MetaFilter posts tagged with coldwar and nuclear

That's just normal oxidation.

exogenous — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:52:23 -0800

Removing 600 kilos of enriched U-235: the story of how, in 1994, the United States secretly removed from Kazakhstan enough purified uranium to make 24 nuclear weapons. (Full article with one photo.) Russian bomb-grade uranium is now being used in U.S. power plants.

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.

Strings, not Threads, nor Duct Tape

Blazecock Pileon — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:17:35 -0800

Nuclear puppet shows: Atomic survival PSAs by the U.S. Civil Defense

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)

Be thankful these black swans didn't fly

lalochezia — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:34:01 -0800

Seven Close calls in the Nuclear Age Previously

When the Wind Blows

Artw — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:48:37 -0800

This is the Wartime Broadcasting Service. This country has been attacked with nuclear weapons. Communications have been severely disrupted, and the number of casualties and the extent of the damage are not yet known. We shall bring you further information as soon as possible. - The BBC releases its script for use in the event of nuclear war.

Тхундербирдс являются дороге!

Artw — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 08:28:50 -0800

Russian cold war bombers - The Tu 95 Bear and Tu 160 Blackjack, based in central Russia, which resumed long range patrols in August.

Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?

champthom — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 22:32:06 -0800

In 1965, Peter Watkins produced a fictional documentary called The War Game in which the aftermath of thermo-nuclear attacks in Britain was depicted. The BBC declared that it was "too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting" and was not aired until 1985. Watch it here (warning: graphic depictions of effects of radiation). Related, When the Wind Blows (parts 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 , 7, 8), a sober animated tale of a British couple who try and survive nuclear holocaust based on the civil defense manual "Protect and Survive." (Previously).

Just paint and profit.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:42:09 -0800

Looking for a spacious home in a unique, quiet and safe location? It may be a fixer-upper, but buy now before the value skyrockets.

The only winning move...

pantsrobot — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 17:46:20 -0800

DEFCON , based off the real alert levels (and Wargames), is a game about killing innocent civilians.

One of the world's greatest unsung heroes?

ramakrishna — Sun, 05 Sep 2004 08:39:34 -0800

You may owe your life to this man If it weren't for Stanislav Petrov, many or even most of us reading this might be dead now - or never born, for the teens among us. At least according to this article, and the other links above.

Nuclear War Survival Skills

Johnny Assay — Mon, 31 Mar 2003 17:14:06 -0800

Nuclear War Survival Skills: Journey back sixteen years to a simpler time, when the impending apocalypse was a much less complicated affair. [more inside]

mathowie — Thu, 03 Feb 2000 14:14:18 -0800

Remember the movie "The Day After?" Back in the Cold War days, we were all worried about someday being vaporized by a nuclear blast. Well now, in this post-Cold War era you can relive those wonderful memories with PBS' Nuclear Blast Mapper. I popped in the coordinates for MetaFilter's server location, set the bomb to a 25 megaton blast and this is the result. Think about that the next time you hear a country gets their first nuclear weapons.