WritingsJUST PUBLISHED! THE VIRTUAL LIBRARIAN: A Tale of Alternative Realities iUniverse Speculative Science Novel Information technologist Keith Robertson keeps reminding himself that Lib is not a real person; she’s a virtual librarian—software, nothing more. But her software is evolutionary, designed to keep improving itself as it learns. So she is outgrowing her creators and developing a mind of her own. Keith’s whole future, including his job and his marriage, depends on Lib. And Lib is out of control. Their story pulls the reader into amazing, little-known worlds with intriguing ideas and people, including research engineers, information technologists, mind analysts, and professional psychics, all drawn from the author’s personal experience. Keith learns about laboratories that scientifically test people who claim they can influence computers from afar, by mental effort alone. He wonders if psychic saboteurs might account for Lib’s erratic behavior. He assembles five widely different professional psychics to test that theory. But the problem isn’t that simple. We meet an expert on complexity, who explains what happens when you try to control a complex, evolutionary system from outside. But he offers no fix for the problem. The outcome is unexpected but satisfying, leaving the reader to ponder some of the problems and possibilities humanity faces as machines develop minds of their own. Jacket Blurbs: A delight to read. A fascinating journey where both the scientist and the mystic in us can feel at home. The reader is treated to a rich and colorful portrait of the leading edges of science, alternative realities and virtual internet worlds—territory we have yet to fully traverse. -- Howard Zimmerman, Past President of the American Society for Psychical Research, former Executive Secretary of the Parapsychological Association and Senior Staffer to the U.S. Surgeon-General (1967-88). The Virtual Librarian is a page-turner as well as an absorbing introduction to the mysteries of the virtual world. The narrative, upheld by references to actual research, reveals that what we assume to be “reality” is not as solid as we might imagine, while what we designate as “virtual” may in fact be far more real—and certainly more influential--than we might expect. --Gwyneth Cravens, popular novelist and author of "Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy." Expand your concept of a “real friend” and read Rockwell’s astonishing book. -- Bill Sweet, former President of Spindrift Research, and author of "A Journey Into Prayer: Pioneers of Prayer in the Laboratory." In this creative volume, Ted Rockwell has combined the requisite pragmatics of human mastery of advanced information technologies with their relentlessly cascading diversity -- Robert Lee Chartrand, Senior Specialist in Information Policy & Technology for Congress and the White House, and Editor of "Critical Issues in the Information Age." The "Virtual Librarian" presents unusual and startling ideas based on the author's own experience, that will interest all readers and invoke much thought. --John F. Brinster, Scientist, inventor, entrepreneur. Author of "The Abduction" and other books on science and religion. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  Creating the New World: Stories & Images from the Dawn of the Atomic Age
AuthorHouse 404pp, over 50 figures and contemporary photographs A first-hand narration of the extraordinary people, bizarre ideas, and novel social structure that characterized frontier life in the secret wartime science-city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where the atomic age was being hatched. After the war, young scientists and engineers fought to convert the operation from a classified Army ordnance project to a world-wide, commercial enterprise encompassing medicine, industry, electricity generation, and a whole new technology and politics that have transformed nearly every segment of our lives. You get to know these young people as they work to change the world and in turn are changed by the awesome realities they have unleased. The book won first-place in the Science category of the ninth annual Independent Publishers Book Awards. Judges’ comments included “A scientist who's a splendid storyteller -- what a treat!...I was hooked from the first page…This book is a winner!” The competition attracted 2200 books from 1500 publishers, representing all 50 of the United States, nine Canadian provinces, and 18 foreign countries. This is the third national recognition of Dr. Rockwell’s well-received book. It was acclaimed Book of the Year (non-fiction) in the JADA Press Annual Book Award Competition, and Book of the Month by the Manhattan Project Heritage Preservation Association Four-star Admiral James Watkins, Chief of Naval Operations from 1982 to 1986 and Secretary of Energy from 1989 to 1993, calls Rockwell “a gifted scientist, engineer, visionary and author,” and writes that he is “eminently qualified to tell us the true story and set the images straight.” Dr. Glenn Seaborg, Nobel Laureate, co-discoverer of plutonium, advisor to U.S. Presidents, writes in the Foreword that the book, “presents in vivid, human terms many of the young scientists and engineers who first harnessed this primal force…an enlightening and fascinating account.” Dr. Frederick Seitz, President Emeritus, Rockefeller University and President, National Academy of Sciences (1962-69) writes, “This is a wonderful account…He relates his story with a freshness that brings back many memories…His saga makes it seem as though it had all happened yesterday.” Dr. John Gibbons, Director, Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (1980-93) writes, “Ted Rockwell has summed up more than a half-century of personal experiences as a pioneer in the nuclear age…His book is an important gift to this and coming generations.” Richard Rhodes, popular historian, Pulitzer-winning author, calls it “a unique contribution…I don’t know of any other book that covers the same ground…It doesn’t hurt that you’re an engaging storyteller, present at the creation.” * * * * * * *  The Rickover Effect: How One Man Made a Difference, Naval Institute Press hardback, 1992. Chinese language edition, 1994. John Wiley paperback, 1995. Now available from Authors Guild's backinprint program through iUniverse (2003)
First-hand report from the wartime Manhattan Project secret city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to initial sea trials of the first nuclear submarine, to laying the foundation for the nuclear Navy, commercial atomic power, nuclear medicine, and a host of industrial and commercial uses of the newly-tamed atom. The book was highly acclaimed. It was nominated for a National Book Award, and its original hardcover edition (Naval Institute Press), after four printings, was followed by a John Wiley paperback, a Chinese language edition, and excerpts in the Reader’s Digest, both national and international editions. In 2002, the Authors Guild published a new edition that is still in print. The book focuses on the enigmatic, charismatic self-made admiral who almost single-handedly converted the Navy’s major vessels to nuclear propulsion and nearly simultaneously, under President Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace Program, built the world’s first commercial atomic power station and all the technology, trained personnel and infrastructure that sustains it. Most of today’s nuclear power plants are built on that same technology, which has also transformed much of non-nuclear industry, energy production, medicine, research and many hidden aspects of our everyday life. Excerpts from 37 published reviews: “Whatever one’s view of nuclear power, this lively firsthand account evokes admiration for the sweep of Rickover’s vision and the sheer nerve that carried him to his dream.”- Brain/Mind Bulletin (Eric Ferguson) " Rockwell, Rickover’s former Technical Director, has written a notable, anecdote-rich biography of the controversial "father of the nuclear navy." Publisher’s Weekly “This thought-provoking, well-written and stimulating book is not a standard biography…It is an honest tribute to a man whose greatness will one day be recognized even more than it is today.” - Associated Press (Norman N. Brown) “Together with Rhodes’ definitive [best-selling, Pulitzer Prize winning] account…these two works constitute the most important contributions to date on the history of atomic energy.”- Nuclear News (Lawrence Ruby) “a lively but serious account of scores of incidents that illustrate Rickover’s extraordinary skills and personality. This is the stuff that many historians would like to include in a book but cannot afford to use. The book is vintage Rickover and thus a welcome addition to our understanding of this remarkable man. Technology & Culture (R.G. Hewlett) “This book is not just a history of accomplishments or a biography; it is much more…Rockwell has made the book thoroughly understandable, entertaining, thought-provoking, and stimulating to anyone and everyone.” Nuclear Technology (T.J. Iltis) “[The author} was immensely respected by Rickover. The Admiral admired his technical competence as well as his good judgment and versatility in a host of other problem areas, including political…The writer has a fine ability to describe technical things in easily understood ways.” The Submarine Review (CAPT William R. Anderson, USN, ret.) “This book describes in detail and with wit…the difficult, stubborn man whose single-minded drive made his relationship with the Navy volatile and contentious.” - Reference & Research Book News “…a riveting piece of recent history.” - New Scientist “This is a candid, insightful portrait as only an insider could write it…about one of this country’s most controversial and elusive personalities. It shows a Rickover who was fierce, supportive, idealistic, pragmatic, sensitive and at times very cruel. . . Overall, this is an interesting book which presents Rickover from a different perspective”. - The Friday Review of Defense Literature (CAPT G.V. Nederveen, USAF) “This book is a treasure trove of information. . . There are no coverups of the roadblocks put up by the Navy and the Atomic Energy Commission. . . and Rickover’s warts and blemishes are also shown full-sized.” - The Oak Ridger (Elsie Schmied) “Rockwell has made an interesting and captivating story out of the career of Admiral Rickover…a textbook case for study on political science, industrial management, psychology and moti¬vation. It is a detailed record of one of the most important achievements in military and scientific work.” B’nai B’rith Messenger (Soll H. Marshall) "Rickover’s career validates the old cliché that "one man can make a difference." - The Washington Times (Philip Gold) * * * * *  The Reactor Shielding Design Manual (editor)
Published separately in 1956 by US Govt Printing Ofc, McGraw-Hill, and Van Nostrand. Widely republished, excerpted, translated and cited world-wide. * * * * * Arms Control Agreements: Designs for Verification (co-author) Johns Hopkins Press, 1968
What if one of the many sophisticated arms control proposals the U.S. has proposed over the years were accepted? How would we go about developing and implementing the necessary verification process? Many pundits have suggested that a massive program involving thousands of people would be necessary. This book, looking at nuclear weapons facilities, examines the possibility of using small, highly focused technical teams in new ways. * * * * *The Shippingport Presssurized Water Reactor (co-author) Published by Addison-Wesley (1958).
Part of Official U.S. Contribution to 1958 Geneva Conference on Atomic Energy. Cited by American Library Association as "one of the best technical books of 1958." Presents the newly organized and declassified technology underlying most of the world's nuclear power plants. Other WorksVice Versa: Three One-Act Plays
Professionally performed as a staged reading by Source Theater, Washington, DC, 1990 Some Personal Data Eduation: BS, 1943, Chemical Engineering, Princeton University MS, 1945, Chemical Engineering, Princeton University ScD (hon), TriState University, for contributions to nuclear power technology (1960) Special Course, 1943 (16 hr/ Special course (1 year) 1946 in nuclear science and technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Various graduate courses in engineering, 1944-49, at University of Tennessee Employment: Summers, 1941 & 1942, Engineer-in-training, DuPont Plastics and Monsanto Plastics Divs. 1943, Research Asst., US Natl Def Res Council, earning MS degree at Princeton 1944-45, Process Improvement Team, Y-12 plant, Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge, Tenn, Elite 7-man “Tiger Team” given free hand to find and solve problems throughout plant 1945-49, Head, Reactor Shield Engineering, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Creating new shield materials, pilot testing, developing full-scale installation procedures 1949-53, Nuclear Engineer, Naval Reactors HQ, USAEC and US Navy Bureau of Ships Miscellaneous engineering tasks in new, fast-growing organization 1953-55, Director, Nuclear Technology Div, Naval Reactors HQ, USAEC and US Navy Developing technology of reactor coolants, primarily liquid metals, pressurized water 1955-64, Technical Director, Naval Reactors Program, USAEC and US Navy Responsible to Rickover for radiation and reactor safety, training and standards. 1964-present , a founding officer and director, MPR Associates, Inc Developing sophisticated analytical techniques to solve practical engineering problems Retired from full-time employment in 1987 Professional Association/ American Nuclear Society (Fellow), and The Health Physics Society (member) American Association for the Advancement of Science (member) Sigma Xi - Member at Large, and the New York Academy of Sciences (member) U.S. Naval Institute, and the Naval Submarine League (member) Society for the History of Technology (member) Authors Guild, National Press Club, The Writer’s Center, and Washington Independent Writers Cosmos Club, and the Princeton Club of Washington, DC Radiation, Science & Health, Inc. - founding officer and director National Institute for Discovery Science (Scientific Advisory Board member) 1966, the only non-medical member of the Advisory Group on the National Artificial Heart Program 1966-72, member of the Advisory Council, Princeton University Department of Chemical Engineering . 1965-68, Research Associate with the Johns Hopkins Center for Foreign Policy Research (in connection with nuclear proliferation studies). 1966-72, Chairman of the Atomic Industrial Forum's Reactor Safety Task Force 1967, Consultant to the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy Awards and Honors: “Exemplary Achievement in Public Administration,” Wm. A. Jump Foundation (1959) Distinguished Service Medal, US Atomic Energy Commission (1960) Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, US Navy (1960) “First Lifetime Contribution Award, henceforth known as the Rockwell Award” ANS (1986) The Rickover Effect nominated for National Book Award (1993) Awarded grade of “Fellow,” American Nuclear Society (1998) Elected to National Academy of Engineering (2001) Selected as first speaker sponsored by NAE for Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer Series (2003) Given the Edward Teller Award "for his outstanding and courageous contributions to American science" by Doctors for Disaster Preparedness (2006). Patents and Publications: Patented “Boral,” a machinable aluminum/ Several other patent applications processed by government, status unknown Other Professional Activities: 1) Master’s thesis for National Research Defense Council helped solve monomer recovery problem for the critical wartime synthetic rubber program. 2) Co-founded the Princeton Engineer magazine, which celebrated in 1991 its 50th year of continuous publication. 3) His wartime work at the Oak Ridge Electromagnetic Enrichment Plant on a variable thermal shield was credited with helping to save 75-80% of the tons of liquid nitrogen used each day. 4) Organized 3-day classified Radiation Shielding Symposium, Sept 1948; first national gathering of researchers and potential users (Navy, aircraft, commercial power, accelerators, medical). 5) Helped develop and define standards and procedures for radiation protection and reactor safety (1949-1987). |
 SatEvePost Feature Story on Oak Ridge, Dec 1, 1945  Comments on Research Integrity  Commentary on Institutional Bias   Stroboflash coverage of cockfighting    I take to the Stage  |
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