[117287] in Cypherpunks
RE: Orbital Weapons Platform
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Petro)
Mon Aug 30 21:54:10 1999
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Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 18:22:21 -0700
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
From: Petro <petro@suba.com>
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Reply-To: Petro <petro@suba.com>
>At 12:09 PM -0700 1999-08-30, J.A. Terranson wrote:
>onboard computers--present in nearly all weapons, even ICBMs--with particle
>beams having total beam fluences (particles per unit area, and hence a
>measure of cumulative energy) several orders of magnitude less than what
>Prof. Kosta Tsipis of MIT was vocally saying was the minimum overall beam
>energy.
>
>Getting into this topic would require a lot more time than I have now, not
>to mention motivation. Not to mention the problems when no blackboard or
>the like is available.
>
>And most of you, though not necessarily any particular one of you, lack the
>background to see a basic explanation. Too much background would have to be
>provided.
I don't see what's so tough to understand--at least at the
"conceptual" level, you point your "particle beam" (basically
targeted/directed Electromagnetic Radiation) at "Da Bomb", it causes
at least one critical part of said urban renewal device not to
function properly, and you have a InterContinental Ballistic Chunk Of
Steel That Doesn't Go Boom. We (well most of us) understand HERF
weapons, I'd imagine that your proposed or conceived device is
somewhat similar. Yeah, the specifics and the math ma be beyond some
of us (me), but the basic theory gets us (me) all the information I
need. I'm not going to go building one of the fuckers.
--
Interfaces matter. You need mathematical bones; engineering muscle;
but you won't replicate without beautiful skin. Bits, transistors,
wires, code, gummint velveeta is free. Will is expensive. Gutenburg.
Smith. Ford. Moore. Postel. Steam engines were neat. Steam
engines pulling trains were amazing. Computers were neat. Computers
networked were amazing. Warning grunts are useful. The ability of a
charistmatic speaker to fuck with your head is disastrous.--Blank
Frank(anonymously)
