A MODEST NUCLEAR POWER PROPOSAL
I'm pleased to see that the current plague has not diminished efforts to develop a new generation of smaller nuclear power plants. https://www.city-journal.org/next-generation-nuclear-power
In my opinion, this idea does not go far enough or small enough. I propose that nuclear reactors be reduced in size to the point where we may have one in every toilet. (This could make a great slogan for a presidential candidate - "A Reactor In Every Potty," or perhaps "Make America Glow Again.")
We have an obligation to work to make sure that the blessings of nuclear power are not lost to humanity in a foolish reaction to minor nuclear mishaps like Chernobyl and Fukushima or excessive concern that nuclear waste remains deadly for hundreds of thousands of years.
My design proposal holds the promise of eliminating all the large-scale risks of nuclear power. All that has to be done is to reduce the scale of power-generation to something much more human in scale than railroad cars or trucks. The facilities and skills are already in place for the realization of this device - the toilet which is found in almost every home and apartment and the well-established miniaturization capabilities of industry.
I propose first that the central nuclear power mechanism be reduced in size to approximately the size of a cellphone. This can easily be accomplished by a concerted joint effort by industry and government. Perhaps it can be given the catchy name of the "IPow." In all probability, an amount of radioactive material the size of a pea would be sufficient to provide heat and electricity to a household for many years.
This amount could easily be secured in a protective shell of indestructible material and (here's the great ingenuity) cooled by the water already present in the toilet water tanks found in every bathroom! That tank of water behind the toilet bowl has plenty of available room. Thus, every home and apartment could have its own mini-facility for generating heat and electricity, safely tucked away in the toilet. Plumbers could be trained to handle whatever routine maintenance is required.
Most toilet rooms are already lined with tile and could easily be retrofitted with lead as an extra precaution. This arrangement would have a number of beneficial side effects. The healthy and reasonable time limits placed on time spent in the bathroom would probably eliminate the family conflicts which now arise over use of that room. Regularity of bowel movements would be encouraged. In addition, the use of the bathroom for improper self-abuse would be greatly reduced.
Finally, in the unlikely event of an accident, the radiation danger would be confined to a very limited area, probably no larger than a few households for a few generations, at most. (As we know, radiation hazards are greatly exaggerated and may actually have beneficial effects. After all, does not evolution proceed by way of mutation and survival of the fittest?)
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