Fantasist’s Scroll

This seems like a problem…
Over two years ago, I noted a little news article about dolphins geared-up and trained for combat. Well, it seems that not only do they exist, but they may have been released into the Gulf of Mexico, by accident, due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. At least, according to this news article at the Guardian, that’s quite likely. The US government will neither confirm, nor deny, the veracity of this story, but sources close to the military indicate that as many as 36 bottle-nose dolphins that have been trained by the Navy to attack terrorists compromising ocean vessels may be loose in the Gulf. These sources say that divers and surfers may be in actual danger from these swimming mammals who have been armed with some kind of “poison dart gun”. The concern, according to the article, is that these dolphins “have learnt to shoot at divers in wetsuits who have simulated terrorists in exercises” and could attack innocent bystanders who fit the profile.
The good news is that the “poison” darts are designed to put their target to sleep for later interrogation, but a lone swimmer or diver could find themselves in trouble. And, again, the Navy will not confirm or deny this story. It could be nothing, but…
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!

No, I’m not talking about Iraq or George W. Bush!

Thankfully, I don’t have to talk about politics on this weblog at all. But, I did find this particular article so interesting, I had to mention it. The SanFrancisco Gate on-line has an article about a fairly quiet U.S. Air Force project to make anti-matter weapons. Apparently, the U.S. Government has been studying anti-matter since the 1930′s with a bent toward military technology. At first, it may seem frightening, but it’s no worse than nuclear weapons or power, as far as I’m concerned. And, no matter your politics, any intelligent person has got to see that things developed for the military eventually find their way to the public sector, after all, look at the history of computers and the Internet.
In any case, the article goes on to talk about various applications, including, but not limited to: miniature bombs; tiny, but long lasting, engines and batteries; and electro-magnetic pulse weapons. More interesting, I think, is the neccessary advance in containment technology and the potential energy that we might tap. The potential is, quite literally, limitless. As a fan of science-fiction, I have to say that this is very, very exciting to me. Combine this with all the recent advances in private spacecraft and the future seems like an interesting place to be again. I hope it will inspire more science-fiction writers to start writing about it again!

Well, I guess it’s serious!

At least, the US Government thinks it’s enough of a possibility that they need to regulate space tourism, according to this article on CNN. That’s probably a good thing, I think. I’m all for free, open space, but a little bit of regulation for public safety is probably a good thing. Besides, how can you have a profitable industry without some government regulation to contend with?
In any case, I thought it was interesting that they’re looking into it. It’s nice that our government is forward thinking for a change, eh?

I stole that from the article.

This article at New Scientist, that is. It’s all about an idea the US government has come up with to help bring power to the powerless. It is, as the title indicates, a reactor in a box. SPecifically, it’s a small nuclear reactor/power-plant in a sealed container that is easily transportable. It can generate anywhere from 10 to 100 megawatts, depending on the size, but can still be moved “easily” by ship or large truck to where it’s needed. So, why in a sealed container? Why, to help make sure that the Third World countries we shop it out to don’t take it apart to make bombs, of course! So, how long before that happens, do you think? Well, anyway, I thought it would be a thought provoking article.
Enjoy!

No, not a car that files.

A car that runs on compressed air. Now that is an innovation! It sounds too good to be true, but, according to this article on Wired News, the compressed air car actually exists. At the moment there are some issues with regulation and drive length, but, c’mon, this is the ultimate green car. I mean, what’s the down-side to this? Air might leak out? And, we could even use solar power to run the air-compressor to “re-fuel”. I love this car. Now, if they can just get a model that runs further than 5 miles on a tank of air and get the US government to approve it….
Ah, well, a guy can dream!