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From: Poskanzer.PA@PARC-MAXC.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Nova - Soliciting Program Suggestions
Message-ID: <16016@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Jan-84 12:34:48 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.16016
Posted: Thu Jan 26 12:34:48 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 5-Feb-84 13:04:05 EST
Lines: 37

From:  Jef Poskanzer 

Great idea.  Here are my suggestions for NOVA shows:

- Another show on ESP, but this time less credulous and more skeptical.
Get Martin Gardner to write the script.  See his "Science: Good, Bad,
and Bogus" for more details.

- Any number of shows about the new ideas in space exploration.  For
instance, the various proposed uses for the shuttle's external tank
could take up a whole program.  It could even have a 60-minutes style
expose' tone, which NOVA sometimes imitates.  "NASA is dumping millions
of dollars worth of tanks into the Indian Ocean, and is even using extra
fuel to do it..."  I'm sure Jerry Pournelle could point them in the
right direction.  Other topics could be the various uses for Kevlar
(this ties in with the tanks), aerobraking missions, off-the-shelf
satellite frames, lunar polar orbiter to look for ice, the various
private enterprise space ventures (Bob Truax, Gary Hudson, etc.), the
search for Earth-crossing asteroids, etc. etc. etc.

- If they want to do a sociological show, how about examining the
reasons for and effects of radiophobia - irrational fear of "radiation".
Just this morning there were two letters in the paper expressing outrage
about the possibility of sterilizing food with gamma radiation.  Then
there's the recent batch of Diablo Canyon protesters who seem to think
that even \routine emmisions/ of radiation from the plant will be deadly
- even though the emmisions from the equivalent coal-fired plant are not
only more toxic, but MORE RADIOACTIVE.

- And so you don't dismiss me as a knee-jerk technocrat, how about a
show examining some of the dangerous aspects of the electronics industry
(sacrilege!).  Toxic waste, for one, all-too-often carelessly disposed
of or simply released into the atmosphere.  The possible dangers of
excess VDT usage.  There might not be enough here for a whole show.
Then again, if there is, I certainly would want to hear about it!!
---
Jef