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Larry Pino, attorney and entrepreneur
Last week: FUSION: In probably one of the most important scientific developments ever, the Department of Energy announced this week that scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California created a nuclear fusion reaction with a net energy gain. Fusion is a nuclear result of combining, rather than dividing, atoms. What the sun does every day. The advantage of fusion over fission (currently used in nuclear reactors) is that it does not produce radioactive waste and, unlike fossil fuels, it does not produce carbon emissions. So, now that science has done its unprecedented part in facilitating a clean unlimited energy source, the next decade will be all about its commercial application.
Looking ahead: GOODBYE AM RADIO: With the rise of electric cars comes the demise of AM radio. Apparently, according to the New York Times, EV manufacturers are booting AM radio from their vehicles since electromagnetic interference causes noise and static. Tesla, Volvo, Porsche, Audi, Ford F-150’s, and some Volkswagen EVs have already dumped AM, with others to follow. Since just 20% of U.S. radio audiences listen to AM radio anyway, AM is headed to the dust bin of once popular products doomed to perish at the hands of the ever-evolving intersection between technology and consumer preferences, once again demonstrating economist Joseph Schumpeter’s concept of “creative destruction” – out with the old; in with the new.