Category Archives: Technology

New Facebook Page To Move Kids from Facts to Questions

Posted on May 7, 2012 by fredbortz

Fred Bortz, a noted author of books about science and technology for young readers, has launched a new Facebook page he calls SciFact Central that uses “fun” facts about science to inspire children and teens to follow their questions. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Science Education, Technology | Leave a comment

Pioneer Anomaly is no longer anomalous

Posted on April 19, 2012 by fredbortz

Thanks to funding from the Planetary Society, of which I am a proud member, the “Pioneer Anomaly” has been definitively resolved. Physics has prevailed over speculation. Over the past 20 years, some people, including a few scientists, have looked at … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Planetary Science, Space and Astronomy, Technology | 2 Comments

Subtle and not so subtle biases shape assessment of Fukushima

Posted on April 17, 2012 by fredbortz

As readers of this blog may have figured out, I like to discuss political issues related to science and technology. Although I am personally a bit to the left of the American center, my ideology, if I have one, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Energy, Science and Public Policy, Science Books, Science Technology and Society, Technology | 17 Comments

Should we call the Fukushima meltdowns a nuclear disaster?

Posted on March 22, 2012 by fredbortz

A year ago, in the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima meltdowns, I prepared a proposal for a middle grade book called “Lessons from Fukushima: The Promise and Risks of Nuclear Power.” My editor at Twenty-First Century Books accepted it, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Science and Public Policy, Science Technology and Society, Technology | Leave a comment

Japan can learn from Chernobyl

Posted on April 25, 2011 by fredbortz

There’s been a lot of sensationalism about the meltdowns at the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility. I just read an article that puts Fukushima into perspective without minimizing its seriousness.

Posted in Blog Entry, Science and Public Policy, Science Technology and Society, Technology | 2 Comments

Track Kepler’s Candidate Exoplanets with a new app

Posted on April 17, 2011 by fredbortz

I’m not an app person, but when I got an e-mail from Hanno Rein of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University suggesting that I look at a new iPhone/iPad app called “Kepler” to track the ever-increasing list of … Continue reading →

Posted in Astrobiology, Blog Entry, Planetary Science, Space and Astronomy, Technology | 1 Comment

Japanese Nuclear Crisis: TMI, Chernobyl, or In-between

Posted on March 17, 2011 by fredbortz

My favorite chapter from my 1995 book Catastrophe! Great Engineering Failure–and Success is the one where I discuss two very different nuclear reactor accidents, Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. It is my favorite because of the way I ended it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, media, Science and Public Policy, Science Technology and Society, Technology | 9 Comments

Review of Alone Together by Sherry Turkle

Posted on January 21, 2011 by fredbortz

Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle (Basic Books, $28.95, 378 pages, January, 2011) Reviewed by Dr. Fred Bortz

Posted in Book Reviews, Science Technology and Society, Technology | 1 Comment