Made a free online version of my new book. Here you are: https://nukerants.fi/
Remote
Riku Mattila 
@rmattila74@energydon.fi
mastodon 4.7.2Nuke engineer retired due to ALS. Defined by the former, not by the latter.
Working part-time as a nuclear safety advisor for Steady Energy Oy.
592 Followers
701 Following
50 Posts
Joined June 19, 2023
For over 10 years, every breath I take has been delivered by a machine. If it stops, I will die in a couple of minutes unless the nurse connects me to the backup machine. Same thing if a tube pops off. Or a mucus plug blocks my airways.
3600/24/7. Never let your guard down. Not even when sleeping.
Yet I sleep well, knowing that the nurse knows what to do if something happens. Practice doesn't make one perfect, but it gives you confidence so that you don't need to stress, even if you are well aware of the risk.
That is safety culture. The machine reminds me of it on every breath I take.
Free epub at https://nukerants.fi/epub/nuke-engineer-rants.epub
I finally got this thought formulated.
Having spent all my adult life thinking about all the things that can go wrong in a nuclear reactor, I find it a bit amusing when someone says, "Sure, nuclear is fine as long as everything goes as planned, BUT WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG??"
Replying to @rmattila74@energydon.fi
Printed hardcover version also available: http://blurb.com/b/12880531-thoughts-on-als
And now it's...
Springtime for Lahnus and Niipperi
Espoo is happy and gay
It was a sunny day.
Replying to @jnazarene@mementomori.social
@jnazarene Olen ollut ALS-tutkimuksen Tuki ry:n hallituksessa siitä asti kun se v. 2015 muutaman kaverin kanssa perustettiin. Vähän epäkiitollinen homma kun ihmisiä ei kiinnosta ennen kuin tauti osuu kohdalle ja sitten se ei enää ehdi hyödyttää itseä.
Reality is a poor substitute for imagination.
I’m starting to reach the level of a former VTT colleague of mine who claimed that you get a faster overall sense of a distribution from Fortran-77 fixed-format numerical output than from any graphs.
Next I’ll probably start helping the computer by doing the multiplications in advance and reminiscing about how the UNIVAC 1108 was able to divide by zero.
Good old days.
Stump cremation season is open.
Replying to @rmattila74@energydon.fi
and a free epub: https://alspottu.fi/book/epub/thoughts-on-als.epub
Replying to @miiko@social.darxxide.eu
@miiko@social.darxxide.eu I can always sink even lower.
Slow communication makes you feel lonely even if there were people you could communicate with.
Replying to @nucleosophia@mastodon.energy
@nucleosophia@mastodon.energy With the lessons learned, we can build a better one from scratch. Maybe a secondary loop with gas and a Brayton cycle? That would eliminate one loop, sodium/water interface, and the issues of contaminated gas. Heat exchangers similar to our LDR-50.
Replying to @collectifission@greennuclear.online
@collectifission@greennuclear.online @nucleosophia@mastodon.energy Russia is also getting hold of world's depleted uranium left over as enrichment tails.
If I had my body, I'd wire a mechanical typewriter into a USB keyboard.
The worst thing that cat can happen to an ALS is getting me.
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Replying to @rmattila74@energydon.fi
@bambam.bsky.social Context:
- The article ties his work to Finland’s evolving nuclear policy and the broader need for reliable, adaptable energy solutions.
Bottom line: A personal story combined with a professional argument: good nuclear safety comes from thoughtful design and understanding, not just from complex models—and those insights remain valuable even when delivered through entirely new ways of communication.
(3/3)
Replying to @bambam.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy
@bambam.bsky.social Here’s a clear summary of the article:
Headline: “Silmin kirjoitettu ydinvoimaräntti” (“A nuclear rant written with the eyes”)
- The article profiles Riku Mattila, a former nuclear safety professional who, after becoming severely disabled by illness, communicates and writes using eye-tracking technology.
- He has written a book (Nuke Engineer Rants) describing how reactors should be designed and why safety does not come from calculations alone but from avoiding errors in the first place.
- Finland is currently discussing a new nuclear energy law that would also enable small modular reactors (SMRs), making his ideas timely.
(1/x)
Replying to @rmattila74@energydon.fi
@bambam.bsky.social Main themes from Mattila’s views:
- Nuclear safety should emphasize simplicity, clarity, and real understanding, not just complex analysis.
- Overreliance on calculations can miss real-world failure modes.
- Systems should be designed so that failures are manageable and understandable, even under unexpected conditions.
- Human judgment and system design both matter—especially outside predefined scenarios.
Personal story:
- Mattila became paralyzed due to a serious illness but continues intellectual work using assistive technology.
- Despite physical limitations, he remains active in public discussion on nuclear safety and energy policy.
(2/3)
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Replying to @anon_opin@mastodon.social
@anon_opin@mastodon.social You mean Facebook users.
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/
Power Production in Finland Today.
From: https://www.fingrid.fi/sahkomarkkinat/sahkojarjestelman-tila/