MetaFilter posts tagged with Weapons

Designing Space Fighters & Marines

Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:11:03 -0800

The Physics of Space Battles "I had a discussion recently with friends about the various depictions of space combat in science fiction movies, TV shows, and books. We have the fighter-plane engagements of Star Wars, the subdued, two-dimensional naval combat in Star Trek, the Newtonian planes of Battlestar Galactica, the staggeringly furious energy exchanges of the combat wasps in Peter Hamilton's books, and the use of antimatter rocket engines themselves as weapons in other sci-fi. But suppose we get out there, go terraform Mars, and the Martian colonists actually revolt. Or suppose we encounter hostile aliens. How would space combat actually go?"

Arms Control Wonk

Burhanistan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:33:39 -0800

Arms Control Wonk - a collaborative blog detailing the ins and outs of strategic weapons programs around the world. Originally started by Jeffery Lewis (published articles). Some fun recent posts: The Blue and Yellow Bomb (a history of Sweden's canceled nuke program) Votkinsk Portal Monitoring Facility (detailing the US team stationed in Russia tasked with counting mobile missiles produced there) A criticism of the recent Seymour Hersh article on Pakistan's nukes And of course, The Fall's response.

Keeping an eye on and old friend

Burhanistan — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:47:55 -0800

Russian strategic nuclear forces - an online watchdog of the movements of Russia's nuclear forces. With informed comments, a book, and six years of archives. Also, the Russians are going to name a ballistic missile submarine after Santa.

I am gravely disappointed. Again you have made me unleash my dogs of war.

Smedleyman — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:59:53 -0800

From out of the shadow a red sword leapt flaming...Fire swords and how to make them (from scratch if you like). For performance or flaming sword fights. More fire performances here. Also fire whips for all your Balrog needs. And fire floggers. Maelstrom has some other interesting homemade stuff (Mae Soks) and background and history on Pekiti-Tirsia kali and other southeast Asian weapons (some stuff on the Dog Brothers in there as well).

Assuming bullets sell in Somalia for USD 0.75

Fiasco da Gama — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:02:57 -0800

The Adventures Of A Would Be Arms Dealer (PDF) is an eight-page comic illustrating how an illegal arms deal works in practice. Via.

Central and Southern African tribal art and culture

nickyskye — Sun, 17 May 2009 13:13:23 -0800

The exceptionally informative and well illustrated Galerie Ezakwantu has great pages on African tribal art, culture and history [due to partial nudity many links NSFW]: African Lip Plugs - Lip Plates; African Currency - African Slave Beads; Jewelry; African Scarification; Thrones and Stools; Shields; Combs; Musical Instruments; Fertility Dolls; Weapons; Zulu Basketry; Contemporary Art; Cups; Tribal Currency; Zulu Ricksha attire; Southern Africa Tribal Migrations; South African Kings and Chiefs. Also some interesting pages on anger about Robert Mugabe; the sale of the gallery owner's property; Cape Dutch Homesteads and blueberry recipes. A little more about the Body Art of Africa: Scarification among African cultures.

Wait... No Pirate Vs. Ninja?!

Bageena — Tue, 05 May 2009 03:09:13 -0800

Haven't you always secretly wondered what would happen if a ninja accidentally stumbled into, say, Bill and Ted's time traveling Phone Booth and ended up somewhere around 7th century BC, only to come face-to-face with a feisty Spartan? Have you not pondered what would happen if you locked up an Apache with a Gladiator inside some sort of 21st century battle dome? Are you frustrated because you feel like there's nobody doing proper scientific studies to see what would happen when you pit two historically violent warriors that could have never actually met in real life? Worry no more people - I present to you Spike TV's newest offering - Deadliest Warrior! The show basically goes like this; you take two crazy fighters who, previous to the show, have only been pitted against one another in heated debates between young men in line for the midnight showing of the newest X-Men movie (or really awesome drunk people). The show's 'Host, Simulation Consultant, and Blogger', Max Geiger brings in experts representing each warrior. The experts bring in weapons that are historically accurate which are then tested on a variety of dummies that are stuffed with SCIENCE! The data from said SCIENCE! all goes into a computer simulation based on an unreleased commercial game engine by these guys. Not just the SCIENCE!, which is actually pretty cool (ballistics gel, pig carcasses, high speed photography), but also, as Max aptly put it: "The simulation's inputs include real world scientific data gathered by one of my co-hosts, Geoff Desmoulin, who is getting his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. Our number crunching is balanced out by Dr. Armand Dorian, an ER doctor who keeps our work firmly grounded in the actual trauma our tests cause." The reviews are in! Variety seems to feel it might be possibly the stupidest show ever, appealing only to the lowest common denominator! Newsarama was a little nicer, pointing out that there are some people on the show trying to make it as scientific as it can possibly be, while also having a great time. Either way, do you care? Don't you want to watch a Viking fight a Samurai? Or a Pirate against a Knight? You can apparently only watch the latest episode on the website, here. Also, looking forward on the Wikipedia, it does look like the show might slip-slide from whatever tenuous grasp they have on ideas for fights as they start doing shows about William Wallace versus Shaka Zulu or finally, the IRA versus the Taliban. I have only one thought. How could they have NOT had a Pirate versus Ninja episode? FAIL!

Twang!

Artw — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:39:55 -0800

Like crossbows? Like assault rifles? Got some spare AR-15 parts lying around begging to be crossbowed up? Then the PSE TAC 15 crossbow upper is for you! (video). Or how about this Swiss crossbow that can be cocked in 3 seconds? Alternatively build your own, or even build a repeating crossbow!

Nuclear Redux

puckish — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:41:12 -0800

Photographer Paul Shambroom has spent the last sixteen years documenting a much-discussed but little seen aspect of American foreign policy -- our nuclear arsenal. "More than ten years after the end of the Cold War, the U.S. maintains 10,000 active warheads. Concerns about nuclear aspirations in Iraq and North Korea dominate foreign policy, and in the wake of September 11, the possibility that terrorists might obtain and use weapons of mass destruction has become frighteningly real. Paul has documented the nuclear reality we have created in a series of striking and eerily beautiful images that offer an inside look at America's nuclear arsenal." Portfolio includes detailed images of missiles, warheads, bombers, submarines, and command centers, as well as new warhead designs and missile defense prototypes that may be deployed well into the twenty-first century. Also worth checking out Shambroom's website for more pretty pictures. (nukes, meetings, factories, and first responders) Related links for Cold War junkies: Press the little red button! Truck driver John Coster-Mullen spends a decade researching and constructing a full-scale replica of the Little Boy atomic bomb. “Coster-Mullen sees his project as a diverting mental challenge—not unlike a crossword puzzle—whose goal is simply to present readers with accurate information about the past." (New Yorker slide show essay) Studio 360 goes atomic: Oppenheimer, Strangelove, and Richard Rhodes (PRI link) Complete back issues of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, now available (along with EVERYTHING ELSE!) via Google Books (courtesy of Design Observer)

'Our sources say it contains chemicals, dangerous chemicals'

VicNebulous — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:53:33 -0800

A tense standoff has developed in waters off Somalia over an Iranian merchant ship laden with a mysterious cargo that was hijacked by pirates. Somali pirates suffered skin burns, lost hair and fell gravely ill "within days" of boarding the MV Iran Deyanat. Some of them died.

Frightening new military technology

hellslinger — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:05:46 -0800

Presented in a way that is familiar to gimmicky kitchen appliances, this frightening weapon can fire 120,000 rounds per minute without a human operator. It makes no noise or flash, and can be mounted anywhere and is operated remotely. With this and other frightening developments that may become a part of our military like, AA12 Fully Automatic 12 Gauge shotgun, Electromagnetic "Rail Gun", will reducing the human cost of war by removing soldiers from the battlefield make it "cheaper" to get public approval for war in the future? Will this increase how often the US is allowed to engage in secret and small scale operations?

something for everyone

nickyskye — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:33:20 -0800

Club Little Gun, a bunch of tiny guns built into things from rings to crosses. Eat your heart out, Indiana Jones, the whip pistol. via More than 15, 000 pictures with descriptions on the main site of a Belgian collector, in both French and English.

Bannerman's Arsenal Photoessay

jonson — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 19:17:43 -0800

Excellent post over at BLDBLOG on the history of Bannerman's Arsenal, a ruined island castle in the middle of the Hudson river, created by a war profiteer who was at one time the world's largest arms dealer. Bonus points for the amazing accompanying photos by Shaun O'Boyle, whose site Modern Ruins has been featured on the blue previously.

Double Shotgun Mounted Bed

jonson — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:15:17 -0800

How many times as this happened to you? (warning: video/audio). It's late at night, you're in bed & you need to kill someone with a shotgun, only to find out the gun is ALL THE WAY across the room. Well, friend, your prayers are answered.

Run away the ray-gun is coming

nickyskye — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:53:44 -0800

"It is a horrible device nonetheless, and you are forced to wonder what the world has come to when human ingenuity is pressed into service to make a thing like this." Raytheon says, "The system is available now and ready for action." The Raytheon entry at Wikipedia is worth reading. Source Watch on Raytheon, the fifth largest defence manufacturer in the world. Raytheon Watch site.

Kids, ask your parents before crafting lethal weapons!

Burhanistan — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:33:32 -0800

Would you like to learn how to make a rope dart from a railroad spike? Of course you would. Practice enough, and you might be able to take on this guy. Also, plenty of additional DIY fun therein.

Nightmares of the electric sheep

infini — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:55:06 -0800

The first armed robots have hit the streets of Iraq and are now hunting evil-doers with high-powered M249 machine guns. The robots are called SWORDS, which stands for "Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System". Army focus groups apparently preferred this acronym over the more obvious PUBE (Predatory Unmanned Battle Engine). The robots are currently being piloted through the streets of Bagdad using remote control. According to an interview on CNET with Chief Army Scientist Thomas Killion however, the army soon plans to make the killing machines fully automatic.

Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot

phrontist — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:29:55 -0800

Knob Creek Gun Range , a former military-munitions test range situated near Fort Knox is home to the "World's Largest Machine Gun Shoot and Military Gun Show". Run by private citizens excercising their second amendment rights (Kentucky has no state-level gun laws) the focus is on Class III firearms - things like assault weapons and anti-tank rifles, but also the occasional high-caliber sniper rifle and cannon. Hold my bourbon and w a t ch this! (more)

Lord of War

homunculus — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:58:08 -0800

Busting the Merchant of War. "The Bush administration finally nails a notorious supplier to terrorists—after he spent 30 years hiding in plain sight." [Via Disinformation.]

weeps

infini — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:54:41 -0800

Reduced-lead bullets and recyclable explosives are among the developments being put forward by arms manufacturer British Aerospace (BAE) as part of a major investment in ecologically-sound weaponry. The company, one of the world's biggest arms-makers, says it has been making investments in creating products that reduce the collateral damage of warfare.

Ho! Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!

40 Watt — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 06:45:06 -0800

The 10 Strangest Weapons Through History. Be amazed by the antics of the Goliath! Marvel at the small size (and poor firing ability) of the General Motors FP-45! Be shredded to tiny tiny bits by the Urumi! (And wonder why the Trebuchet made the list!)

Air Force drops gay bomb

madamjujujive — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 21:01:25 -0800

Make love not war? The Pentagon confirms that it was researching the possibility of a "gay bomb" that could "turn enemy soldiers into homosexuals and make them more interested in sex than fighting." BBC discusses this and other unorthodox U.S. weapons proposals.

"Where customer satisfaction is our motto"

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 04 May 2007 03:03:19 -0800

The folks down at the Pakistan Ordnance Factory [youtube: 6'40] would like to show you how they make some of their machine guns, mortar bombs (in a surprising range of bright, cheerful colors), tank and anti-tank ammo ("capable of defeating the toughest armor in the battlefield!"), aircraft and anti-aircraft ammunition, and so much more. "P.O.F. products are in service with over 40 countries around the globe, with an ever-expanding market!"

The gun markets of Pakistan

theemperorhasnoclotheson — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:45:10 -0800

The gun markets of Pakistan (NWFP)

Nuclear Weapons Transparency

augustweed — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:47:40 -0800

Video: Nuclear Weapons: Who's Got 'Em?