pensnest: bright-eyed baby me (Dalek!)
pensnest ([personal profile] pensnest) wrote2006-11-10 01:30 pm

Today's lunch time conversation

Beast: I was reading in Scientific American about some bizarre US military research projects. There's a nuclear hand-grenade. A one kilo-ton yield you can throw...

Pen: Wow. (pause) You'd need a pretty good arm.

Beast: I don't think they're worried about the practicalities. There's also a Star Trek-style transporter project.

Both: Bwahaha.

[identity profile] hegemony.livejournal.com 2006-11-27 07:18 am (UTC)(link)
It's really funny, actually. The transporter project is handled by DARPA, which is this cracky assed sci-thinktank in DC, that's trying to make up shit to see through walls with plain vision and everything, but the reason why the transporter isn't up and running yet is because all the funding's going to the bombs, and while it's a big honor to get into darpa, because they only accept and fund the best, youngest, and brightest (or crackiest) of scientists, all the scientists use it as a resume filler to get into the army/navy research labs or some other private lab to develop, you guessed it, bombs.

It's a bit of a vicious cycle, after you start thinking about it, long enough.