Nuclear Barbarians

Episode 61: The Machine in the Garden Pt. III ft. John Goodson

November 30th, 2023  |  1 hr 5 mins

John and I are back with our third installment of our reading series on The Machine in the Garden by Leo Marx.

This chapter is all about “the machine” as a symbol in American life and letters. We talk about obscure figures like the Pennsylvanian manufacturer Tench Coxe, Thomas Carlyle’s “Signs of the Times,” the Newtonian reconciliation of art and nature, 19th century machine boosterism, and more!

Episode 60: Energy Cinema: Killers of the Flower Moon ft. Andrew Plimpton

November 22nd, 2023  |  1 hr 11 mins

Writer and film critic Andrew Plimpton returns to the pod to speak with me about Scorsese’s latest film, which centers around oil rights and a covert assault on the Osage tribe. We discuss the merits and demerits of this epically long film, Scorsese’s legacy, the American project, and more.

Episode 59: The Machine in the Garden Pt. II ft. John Goodson

November 9th, 2023  |  1 hr 13 mins

John and I continue our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America.

This chapter delves deep into the symbol of the garden—we dive into Marx’s reading of Jefferson, the nature of the pastoral ideal and how it evolved, the vision of Virginia, and more.

Episode 58: What's Up With South Africa's Grid? ft. Hugo Kruger

November 2nd, 2023  |  49 mins 45 secs

Hugo Kruger is a razor sharp engineer with a deep knowledge of energy systems. He came onto the show to talk to me about what’s going on with South Africa’s grid. I learned a ton from this episode—I hope you guys enjoy it!

Check out Hugo’s work on Substack.

Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Episode 57: The Machine in the Garden Pt. I Ft. John Goodson

October 19th, 2023  |  1 hr 2 mins

John Goodson, my old co-host from the ex.haust podcast, joined me in the first of our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America. There are a few audio problems in this episode, for which we apologize. Thankfully, they’re brief.

“Believing in America,” Leo Marx, Boston Review.

The Elizabethan World Picture: A Study of the Idea of Order in the Age of Shakespeare, Donne and Milton by Eustace Tilyard

Episode 56: Our Neo-Pagan Moment ft. Spencer Klavan

September 27th, 2023  |  57 mins 26 secs

Spencer Klavan (author, podcaster, and editor) joined me to talk about that horrible Apple clean energy/Mother Nature video, neo-paganism as social and ideological force, quantum physics, epistemology, THE LORD, and more.

Watch the Apple video here.

“Mother Nature Returns,” Spencer Klavan, Rejoice Evermore

“Where Wind Meets Matter,” Spencer Klavan, Claremont Review of Books

Listen to Young Heretics, The Round Table, and The Close Read

Buy Spencer’s book: How to Save the West: Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises

Episode 55: Gridlocked ft. Nick O'Hara

September 15th, 2023  |  59 mins 25 secs

Nick O’Hara—writer, host of the Gridlocked podcast, and owner of an enviable speaking voice—joined me to talk about climate, energy, how to have a sane conversation in insane times, and much more.

Listen to Gridlocked: Why the 21st Century is Broken and How to Fix It.

Why Big Oil Loves the Renewable Energy Industry by Nick O’Hara, Salon.

We abandoned nuclear power. Now the earth is paying the price. by Nick O’Hara, Salon.

Abandoning nuclear power was a mistake. Germany must return to the future of energy. by Nick O’Hara, Salon.

Episode 54: Much Love from the Permian ft. Andrew De La Rosa

August 28th, 2023  |  47 mins 20 secs

Wireline worker Andrew De La Rosa came on to talk to me about the fracking process and how wireline works. I learned a ton from this conversation and had a great time. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tejanobrown

Episode 53: Energy Cinema: Oppenheimer ft. Andrew Plimpton

August 24th, 2023  |  1 hr 25 mins

Writer and film critic Andrew Plimpton joined me for a new running series we’re doing: Energy Cinema. For our inaugural episode, we decided to talk about the new Oppenheimer movie. Hope you enjoy it!

Episode 52: What's Up at Entergy? ft. Kimberly Cook-Nelson

August 8th, 2023  |  36 mins 3 secs

Entergy’s Chief Nuclear Officer Kimberly Cook-Nelson stopped by the pod to talk to me about Entergy’s nuclear fleet, her experience working in the nuclear industry, how utilities plan on changing nuclear comms, and more.

Episode 51: Brazil: Energy, Industry, and Politics ft. Juan David Rojas

July 18th, 2023  |  1 hr 4 mins

Juan David Rojas returns to Nuclear Barbarians to talk to me about Brazilian industrial history. We touch on Eletrobas, Petrobras, Brazil’s nuclear energy missteps, and a whole lot more.

Episode 50: What's Up With Holtec? Ft. Pat O'Brien

June 15th, 2023  |  43 mins 39 secs

Pat O’Brien, Holtec’s Director of Government Affairs and Communications, sat down with me to talk about his background in nuclear energy, Holtec’s attempts to save the Palisades plant in Michigan, its new SMR design, and more!

Episode 49: Hot Takes on Cold Fusion ft. Jonah Messinger

June 7th, 2023  |  41 mins

Jonah Messinger wrote a thoughtful piece on cold fusion for the Breakthrough Institute. I brought him on to talk about cold fusion, science as a process vs. science as an institution, and more!

Fusion Runs Hot And Cold by Jonah Messinger

Episode 48: CANDU Supremacy ft. Dr. Chris Keefer

May 31st, 2023  |  41 mins 25 secs

Dr. Chris Keefer of Decouple came on the pod to talk about Canadians for Nuclear Energy’s new report, The Case for CANDU: Why Ontario's Homegrown Nuclear Technology Is Its Best Option In A Time Of Rising Electricity Demand.

The Report: https://www.canfornuclearenergy.org/

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dr_Keefer

Check Out Decouple: https://www.decouplemedia.org/

Episode 47: Telling Better Energy Stories Ft. Collin McClellan

May 31st, 2023  |  52 mins 38 secs

Collin McClelland of Digital Wildcatters joined me to talk about oil and gas, telling better energy stories, and tons more. This is some of the most fun I’ve had hosting the show—hope you guys like it!

Episode 46: Nukes in the Rat Park ft. Jesse Freeston

May 16th, 2023  |  1 hr 2 mins

Cinematographer and documentarian Jesse Freeston joined me to talk about how he got nukepilled, his wonderful videos for Decouple Studios, the rat park, and how nuclear fits into his view of global flourishing.

Check out Jesse’s videos:

Inside the World’s BIGGEST Nuclear Plant (the one that got Ontario off coal)

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Nuclear Waste