The birth of SkyNet
Supercomputer doubles own record: I tuned into this post interested in the technological advance then I realised the use to which it will be put - "maintaining our nation's ageing nuclear stockpile without testing". Necessary? Yes. Frightening? Yes. I'm not even sure I know what that sentence means. On the positive side it seems to indicate that they can eliminate the need for actual nuclear testing but surely this will simply ease the development of newer nuclear weapons thereby increasing their proliferation; the likelyhood of their use and the temptation to do so.
Em, perhaps the solution is to simply stop guys?! That's it - STOP!. Stop developing f*cking bombs and use the same research to focus on generating cheap, reliable energy.
It also seems to indicate that the governments concerned are in a race against the degredation and increasing instability of their own nuclear stockpiles. Nice.
17 years ago I worked on the Joint European Taurus (J.E.T.) Project in partnership with the Centre for European Research Nationale (CERN) - the worlds largest particle physics laboratory. Those were optimistic days where we were working towards the development of fission reactors (like our own sun) as opposed to fusion reactors (splitting atoms -> controlled atomic explosions). I say 'we' which gives me a very nice, participative feeling but in reality I was simply crunching meaningless (to me) numbers.
The problem wasn't creating the fission reaction (hydrogen bomb) the problem was containing the resultant plasmic soup. You can't keep that stuff in a bucket. The solution was an energetic taurus (magnetic dougnut) but unfortunately accessing the energy broke the integrity of the taurus - messy. As far as i know the project has been wound up. Shame.
Co-incidentally, a certain individual called Tim Berners Lee was also working at CERN at the time. I'm sure he'll go on to make an impact once he's got his act together ;-)
The concerning thing about the supercomputer piece is the continuing focus on destruction rather than construction in addition to the reliance on software and hardware to model hugely complicated real world scenarios. As they say in N.L.P. "The map is not the territory". Certainly wouldn't want that bugger to blue screen on me - hope they've installed service pack 2.0...
This also taps my paranoic, cinematic conspiracy bone as we are effectively handing control of our nuclear arsenals to immensely powerful computers. Ahh, theme tune kicking in, schizoid isolation and suspicion ramping up, modestly crouched naked figure (Cert12) materialising from a sparking singularity in the waste ground across the way - game on - marvellous.
Seeing as I'm on a scientific paranoid kick:
Red Planet comes close to earth
Mars is swinging by to pay us a visit coupled with increased dust storm activity.
"No-one would have believed in the last years of the 19th century that human affairs were being watch from the timeless worlds of space. No-one could have dreamed that we were being scrutinised as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets. And yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours, regarded this earth with envious eyes and slowly and surely they drew their plans against us." The War of the Worlds, H.G.Wells
Sleep tight...
Em, perhaps the solution is to simply stop guys?! That's it - STOP!. Stop developing f*cking bombs and use the same research to focus on generating cheap, reliable energy.
It also seems to indicate that the governments concerned are in a race against the degredation and increasing instability of their own nuclear stockpiles. Nice.
17 years ago I worked on the Joint European Taurus (J.E.T.) Project in partnership with the Centre for European Research Nationale (CERN) - the worlds largest particle physics laboratory. Those were optimistic days where we were working towards the development of fission reactors (like our own sun) as opposed to fusion reactors (splitting atoms -> controlled atomic explosions). I say 'we' which gives me a very nice, participative feeling but in reality I was simply crunching meaningless (to me) numbers.
The problem wasn't creating the fission reaction (hydrogen bomb) the problem was containing the resultant plasmic soup. You can't keep that stuff in a bucket. The solution was an energetic taurus (magnetic dougnut) but unfortunately accessing the energy broke the integrity of the taurus - messy. As far as i know the project has been wound up. Shame.
Co-incidentally, a certain individual called Tim Berners Lee was also working at CERN at the time. I'm sure he'll go on to make an impact once he's got his act together ;-)
The concerning thing about the supercomputer piece is the continuing focus on destruction rather than construction in addition to the reliance on software and hardware to model hugely complicated real world scenarios. As they say in N.L.P. "The map is not the territory". Certainly wouldn't want that bugger to blue screen on me - hope they've installed service pack 2.0...
This also taps my paranoic, cinematic conspiracy bone as we are effectively handing control of our nuclear arsenals to immensely powerful computers. Ahh, theme tune kicking in, schizoid isolation and suspicion ramping up, modestly crouched naked figure (Cert12) materialising from a sparking singularity in the waste ground across the way - game on - marvellous.
Seeing as I'm on a scientific paranoid kick:
Red Planet comes close to earth
Mars is swinging by to pay us a visit coupled with increased dust storm activity.
"No-one would have believed in the last years of the 19th century that human affairs were being watch from the timeless worlds of space. No-one could have dreamed that we were being scrutinised as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets. And yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours, regarded this earth with envious eyes and slowly and surely they drew their plans against us." The War of the Worlds, H.G.Wells
Sleep tight...
heidless (3:31 pm)
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