Exclusive: Google To Go Nuclear

by Michael Arrington on Mar 31, 2010

Google has acquired a company that has created a new process for highly efficient isotope separation, we'™ve confirmed from multiple sources. The primary use of this technology, say experts we'™ve spoken with, is uranium enrichment.

Enriched uranium is a necessary ingredient in the creation of nuclear energy, and one source we'™ve spoken with at Google says that this is part of the Google Green Initiative. The company will use the new technology to enable it to design and possibly build small, mobile and highly efficient nuclear power generators. 'Google has already begun building an enrichment plant,�  says a high ranking IAEA source.

As GreenBeat points out, 'Google finally decided to launch a dedicated unit of the company for designing and building its own solar panels, wind turbines, energy efficiency devices, etc. So far, its green efforts have been pursued by separate projects within the company. Nuclear is an obvious next step for the company.�

GreenBeat first broke the story (first titled Google Has A Big Alternate Energy Announcement Forthcoming) after seeing multiple tweets about the impending announcement.

But other sources we'™ve spoken with say Google has no real intention of pursuing nuclear energy, despite the fact that the company has promoted the use of alternate energy sources for years.

Of particular concern is the fact that the company Google acquired is based outside of the U.S., and little is known about the new enrichment technology they'™ve developed.

Nuclear power generation is a highly regulated industry. And enriched uranium is a particularly sensitive topic and creation and distribution of the substance is highly controlled.

Enriched uranium can also be used for nuclear weapons production, which is why the industry is so highly regulated.

Says one source: 'The story Google is putting out there is that the new technology will be built for clean energy production. But all of the research and development they'™re doing in this area is being conducted outside of the U.S., and the enrichment facility is also outside of the U.S.�

And more chillingly: 'It would be trivial for anyone with this technology to build a nuclear weapon.�

Google, which has been shaken by its inability to counter Chinese censorship and hacking efforts, may be engaging in enrichment research as part of a new effort to simply protect itself from outside threats.

One source pointed out that if Google were its own country, its revenues would place it at 74th on the list of countries sorted by gross domestic product. 'The U.S. government clearly won'™t protect Google from China, so Google is taking the logical step of protecting itself with a physical deterrent.�

To be clear, most of this is speculation. All we'™ve confirmed is that Google has acquired a company with a new enrichment process and that they have begun researching small, nuclear portable generators. But there is real evidence here that Google may be working on something much more sinister to counter the China threat. More as this develops.
http://tinyurl.com/yaf9rub

------------------------

Shit!...And this is how it starts, enriching uranium, gets defense contracts, the Chrome netbook OS becomes self aware, the rest is covered in Terminator 4.

Official: '24' ends on Fox
Tick, tick, tick '¦ and done.

After eight seasons, Fox'™s '24'  is coming to an end.

The groundbreaking action drama will air its final real-time episode in May, the victim of a confluence of circumstances: a swelling budget, declining ratings and creative fatigue.

Yet for fans of Jack Bauer, there remains hope. Studio 20th TV is developing a theatrical film that takes Bauer to Europe, and showrunner and executive producer Howard Gordon says other possibilities are being explored as well.

'There are other possible iterations of Jack Bauer and his world,'  Gordon said (full Q&A with Gordon about series ending here).

The writing has been on the wall for the show all season, which Gordon said felt like 'senior year of high school'  to star Kiefer Sutherland.

Because of the constant upward spiral of cast and creative team salaries, any drama begins to carry serious financial weight after its fifth year. Fox paid a hefty $5 million per episode license fee to 20th TV.

Meanwhile, the show'™s ratings dropped 16% this season to a 3.8 adults 18-49 rating including DVR '” still healthy numbers for a scripted drama, yet not enough to overcome the program'™s increasing cost, a budget that was set to climb once again since contracts for Sutherland, Gordon and other key players expire this season.

Then there'™s the show'™s creative struggle. How many times have '24'  characters declared that a looming crisis will be addressed 'within the hour,'  or has Bauer struggled to gain the respect of the latest CTU chief? Gordon says the show'™s writers felt they had exhausted the real-time possibilities for Bauer and never came up with a truly compelling idea for Day 9.
'If one of the writers came up with a good idea, I'™d happily pitch it to Kiefer and then happily pitch to a network, whether Fox or someone else,'  Gordon said. 'We just don'™t have that idea, and that'™s where everything has to start.'

Producers did sniff around at other networks, namely NBC, with 20th TV offering to lower its license fee to $3.5 million to keep the show going. NBC ran the numbers and passed.

As the weeks tick down to the show'™s final hour, Gordon promises a strong finish coupled with the current New York-based storyline taking a dark and creatively risky turn for the final episodes.

For fans, the ending of '24,'  along with ABC'™s 'Lost,'  represents the departure of one of the few successful serialized action-driven shows on broadcast, leaving a suitcase-nuke-sized gap in the creative landscape. In addition to its unique real-time storytelling model, the drama pioneered the modern-day TV cliffhanger.

Even its scheduling was an innovation '” a returning hit that airs in midseason without repeats.

'I'™d like it to be remembered as a revolutionary concept,'  Gordon said. 'I hope the second thing is that we loved this show so much and never did anything less than our best and I hope we delivered to our fans like we feel we did to ourselves.'
http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/03/fox-cancels-24.html

'24' showrunner talks series finale, future plans

Howard Gordon, '24'  executive producer and showrunner talks about the the decision to cancel the series and what'™s next for Jack Bauer.
THR: What's next for "24"?

Gordon: There are other possible iterations of Jack Bauer and his world -- whether a movie or some other sort of scenario. We're developing the movie, Billy Ray (' State of Play,'  'Shattered Glass' ) is writing it. It depends on how well it comes out and Fox's appetite. Most importantly it's about ending the show right and doing it with the same level of intensity and commitment that we started with.

THR: When's the soonest that fans could realistically expect a feature film?

Gordon: Obviously the script's still being written. It could be as early as next year depending on how things come together.
THR: Since the setting shifts to Europe for the movie, will CTU still play a role?

Gordon: Yes and no. Jack is really the center of it, catching up with him emotionally and locationally where he is. The opportunity is not to use the real-time aspect and also to do it on a scale the TV show never allowed.

THR: Is there anything TV-related that you're looking to do in the future with the '24'  brand?

Gordon: There are conversations about that. If one of the writers came up with a good idea, I'd happily pitch to Kiefer and happily pitch the show to the network -- whether Fox or someone else. We just don't have that idea and that's where everything has to start.

THR: You never pitched an idea for next season?

Gordon: We couldn't come up with something that really satisfied us. We've done everything we feel we can do with that character in this format.

THR: How ending the show come about?

Gordon: It helped that this was the end of a lot of peoples' contracts. There was a deal finiteness in place. Also, every year is a high-wire act. We all look at each other and ask, 'Can we really do this again?' and it's not with complete conviction that we say, 'Yes.' As an act of faith and effort, we get through it. This year Kiefer said it felt like the senior year of high school.

THR: How do you want '24'  the series to be remembered?

Gordon: I'd like it to be remembered as a revolutionary concept. The second thing is that we loved this show so much and never did anything less than our best. I hope we delivered to our fans like we feel we did to ourselves. We loved this show from the very first hour to the last hour, so I hope people think of it being consistently at that quality and that it never dipped too terribly -- except for season six.

THR: Can you tease to the rest of the season?

Gordon: We've taken a risk in the last eight episodes. It was challenging to the writers to the actors. We're taking a risk, the show has to do that. Without spoiling what's to come, it's pretty dark and complex and a place that was uncomfortable for us to write and for some of the actors to act. We really swung for the fences. Because the show is as old as it is, this season hasn't really been given its due. But our audience is hanging in there with us and I think it's been a very successful season.

THR: How has this decision creatively impacted the ending?
Gordon: There have been a couple other season-enders that would have been spectacular series enders. Season four, season five and last year. I was more aware this time of ending something that really felt surprising, but not cheap; emotionally consistent. Some will throw their shoes at the screen, inevitably some will be angry, some will say they hated it the last three years. You can't please everybody you can only do the best you can do. I'm hoping people lean forward. I'm hoping the first feeling people have is, "Damn I miss it, I want more."
http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/03/24-finale-.html

--------------------

I'm actually kinda upset about this.  I remember watching the first episode with my mom before she died. 

Just like CD, this feels like another chapter of my life coming to a close.