Fun with Fusion

Is it possible to have fun while we chase down fusion? 

[Update:  See revised article on Fusion Energy League.  Includes action steps.]

Philosophy of fun

Think of it!  Out there be global warming dragons and nefarious oil interests, and impossible scientific problems, and yet, we boldly seek the energy of the stars.  How cool is that?

Why should we sit around twiddling our thumbs, dismissing a quest as quixotic and wishful?  Why not engage in the search, discover ways to support it, and meet friends and characters along the way?

We’ve got the internet and social media to play with.  Gadgets and creative commons licenses to leverage!  Multiple related issues and themes to explore!  Witty people to explore and spar with!  Grumpy people to laugh at! 

This is not to trivialize the pursuit of fusion.  Science is serious.  Peer review is essential.  But science can also be fun.  And all the ancillary activities in support of science that we will engage in can definitely be fun.  Douglas Rushkoff says it well:

  The language and logic of business are organized around the survival instinct, even when survival is not in question. This is inefficient, unprofitable, and, perhaps worst of all, depressing…Instead of relentlessly pursuing survival even after our survival needs are met, we must learn how to do things because they fulfill us - because they are, in a word, fun.  Fun is not a distraction from work or a drain on our revenue; it is the very source of both our inspiration and our value. A genuine sense of play ignites our creativity, eases communication, promotes goodwill and engenders loyalty, yet we tend to shun it as detrimental to the seriousness with which we think we need to approach our businesses and careers…

…and, I might add, quests for aneutronic fusion.