Last week, I discussed why Google’s push into the renewable enery field is no joke. Today, I’d like share with you the possibility that yet another so-called expert might be dismissing a new energy technology simply because he doesn’t understand it. The following article discusses portable nuclear reactors. Essentially, these bathtub-sized devices could power a town of 25,000 homes for up to five years. Now, I’m not qualified enough to discuss the deep technical merits of the technology, but I certainly wouldn’t dismiss it as a crackpot idea as has an offical at the Los Alamos Study Group who is quoted as saying “This whole idea is loony and not worth too much attention.”
The quote is particularly troubling because the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer honored the technology as the “Outstanding Technology Development” of 2003. From a more historical perspective, the quote sounds a lot like that long and growing list of experts who prematurely dismissed a new technology. For a better idea of what I’m talking about, I’d encourage you to read any of the following:
Cultivate a Beginner’s Mind
Don’t Laugh: Future Technology Can Make Even Smart People Look Dumb
Examples of Unexponential Thinking
Develop a Future Bias
Learning to Unlearn: Case Study #1
Futurists Can Say the Dumbest Things
Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
