Dream of the Dragon

Category: future science

April 23, 2010

MAD world.

by Justin

Sometimes I long for the era when Mutually Assured Destruction was a more pronounced policy, and one that inspired the kind of fear anchored in helplessness if things ever went awry. Because, really, if push came to shove what could anyone have done?

These days the conflicts are dirtier, the lines blurrier, and the politics muddier. Plus, concerns about The Bomb are limited to those volatile wildcards of North Korea and Iran. And NK’s particular brand of crazy or Iran’s particular brand of middle finger to the West are more infuriating than frightening. At least in the way that I imagine the depths of the Cold War to have been.

But the ol’ false alarm scenario got a little nod in yesterday’s article in the New York Time about another ridiculous stride in devastation, Prompt Global Strike. Read the rest of this entry »

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April 16, 2010

Old-fashioned spacemen.

by Justin

When the Constellation program was launched, I’ll admit that I was completely behind George W. Bush’s plan to get us back onto the moon. I was excited exclusively because it sounded exciting and sort of idyllic, like a return to a more glorious age. Forget the deficit, let’s get back into outer space.

Now that program has been cancelled, the Ares rockets abandoned, and President Obama unveiled a vision that looks far beyond the moon. He said himself, conceding that it was a blunt statement, that we’ve already been there. And you know, I’m really not sure about the benefit of dedicating billions to revisiting the Sea of Tranquility.

Neil Armstrong (and two other Apollo shuttle commanders) wrote an open letter to the administration, condemning the new vision for NASA and challenging Obama’s judgment. Read the rest of this entry »

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April 14, 2010

Wintermute calling.

by Justin

Things just got that much cooler in the US Military, and that much closer to science fiction.

The New York Times today ran a story about the pending confirmation of the leader of the all new Cyber Command division of the military. Granted, this is likely an overdue initiative given how digital the entire planet has become – but in the past year, perhaps owing to China’s sudden prowess and recent accusations of its cyber misbehavior, everything escalated. Read the rest of this entry »

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