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Hoplology/HG Wells/The Nuclear "Shots"

Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 9:40 pm
by JOHN THURSTON
Well, I know Sensei Van introduced me to the term "hoplophobia", much later I see a fatuous middle aged blond on the military channel presenting herself as a Hoplogist, meaning a student of weapons, I assume.

Well, If she can do it, I guess I can too.

Meet JT the Hoplogist I guess!!!

Why not, why not indeed?

I was, however rewatching the DVD "Trinity And Beyond---The Atomic Bomb Movie".

It has film of almost every war and post war nuclear "shot" so to speak, except the many underground tests, perhaps.

The destructive power of the bombs is followed thru the first test explosion of 100 tons of TNT at Alamagordo. This was for reference, A new tower was bult on the spot, and the first nuclear explosion caled the "Trinity" shot took place there in May 1945.

The Implosion bomb tested was a long way from the destructive power of later "shots" in the film.

A sound track for the movie, which is decent, ellicits a different 'mood of somberness and power' for each operation or series of 'shots' reminiscent to me of "The Planets" by Holst. Don't know why exactly.

The film opens with a horribly prophetic quote from HG Wells (Science Fiction??)book " The World Set Free" written in 1914.

I have never read the book.

In any event the quote runs roughly as follows: "And the Atomic Bombs created were strange even to the men who created them"

CErtainly Oppenheimer and Fuchs (the spy who sent the Soviets the nuclear secrets behing the explosive lens designs for the Plutonim Implosion bomb) felt that way.

Fuchs, a scientist as much as a spy, was reputed to have said that he did not think it wise for one country only to have nuclear weapons.

I don't know the truth of this at present, nor do I know the fate of Fuchs.

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 12:49 am
by wes tasker
John-

You might like this group http://www.hoplology.com/

-wes tasker

Rats

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 10:54 pm
by JOHN THURSTON
I did it again and psoted my response, such as it was, in a new thread by accident.

Sorry.