The Political Economy Project’s Weekly Roundup Highlighting the Powers of Production
- Evan Papp
- Oct 17
- 4 min read
Following the latest essay on the equation S′ / (C + V), the articles below highlight what it looks like when the productive power of labor is moving in the right direction…or not.
As we continue to get our bearings for this weekly roundup, we have found numerous stories from Interesting Engineering, which everyone should check out and give a follow.
The goal of the Political Economy Project is to investigate the interaction between politics and economics and develop a horizon vision based on first principles needed to organize and produce broad based prosperity for today and future generations.
I would love to hear your thoughts about any of the stories below or stories missed.
(Omnium Rerum Principia Parva Sunt. 'The beginnings of all things are small.' – Cicero)
First liquid-fueled reactor in America: US firm readies to deploy Gen IV reactor by 2026
US-based Natura Resources is on track to deploy the first Generation IV nuclear reactor in the United States by 2026, a milestone positioning the company at the forefront of advanced nuclear energy.
“We are leading the race to deploy the country’s first Gen IV nuclear reactor,” said Doug Robison, Founder and CEO of Natura Resources.
He affirmed that the company is on schedule for the 2026 deployment thanks to several key achievements, including a construction license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a completed reactor facility, a fuel commitment from the Department of Energy, and strong support from the State of Texas.
Jakarta–Bandung High-Speed Railway Reaches 12 Million Passengers
The Jakarta–Bandung High-Speed Railway exceeded 12 million passengers in two years and reshaped Indonesia’s transportation landscape with quicker connections, exemplary safety reports, and new economic prospects.
Indonesia’s initial high-speed rail keeps reshaping transportation, shortening the three-hour Jakarta–Bandung commute to a mere 46 minutes. Passengers now have smooth, convenient travels on Southeast Asia’s fastest passenger line.
The 142.3-kilometer line travels up to 350 kilometers per hour with a punctuality level of more than 95%. Engineers built the system to withstand Indonesia’s tropical and seismically hostile environment in a safe and effective manner.
Via Railway Supply
Western executives who visit China are coming back terrified
(Editorial Note - I wish every congressional representative would take a U.S. chaperoned trip during a congressional recess and ride China’s high speed rail and then ride Amtrak and NYC subways. Perhaps that would inspire a bi-partisan medium and long term industrial policy that modernizes America.”
“It’s the most humbling thing I’ve ever seen,” said Ford’s chief executive about his recent trip to China.
After visiting a string of factories, Jim Farley was left astonished by the technical innovations being packed into Chinese cars – from self-driving software to facial recognition.
“Their cost and the quality of their vehicles is far superior to what I see in the West,” Farley warned in July.
“I can take you to factories [in China] now, where you’ll basically be alongside a big conveyor and the machines come out of the floor and begin to assemble parts,” [Andrew Forrest said].
“And you’re walking alongside this conveyor, and after about 800, 900 metres, a truck drives out. There are no people – everything is robotic.”
Via Yahoo
Water fingerprint found on comet older than our solar system, study reveals
3I/ATLAS, the largest interstellar visitor yet, was observed releasing 88 lbs of water per second far from the Sun.
A team of scientists from Auburn University recently pointed NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory towards the interstellar object and made a remarkable discovery. The team is the first to detect hydroxyl (OH) gas, a chemical fingerprint of water, emanating from 3I/ATLAS.
The most powerful U.S. university supercomputer achieves 2 quintillion AI operations per second, marking a leap in research and computational power.
MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory Supercomputing Center (LLSC) unveiled a new AI supercomputer, TX-GAIN, last week.According to a press release by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it is the most powerful U.S. university AI supercomputer.
TX-GAIN, designed originally for powering Generative AI, is also helping researchers accelerate innovation across multiple disciplines. The supercomputer joins a star lineup of other powerful systems at MIT, all used for research and development.
Via - Interesting Engineering
Flax-made smart sensor fabric lets asphalt roads self-report damage without drilling
The fabric is designed to track hidden cracks beneath the asphalt surface without drilling or destructive testing.
Via - Interesting Engineering
World could be ruled by Trillionaires’ Club of 'wealth elite' boasting '12 zero' fortunes
Elon Musk is predicted to become the world's first trillionaire by 2027 - and by 2050 there will be 30 of them ruling the world, according to a warning in a new book
Via - Daily Star
Satellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data
With just $800 in basic equipment, researchers found a stunning variety of data—including thousands of T-Mobile users’ calls and texts and even US military communications—sent by satellites unencrypted.
Via - Wired
