Read "The Code Killers"

I don't have enough time this week to write the longer post I want to write, so this one will just be a short referral to another blogger in California who has been doing an excellent job of covering nuclear issues since 1996.

It is obvious to me now that when I started this blog a few months ago I was a bit naive to think I was discovering anything new. A blog is a good way to organize information for oneself, educate oneself, and have the incidental benefit of sharing viewpoints with others during the process, but I shouldn't have any illusions that I'm covering fresh ground. Perhaps I have had an original perspective at times, but it is clear that I have also been walking a path made by others before me.

One such trailblazer is Ace Hoffman. I especially recommend his 58-page book The Code Killers which he distributes free on his blog. The book provides excellent, concise explanations of nuclear physics and radiation measurement, while in the same pages he makes logical and persuasive arguments that illuminate the dangers of nuclear plants and nuclear waste. One memorable comment in the book is Ace's rejection of the label "activist." He prefers to say that when you get involved in an issue and begin pressuring governments and corporations to protect the public, this does not make you an activist. This is called being a citizen.

Ace also has a flair for visual presentation. The book is written in colorful, eye-catching fonts which make it easy to focus attention on and retain pertinent chunks of information. This skill with graphics is on display again in eight pages of references that are presented as photos of book covers (he manages to fit about 30 book covers on each page).

Do yourself a favor and read Ace Hoffman's blog and his book, share them with others and start being a citizen.