Why is Bill Gates selling nuclear tech to China?

Re:Why is Bill Gates selling nuclear tech to China? by CountHackulus on Thursday December 15, 2011 @10:20AM (#3356466)

From what I know of the technology proposed here, nuclear weapons aren't even possible with the fuel or byproducts. Only really dirty bombs would be possible, but I'd say that's a problem regardless of nuclear technology.

I say go for it, it's good for the environment, and good for the bottom line.

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Re:Why is Bill Gates selling nuclear tech to China? by jbooth on Thursday December 15, 2011 @10:27AM (#3356489)

Also, China's had nuclear weapons since the 1960s. Not like this is a proliferation situation here.

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Re:Why is Bill Gates selling nuclear tech to China? by jonnathanson on Thursday December 15, 2011 @01:59PM (#3357406)

Nuclear weapons aren't possible with this technology, and to those of us in the HN community, that is obvious. But it's not obvious to the average American reader, and that's what troubles me about the headline.

Writing is an exercise in human psychology, whether intentional or unintentional. And the phrase "selling nuclear technology to China" carries heavy emotional connotations. Psychologically speaking, it's scary. The typical, quasi-informed, American reader will infer nuclear weapons, even if it's neither stated nor implied.

This is why I hate sensationalist headlines, and why I give journalists no quarter in my critiquing them. I get that it's all about pageviews, and sensation drives pageviews. But somewhere along the way, responsibility and integrity should enter into the calculus.

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