic including some interest blogs and some friends.

Blue Virginia

Blue Virginia is a blog about Virginia politics written from a democratic or progressive point of view. It is a good source of news about the doings of the Virginia Commonwealth legislature and the state officers. This blog does not have many kind words for the Virginia Republican Party or the national Republican Party. Sorry about that.

Energy From Thorium

Kirk Sorensen, former NASA engineer working on power systems for space exploration, writes this blog. Kirk Sorensen is an engaging speaker and an engineer’s engineer. He left NASA to form FLIBE Energy, a start-up company working on development of the thorium fuel cycle and molten salt liquid fuel reactor development.

This is an important future energy technology that can be taken commercial over the next decade. Because the fuel is molten, the reactor has already had a meltdown. It is designed to work that way. Because molten salts are extremely stable, there is no danger of a fire or other processes that would disperse spilled fuel. And because of the choice of fuel, U233, no bomb suitable isotopes are formed and the reactor transmutes long lived isotopes. Spent LFTR fuel need be stored for only 100 years or so for radiation to decay to background levels.

Dick and Libby

Dick and Libby Mills are retired friends cruising the US east coast, Great Lakes, St Lawrence Seaway, and US Gulf coast. Dick is a former power engineer holding key patents for overspeed protection of utility scale steam turbine generators. Dick was also a pioneering developer of nuclear power plant operator training simulators working on the Dresden I simulator while at GE. Dick’s last gig before retiring was as energy management system manager for the New York Power Authority, the New York State independent system operator responsible for distributing electric power within the state.

Adrenaline Racing

A fraternity brother (50-ish) is a world class dingy sailor ranked in International 14 boats. Kirk competes at the national level and is ranked in the top 20 or so sailors in the class. In 2014 he and some mates bought Adrenaline, refitted her, learned to sail off shore, learned race planning, and raced the boat in the 2015 Transpac. The blog is about their adventures in the 2015 race.

Bella and Friends

Samantha Whiting in Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK — the middle kingdom, writes this blog from the point of view of Sam’s BellaBob, her greyhound. Sam does a good job — keeping it simple, staying in character (mostly), and never lapses into bad dialect. Great fun teasing BB on Facebook where she has a pet page. BellaBob is famous for her doggerel. And silly selfies. And Charlie the Yorkie Terrier and Miffy the scratchy cat.