Time for a Missile Test Ban

Greg Schnippel — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:26:13 -0700

The authors suggest that a ban on ballistic missile tests could "enhance global security by increasing decision-making time, removing the threat of accidental missile launch, and having an immediate positive impact on the most volatile areas of emerging international arms competition."

Our Decaying Nuclear Deterrent

Greg Schnippel — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:56:41 -0700

The authors argue that the Obama administration's moves to pursue and strengthen nuclear arms control is weakening the U.S. nuclear deterrent and inviting attack.

Uranium Found on the Moon

Greg Schnippel — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:53:03 -0700

Uranium exists on the moon, according to new data from a Japanese spacecraft. The revelation suggests that nuclear power plants could be built on the moon, or even that Earth's satellite could serve as a mining source for uranium needed back home.

Deep-Packet Inspection in U.S. Scrutinized Following Iran Surveillance

Greg Schnippel — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:34:42 -0700

Following a report last week that Iran is spying on domestic internet users with western-supplied technology, advocacy groups are pressuring federal lawmakers to scrutinize the use of the same technology in the U.S.

Africa Alone could Feed the World

Greg Schnippel — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:51:31 -0700

There is enough space in the world to produce the extra food needed to feed a growing population and contrary to expectation, most of it can be grown in Africa, say two international reports published this week.

Physics brings realism to virtual reality

Greg Schnippel — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:41:36 -0700

The latest multi-core processors and some smart software allow techniques used by physicists and engineers to simulate the real world in extreme detail, creating virtual worlds governed by real physics, rather than the simplified versions used today.

U.S. and Russia Differ on a Treaty for Cyberspace

Greg Schnippel — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:54:42 -0700

The United States and Russia are locked in a fundamental dispute over how to counter the growing threat of cyberwar attacks that could wreak havoc on computer systems and the Internet with Russia pushing for a ban on cyberwar tools and the U.S. arguing for treating the problem as a law enforcement issue.

White House to Abandon Homeland Security Spy-Satellite Program

Greg Schnippel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:04:03 -0700

The Obama administration plans to kill a controversial Bush administration spy satellite program that would have provided federal, state and local officials with extensive access to spy-satellite imagery — but no eavesdropping capabilities— to assist with emergency response and other domestic-security needs, such as identifying where ports or border areas are vulnerable to terrorism.

The New Race for the Moon

Greg Schnippel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:21:56 -0700

Michio Kaku surveys the growing number nations planning competing missions to the moon (including Japan, China, India, and the U.S.) and argues that the growing lunar competition should motivate a re-examination of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty "before national rivalries and tensions heat up as we approach 2020."

Galactic Colonization Limited By The Inability To Expand Exponentially

Greg Schnippel — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:06:28 -0700

For more than 50 years, many have taken the so-called Fermi Paradox to indicate that the existence of intelligent alien civilizations is an impossibility. However, a recent re-examination of the paradox points out that, rather than discounting the spread of an intelligent civilization, the Fermi Paradox merely points out that advanced civilizations with exponential growth are unlikely to exist.