What did I read about the terrible beauty of nuclear weapons?
June 20, 2013 1:07 PM Subscribe
Sometime around the year 2000, I remember reading something on the Internet about nuclear weapons that was written in a very unique style. The first half focused on the beauty of the bomb components, describing in great detail how accurately they were manufactured, and the incredible precision of the sequence of events during the reaction. I seem to remember something about a perfectly smooth sphere. The second half abruptly switched to an equally detailed and pretty horrific description of the effects of this weapon on its targets. I don't know if this was a standalone essay or some kind of excerpt of a larger work. I remember reading it as a chunk of plain, unstyled text. What was it?
I tend to agree. The first thing this reminded me of was the description of the Ivy Mike device (first thermonuclear test shot) in Rhodes' Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb.
posted by McCoy Pauley at 1:47 PM on June 20, 2013
posted by McCoy Pauley at 1:47 PM on June 20, 2013
It's likely the Rhodes book...as previously recommended.
The only other thing that occurred to me is "Swords of Armegeddon," which I recommend to people interested in the cold war, but I doubt that was it because it wasn't widely distributed in the public arena, and I think the photos were more profound than the writing. Don't let the 1990s-era web design and the vanity press vibe put you off...it's an interesting source.
posted by answergrape at 2:59 PM on June 20, 2013
The only other thing that occurred to me is "Swords of Armegeddon," which I recommend to people interested in the cold war, but I doubt that was it because it wasn't widely distributed in the public arena, and I think the photos were more profound than the writing. Don't let the 1990s-era web design and the vanity press vibe put you off...it's an interesting source.
posted by answergrape at 2:59 PM on June 20, 2013
You might be interested in the Manhattan Project-inspired works by artist / sculptor Jim Sanborn.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 8:37 PM on June 20, 2013
posted by mon-ma-tron at 8:37 PM on June 20, 2013
It wouldn't be tom clancy's "Three Shakes" would it?
http://tvhs.k12.vt.us/WMHS/Faculty/Moriarty/clancy.bomb.htm
Sorry for bad linkage. Mobil screwy today.
posted by umberto at 6:18 AM on June 21, 2013
http://tvhs.k12.vt.us/WMHS/Faculty/Moriarty/clancy.bomb.htm
Sorry for bad linkage. Mobil screwy today.
posted by umberto at 6:18 AM on June 21, 2013
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posted by MisantropicPainforest at 1:40 PM on June 20, 2013