week 14

While many new technologies come with great reward, they also carry great risk as there are both positive and negative effects that come with technological advancements. Cowan points out that these positive and negative effects certainly aren't easy to predict. One thing is for certain however, there will always be technologies that are more successful than others simply based on the fact that they have been around longer. One example of this is how light water has always been more successful than nuclear energy. Persnoally, I believe it's a good thing that nuclear energy was discovered after light water because the of it's harmful health effects that have a history of hurting people. If light water hadn't been used before nuclear energy, we might be using nuclear energy more and exposing more people to it's harmful effects. One thing I noticed in the videos was just how harmful nuclear energy actually is. It seems that every area that uses nuclear energy is at risk for another Chernobyl type effect, just wiping out people in the area. While nuclear energy certainly does have great promise, it seems that there is just too much harm to continue using it in such widespread manor. The problems behind it can be catastrophic as it is very difficult to get rid of nuclear waste and its harmful chemicals. However, in the article "Why Nuclear?" it argues that nuclear energy actually greatly benefits us. It argues that nuclear energy provides us clean, safe, secure, and reliable energy. For me personally, I don't see nuclear energy as being that beneficial, it seems just like more harm than good. I believe that if we are going to continue using nuclear energy, that we certainly need to find better ways to dispose of it. Ways that dont' release harmful chemicals into the air or contaminate the ground. If we do this, then I can see why nuclear energy can be a great benefit to the advancement of technology. However, I do have my doubts that this can actually be achieved, and that nuclear energy shouldn't be used. It is just too risky to the people who live in the vicinity of the nuclear energy plants. There just has to be a better way to increase the amount of enery provided. If not, then we certainly need to consider decreasing our energy consumption as a country. Just as Cowan suggests, light water looks like a much better option because it pretty much fixes itself if it ever malfunctions. Light water has also been studied extensively and has even proven to be superior economically to other technologies. Personally, I believe the best technologies are the ones that do the most good and the least harm. Ones that do not release harmful toxins into the air or soil, destroying life all around it. As a human, I would much rather pay a little bit more in order to remain safe from toxins that could poison me, leaving me with cancer and my offspring with life threatening deformities, such as Chernobyl.