To Blog Post 200 & Beyond!

Image: CIPS Building - Downtown Springfield, Illinois

Everyone sells their soul in one way or another. For some it is a trade of doing what they know is right for riches, for most it's a trade of pride, and dignity for sheer survival.

We've all kept the smile on the face long after we knew it should have faded, or should never have been there at all. At least half of those happily married can't be all that happy after all, and a good portion of us would leave their jobs at the drop of a hat - if they could.

As the moments pass, and life is squandered in quiet desperation we hear the modern oracles whispering of great times to come if we only keep quiet, if we just settle until everything is alright - until everything works itself out.

One day we'll have that perfect spouse, that perfect house, that perfect car, that perfect job, and that perfect life. One day, we are told, we'll all fly to nirvana in the first class section, soaring never ending towards a golden warm rising sun.

Perhaps it will be with Jesus, perhaps with Allah, or Buddah along for the ride, but we are promised that we'll reach that place - if we're good, docile, and compliant.

We bide our time.

We grow old.

We die.

We get our pictures in the obits.

We get processed.

We are forgotten.

We turn to dust.

The 200th post is over turn out the lights.

Mission Possible - Covert Strobe

Mission Possible - Covert Strobe is my latest article in a series of post delving into the speculative black-ops world of weather modification.

Any weather modification program worth the time, and money expended on its development would need to justify the expenditure upon it.

Making any such program a mulitasking work horse would be a sensible goal from both a practical, and economic standpoint.

Superimposing an intelligence gathering role upon a weather modification program would seems likely.

In my latest weather modification related article, Turning Day Into Night One Second A Time I mention the use of strobe lights deployed upon air recon missions during world war two.

During nightime air-recon missions these intensely bright photo-strobes (super-strobes) replaced phosphorus flares (but not entirely).

Flares were attached to parachutes and tossed out of aircraft prior to allied bombing missions. The flares allowed nighttime photography of targets during the target selection phase of bombing missions.

Such flares are still used to illuminate ground areas as they are difficult to shoot down, and can drift over specific areas of interest for up to a half hour. As we'll soon see once a technology has proven itself useful in intelligence collection it is rarely eliminated from an arsenal - even if it is little known of, or rarely if ever mentioned.

As world war two came to an end the U.S. rapidly shifted it's focus on fighting the Cold War. Before the development of ICBMs allied bombers played the critical role as the means of delivering nuclear bombs upon the Soviet Union.

The team which developed super-strobes during World War II also played an important role in the development of the Atomic Bomb. Super-strobes have remained classified along with any other important intelligence gathering technology, and methodology in the U.S. spy arsenal.

Whatever became of these powerful strobes? Did their development, and deployment end shortly after World War II, or perhaps with the deminishing role of strategic bombers during the Cold War?

Obviously any aircraft in the midst of a clear sky deploying (i.e., flashing) a super bright super-strobe would readily identify its position thus making use of such a device impractical (or it would seem).

If super-strobes remain in the U.S. spy arsenal then in what capacity?

What possible air-recon role could the super-strobe find in the current era of look down radar, and infra-red imaging?

Is there any way to hide a super bright flash of light? And if there is, what advantage could doing so lend to the collection of intelligence?

I'll attempt to answer those questions in my coming article,

Lightning or Super-Strobe?

Under The Strobe Light

Summary of Previous Weather Modification Postings

In several of my previous post I proposed that thunder plays a significant role in triggering rain events. I argued that shock waves (e.g., thunder) which radiate from the paths of particle beams (e.g., lightning) can initiate condensation events within clouds resulting in precipitation - in other words thunder can cause it to rain.

I also speculated upon the possibility that the relationship between thunder, and rainfall could be exploited via a weather modification program.

I argued that the technical means exist to develop a weather modification program, and that any such program would necessarily include both weather modification technologies, and the various methodologies of employing those technologies. A variety of important weapons, and techniques could be developed under the umbrella of a covert weather modification program.

I argued that triggered lightning results in triggered thunder which in turn results in triggered precipitation.

I also concluded that any government involved in the development, and deployment of such a program would desire to keep such a program in a covert phase for as long a period as possible.

Keeping a weather modification program covert offers the chief advantage of denying public and scientific debate regarding the merits of such a programl.

I argued that other nation's intelligence agencies would be able to detect the existence of an operational weather modification program, and therefore the chief motivation for maintaining the covert phase of such a program would bo hinder public debate over the cost, and risk of operating a weather modification program.

Turning Night Into Day One Second at A Time

During World War II, prior to Allied aerial bombing runs, air reconnescence missions were deployed over potential bombing sites. Collecting target information (photography) was a crucial first step in planning a successful mission.

At that time satellites did not exist, and these aerial "recon" missions were the primary means of collecting such important information within NAZI occupied Europe.

One aspect of collecting photographic reconnesance that hindered the U.S. military was poor weather, while another was the darkness of night. Today infrared photography, and look down radar allow imaging of ground conditions even in poor weather conditions, and at night.

During World War II Phosphorous flares were hung from parachutes, and tossed out of air recon aircraft. The flares emitted a very bright light thus illuminating the ground below until the parachute finally landed. The use of these flares helped light up the ground below thus allowing night time recon missions to push back the night to some degree.

One group of weapons developers led by E.G. Eggerton, the man who developed the strobe light, realized that strobes could be developed which would produce much more light than any flare. Strobes had the advantage of allowing the recon aircraft to fly at higher and therefore safer altitudes, while obtaining better artificially illuminated night time photographs.

At the end of World War II any programs related to the collection of air reconnescence remained classified as the victors found themselves embroiled in the Cold War, and thus darkness, and secrecy befell the powerful strobes developed for air recon missions.

In a nuclear age delivery of nuclear weapons would depend upon precise targeting, and therefore collection of accurate target information.

With the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, satellites, radar, infrared film, and eventually digital imaging chips (CCDs) the age of the strobe would seem as distantly removed into history as the flare, but is it?

Stay tuned for my next post on this subject.

Mission Possible - Covert Strobe

Dedicated to Jan!

Barnes&Noble Observation

I stopped at Barnes & Noble tonight, and spent about a half hour trying to locate several books I was interested in purchasing.

I ended up going home without buying anything.

Why?

I couldn't find the books. Just before Christmas I bought several books at Barnes & Noble, and saw several books I wanted to purchase for later. Now I can't find these titles!

It's not that the books I want are out of print, or that they're not popular enough to stock.

I'm becoming disappointed with Barnes & Noble. In a way they're the Macdonald's of the bookstore industry. There aren't a lot of bookstores in the Springfield, Illinois area, but still we deserve better than this.

I guess it off to Amazon.com I go!

D' Bears D'Feat

I had a feeling it was going to turn out like it did. I found myself squinting, and turning my head to, and fro - perhaps I was jinxing D' Bears by even watching the game?

Perhaps.

But in the end the lack of a consistent passing offense put too much pressure on the running game (which is never a good thing), and the "vaunted defense" (which I never really felt was particularly that good) just wasn't good enough to carry the game.

N'uff said.

My Kitty is Sick

Photo: Priskers Under The Weather


Photo: Priskers Under The Covers

Priskers, our tabby has come down with a virus. It most certainly is an awful feeling when one of your children are sick, and now for the very first time I have experienced a quite similar feeling with my cat Priskers.

Cats can be quite affectionate, but they also are well known for their independence. Some might call them aloof. Yet little miss Priskers has acted in exactly the same way a child does when they don't feel good.

She has chosen to hang out under some covers with me all day. She usually doesn't like having covers on her, but seems to like the extra warmth. As it is my day off, and I'm pretty much doing nothing all day Priskers has been my constant companion.

We have four cats, and Upper Respiratory Infections in cats are usually quite contagious to other cats.

I'm still wondering why Priskers came down sick? Stress plays an import role in illness in cats, and right now Priskers needs a quiet place to recover.

I've included two photographs of Priskers - her first ever on this Blog. As you can probably tell, she's just wanting a chance to sleep.

In case your wondering she has an appointment with the vet, and I have her on Claritin, and a decongestant.