Beets the Min Min light.

Spindoc- I'm pleased to see you succinct description of an engineer:

"Engineers make it happen; we design it, implement it, install it, ensure its economic viability, make it operational and maintain it."

I couldn't agree more.

However, your description of physicists:

"Physicists are regarded by engineers as the “condoms on the prick of progress”. They sell out to whatever; social, political, economic, religious or ecological influences are paying the highest dividends to the academia that employs them or the highest bidder for your “expert” opinion."

- is problematic. As Ziggy was eminently qualified as a physicist, then I can only assume that he is included in your all-embracing statement about physicists. Perhaps you should inform him (with your name, please) of your views of him.

I have no personal views about him, only professional. As a professional, one should qualify technical statements that you make that are outside your expertise, and correct people who state that you are an expert when you are not and acknowledge one's technical errors. Ziggy doesn't.

Beyond that, unlike architects and medical practitioners, anyone can call themselves an engineer. It is a mode of behaviour. Of course clients may require certain certificates and memberships, but they can't stop you from calling yourself an engineer. For example, I have operated in "engineer" mode many times, including overseas engagements, as many people with physics qualifications have.

And as to "pricks", I am reminded of GM Hopkins poem, "Binsey Poplars"

"O if we but knew what we do
When we delve or hew—
Hack and rack the growing green!
Since country is so tender
To touch, her being só slender,
That, like this sleek and seeing ball
But a prick will make no eye at all,
Where we, even where we mean
To mend her we end her,
When we hew or delve.

If there were a choice, I'd prefer to be a condom than the hand on the "prick of progress".

rpg I'm perfectly aware of that. What you don't seem to know is the difference between a physicist and an engineer. I do I am a physicist

I do too, I'm an engineer .. we like facts, not hysteria based on hyperventilating media commentary.

We don't exist on grants or academic paper writing and have no truck with the perverted "sciences" or the cherry picking of facts.

Nuclear Power is incredibly safe and has been strangled by zealots for years based on restricting progress and plain outright jealousy of people who work hard and accomplish something with their lives..

Nuclear fission is old,dangerous technology.Fusion or the Sun's burning of hydrogen to helium is the way to go.Far less radiation and nowhere near the lengthy half lives.We have 30% of the world's uranium and so expect the spin to make it more palitable.

The biggest fear of the elites is that we move to independant cheaper means of energy.Nuclear fission is seen as a replacement to fossil fuels since they are finite.The elites want high tech nuke energy, since only monolithic enterprises such as theirs, can create it.

Solar technology is in it's infancy.It can be far more efficient but not owned by a central authority.Aye there's the rub!

Ah yes, Friends Of The Earth: those unbiased, caring activists who preferred that Africans be left to starve rather than set aside their irrational, un-scientific opposotion to GMOs.

Jim Green is quite wrong to insinuate that commenters were banned from BNC for being 'silly and unhelpful'. The posts concerned were invariably personal attacks of various descriptions, many were libellous, and in at least one case that I'm familiar with, malicious lies. Prof Brook has been generous to a fault in allowing 'silly and unhelpful' comments. What's more, I suspect Jim Green knows all this. My respect for him has plumbed new depths.