Vacation
Well, folks, the UMD e-mail has been down for a couple of days and, just as it comes back tomorrow, I will be arriving in London to decompress—safely out of contact with e-mail or Bush-supporters (slim chance that I’ll run…
2004
332 posts
China's National Defense in 2004
China has released a new white paper, China’s National Defense in 2004. An exercise in … uh … the middle of nowhere. One section in the 2002 White Paper—“National Defense Construction Structure and Organization of the Armed Forces”—has been divided…
LLNL to Simulate Nuclear Explosion
Reuters reports that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will simulate a nuclear explosion to study the effects of aging on nuclear warheads. The simulation will be conducted with the IBM-built BlueGene/L. Details about the test are unclear. I hope I’ll have…
Pettiness Toward IAEA Undermines International Security
Does Bush dodge photo ops with ElBaradei? Even more pettiness? Bill Broad and David Sanger have must reading in The New York Times today. They report that the Bush Administration has essentially no relationship with the IAEA, stifling investigation of…
More on Asteroids
On the subject asteroids and other near eath objects, Slashdot has the best coverage on 2004 MN4. JPL has a nice fact sheet replete with animations. 2004 MN4 has a 1/63 chance of hitting the earth, with the damage depending…
Asteroids and Arms Control
Final NEAR Shoemaker Descent Images of Eros from February 2001 at 1,150 meters. Nothing says holiday cheer like the reminder that total planetary annihilation is a statistical fact of existence in our universe. Astronomers spotted an near earth object after…
Virtual Visit from the USAF Office of Special Investigations
Someone from Air Force Office of Special Investigations googled “counterspace AND SAP”—as in “Special Access Program”—and then clicked on my post about the Microsatellite Payload Experiment. (Bet you didn’t know I logged all visitors like that, eh?) 10:29 on December…
Hu Jintao visits Zhu Guangya
Keep no-fist use. Now, how ‘bout those dumplings? Zhu Guangya, one of the fathers of China’s nuclear weapons programs, received a visit from Chinese President Hu Jintao to solicit “opinions and suggestions … on the country’s development of science and…
Licensed to Il
Il-matic. ACW Reader DS passes along this nugget, from the Dong-A Ilbo. It pretty much speaks for itself: According to U.S. special envoy to North Korea Jack Pritchard on December 23, the U.S. notified North Korea of the so-called “nuclear…
What the F*ck is Don Rumsfeld Talking About?
Today’s Washington Times reports: Mr. Rumsfeld said in a recent interview that unless measures are taken to halt proliferation, as many as five additional nuclear-weapons powers could emerge. Just talking outta his ass, per usual … FIVE? Which ones? The…