This is, of course, not a new story by any means, but I really enjoyed this rendition of it. For anybody else who wanted a bit more by the end, here is the same artist's biopic on Oppenheimer.
This is, of course, not a new story by any means, but I really enjoyed this rendition of it. For anybody else who wanted a bit more by the end, here is the same artist's biopic on Oppenheimer.
Hubris, thy name is man. It's wild that the scientists knew how insanely close they were to causing a nuclear chain reaction but treated it as a parlor trick they called "tickling the dragon's...
Hubris, thy name is man. It's wild that the scientists knew how insanely close they were to causing a nuclear chain reaction but treated it as a parlor trick they called "tickling the dragon's tail". There's an interesting Wikipedia article about the demon core.
This article was well-made; but, oh my god this is horrifying. It's so strange to think people can be so blasé about the forthcoming destruction they were bringing but I hope it's just because...
This article was well-made; but, oh my god this is horrifying. It's so strange to think people can be so blasé about the forthcoming destruction they were bringing but I hope it's just because they didn't really comprehend how big it would be. It's even worse to think people did it before and will do it again.
The worst part is that some people still think the bomb was a good thing to happen. I had a family reunion a decade ago where we had some very distant relatives from Ohio come and they still thanked the bomb in their prayers. It shocked me enough that I didn't stand up and call them out because I couldn't process that someone would actually say that - I was sure I must have just misheard it.
Expressing gratitude for nuclear weapons in one's prayers is odd behavior to be sure. However, there are really good arguments in favor of nuclear weapons. This could be proven wrong at any time,...
Expressing gratitude for nuclear weapons in one's prayers is odd behavior to be sure.
However, there are really good arguments in favor of nuclear weapons.
This could be proven wrong at any time, but for now, all the evidence we have suggests that nuclear weapons cause peace rather than war. None of the nuclear powers in the world have had a direct conflict with each other since they became capable of using nuclear weapons. No country with nuclear weapons has been invaded at all. In fact, had Ukraine kept their nuclear weapons rather than giving them up as part of a deal, they likely wouldn't have been invaded by Russia.
When two countries have the ability to truly destroy each other - when there is no chance that either of you can win a war of violence, you must compete with each other by alternative means. Rhetoric, cyber warfare, economic sanctions, and even forms of cooperation (such as trying to be the beneficiary of an asymmetrical trade deal) become the avenues for this competition.
This leaves out the issue of proxy wars, but again this is only happening in countries without nuclear weapons. Still, I would never make the argument that every country is responsible enough to handle nukes. My only real fear is that a religious belligerent gets their hands on a nuke someday. Much easier to end the world if you believe you have a divine mandate to do so, and if you believe that this life is merely a prelude to something greater.
It was inevitable, but its a good thing we beat the Nazi's to it. and the testing in the Bikini Atoll was bad, the arms race for the biggest nuke was bad. but i debate the bombing of Japan. They...
The worst part is that some people still think the bomb was a good thing to happen.
It was inevitable, but its a good thing we beat the Nazi's to it. and the testing in the Bikini Atoll was bad, the arms race for the biggest nuke was bad.
an alternate history w/ a land invasion and dragged out war, where no one had used a bomb yet, make me wonder if we would have seen a bigger nuke used later on.
we still have the stockpile of purple hearts we prepared for land invasion of Japan that we haven't run through yet.. thats how bad they were assuming it was going to be.
I want to clarify (from the excellent historian Dr. Alex Wellerstein, on Reddit as u/restricteddata) that the plan for using nukes in Japan wasn’t “bomb or invade”, it was “bomb AND invade”. The...
I want to clarify (from the excellent historian Dr. Alex Wellerstein, on Reddit as u/restricteddata) that the plan for using nukes in Japan wasn’t “bomb or invade”, it was “bomb AND invade”. The Manhattan Project was ramping up to be able to produce enough fissile material for 3.5 weapons per month, and the military fully intended to keep using them as they were assembled (indeed, some consideration was given to using them in a tactical role during Operation Downfall). It took President Truman giving an official directive that Presidential authorization was required that put a stop to that. Ultimately, the surrender was somewhat of a surprise, and a “happy” event that obviated the need for invasion.
Sorry if I wasn’t clear, but I meant “surprise” as in “the surrender happening so quickly after the bombings.” While there was a faction of the Japanese military that was countenancing conditional...
Sorry if I wasn’t clear, but I meant “surprise” as in “the surrender happening so quickly after the bombings.” While there was a faction of the Japanese military that was countenancing conditional surrender (with somewhat unsavory conditions, like keeping territorial gains in China and trying their own war criminals), there was also a faction that was willing to keep fighting, and even attempted a coup before the Emperor announced the surrender.
I just watched Oppenheimer. It is a very intellectual film (centered on the life of a physicist) but I found it fascinating and sad. The book it is based on is supposed to be good also. The movie...
I just watched Oppenheimer. It is a very intellectual film (centered on the life of a physicist) but I found it fascinating and sad. The book it is based on is supposed to be good also.
The movie highlights that the US government was afraid that the nazis would figure out the atomic bomb first.
I can't imagine praying about how thankful I am for nuclear weapons. Disturbing behavior, for sure.
Here's a pretty terrifying reenactment of the screwdriver accident with the demon core: https://youtu.be/AQ0P7R9CfCY?si=2-0PGG0grCl0aq8w It was entirely avoidable and incredibly foolish to do...
It was entirely avoidable and incredibly foolish to do these experiments that way and they paid dearly for doing "cowboy science." Still though, I can't imagine the horror knowing you're a dead man standing like that, just nightmare fuel.
This is, of course, not a new story by any means, but I really enjoyed this rendition of it. For anybody else who wanted a bit more by the end, here is the same artist's biopic on Oppenheimer.
Hubris, thy name is man. It's wild that the scientists knew how insanely close they were to causing a nuclear chain reaction but treated it as a parlor trick they called "tickling the dragon's tail". There's an interesting Wikipedia article about the demon core.
This article was well-made; but, oh my god this is horrifying. It's so strange to think people can be so blasé about the forthcoming destruction they were bringing but I hope it's just because they didn't really comprehend how big it would be. It's even worse to think people did it before and will do it again.
The worst part is that some people still think the bomb was a good thing to happen. I had a family reunion a decade ago where we had some very distant relatives from Ohio come and they still thanked the bomb in their prayers. It shocked me enough that I didn't stand up and call them out because I couldn't process that someone would actually say that - I was sure I must have just misheard it.
Expressing gratitude for nuclear weapons in one's prayers is odd behavior to be sure.
However, there are really good arguments in favor of nuclear weapons.
This could be proven wrong at any time, but for now, all the evidence we have suggests that nuclear weapons cause peace rather than war. None of the nuclear powers in the world have had a direct conflict with each other since they became capable of using nuclear weapons. No country with nuclear weapons has been invaded at all. In fact, had Ukraine kept their nuclear weapons rather than giving them up as part of a deal, they likely wouldn't have been invaded by Russia.
When two countries have the ability to truly destroy each other - when there is no chance that either of you can win a war of violence, you must compete with each other by alternative means. Rhetoric, cyber warfare, economic sanctions, and even forms of cooperation (such as trying to be the beneficiary of an asymmetrical trade deal) become the avenues for this competition.
This leaves out the issue of proxy wars, but again this is only happening in countries without nuclear weapons. Still, I would never make the argument that every country is responsible enough to handle nukes. My only real fear is that a religious belligerent gets their hands on a nuke someday. Much easier to end the world if you believe you have a divine mandate to do so, and if you believe that this life is merely a prelude to something greater.
It was inevitable, but its a good thing we beat the Nazi's to it. and the testing in the Bikini Atoll was bad, the arms race for the biggest nuke was bad.
but i debate the bombing of Japan. They had bombed us, and the alternate invasion plan could have been worse. We warned them of it coming and gave them a chance to surrender. You could say it ended things swiftly with the smaller bomb.
an alternate history w/ a land invasion and dragged out war, where no one had used a bomb yet, make me wonder if we would have seen a bigger nuke used later on.
we still have the stockpile of purple hearts we prepared for land invasion of Japan that we haven't run through yet.. thats how bad they were assuming it was going to be.
I want to clarify (from the excellent historian Dr. Alex Wellerstein, on Reddit as u/restricteddata) that the plan for using nukes in Japan wasn’t “bomb or invade”, it was “bomb AND invade”. The Manhattan Project was ramping up to be able to produce enough fissile material for 3.5 weapons per month, and the military fully intended to keep using them as they were assembled (indeed, some consideration was given to using them in a tactical role during Operation Downfall). It took President Truman giving an official directive that Presidential authorization was required that put a stop to that. Ultimately, the surrender was somewhat of a surprise, and a “happy” event that obviated the need for invasion.
Sorry if I wasn’t clear, but I meant “surprise” as in “the surrender happening so quickly after the bombings.” While there was a faction of the Japanese military that was countenancing conditional surrender (with somewhat unsavory conditions, like keeping territorial gains in China and trying their own war criminals), there was also a faction that was willing to keep fighting, and even attempted a coup before the Emperor announced the surrender.
I just watched Oppenheimer. It is a very intellectual film (centered on the life of a physicist) but I found it fascinating and sad. The book it is based on is supposed to be good also.
The movie highlights that the US government was afraid that the nazis would figure out the atomic bomb first.
I can't imagine praying about how thankful I am for nuclear weapons. Disturbing behavior, for sure.
Here's a pretty terrifying reenactment of the screwdriver accident with the demon core: https://youtu.be/AQ0P7R9CfCY?si=2-0PGG0grCl0aq8w
It was entirely avoidable and incredibly foolish to do these experiments that way and they paid dearly for doing "cowboy science." Still though, I can't imagine the horror knowing you're a dead man standing like that, just nightmare fuel.