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2004-1208: After seeing several commercials for CNN's upcoming special on Nuclear Terrorism (which then aired last Sunday) it occurred to me to contact CNN -- and then NBC, Fox, ABC, and CBS -- to suggest that the CNN special was incomplete since it didn't mention Humane Nuclear Terrorism (HNT, see far below). So on December 2, 2004, I faxed a revised two page HNT introduction to CNN Atlanta and sent emails to (alphabetically) 2020, 60m, Dateline, Davis, Dobbs, ftn, Hannon, hume, mtp, Nightline, oreilly, Zahn, and the St. Louis Post Dispatch (our local newspaper) suggesting that there might be a newsworthy follow up story and giving my email address, my home address, and my two phone numbers.......
There has been NO response (up to today). Not one email... not one phone call... not one request for detail or clarification? It makes you wonder just how free our big-business 'free press' is? Perhaps you folks simply haven't yet received permission to talk to an 'unapproved' source?
Well, okay. But as far as I am concerned, each of your news organizations (not the anchors -- the organizations) will share heavily in the responsibility for the American deaths to come. You ALL had a choice - as did I - courage or cowardice. The U.S. Government et al always chooses cowardice (it is the trademark of all self-serving bureaucracies - read Imperial Hubris), but I had hoped better of you...
2004-1208: Recommended: Imperial Hubris by Anonymous. I am on my second reading... and it may take three or four to 'pull all of the meat off this bone.' If you haven't read this book, just consider yourself ignorant and naive on this topic. (It's okay to be ignorant and naive.... unless you like it and want to stay that way! <grin>)
2004-1208: I was so delighted to hear that we are now going to have a super-powerful Director of National Intelligence who controls funding (dance to his tune or starve). How well will he tolerate dissenting opinions, I wonder? The next Hoover perhaps? "Power corrupts, absolute power......."
2004-1208: Concept for Hollywood: The Substitute Anti-Christ. An updated version of the original The Manchurian Candidate prior to Denzel Washington's remake -- but it is even better as a sequel to his remake. In the (revised) story, Denzel joins the FBI team that rescued him to track down other victims of the Manchurian Corporation -- only to discover that his implants were the least technically advanced of three independent research vectors (or... are there more??). SAC incorporates advanced forms of several of the concepts presented far below. A number of inquires were mailed to Hollywood in early 2004 but no one has replied. Mr. Gibson, you're the gutsy type - interested?
2004-1109: With respect to Fission Penetrator (FP) technology discussed below, the Nov 6, 2004 issue of Science News (Vol 166 p299-300) offered the following promising development: "...Liquidmetal Technologies is developing a glassy metal intended as a replacement for depleted uranium in armor-penetrating shells used by the Army.... the [titanium-zirconium] alloy under development keeps its penetrating edge as it slices through [military-grade] armor. 'Very, very few metals can do that,' Peker says."
2004-0915: 'Welcome back', incoming CIA Director Porter J. Goss. Actually, my only contact with the CIA was in late 1995 or early 1996 when I was looking for project work and proposed an internal CIA paper titled Misapplications of the Global Positioning System, sent to fictional addressee 'Jean Hess' (ie: "JH" - John Hackett) per CIA instructions. This was the basis for my 1997-ish fiction Pandora's Box (the 'box' being a GPS receiver) which I have never attempted to publish - although I did send a copy to Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and a couple of other politicians after 9/11. No one at the CIA ever responded (nor did Tom Ridge for that matter) - although I remember noting with some curiousity that President Clinton reduced the error radius of the GPS signal a couple of months later. Friends and family have commented that my Pandora's Box is nicely written, based on characters developed in The Fugitive and U.S. Marshals. Let me know if you would like a copy...
2004-0724: Concept for Hollywood: What you WON'T find in the 9/11 Commission's Report:
Shortly after his inauguration in January 2001, President Bush assigned to Vice President Chaney the high-priority task of dealing with the potential threat from Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, and doing so in such a way that the U.S. -- facing severe petroleum-related economic problems in just ten-twelve years (from 2001) -- could obtain Iraq's highest quality oil reserves. In the process of collecting the necessary logistical data from government and private sources (possibly through Haliburton and their contacts thoughout the middle east), Al Quada operatives were, either accidentally or deliberately, tipped off as to what was being planned. The response was 9/11: The Pearl Harbor of our time. If deliberately induced, perhaps another WTC truck bombing such as in the early 90's was expected. But the failure to recognize the "cruise-only" training of pilots (no take-off or landing training) at private U.S. flight crew training centers is very troubling.
The audience can easily comprehend why The Pentagon and Congress would be targeted... but why The World Trade Center? In the first place The World TRADE Center was a nexus of economic data and news... and potentially of stealth-economic warfare. Does it really matter whether you shoot your opponent or starve him out? 'Gone is gone', right?. Second, there were two floors of the WTC housing CIA operations, and third, from the masts of the two tall towers you have direct line-of-sight communications (radio and laser) to a 50+ mile radius. Very useful if you are the CIA, and the United Nations -- and almost all UN personal -- work and live within "sight". Thus, the WTC may have been considered to be 'an economic and intelligence-gathering weapon', rather than just two 'tall buildings', and that may be why they were selected for destruction (twice).
2004-0724: A Suggestion for Homeland Security:
We stopped by Hoover Dam on vacation and took the tour, and I couldn't help but notice that it would make a clear and obvious target for a little one-kiloton "suitcase nuke" (I understand that this has been discussed on TV). The economic consequences to California agriculture and to LA would be massive (Las Vegas, of course, would simply 'dry up and blow away', and Lake Mead would have a lot of unhappy boat owners.). Maybe $1 trillion? Has anyone considered the possibility of placing wide spans of heavy nylon netting on the upstream side of the dam to catch a "suitcase nuke" dropped from a plane? I assume (perhaps optimistically) that some kind of defense exists to prevent a jet boat from jumping your log chain and dropping a suitcase nuke next to the dam? A jet boat can do 100 feet per second (a racing hydroplane can go much faster) so you'll have maybe 20 seconds tops to recognize an attack and stop it. Are you ready? But back to the netting: Ask Los Alamos what the energy-coupling ratio is between an underwater detonation and an air detonation. I seem to remember it is something greater than 15:1 -- fifteen times more energy is harnessed in an underwater detonation. (It's someplace in Gehrel's Hazards due to Comets and Asteroids. Look it up.) Thus, if you catch a dropped suitcase nuke in a wide swath of netting you may reduce it's effectiveness by a large factor -- that might save the dam in some circumstances. Seat-belt class webbing might even stop a small plane from crashing through. There was a movie on The History Channel not long ago about how the British used 4-ton (0.004 kiloton) "skip bombs" to destroy dams in Europe in WW-II. But those dams were of much less robust designs.
2004-0724: A comment for Las Vegas Hotel management (especially The Stardust, where we spent one night): You really need to do a better job of segregating families from the, ah, 'randier' crowd of visitors in making your room assignments. Fortunately the 'foursome noises' on the headboard-side room next to ours (beginning at 4-freaking-am!) didn't wake the children. It rather detracted from the wonderful and child-friendly show at the Greek Isle: The World's Greatest Magic Show -- which the boys and I truly enjoyed. I was lucky enough (?) to be selected as the "volunteer" for the opening icebreaker piece (as a "prop"), but I had a lot of fun overacting for all the kids. There is no magic fountain of youth, but the laughter of happy children comes close...
2004-0607, and 2004-0511: Concept for Hollywood: Nickel-titanium "memory metal" micro-coils welded to hollow, magnetized hemispheres are compressed into a hollow ball and glued together. Fired into the victim's body (just under the skin), the glue holding the micro-hemispheres together dissolves and the warmth of the body causes the memory metal to press outward to its original shape. The micro-coils then drift through the body until they come to rest in the smallest of capillaries (ie: brain, ears, eyes, etc.). Permutations: The micro-coils could initiate clot formation ("Murder in the Tiniest Degree", Coroners take note...). The microcoils could apply significant voltages in the presence of high GHz RF. The micro-coils could be coated with pharmaceuticals (good or bad). The micro-coils could act as high-GHz RF ID tags or as tiny analog 'speakers'. The micro-coils would be undetectible at normal xray or MRI resolutions (MRIs might actually prove lethal if numerous micro-coils were lodged in the brain or in critical heart areas). Micro-coils could only be imaged by electron microscopes (non-living tissue). They might also be detected by some advanced form of High-GHz RF frequency absorption spectrum. (Remember: "You can't fear what you can't imagine...")
2005-0203: Rearranging this coil structure into a tightly wound coil of memory metal with two end caps could make a neat micro-bullet (like a 0.05 mm capsule) for delivering chemicals or biological agents (viruses or inoculants). The memory metal would open when heated upon entry just under the skin. Or it could be a glued structure that might open when exposed to strong RF fields of the proper frequency.
2004-0422: Concept for Hollywood: There was an interesting program on the History Channel (or was it The Learning Channel?) about a year ago which told the story of how during the cold war the USSR bugged the U.S. Embassy in Moscow using a passive capacitive resonance device built inside a large, carved wooden seal. The seal was presented to the Ambassador as a gift. When an RF beam (50~200 MHz or so) was aimed at the building from a few miles away, the capacitive resonator would re-radiate that RF energy with an audio modulation (FM, I think). This allowed the Soviet Union to listen in on the Ambassador's conversations. Because the concept was "unimaginable and inconceivable" (nothing like it had never been thought of before) it took many, many months to slowly deduce its existence.
The near future (5-10 years?) will bring about "Nano-Capacitive Resonance" devices so tiny that thousands could be invisibly added to... salt and pepper shakers... or in sweetner packets! Or placed in micro-particle projectiles (see below). These won't just pass through the human bio-system -- they will be absorbed by the body. They will be completely passive unless subjected to high GHz or THz (TeraHertz) RF beams... in which case they will act both as locators and microphones. They will probably have a limited range of 100-1000 yards. Because each nano-device model could have its own resonance frequency, you could identify individuals by the exact frequency or sets of frequencies of the NCRDs that he or she carried. Activation and identification could be manual or automatic, such as at pedestrian bottlenecks -- hotel lobbies, near embassies, at congressional watering holes, airport entrances, etc., etc. Something like Enemy of the State only 'in mass' and systemic. I would see no problem in tagging and spot checking 100,000 people. Perhaps 1000 people could be monitored in real time -- with some additional manual effort, of course.
Some of you in Hollywood will be receiving a "tease" flier soon. It will go like this: "Nanotechnology is a wonderful thing... because you can't fear what you can't imagine..." Of course, if you Hollywood folks don't feel inclined to retain my creative services... I suppose I could always go work for the NSA or the CIA or something.
Salt, anyone?
Hollywood: Far, far beyond Enemy of The State, Micro- and Nano-Capacitive Resonance (MNCR) will allow tomographic monitoring of body movement for thousands of people: Handshakes, typed PC passwords, bows, body language, gestures, finding secret storage caches, lip reading, snoring, REM, sex.... and all observed passively from hundreds of yards away. No cameras! Do you remember how on Star Trek NG they sometimes use transporter 'pattern enhancement posts' at distant or noisy locations? MNCR tags perform a similar function in an MRI-similar tomographic process... Hey, you're on Candid Camera!!
Subject: Do SES employees serve at the pleasure
of the President?
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 2003 10:01:27 -0600
From: John Hackett <johnhackett@apcconsultants.com>
To: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
Dear Attorney General Ashcroft:
Is is true that career Senior Executive Service employees serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States?
Thank you,
-John G. Hackett
2004-0301: There was no reply to the above email. Perhaps it was viewed by human eyes, perhaps not. But it is an interesting question for all citizens, I think -- for if Senior Executive Service employees serve (keep their jobs) at the pleasure of The President of United States, then their behavior and performance reflects directly upon THE OFFICE of The President. The implication clearly is that since every SES executive is now employed, that The Office of The President fully approves of their behavior and performance, collectively and individually. Assuming the premise, the implication would only be invalid if The President wished to plead ignorance...
2004-0307: I was listening to the aftermath coverage of the Martha Stewart trial this morning and pondering the statement by one of the jurors that, "No one is above the law," in the U.S. That is mostly, but not entirely, true -- and I was trying to devine why this was simplistic? Many government personnel (a few percent of some huge number) are to a considerable extent beyond the reach of law, in proportion to the height of their position... But why? Partly it is because government is The Tool for the forceful application of law - it is the conduit through which law flows. If you have thousands of pipes all carrying water under pressure, and you start trying to cut out pieces of bad pipe, you'd better expect to get wet! But as you reach the apex of government you begin to encounter "power tools" - the highest pressure pipes just under the water tower. These people (including the SES) are often the "stealth pets" of politicians. So who is going to go after them? The DOJ? These tools are protected by their owners. There would be both immediate over the table and under the table defensive and/or offensive moves to protect their pets (there is an implied contract - and you should always keep your power tools dry!). Not only would 'back door' phone calls (tit-for-tat threats, trades, deals, etc.) be made but stealth teams willing to find or create "leverage" (but smart enough to not get caught) would, if necessary, be dispatched to undermine the "wave makers." Much along the lines of what happens to government whistleblowers, but worse. So you have a class of people who No One Dares investigate for fear of what will happen to them (and their families) if they do... to my mind, this is as "above the law" as you need to be. These are the 'stealth gods' of government. There is a wonderful SciFi story by Jerry Pournelle called The Mercenary in which the leader of a professional military unit orders a highly skilled and effective trooper - guilty of post-combat rape - to be hanged. A political POW is incredulous at this order, so the leader explains, "I cannot allow rot to take hold in my regiment." We need such people in the U.S. Government. And we don't have any. There is never a plumber around when you need one...
2004-0103: On the last Saturday of November I took my two grade school boys to the Collinsville Convention Center to see the annual Model Train Show - they're the perfect age - and we spent a couple of great hours roaming through the exhibits. I especially enjoyed the huge layout with the barge and bridge lift... by the Hannibal Train Club, if I remember correctly. When we wore ourselves out we returned to a local Fenton restaurant for a very late lunch - we were the only ones there* - and enjoyed our food until I happened to try the rice side dish, which - I kid you not - tasted exactly the way a horse smells, with an unpleasant oily quality. I enjoy the occasional horseback ride but I don't think their rangy ambiance does much for food. I immediately told my boys not to eat the rice. My stomach was queasy on and off for a week but the boys seemed unaffected. Thankfully it was only one small bite. I notified the St. Louis County Health Department the following Monday (South County Office) and told them the story. If anyone has had a similar experience and later grew a mane or a tail or something, please let me know - by mail, not in person. <grin>
While I'm sure this was just the random bad restaurant experience, I am reminded of a story line (Hollywood take note) with a working title of "Private Stock" that I gave some thought to a couple of years back. It is based upon the real possibility that private collections of biological pathogens - flu and other viruses, streps, food poisoning samples, etc, probably exist in the U.S., and certainly do in other parts of the world. These are quite easy to collect and would not usually be fatal, although HIV would be the ultimate weapon. I first wondered if I had been the target of a private bio-weapon in 1981, when I was in Andover, MA about to interview for a significant promotion to Product Marketing Manager. The evening before the interview with the VP, I was invited out for steamed clams by four marketing department staffers... and later back at the hotel became terribly, terribly ill. I very nearly called an ambulance. Needless to say, I missed the interview. Consuming seafood always involves a small element of risk, but the coincidence was curious. It wasn't until the summer of 1983 - after I had left the company to found APCC - that I was told what was really happening within the innermost circles of the marketing/sales departments, and several pieces of a bizarre corporate puzzle fell into place. Being second-hand information, I won't repeat it here... but I drove home with my eyes wide open that day, I'll tell you! The last thing 'inner circles' want in their midst is a idealistic "Boy Scout" - it's too awkward to work around someone whose loyalty isn't absolutely under control, and I would have been viewed as a 'security risk' in the reverse sense. In retrospect, there was more than enough at stake to utilize a private bio-weapon, to taint a beer with Epecac (during a restroom break, for example), or to place a known-bad clam on a plate. Um... easy as pie.
Private bio-weapons are ideal in so many ways: There are no fingerprints, they are absolutely untraceable, they appear as random, accidental events, and there is a long delay (hours, days, or weeks) between the act of bio-poisoning and the onset of symptoms which would allow the perpetrator to escape even a hint of suspicion. There is no 'smoking gun' to find - just a tiny empty plastic bag or empty 35mm film container in a waste receptical somewhere. The 'knowledge-ification' of humanity is empowering everyone with new opportunities to leverage knowledge for personal gain. Shall we simply say, "Food for thought?"
*A 18-20 year old woman walked in and placed a carry-out order about ten minutes before our entrees arrived.
See this paragraph in context under "Hobbies & Writing Interests" far below:
*** 2003-0929: Last night on either TLC or Discovery Channel there was a program called, I think, Extreme Animals, presenting a countdown from 10 to 1 of animals with extreme senses. Dogs were number 7 with their sense of smell, sharks number 1 with their electrical field sense. Around number 3 or 4 was a discussion of dolphins and their acoustical radar, and an ultrasonic flat plate transmitter was demonstrated as a functional analogy. This transmitter projected such a narrow beam that a red laser was built into the center of the emitter plate so that it could be aimed at the head of a targeted person, who was the only one who could hear the music that was modulated into the ultrasonic carrier. I assume that the range of this device would be at least 50-100 feet, and it leads immediately to the fascinating question of the covert use of such a device to communicate to someone is unaware of the existence of this technology. Would they 'hear voices'? Could it be use to deprive people of sleep? Could it be used to affect dreams (Islamic Clerics are said to pay close attention to dreams) or suggest courses of action or spontaneous verbal responses? What would be the affect of such a device on the innocent mind of a child?? (And what punishment would be appropriate for the deliberate use of any such voice-from-afar technology?) An interesting topic for further study... (Try a Google search on "Ultrasonic parametric array" and "Audio spotlight").
2003-0610: There is currently an enormous (but largely silent) battle playing out over a case with constitutational implications for the DOE's EEOC program, and this has both sides playing a political chess game at 'maximum effort'. If you would like to see what is going on in Your Government (snicker) about 1% of the case is presented in two articles: See The Chicago Sun-Times, July 14, 2002, Ready to work, but nothing to do all day by Art Golab, and The Washington Times, July 22, 2002, Lawsuit cites 'super bonuses' for minority hiring as racist by Sean Salai. If you find this "surface 1%" interesting, there is an 8 foot tall stack of public evidence at the courthouse. The case is currently at 8 years and counting, and witnesses have and are dying from old age-related health problems. If congress had any spine (!) they would interest themselves in these events at some point. Attorney General John Ashcroft: Some years ago you wrote to me that you were not familiar with "Depositional Perjury" (sworn but perjurious depositions that are usually sealed by a judge's order during a settlement and therefore never come to light)... Most people realize that Senators are rather helpless in the greater scheme of things, but perhaps as Attorney General you can propose some effective changes that make perjury by government employees a serious crime -- instead of a complete joke. And one more thing... 8 years* for a civil case? Do you have any idea how much psychological warfare government managers can exert against plaintiffs over 1/10th of a human life span?? Why even bother to have a judicial system? Do you know how many people would even try to redress a wrong -- maybe 1%? How about the other 99% that we never hear about? What would Thomas Jefferson say.... I mean, after he finished throwing up?
Actually, Mr. Ashcroft, I do have a few additional suggestions for you. As circumstances permit, you might also wish to have your people look for a few other serious government problems -- in addition to systemic depositional perjury...
1) You might wish to set up a watchdog GAO department to actively search for either random or systemic, sanctioned, academic credentials inflation by government employees -- such as a two-year college degree somehow morphing itself into a four-year degree, or a four year general college degree morphing itself into a sophisticated masters degree. It would be amusing to discover whether or not unqualified persons have ever actually attained high-level positions at U.S. National Laboratories by this mechanism, would it not? I would suggest that this new GAO department examine all of the credentials of G14-SES personnel first... and periodically thereafter. And I would also randomly spot-check the credentials of all other government employees. Any positive "finds" would generate wider forensic reviews. At the same time, I would have a limited amnesty program for government employees that wish to confess past errors. Anyone caught with clearly falsified credentials after this new department was operational would be fired and disallowed federal or state employment for seven years.
2004-0511 Addendum: Breaking News: According to a report on CNBC this morning, the GAO has determined that 28 senior government employees have falsified academic credentials, quite a few from "diploma mills". I'm shocked... shocked to discover that there is cheating going on in the U.S. Government!"
2004-0513: An Open Letter to The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee: It is interesting that your discussion of faked academic credentials seems primarily focused upon the petty misuse of taxpayer dollars, rather than upon the far more central question of the use of faked academic degrees to obtain pay grades and job responsibilies beyond (even far beyond) the qualifications of the applicants. The owners of these faked degrees have not only "out-competed" honest applicants with lesser but "real" degrees, but are also subject to exposure and therefore to extortion -- foreign or domestic (ie: political). To say nothing of "peppering" the upper pay grades of government with people contemptuous of truth and personal integrity. The serious questions to ask here relate to the remedially re-competencing and re-integrifying of government. Otherwise you, Senators Collins and Lieberman, are simply offering a "wink and a nod" to the creeping deterioration of the human infrastructure that IS government. Power corrupts, and corruption empowers. Do you remember what happened to Rome? Senators?
2) Any legal process which takes 1/10th of a human life span (1/6th of a working lifetime, years 20-68!!) to come to a determination is clearly broken and ineffective. You might wish to consider an independent, non-political arbitration court system for government employee complaints which actually has the power to offer just solutions, expedited transfers, buyouts, early retirements, or to advance selected civil cases to a fast-track basis. You will save time and money, improve government functionality, and spot "rogue" behavior early.
These items assume, of course, that you and others in this administration truly believe that the human infrastructure of our government needs to be more fundamentally honest in order to best serve the citizens of the United States?
*2003-0920 Revision: I have recently learned that this 8-year period includes about 2 years of pro-forma internal processes. A typical case does take 8.5 years, therefore the entire "process" (pre-filing + post-filing) requires 10.5 years, or 13% of a human lifetime -- 1/5th of a working lifetime...
2003-1120 Addendum: It is a matter of public record that the judge in this case is Senior (~ retired) Judge Marovich in Chicago. Also participating is famed attorney David P. Schippers (Former Chief Council to Impeach President Clinton and author of Sellout: The Inside Story of President Clinton's Impeachment). As mentioned in Sellout (highly recommended, by the way) Mr. Schippers is a lifelong democrate and worked under Attorney General Robert Kennedy, leading the Justice Department's Organized Crime and Racketeering Unit. He was recruited by Congressman Henry Hyde (Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee) to investigate Reno's "Out of Control Monster" (the DOJ) and later to become Chief Council for the House.
For those of you who find Dave's Sellout too tame (and not everything that happened is in his book), some of this week's 40th anniversary TV programming of JFK's life and assassination describes truly chilling applications of Washington D.C.'s political power, including a first-hand report of a CIA 'sanction' to murder an innocent U.S. Citizen on U.S. soil because he knew too much (and could prove it with photos). The marksman in question declined the assignment because murder on U.S. soil was both morally troubling and supposed to be handled by The Mafia!! The left-handed victim apparently committed suicide with 'his' gun found in his right hand. Amazing! You folks all understand that politicians are politicians the world over, right? ONLY The Constitution and The Bill of Rights make this country different. Most of the time.
Media suggestion: It might be interesting if on the first Monday of each month (the day we test the storm warning sirens) every newspaper in the U.S. would print a listing of the "Top 50" longest running court cases for their state (and the "Top 10" for their local city) along with a brief paragraph describing the case, its status, and naming the attorneys and judges involved. Perhaps some interesting patterns would emerge and the public would have something new to talk about...
Question: What is the difference between a nation whose legal system is unbearably expensive and its results far, far in the future.... and a nation whose legal system is based upon wealth and privilege? (Answer: ecnereffid on si erehT)
2003-0810: New 50 kiloton, FP-7 multi-barrel, large mass fission-penetrator with "bolt-on" EMP DT-advancer "yield-doubler" module based on the British EMP artillery shell core (c2001). At the moment of full assembly the EMP shell is detonated (~1 mSec) sending an enormously energetic ultra-high-frequency electromagnetic pulse through the vacuum waveguide to the DT cell at the speed of light. Many nanoseconds later the plasma starter current arrives (delayed by reactance and 0.1 c travel speed) and creates what might be termed a stationary "railgun plasma armature" or "plasma welding arc" of 50,000+ degrees K (the same temperature as lightning). This is 5% of the sustained DT fusion temperature of 1 million degrees K, and will certainly initiate some neutron production in the central mass. The plasma will be pumped by the incoming EMP energy as well as the progression of the fission reaction, and should achieve the 1 million degree DT fusion point 5-15 shakes ("neutron generations") earlier than if the advancer module was not employed. This should approximately double the FP's yield to 100 kilotons. It is important to note that the physical acceleration of the British EMP artillery shell as it travels through a ~15-foot artillery barrel to exit at ~1 mile/second (which it clearly survives) is very similar in magnitude to that of the FP impacting an asteroid. An EMP shell is based upon an explosively compressed magnetic field, and the pickup coil (above) would probably be actually located within the EMP core itself. Keep in mind that the total energy output of the EMP shell is contained within the advancer module, split between RF and plasma current generation.
(Not shown: 1/8" aluminum rods radiating from the DT cell through the stationary portion of the HEU mass act as "neutron distribution ducts". The mean distance of travel of a neutron in HEU is 1.5 inches per internet sources. Aluminum is almost "a vacuum" in comparison and carries early neutrons to more distant volumes of the full HEU mass, permitting a more widespread contribution to yield.)
On the Plains of Hesitation: A humorous and speculative discussion of the possible use of one-to-two ton, impact tolerant fission-penetrators in the field of asteroid deflection. Several small nuclear penetrator designs are suggested which might survive the 15,000 g impacts into asteroids - boring in 50-100 feet before detonating with 20 kilotons (20 x 3 = 60 kilotons) of explosive force to blast out 4000+ tons of rock as reaction mass. Note that military penetrators such as the Advanced Unitary Penetrator (AUP) have been reported that are capable of penetrating 30 feet of granite at terrestrial velocities. The author may be the first private citizen to design a novel nuclear device which is not a weapon, but the central element in a propulsion methodology: a Plasma-Ejecta Impulse Rocket (PEIR). While the author has had friendly conversations with Los Alamos and INEEL scientists (and has touched base with the DOD and DOJ), all of these nuclear designs are unconfirmed and speculative. Also includes a warning as to the potential future use of Near Earth Asteroids as 'next generation' weapons of super-massive destruction. Written in a non-technical and humorous style. 36 pages with 18 illustrations. 8.5" x 11" format.
On the Plains of Hesitation: Assembling the author's gigaton Chain-of-Tertiaries Comet Buster in space. The CoT concept uses twenty 50-megaton Teller-Ulam tertiaries (the largest fusion devices actually tested) to initiate a chain of fusion detonations totaling 1000 megatons (1 gigaton). The detonations would proceed at roughly one 'link' each microsecond. Because each link would weigh a few tons, a rocket on the order of Saturn-V capabilities (104 ton payload) would be needed to boost the completed assembly from low earth orbit into a comet-intercepting orbit. The CoT assembly is utterly harmless until the final H-Bomb trigger link is put in place.
Please note that any 'Comet Buster' design would be far too large and heavy to ever be a deliverable weapon. Furthermore, the materials that one would consume would make dozens of more militarily useful H-bombs.
Dear Sir:
Last week I completed work on the fusion penetrator that you requested of Los Alamos et al a month ago. My design is impact-limited only by the internal structure of the secondary -- which I cannot determine -- and has an estimated yield of 120 kilotons. A tertiary element to increase the yield further may be possible, but I am uncertain. My design may have some useful application in the field of asteroid deflection or comet disintegration, but its use as a weapon against underground bunkers would have terrible consequences with respect to the production of fallout. Since your only publicly stated interest is weaponry, I must respectfully decline to provide further details at this time. However, I would be delighted to present my designs to the United Nations, should they wish it.
Sincerely,
-John G. Hackett
P.S. Those interested in the study of fusion devices (or Teller-Ulam devices) should visit the microfilm section of a major library and read The H-Bomb Secret in the November 1979 issue of The Progressive. There are ten pages of detailed information and illustrations.
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2003-0617: The Upper section of FP-1b... a minor refinement of my first fission penetrator. Note how the two swingarms are almost totally supported by the solid metal body of the penetrator at impact, and therefore cannot deform. The disadvantage of the FP-1 design is its width. For the record, the U.S. Government could have purchased this design (and by implication, the entire FP family of designs) for $25,000. Or $10,000 and a consulting contract. No expression of interest was ever made.
ATTENTION MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY: Do you need a unique, never before seen Nuclear Device design for a major upcoming production? -- I can create customized designs that are 'conceivably functional' for ANY physical size and for ANY yield. Yes, Los Alamos could give you better designs, 'but then they'd have to kill you...' : )
Humane Nuclear Terrorism? Literally TONS of nuclear material are unaccounted for worldwide! "With modern 'weapons grade' Highly Enriched Uranium... even a high school student could build an atomic bomb." It WILL happen someday -- in ten years... or twenty... or fifty... or one! Perhaps even to YOUR city? And tens of thousands of men, women, and children will perish! The Sum of All Fears movie depicted only a small one kiloton bomb.
The author discusses his Zero Loss-of-Life (ZLOL) methodology which might prevent that tragedy: Terrorists may have high confidence that their bomb will detonate -- yet still offer a city's population and hospitals seven days (or longer) to EVACUATE -- in an orderly manner, with food and water. Bricks and mortar can be replaced - but not the lives of innocent people. And perhaps -- with no loss of life -- there will be no need for retaliation in kind? At the very least, the world would know that any loss of life was a deliberate choice -- deliberate over and above the decision to destroy a given city...
May 15, 2001
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS...
Dear Mr. Secretary General:
The final elements of the 'Humane Nuclear Terrorism' (HNT) methodology referenced above (and first introduced to you in January 2000) have been essentially completed in recent weeks*. After reading in late January 2001 that Iraq probably had completed the construction of two fission bombs, I wrote to President Bush to ask if I should expedite the publication of this paper. As of this date there has been no reply, although I remain hopeful that one will arrive. I have also recently requested legal advice as to whether or not the publication of HNT without its having being requested by the United States Government might trigger criminal or civil persecution, but again, there has been no reply.
I am reasonable confident that should publication of HNT be in fact requested of me by the United States Government, that no legal persecution can then occur. I regret that HNT publication must be postponed while these issues are sorted out. Those nations with an interest in this matter may wish to request of the United States that they explicitly request HNT publication. I would welcome your advice.
Simplified Introduction to HNT:
The basic concept behind HNT is this: If a Nuclear Attack Team succeeds in placing an atomic bomb within a target city, they may certainly detonate it either without warning, or at will. Given this fact, the targeted nation implicitly agrees to leave any self-revealed HNT Attack Team alone and they in turn implicitly agree to allow a week (or more) for the target city to be evacuated. The inhabitants can leave in an orderly fashion with food, water, and some possessions. Minutes before detonation the Attack Team withdraws to a safe location. There is 'Zero Loss of Life' (ZLOL) -- no dead or hideously burned and dying women, children, and babies. I should mention at this juncture that I consider the probability that one or more nuclear attacks on cities will in fact occur during the next 50 years to be 50%, due to the ever-broadening possession of nuclear weapons by highly motivated interests embroiled in fundamental and never-ending political, economic, and religious conflicts. (As an aside, I was relieved that the final religious holidays of our past millennium passed without a nuclear incident.)
[Three-to-six] months would be required to plan, build, test, and deploy the HNT methodology.
HNT discusses some possible solutions to the following issues, among others:
1) Selecting Attack Team personnel.
2) "First hour" HNT recognition by the targeted nation.
3) How to minimize the risk of a premature detonation through an accidental Attack Team lapse.
4) How to prevent an HNT nuclear attack team's bomb from being taken from them by ground forces.
5) How to prevent a single Attack Team member's surrender from altering the outcome.
6) How to prevent the Attack Team's bomb from being destroyed by conventional explosives, artillery shells, or missiles.
7) How to prevent the Attack Team's bomb from being force-fizzled by a nearby small Tactical Nuclear Weapon.
8) How to protect the Attack Team from the detonation.
Without the high level of confidence provided by the HNT concept (as a starting
point), an attacking nation would never exert the extra effort needed to
employ it. They would simply detonate their atomic bomb without warning.
Under some circumstances the death toll could exceed 100,000 men, women,
and children. Since there are some high-probability targets within the United
States, these may be American lives.
If and when the United States Government requests publication, HNT on CD-R will be available without cost to any member nation of the United Nations that wishes a copy.
Respectfully,
John G. Hackett, Private U.S. Citizen
P.S. Neither this web site nor this research is sponsored by or associated with the United States Government in any way.
P.S.S. I respect all religions. My own religious perspective is presented at: www.Gestationism.com. It is admittedly a work-in-progress and a daunting task.
*A few preliminary aspects of this methodology were placed on my PC over a year ago, but most remains unrecorded.
As of this date: There has been absolutely no communication or contact of ANY kind from or with ANYONE regarding HNT. Not from the UN. Not from the U.S. Government. Also, I will accept no payment of any kind with respect to HNT publication. I am WAITING ONLY for the request of the U.S. Government to publish...
Background: APC Consultants, Inc. was founded in 1983 by John Hackett, its President. Specializing in MODICON programmable controllers (he worked for Modicon from 1981-to-1983) he has written over 17,000 Modicon logic networks, most of them for VERY COMPLEX and SOPHISTICATED control systems. He has personally programmed over a dozen elaborate and procedure-driven BATCHING systems, extremely challanging CASE CONVEYANCE and PALLET CONVEYANCE (TCAR) systems, two self-starting, eight-inch bore, loss-in-weight driven, multi-ratioing EXTRUDER control systems, three large, traveling-bed DRYER systems with heat, moisture and infeed control. He is one of the best TCP SMARTSCREEN programmers in the United States (per Total Control Products, Inc.), but works with many other MMI / HMI products as well.
Here are some of our project photos and references for the last ten years (most recent at top)...
Client Evaluation: [This utility was commissioned in early 1998 to aid in the analysis of daily, weekly, and monthly event log files accumulating at the rate of 15,000 transactions per shift. However, before it could be placed in service, unexpected budgetary cutbacks precluded the purchase of a fast Pentium-II PC on which to run it. As a consequence this program has not been evaluated extensively by the client. They have, however, expressed satisfaction with our work and have indicated a strong interest in our working with them on future projects.]
"John, six engineers over five years have tried to make this system work right - you came in and asked for ten weeks, we gave you six. The betting here was 10 to 1 against you... And you did it!" (Packaging/ Maintenance Supervisor, Second Shift)
"Before you came in this system was working at 40% - now its 90%! Overall the system is great! We sure miss you!" (Packaging/Maintenance Supervisor, First Shift)
"Your programming skills are excellent. You have some very good ideas and concepts that made the system run much better. Your training and involvement of people into the design stage are excellent. You are very dedicated to your work." (Director Electrical Engineering)
"John - You have built us an excellent system. I look forward to your reprogramming our other pallet transfer car system and MMI." (Plant Production Manager)
"As project manager, I have been impressed with Mr. Hackett's expertise and professionalism. He has provided Ralston Foods (Ralcorp) with a high quality control system despite the time constraints imposed by the project's schedule. The production rates achieved during the recent start-up of the packaging / conveyance system exceeded our expectations. This successful start-up is due in large part to Mr. Hackett's expertise and thorough approach in designing and testing the control system." (Project Manager)
"John worked with our organization in late 1995, assisting us with an aggressively scheduled and complex major plant subsystem start-up. His contributions of programmable logic controller expertise, program structure concepts, and his teaming with our personnel greatly contributed to the success of our project. I specially commend him for his attention to issues of saftey and his suggestions on how to improve our control logic to make it more rugged and robust." (Division Manager)
"Great Job!" (Manager of Controls Engineering)
Evaluation: Productivity: "A"... Program Design: "A"... Operator Interface: "A"... Post-Completion Support: "A"... Overall Project Contribution: "A"... Would you choose to use our services again? "Yes." Would you recommend us to others? "Yes." (Process Controls Engineer)
"Another Fine Job!" (Manager of Engineering)
"John, This project would not have been such a tremendous success without your experience and abilities! Your skills have also made me look good on a project well done. Thank You!" (Process & Controls Specialist)
"John, your work was outstanding and contributed in a major way to the success of the project." (Manager Controls Engineering)
"From April of 1990 to May of 1992, John was the programmable controller and man-machine interface team leader for the new breakfast cereal plant built in Sparks, Nevada. He literally created the ladder logic control standards, templates, and man-machine interface standards for the plant's seven large Modicon controllers and twenty-one man-machine interfaces. We were responsible for 7,000 I/O points from a total of 11,000 points (vendor-supplied packing line equipment provided the other 4,000 I/O points.) John created the 200+ network 'executive' portion of logic which handled common tasks such as alarm management, PLC-to-PLC Modbus-Plus communications, I/O module health monitoring, event data collection for supervisory computer tracking, etc. This logic was cloned to all seven Modicon 984 B's. Additionally, he was personally responsible for programming about 1000 I/O for the Grain, Flour, Liquid Flavor, and three liquid sugar batching systems, as well as all ingredient unloading systems. John provided critically important technical expertise, vision, and programming team supervision which allowed the controls portion of this massive project to come in on-time and under budget... Throughout the years, I have been impressed with his unwavering commitment to operator safety. (Director of Manufacturing Improvement Projects, Corporate R&D)
"Your work in Indianapolis was excellent. I look forward to working with you in the future." (Senior Engineer & Controls Project Manager)
Pre-1990 Comments:
"I am very impressed with the flexibility of our system, and the hard work, dedication of John Hackett." (Maintenance Programming Specialist)
"Thanks for your efforts completing the Modicon - 584 to Modicon - 984 changeover in the slurry batching area. Your planning and hard work prior to, during, and after this start-up made this changeover go relatively smoothly with minimum downtime to plant production. Congratulations on a job well done!" (Project Manager)
"Your interesting, highly informative approach left me feeling that attending your Modicon training class was time well spent." (Senior Technical Specialist)
"John, all of us here at the plant want to thank you for your part in the development and debugging of the software for the Batching project... I was very impressed with your professionalism and technical expertise..." (Plant Engineer)
"John, I would like to take this opportunity to compliment you on a job well done. Your programming work involving our pioneer, automatic coal handling system using a Modicon - 584 programmable controller was excellent." (Power Plant Maintenance and Technical Superintendent)
"Your contribution to overall program design and graphical display of results produced a much easier to use program than we had originally hoped for. I look forward to working together on future enhancements to the program." (Research Specialist, PhD)
2003-0617: A curious pea-sized cyst, located at the exact top center of my skull for over a year, developed in 2001. I had a similar (colorless) cyst form at an injury point on my wrist a decade earlier. This combined with a three year-long tinnitus experience (mostly mild) provided the inspiration for some of the ideas below.
2003-0712: I am very pleased to be able to say that both types of tinnitus are currently subdued and ignorable. In 2001 the digital tinnitus was quite loud for several weeks and cost me a considerable amount of sleep during that period. It's apparently random nature cannot be ignored by the human brain while trying to fall sleep (until very tired) and its constant presence awakens you after just a few hours of sleep. There is no frequency sweep from 1600 Hz to 1670 Hz and back, it is instantly either one or the other. The 70 Hz difference may not seem like much, but it is a very obvious and distinct shift. The 'bit pattern' shown is fairly representative of what I actually hear in a silent room at night.
2003-0810: I have recently noticed what I term "phototropic flashers" in my left eye. These shapes flash white for an instant when I move my left eye rapidly from center field to either the extreme 4 o'clock or 10 o'clock positions. One movement equals one flash. They look remarkably like little coils or springs. Each coil has an angular size roughly that of an inch of wooden pencil held at arm's length. The effect only occurs upon awakening (ie: dark adapted vision) and repeated movements can produce 20-30 flashes before the effect becomes difficult to trigger. The coil shapes and groups stretch and move slightly after a few movements, but seem to return to a coil shape the next morning. The drawings above is a fairly accurate representation, including the round nodes joining the 'coils' in the lower right illustration. If anyone is familiar with this interesting phenomenon please drop me a note.
One of the interesting possible future technologies for a 'techno-spy-thriller' plot involves the future use of visual prosthetic implants not just to deliver images to the brain (which is being done now in low resolution pilot studies for the blind) but to optionally reverse the circuitry and thereby retrieve visualized images from the brain for tomographic reconstruction. If you want to retrieve an image of someone or something.... just get your subject to think about that topic!
October 6, 2001:
Brain Comm: A quarter-wave antenna for a 27 MHz CB radio measures 102 inches. At 27 GHz this becomes .102 inches. At the ~270 GHz of some satellite systems, .0102 inches -- antennas of about 1/100th of an inch. Within perhaps ten years, individuals with these future micro-implants (see xray photo mockup in illustration #1, and illustration #4 above) will be able to recieve totally private voice communications directly from digital satellites (or ground-based transmitters) as depicted in illustraion #4's incoming green RF waves -- a bit like the old 'crystal' radios did -- using only the energy of the signal itself**. GPS-based tracking will also be possible, as with the current Digital Angel products at www.DigitalAngel.com. An unbelievable "Pandora's Box" of possibilities awaits, depending on whether or not the existence of the implant is known to the bearer. Note also that a tiny retroreflector the size of a grain of sand could be used for tracking. A retroreflector alters a polarized GHz beam by 90 degrees, which is rare in nature (especially in motion) and would stand out from background noise. Additionally, an implanted retroreflector could act as a GHz RF microphone, in the same way that a laser interferometer can detect sound via a beam bounced off of a glass window (illustration #4 above, the blue path) as shown in the movie Clear & Present Danger. Do you understand the full implications of this technology? In just a few years, undetectibly small devices (even by Xray) will exist which are capable of transducing high-GHz RF into sound through direct eardrum vibration** (imagine a microscopic, passive, piezoelectric harpoon), and which are also capable of making eardrum vibrations detectible at a distance. Great for spies and puppetmasters, bad for civil libertarians. Rent the old movies: The Chairman with Gregory Peck and The Manchurian Candidate with Frank Sinatra. Also consider the hearing-aid transceiver in True Lies. Multiply the possibilities by a large factor. What kind of world will our children see, I wonder? One which is discretely and carefully 'managed'?
Screenwriter teaser: The year is 2013 and a field-practical, undetectably small nanotransceiver*** has been developed by several nations. An individual with this nanotransceiver is interrogated under truth drugs. In answering questions, the individual repeats whatever he or she hears from the nanotransceiver (some mild conditioning may be required for this response). This individual may: A) actually be a spy whose nanotransceiver provides innocent-sounding answers, or B) an innocent person whose nanotransceiver provides "proof" of guilt (and coincidentally providing perfect misdirection for the real spy) AND complete disinformation at the same time. There are endless permutations... ('Oh, what wicked webs we weave....')
Note also that a eardrum nanotransceiver could, without their knowledge, conceivably make a 'walking microphone' out of every 'person of interest' on earth. Just point a high GHz beam at someone (so equiped) and hear what they say, hear what they hear. Privacy = zero.
**According to Physiological Psychology by Peter M. Milner, p218, "...To give an idea of the amplitudes of movement involved, at its most sensitive point the human ear can detect vibrations of the eardrum of 0.01 nanometer amplitude, less than 0.0001 of the wavelength of blue light [and 1/10th the diameter of a hydrogen atom!]. The amplitude of vibration of the basilar membrane, on which the auditory hair cells are located, may be thousands of times smaller still."
*** 2003-0929 Last night on either TLC or Discovery Channel there was a program called, I think, Extreme Animals, presenting a countdown from 10 to 1 of animals with extreme senses. Dogs were number 7 with their sense of smell, sharks number 1 with their electrical field sense. Around number 3 or 4 was a discussion of dolphins and their acoustical radar, and an ultrasonic flat plate transmitter was demonstrated as a functional analogy. This transmitter projected such a narrow beam that a red laser was built into the center of the emitter plate so that it could be aimed at the head of a targeted person, who was the only one who could hear the music that was modulated into the ultrasonic carrier. I assume that the range of this device would be at least 50-100 feet, and it leads immediately to the fascinating question of the covert use of such a device to communicate to someone is unaware of the existence of this technology. Would they 'hear voices'? Could it be use to deprive people of sleep? Could it be used to affect dreams (Islamic Clerics are said to pay close attention to dreams) or suggest courses of action or spontaneous verbal responses? What would be the affect of such a device on the innocent mind of a child?? (And what punishment would be appropriate for the deliberate use of any such voice-from-afar technology?) An interesting topic for further study... (Try a Google search on "Ultrasonic parametric array" and "Audio spotlight").
My first 8-transistor radio circa 1963. Note the satellite communications "upgrade" -- the paper cone of the speaker has been replaced with a thin metal retroreflective grid (it still sounds great!). And if you didn't look at the speaker itself, you would never know! Add an earphone aka microphone, and 007 can report in directly to London (as long as the satellite knows roughly where to scan and find the grid's signal). Works superbly with more local terrestrial beam transceivers, too! This is the same exact concept as bouncing a laser beam off of a window.
2003-0903: Suggestions for Hollywood portrayal of passive retroreflectors surveilance and tracking in an "Enemy of the State" class movie. "T" is one or more temporary retroreflector pills - the more pills swallowed the stronger the return signal strength. Locations "I", "II", and the "Chain-of-Pearls" represent permanent minor-surgery implants. The CoP implant would require the smallest incision - the longer the chain the stronger the return signal. Note also that a CoP and/or multiple implants allows partial or total body orientation determination. It is also possible to extract an audio signal from implant "I" near the diaphragm. Women have additional "IUD" style implant options. A high-GHz RF source is needed.
January 16, 2003; February 6, 2003:
OPEN INQUIRY: I once read that in the 1960's the KGB developed and tested a micro-sphere projectile weapon that was concealed in the tip of an umbrella and fired silently. The micro-spheres were hollow, much smaller than a grain of sand, and contained the toxin 'ricin' (which has been in the news lately). It was used six times and three died from the toxin.
Does anyone know if a modern micro- or nano-projectile weapon (see illustration #2 above) has ever been created? It might be used to deliver tiny amounts of high potency toxins, drugs (either for their direct effect or for the appearance of drug usage on tests), radioactives, viruses, nano-RF-tags, nano-retroreflectors, or biowarfare agents just under the skin. The victim might feel something like a mosquito or flea bite at impact and the micro-sphere could easily pass through several layers of clothing, including those of the shooter (ie: from inside a pocket). Note that the use of dummy 'practice' loads might be used as a form of 'background irritant'. It would be an ideal weapon as it would be almost impossible to detect when fired, the health affects could appear natural and be delayed minutes or hours by the body's absorption rate, and non-metalic microspheres would be far too small to be imagable by xray, CT, or MRI. [Screenwriters: An especially useful tool in selectively including a list of targeted individuals in a serious epidemic (or terrorist attack) who might otherwise not be exposed. The epidemic provides the perfect cover for their, um... 'removal'. Hundreds might be 'eliminated' and no questions would ever be asked. (So, whose list are you on?)]
Also, there exist small, emergency field xray devices which contain very powerful sources of radiation. A thick lead shutter is opened and the radiation passes through the injury (such as a broken limb) and is viewed on a small fluorescent screen. Does anyone know if there is a weaponized version of this instrument intended to induce illness directly, or damage the immune system or central nervous system? It would be about the size of a AA keychain flashlight (see illustration #3 above), probably be made of depleted uranium (much better shielding than lead) and operated from within a coat pocket.
This is research for a future novel.* Please write or email me at the above address. Thanks in advance!
2003-0516: Book/Movie concept available. Working title: The DNA Dynasty by John G. Hackett
If you doubt the enormous importance of DNA evidence in the world today, just think back to the crisis of President Clinton's White House. Everyone instantly associated his DNA with his being guilty as charged. And it was Clinton's DNA on Monica's dress.... but -- how old was it? After all, he was never very careful with his DNA, was he? Can you imagine one of the most astute politicians in history standing up before the TV cameras and saying, "Well, yes, the tests show it was my DNA... but I'm not responsible for its being there."?? The truth is, whoever possesses the DNA of a congressman or VIP (or their children) controls that congressman or VIP. Whoever possesses the DNA of a CEO (or his children) controls the company that he runs. Because DNA = guilt in the simple mind of the public. Someplace in the near future there may be secluded basement labs with rows of cryogenic freezers stocked with VIP DNA... without their knowledge. And - if the rumors are true - some congressional DNA isn't all that difficult to obtain? But even the most chaste senator or representative sleeps away from home now and then. Perhaps they sleep more deeply than they know?
So, Congressman, would you like to help the NSA or the CIA with their little appropriations problem? Or will your future reputation, career, and home life suffer a disaster of biblical proportions? Or will the DNA of your beloved son be found at some ghastly crime scene when no alibi is possible?
The idea of clandestine DNA collection was first proposed in 1973 by Robert A. Heinlein in Time Enough for Love in Chapter XVII, p459. The recipient of this conversation is "The Senior", the oldest man alive -- over 2000 years old! The year is 4272. Here is a brief excerpt:
"......Lorelei said quietly, "Mathematically extremely likely, Lazarus, because we were all in on it. Justin and Ira and Galahad hung back at just the right times just the way they insured that Minerva's first baby was Ira's and Tammy's first was Justin's. But if it did not work out... then Ishtar will correct it from the sperm bank."
"I'm not in the sperm bank!"
The girls exchanged glances. Lapis Lazuli said, "Want to bet?"
The computer said, "It's a sucker bet, Buddy."
......"Better not say 'Impossible.' What is the perfect container for keeping sperm fresh and alive until a technician can bank it?..... Correct... Place a woman around it.".....
This is an excellent book and recommended for adults, although I wish he would have altered some of the final chapters for a broader audience. In my younger days I once read that most men cannot detect the presence of an ordinary $20 female condom worn by their partner -- especially after a bottle of wine. How about a special, custom $1000 female condom? Unless someone steps forward, we will never know if this concept has ever been secretly applied for the extortion or control of difficult politicians or other VIPs -- either directly or through their children or relatives, but someday it will be! Every weapon of control that has ever been created has - or will be - utilized at some point.
2003-0531: Was SARS the first ever "tracer virus"? Imagine that you are a high level political executive in China and you have just been informed that a dozen members of what is apparently a much more extensive organization of spies and intelligence gatherers has been discovered! You are shocked and concerned! These people have been operating for decades without your knowledge! So just how widespread is their network?! It could take years of traditional counter-intelligence to ferret them out one by one -- and you might still miss many of them. But what if these known members were deliberately exposed to 'V688b' (SARS)? Would they not carry the virus to other members of the group -- even internationally -- so that they would identify themselves? You might very quickly identify 90% of the network in this way... and... eliminate most of them: You see, some SARS cases are more 'severe' than others.........
2003-0612: Personal politics: I believe that every citizen of the United States has an ethical obligation to ensure that our government never gets too far ahead of public knowledge in the tools that it possesses which might in the future -- at least hypothetically -- be used to control individuals or to transform civil liberties into illusion. Perhaps you might consider me to be a preemptive libertarian? Many of the above concepts were developed for inclusion in a "technology-spy-thriller" book that I hope to write in the future. But several are potentially of some moment, and I would prefer that other authors be made aware of them and use them in their own creative works so that they can be included in literature and motion pictures for 'back door' public education sooner rather than later.... (I can always dream up more!) Attribution when appropriate would be gratefully appreciated, but is not required.
2003-0613: The 8th Day in May: Will the U.S. Nuke Itself? I have discussed this interesting concept with friends and I thought I would present it here. If Washington D.C. or New York were to be attacked someday -- as in the movie The Sum of All Fears -- the sociological and political results would be hyper-extreme. Unlimited trillions of dollars would flow into the dark recesses of government: the CIA, the NSA, the DOE, and the entire military-industrial complex. And conservative political power would dominate for decades! Borrowing a phrase from The Gripping Hand (Pournelle/Niven): "There is motive here for an arbitrarily large number of murders." And all you need is a handful of people with 200 lbs of foreign HUE (the isotope distribution spectrum must show it came from abroad), and bingo-bango -- 1 kiloton and a vaporized city block later -- you have the largest, fastest shift in money flow and national mindset in all of human history. Let me repeat that: 3-5 people with basic skills and 200 lbs of foreign HUE could change the course of human history. All you have to do is drop 100 lbs of HUE 60-200 feet down a wire cable to crash into the other 100 lbs -- any accessible elevator shaft will do nicely (there are hundreds of other ways to achieve assembly). A high school student could do it. Do you truly think this is impossible? Take a good look elsewhere on this web site and ask yourself if our government consists entirely of altruistic angels? Then watch the movie Seven Days In May. And... we are all half-expecting it anyway, right? Since there isn't much evidence left at ground zero, someone will have to place a slightly radioactive Qur'an with a revenge note in a hotel room... The temptation here must be very high for some.
But my guess is that, given the massive U.S. sociological response to 9/11, the first Islamic atomic bomb (Iranian?) would not be detonated on U.S. soil (at least not in a populated area -- there might be a demo bomb to show they can if they want to). I would speculate either somewhere in Israel or in London, or both, or all three. But the political puppet masters of our world know this, too. So if Islam cannot be provoked into a nuclear attack through successive regime changes (and it just takes a handful of Islamic leaders to decide to use atomic bombs, if they possess a few) they might just get a little 'help'. The U.S. doesn't like to get its hands dirty, so they would probably 'favor' it out to an allied interest in exchange for some future consideration, like free oil.
Geopolitics is unbelievably convoluted and subtle, and the truth is never what it seems to be.
2003-0903: Here is a Pop Quiz for Hollywood:
1) When that Russian November class K-159 sank last month, it's nuclear reactor contained how much weapons grade Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) relative to its normal fuel load?
2) The Russian Government new the correct answer above at the time of the sinking: True or False
3) The Russian Government new the correct answer above six months ago: True or False
4) The HEU fuel is now:
The 'Archives'...
Dear Sirs:
I do not believe that the plan to rapidly convert Iraq into an 'instant democracy' will ever be successful. Many so called democracies around the world are terrible places with ruthless governments. But perhaps the concern for the future of the Iraqi people is simply a facade. Nevertheless, I would ask you all to consider instead a benign directive administration operated under the auspices of the United Nations and administered by... the Japanese. Japan has known conquest by the U.S. - and rebirth. Japan is known to have no territorial ambitions, their religious beliefs are neither militantly-Christian nor Islamic, and as a people they have a far stronger sense of abstract honor and duty than in most cultures. And they have some of the finest engineers in the world. If they would be willing to serve the U.N. for two generations (40 years) it might then be possible to phase-in a constitutional government in the mideast which could survive. The odds for success are probably only one in four. But with an 'instant democracy' the odds are zero. There will be assassination after assassination, endless corruption, endless nepotism, and endless turmoil as there has always been endless turmoil.
Respectfully,
-John G. Hackett
March 3, 1991
To General Colin Powell c/o The Pentagon
Dear General Powell:
"I would like to suggest that consideration be given to the development of a cruise-missile-reconnaissance (CMR) technology... I have come across no mention or hint that CMR exists in scientific or technical literature... There exist three basic varients: 1) Recon & attack, 2) Recon & return, 3) Recon to exhaustion..." [A three-page description followed.]
These drawings were attached (inclusion here was delayed until April 8, 2003 due to the war in Iraq):
