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A really bad joke I just made up
Q: Have you heard about the CIA's new Sinatra cover band?
A: Well, My Way is sheer torture, but they do an extraordinary rendition of Strangers in the Night. -
FORTRAN FTW
C ( Read more... ) -
Frickin Lasers
The New York Times has an article which includes the phrase "federal development of death rays" and generally gives the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) the brush-off. The article misses the point however: we have developed a very basic capability to shoot down short-range battlefield rockets (and artillery shells) with a frickin' laser beam. ( Read more... ) -
Transparency vs. Privacy
There was a story on NPR yesterday about GIS and the fact that the census is planning to accurately GPS-map the front door at every residence in America two summers from now. A bizarre part of the US Census is that it is data collected by the government using government money (your tax dollars), but the data are also confidential. The arguments ( Read more... ) -
Israel is within its rights
I have not yet seen a more concise statement of the impossible standard to which European and Middle Eastern countries are holding Israel in the war in Lebanon. The arguments are clear and to the point, starting with the headline: "Israel is within its rights". It will probably only take you about five minutes to read the whole article. I have ( Read more... ) -
Samuel L. Jackson to play God
...in audiobook version of the Bible. No word yet on whether or not he will be reading Ezekiel 25:17. -
Got a spare planet?
Wow, I just had a hell of a busy weekend! ( It all started on Friday, like the weekend usually does. ) -
In space, no one can hear two missiles collide
The Missile Defense Agency has released information about yesterday's successful missile defense intercept (PDF warning). The Washington Post also has a pretty good story on the intercept. If you have a Ku-Band satellite in your backyard, the DoD press release mentions how you can see some video from the test. It's not posted to MDA's website ( Read more... ) -
Missile Defense Test Today!
Noah over at DefenseTech has the scoop and a ton of links. Yes, the test is taking place in the Pacific, and no, we're not testing Ground-Based Midcourse (the Alaska silo-based interceptors that everyone thinks of as "the missile shield"). The test has apparently been on the books for a long time, so the confluence of this test with North Korea's ( Read more... ) -
Nutria?
Apparently the Delmarva Peninsula has a problem with nutria. Whodathunkit?
Nick Carter1, a conservationist known for his nutria recipes throughout the Delmarva Peninsula (which runs down the eastern shore of the Chesapeake through Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia), played chef. The menu, high toned as he could get it, included nutria en hoof de ( Read more... )