i had a talk about this last night (with a self-identifying iraqi chaldean that actually looked something like a caricature of a germanic elf - although i eventually noticed the old assyrian nose, which juts out like an equilateral triangle, in a jewish or italian manner, rather than hooking up from the bottom.) and the dude oversold it quite a bit.

he claimed that the new nuclear reactors would recycle the waste they create, thereby solving the primary objection to a wider adoption of nuclear power. i questioned this on conservation grounds. he also suggested it was being designed by "china". as it turns out, the company has retracted the claim, reducing the next gen reactors to a simple upgrade in efficiency.

i think it reminds me a little bit about some of the debates i've had around superconductors. increases in efficiency are a positive thing, but superconductors were never the answer to the energy crisis. likewise, while increasing the efficiency of the process is a sign of progress and should be pursued, this isn't actually a game changer. it doesn't actually solve anything.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603731/nuclear-energy-startup-transatomic-backtracks-on-key-promises/

this was in the smoking section of a dj set by jello biafra in detroit, which i stumbled into on a lark. it was amusing enough. i was actually over in detroit to pick up my sound card. and, i didn't have to pay customs on the way back.