What it sounds like to escape death . . .
. . . or to stand under an atomic bomb when it explodes.
(The bomb was "only" 2 megatons, relatively small, and exploded around 18,500 feet, not 10,000 as the clip says. They weren't in a position to get much if any fallout, luckily for them. More info here.)
. . . or to stand under an atomic bomb when it explodes.
(The bomb was "only" 2 megatons, relatively small, and exploded around 18,500 feet, not 10,000 as the clip says. They weren't in a position to get much if any fallout, luckily for them. More info here.)
Nice review in PW . . .
. . . for American Gun:
Would it be catty to point out that most of what they like is stuff I did - without being credited here?
. . . for American Gun:
Bestselling author Kyle (American Sniper) was putting the final touches on this discerning study of 10 firearms—completed by his widow and Doyle—that changed the course of warfare when he was killed at a gun range. Coupled with his goal of "talk[ing] history with the bullets flying," Kyle's picks—surefire debate fodder for gun enthusiasts—make for immersive reading as he recounts key battles during the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and WWII. Kyle's enthusiasm for his subject is infectious—even for professed doves—and his gift for narrative lends the stories the tension and drama they deserve. He brings to life the infamous shootout at the O.K. Corral and the Battle of Cowpens during the American Revolution, recounting close calls, colossal errors, and the weapons that gave one side a key advantage over another. Thanks to his experiences as a Navy SEAL, Kyle is intimately familiar with the construction, key features, and upkeep of all the featured weapons, which adds to his credibility and enables him to tell his stories in greater depth. Regardless of one's views on guns, readers will gain a deeper respect for weaponry and the people tasked with using them. (June)
Would it be catty to point out that most of what they like is stuff I did - without being credited here?
Should writers be paid when you borrow a book . . .
. . . from the library?
It's a question being considered not just in America but in Great Britain and elsewhere, as this statement from Philip Pullman in England attests:
Article in the Guardian.
I'm not really sure what the answer is. I certainly support libraries, which have helped me immensely. On the other hand, it's getting harder and harder for authors of all stripes to make a living, and without them, we'll have nothing to borrow from the library. With interests on both sides of the equation, so to speak, I'm not sure what the ultimate solution is.
. . . from the library?
It's a question being considered not just in America but in Great Britain and elsewhere, as this statement from Philip Pullman in England attests:
"New media and new forms of buying and lending are all very interesting, for all kinds of reasons, but one principle remains unchanged: authors must be paid fairly for their work," said Pullman. "Any arrangement that doesn't acknowledge that principle is a bad one, and needs to be changed. That is our whole argument."
Article in the Guardian.
I'm not really sure what the answer is. I certainly support libraries, which have helped me immensely. On the other hand, it's getting harder and harder for authors of all stripes to make a living, and without them, we'll have nothing to borrow from the library. With interests on both sides of the equation, so to speak, I'm not sure what the ultimate solution is.
Life follows fiction . . .
. . . or something like that.
Item:
Go, George Orwell.
Next: Genetic engineering of food chain leads to increased sales of Animal Farm.
. . . or something like that.
Item:
The creation of the National Security Agency was still three years away when George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" was published in 1949.
But that hasn't stopped consumers from snapping up copies of the dystopian novel after learning of electronic surveillance programs conducted by the agency.Story.
Go, George Orwell.
Next: Genetic engineering of food chain leads to increased sales of Animal Farm.
Donier 17 recovered . . .
Shot down during the Battle of Britain, the German bomber was dredged out of the English Channel:
What the Do 17 looked like during the war:
(These are with the Finish air force on the Eastern Front; by this point the Germans considered them obsolete, with good reason. Check out the biplane just after the bombing run.)
Shot down during the Battle of Britain, the German bomber was dredged out of the English Channel:
What the Do 17 looked like during the war:
(These are with the Finish air force on the Eastern Front; by this point the Germans considered them obsolete, with good reason. Check out the biplane just after the bombing run.)
Most people trade privacy for security . . .
Or at least that's what the polls say. From the Washington Post:
Story.
Of course, that begs the question of how secure the lack of privacy makes you . . .
Or at least that's what the polls say. From the Washington Post:
Overall, 56 percent of all Americans see the NSA’s accessing telephone call records of millions of Americans through secret court orders as “acceptable;” 41 percent call the practice “unacceptable.” In 2006, when news broke of the NSA’s monitoring telephone and e-mail communications without court approval, there was initially a closer 51 percent to 47 percent divide on the practice.
General priorities also are similar to 2006: 62 percent of Americans now say it’s more important for the federal government to investigate terrorist threats, even if those investigations intrude on personal privacy; 34 percent say privacy should be the focus, regardless of the effect on such investigations.
Story.
Of course, that begs the question of how secure the lack of privacy makes you . . .
Never fear again . . .
It's billed as a possible Post-Traumatic Stress drug, but the real impact may be even more profound.
Item:
It's billed as a possible Post-Traumatic Stress drug, but the real impact may be even more profound.
Item:
When injected into mice immediately following a traumatic event, the experimental agent SR-8993, which targets the opioid-receptor-like 1 (Oprl-1) gene, prevented the development of fear memory consolidation and anxiety.Story at Medscape.
You've been spied on for years . . .
. . . and who you talk to is just one small part of it.
Item:
Story. (One of a gazillion.)
. . . and who you talk to is just one small part of it.
Item:
NEW YORK — Former employees of the National Security Agency say the publishing of a court order asking Verizon to hand over all its phone calling records for a three-month period opens a new window on an operation that has been in place for years and involves all major U.S. phone companies.
"NSA has been doing all this stuff all along, and it's been all these companies, not just one" William Binney told news program Democracy Now on Thursday. "They're just continuing the collection of this data on all U.S. citizens."
Binney, who worked at the NSA for almost 40 years, left the agency after the attacks of 9/11 because he objected to the expansion of its surveillance of U.S. citizens.
Story. (One of a gazillion.)
30 seconds to showtime . . .
What it's like on the ground when an A-10 fires: the bullets hit first, the frenetic sewing machine sound comes a beat or two later.
The guys on the ground here are VERY relaxed, even when a sniper starts firing at them (and missing, obviously). I'm not sure how much credit the Hog gets for that, but its presence certainly didn't hurt.
The first four books of my A-10 series, Hogs, are available for Kindle; Book 1, GOING DEEP, is here. Nook versions are coming soon.
What it's like on the ground when an A-10 fires: the bullets hit first, the frenetic sewing machine sound comes a beat or two later.
The guys on the ground here are VERY relaxed, even when a sniper starts firing at them (and missing, obviously). I'm not sure how much credit the Hog gets for that, but its presence certainly didn't hurt.
The first four books of my A-10 series, Hogs, are available for Kindle; Book 1, GOING DEEP, is here. Nook versions are coming soon.
Amazon says: it's one of the best . . .
. . . new history books they're selling this month.
Thanks!
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=s9_dnav_bw_BoHis_b?_encoding=UTF8&node=6458662011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=F68503869BF24D858E28&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1560808182&pf_rd_i=390919011
. . . new history books they're selling this month.
Thanks!
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=s9_dnav_bw_BoHis_b?_encoding=UTF8&node=6458662011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=F68503869BF24D858E28&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1560808182&pf_rd_i=390919011
History & the Second Amendment
A reporter who hadn't had a chance to read American Gun (but had to write a story about it) was asking me the other day if it was a polemic in favor of the Second Amendment.
It's not.
Certainly Chris (and myself, for that matter) was a strong believer in the Second Amendment and the Right to Bear Arms. He made plenty of statements to that effect. But that's not the point of the book.
What Chris wanted to do - and what I hope we all achieved in working on it after his death - was to talk about American HISTORY. He picked ten guns to do it.
History, especially the Wild West and the Civil War, was one of his favorite things to talk about. Many bs sessions in between breaks on American Sniper and later on were spent dissecting the tales of the Texas Rangers and some of the battles of the Civil War. He wasn't an historian, but he loved hearing and telling tales of the past.
He also loved guns, and his idea in American Gun was to combine those two things.
Can the history of the U.S. be told through the guns that its people used?
Absolutely. If you look at the weapons, they reflect perfectly the people who used them and the times they were used in. Whether it's the rugged, hand-crafted individualistic long rifle, or the made-from-high-tech materials AR-15 and Glock*, the weapons are a window on what was going on in the country. But don't take my word for it - check the book out and decide for yourself.
* A weapon Chris never particularly liked, though he admitted it was a solid performer. The romantic in him much preferred the 1911 Colt or, even better, the revolvers of old.
A reporter who hadn't had a chance to read American Gun (but had to write a story about it) was asking me the other day if it was a polemic in favor of the Second Amendment.
It's not.
Certainly Chris (and myself, for that matter) was a strong believer in the Second Amendment and the Right to Bear Arms. He made plenty of statements to that effect. But that's not the point of the book.
What Chris wanted to do - and what I hope we all achieved in working on it after his death - was to talk about American HISTORY. He picked ten guns to do it.
History, especially the Wild West and the Civil War, was one of his favorite things to talk about. Many bs sessions in between breaks on American Sniper and later on were spent dissecting the tales of the Texas Rangers and some of the battles of the Civil War. He wasn't an historian, but he loved hearing and telling tales of the past.
He also loved guns, and his idea in American Gun was to combine those two things.
Can the history of the U.S. be told through the guns that its people used?
Absolutely. If you look at the weapons, they reflect perfectly the people who used them and the times they were used in. Whether it's the rugged, hand-crafted individualistic long rifle, or the made-from-high-tech materials AR-15 and Glock*, the weapons are a window on what was going on in the country. But don't take my word for it - check the book out and decide for yourself.
* A weapon Chris never particularly liked, though he admitted it was a solid performer. The romantic in him much preferred the 1911 Colt or, even better, the revolvers of old.
Did the Tommy gun "redeem' itself?
While we were working on American Gun, we had something of a debate over some of the phrasing in the section regarding the Tommy Gun. Not to get too arcane, but the question can be (over-simplified) as:
Did the Tommy Gun "redeem" itself in World War II?
I think the answer clearly is no. It didn't redeem itself, because it had nothing to redeem. Yes, it had been used by gangsters during Prohibition, but that didn't make the gun evil. The Mausers in the Spanish-American War* weren't evil either, even if they were used to kill American soldiers. The same can be said for every rifle, pistol and machine gun int he book.
No weapon is evil. It's the people using it. Or, in some cases, not using it.
The Thompson sub-machine gun, in all its various incarnations, was an excellent tool, certainly one of the best weapons of its kind of its time. But it was neither righteous nor evil; it was simply a gun.
* 1898, by the way. Not 1890
While we were working on American Gun, we had something of a debate over some of the phrasing in the section regarding the Tommy Gun. Not to get too arcane, but the question can be (over-simplified) as:
Did the Tommy Gun "redeem" itself in World War II?
I think the answer clearly is no. It didn't redeem itself, because it had nothing to redeem. Yes, it had been used by gangsters during Prohibition, but that didn't make the gun evil. The Mausers in the Spanish-American War* weren't evil either, even if they were used to kill American soldiers. The same can be said for every rifle, pistol and machine gun int he book.
No weapon is evil. It's the people using it. Or, in some cases, not using it.
The Thompson sub-machine gun, in all its various incarnations, was an excellent tool, certainly one of the best weapons of its kind of its time. But it was neither righteous nor evil; it was simply a gun.
* 1898, by the way. Not 1890
A response to the New Republic
(Referring to an article by Isaac Chotiner published May 29, 2013 and titled "If Chris Kyle Had Been a Muslim, We'd Call Him an Extremist.")
Editors:
I ordinarily do not respond to articles that have misconceptions about Chris Kyle or American Sniper. Doing so would be a full-time job. But in this case, as the person who wrote American Sniper and who knew Chris fairly well, I feel compelled to respond to the erroneous impressions conveyed by Isaac Chotiner in the article, "If Chris Kyle had been a Muslim, we'd call him an extremist."
In short, the claim that Chris Kyle was or could be compared to an extremist is absurd. It is especially galling that the quote chosen to illustrate this comes from an incident that demonstrates the exact opposite. It was said, in fact, on the one occasion Chris Kyle was accused of killing a civilian, or more precisely, a person not engaged in active warfare against an American or an Iraqi civilian. In fact, the investigation that followed cleared Kyle of the charge. And quite honestly, the contention that the Iraqi was carrying a Koran rather than a rifle in those circumstances was patently absurd.
Mr. Chotiner might just as easily have focused on another incident, also detailed in American Sniper, where Chris Kyle deliberately did not shoot a child retrieving an RPG later used against Americans. Was he an extremist in that instance? If so, on which side was he extreme?
The Chris Kyle presented in Mr. Chotiner's article is by necessity a small fraction of the man, so I suppose it is not surprising that it doesn't mention that Chris had Muslim friends. Perhaps that is irrelevant. What surely is relevant is this: Chris Kyle was ordered, by the American people, to protect Americans and Iraqis. He did that job professionally, lawfully, and without regard to his personal beliefs -- as the whole of American Sniper makes clear. If that is the definition of extremism, then any soldier who does his job well is an extremist. In fact, the definition would apply equally to a policeman, or anyone - even, one supposes, a journalist.
I can't comment on Nicholas Schmidt's long-form article, as I have not read it, though I was interviewed for it. But I find that many people tend to come to American Sniper, and Chris, with their own preconceived notions of things, using both the book and the person as an excuse to expound those notions. Many people tend to misinterpret the "number" of kills credited to Chris as unique in the annals of warfare, as if no man before him killed so many on the battlefield. On the contrary, throughout history, many individuals - most recently bomber crews, artillerymen, machine gunners - have in fact killed many more people. What was unique in the Iraq war was the use of technology and trained individuals to make selective kills on enemy combatants in an urban environment, rather than obliterating whole city blocks indiscriminately. Chris Kyle's "number" actually reflects a concerted effort to minimize civilians casualties and collateral damage. I have a hard time fitting that into any definition of extremism, whether it pertains to an individual or a society.
So yes, the value of Chris Kyle's story - the WHOLE story, not what was presented here - IS that we look in the mirror as a society . . . even if what we see is not at all what Mr. Chotiner thinks we should see.
Jim DeFelice
co-author, American Sniper
Sargent on "the suit"
From Publisher's Weekly:
Story here.
From Publisher's Weekly:
What Sargent did say about the pending DoJ suit is that Justice is "extraordinarily myopic. They carried the water for Amazon, when it had 92% of the market." And, he said, they prevented others from coming into the market. "The senior guys, Eric Holder, are just incompetent," he added, to resounding applause. As to the lasting effect of the DoJ case, Sargent said, "There's no way to tell. I have a lot of hope. There are a lot of good signs about the movement to digital." He's been heartened that even with the increase in the number of screens, the growth of e-books is flat. "What is dangerous for us is cataclysmic change. You guys are superb at adapting. You need time to adjust. If it stays flat or declines slowly, we're in good shape."
Story here.
Speaking of American Gun . . .
It's one of USA Today's hottest titles for the summer. (Panel four here.)
It's one of USA Today's hottest titles for the summer. (Panel four here.)
American Gun
One of the great pleasures of working on American Gun was reacquainting
myself with the Battle of Saratoga.
As it happens, I wrote a trilogy of novels set during the
Revolution, and had done a lot of research on the battle – but unfortunately
never got use to it.
Pretty much none of it’s in Gun, since the focus in that chapter is, well,
on guns – the long rifle in particular – not the overall battle so much, or (what I was interesting for my novels) the
use of spies in the war. But American Gun reminded me just how important
individuals are in a conflict, and how they shape the different tactics an army
takes.
American Gun’s first chapter begins by introducing a sniper
whose shot arguably turned the final battle decisively in favor of the Americans.
There are some problems figuring out who took the shot, as we mention in the book.
But still, if the rebels didn’t have precision weapons and men who could use
it, the complexion not just of that battle but of the entire war would have
been much different.
Would we have won independence?
Sure. But a good argument can be made that the conflict
would have gone on even longer. Even if the Americans would have won at
Saratoga – the odds were heavily stacked in their favor by the time the armies
met – removing snipers and their weapons from the Americans' “toolkit” would have
made that campaign and the war much harder. And a good case can be made – and it’s made in
American Gun – that the Battle of Cowpens, a small but pivotal American victory
in the south, might have been lost. It certainly would have looked a lot
different.
You can order American Gun on line at B&N and Amazon,
and my favorite bookstore, Merritt Books. You can also get it in “real” stores,
starting Tuesday. The book's profits go entirely to the Kyle family, unlike American Sniper, where Chris donated the money to the families of two deceased SEALs he served with in Iraq.
Let the sun shine . . .
. . . but not too hard. Item:
. . . but not too hard. Item:
Worldwide, testing labs, developers, financiers and insurers are reporting similar problems and say the $77 billion solar industry is facing a quality crisis just as solar panels are on the verge of widespread adoption.
No one is sure how pervasive the problem is. There are no industrywide figures about defective solar panels. And when defects are discovered, confidentiality agreements often keep the manufacturer’s identity secret, making accountability in the industry all the more difficult. . . .
Most of the concerns over quality center on China, home to the majority of the world’s solar panel manufacturing capacity.
After incurring billions of dollars in debt to accelerate production that has sent solar panel prices plunging since 2009, Chinese solar companies are under extreme pressure to cut costs.
Bet no one saw that coming (snark, snark).
From Russia, with love . . .
. . . or not. Item:
The cynic in me says the Russians just want to discover the tactics the U.S. will use to defeat the missiles, thus saving them a few years in development costs.
Then again, that theory makes more sense than whatever the Russians think they'll achieve.
. . . or not. Item:
Russia said on Tuesday that it would supply one of its most advanced anti-aircraft missiles to the Syrian government hours after the EU ended its arms embargo on the country's rebels, raising the prospect of a rapidly escalating proxy war in the region if peace talks fail in Geneva next month.Israel quickly issued a thinly veiled warning that it would bomb the Russian S-300s if they were deployed in Syria as such a move would bring the advanced guided missiles within range of civilian and military planes in Israeli air space.
The cynic in me says the Russians just want to discover the tactics the U.S. will use to defeat the missiles, thus saving them a few years in development costs.
Then again, that theory makes more sense than whatever the Russians think they'll achieve.
Thresholds crossed
Item:
New Computer Attacks Traced to Iran, Officials Say
American officials have not offered any technical evidence to back up their assertions of Iranian authorship of the latest attacks, but they describe the recent campaign as different from most attacks against American companies — particularly those from China — which quietly siphon off intellectual property for competitive purposes.
The new attacks, officials say, were devised to destroy data and manipulate the machinery that operates critical control systems, like oil pipelines. One official described them as “probes that suggest someone is looking at how to take control of these systems.”
. . .
Jeff Moss, chief security officer at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the private body that oversees the basic design of the Internet, said: “For the last year, Iran has been focused on disrupting financial institutions’ Web sites. If they are going after energy, and opening a multiprong front, at what point does it cross from annoyance to a threshold?”
Surely we're past that point . . .
It takes a fish . . .
. . . to find a fish.
Item:
Oh all right, they were really mammals. Still . . .
The find hints at what the dolphins can actually do, or maybe could do at some point in the future. Locate mines, find robotic detection systems?The question isn't whether dolphins are as smart as humans; rather, are they smarter than unmanned underwater vehicles?
. . . to find a fish.
Item:
Two bottlenose dolphins trained by the U.S. Navy’s marine mammal program have discovered a rare 19th-century Howell torpedo off the coast of San Diego.Story.
Oh all right, they were really mammals. Still . . .
The find hints at what the dolphins can actually do, or maybe could do at some point in the future. Locate mines, find robotic detection systems?The question isn't whether dolphins are as smart as humans; rather, are they smarter than unmanned underwater vehicles?
Speaking of drones . . .
The Chinese are making a real splash lately with their own, though at least some of those images appear to be mockups.
Item:
While that looks more than a bit like the X-47B, the UAV the Chinese supposedly are ready to field looks a lot like a Predator B:
The Chinese are making a real splash lately with their own, though at least some of those images appear to be mockups.
Item:
Extremely blurry photos posted on Internet forums over the past few months may show a Chinese stealth UAV, supposedly called the Lijan or Sharp Sword, along the lines of the U.S. Navy’s X-47B.Story, more photos.
While that looks more than a bit like the X-47B, the UAV the Chinese supposedly are ready to field looks a lot like a Predator B:
What was the sincerest form of flattery again?
The future is here . . .
. . . and it may not need us. Much, anyway.
Item:
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/U-S-launches-drone-from-aircraft-carrier-4515717.php#ixzz2TItjGSPi
And if some of that reminds you a little of the plot in this book:
. . . I owe you many thanks for reading my work.
. . . and it may not need us. Much, anyway.
Item:
"This is the way of the future," Winter said. "I like to say, it's one small step for man and one significant technical leap for unmanned kind."
The X-47B is far bigger than the Predator, has three times the range and can be programmed to carry out missions with no human intervention, the Navy said.
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/U-S-launches-drone-from-aircraft-carrier-4515717.php#ixzz2TItjGSPi
And if some of that reminds you a little of the plot in this book:
. . . I owe you many thanks for reading my work.
Of Pipers, generals & readers
Speaking of World War II planes (see this post), Gus has an Aeronca Champion, a slightly later competitor of the Piper Cub around the same size. Both planes served with the military as observation aircraft and battlefield transports.
The amazing thing is how tiny these planes were; a lot of today's UAVs are larger. tiny, light and fragile - not the greatest combination if you're in a war zone. Especially if you're a general in charge of an Army corps or an entire Army group. But Omar Bradley regularly flew in them to survey the front.
And they're still flying.
Here's Gus's plane:
And Gus:
My wee Aeronca Champion is essentially the same as the Piper L-4, same engine and general design except the Champ has a normal door instead of a split door. Most laymen don't notice the difference. The only really obvious thing is that the Piper engine protrudes and the Champ's is covered. My Champ has a wood prop, no electrical system and is hand propped to start. Just about as much fun as anything I've ever flown and gently sips fuel.
And here's a Piper:
Speaking of World War II planes (see this post), Gus has an Aeronca Champion, a slightly later competitor of the Piper Cub around the same size. Both planes served with the military as observation aircraft and battlefield transports.
The amazing thing is how tiny these planes were; a lot of today's UAVs are larger. tiny, light and fragile - not the greatest combination if you're in a war zone. Especially if you're a general in charge of an Army corps or an entire Army group. But Omar Bradley regularly flew in them to survey the front.
And they're still flying.
Here's Gus's plane:
And Gus:
My wee Aeronca Champion is essentially the same as the Piper L-4, same engine and general design except the Champ has a normal door instead of a split door. Most laymen don't notice the difference. The only really obvious thing is that the Piper engine protrudes and the Champ's is covered. My Champ has a wood prop, no electrical system and is hand propped to start. Just about as much fun as anything I've ever flown and gently sips fuel.
And here's a Piper:
Omar
Since we're on the topic, the trade paperback of Omar Bradley, General at War, is now available. You can get it at your favorite bookstore, or online at Amazon here, or Barnes & Noble here. The ebook edition, which includes some small corrections to the text (thanks readers!!!), is also available on-line, both from those sites and places like Google Play.
Since we're on the topic, the trade paperback of Omar Bradley, General at War, is now available. You can get it at your favorite bookstore, or online at Amazon here, or Barnes & Noble here. The ebook edition, which includes some small corrections to the text (thanks readers!!!), is also available on-line, both from those sites and places like Google Play.
Bradley & balsa wood
I got an email a while back from a reader named Gus who'd just finished Omar Bradley: General at War. We got to talking a bit about aircraft that the general had flown in; Gus is a buff and a pilot from way back, and we've had quite a bit of fun talking about the old planes.
Most readers will probably shoot right by the section on the C-78, a plane Bradley took to cross the Channel during one of the (many) crises after D-Day. I'd noted in the book that it was a small and slow plane. Gus seconded that, and also noted that the type was re-designated as the UC-78, though as far as I can tell the two planes were essentially the same. Here's a photo; it's a later version than anything Bradley would have used or probably even seen during the war, but it'll give an idea of the aircraft's size:
What you can't get from the photo is the fact that it was made out of wood.
So to put the aircraft in perspective: The fate of the Normandy invasion and the entire European campaign rested on the pluck of spruce, a pair of Jacobs radials, and the skill of a pilot who, no matter how ballsy he was, would have been a fat target for a passing Messerschmidt.
Not that Bradley's trans-Atlantic transport would have fared much better against a flight of Me-109s or Focke-Wulfs, but at least there would have been room to grab a parachute:
I got an email a while back from a reader named Gus who'd just finished Omar Bradley: General at War. We got to talking a bit about aircraft that the general had flown in; Gus is a buff and a pilot from way back, and we've had quite a bit of fun talking about the old planes.
Most readers will probably shoot right by the section on the C-78, a plane Bradley took to cross the Channel during one of the (many) crises after D-Day. I'd noted in the book that it was a small and slow plane. Gus seconded that, and also noted that the type was re-designated as the UC-78, though as far as I can tell the two planes were essentially the same. Here's a photo; it's a later version than anything Bradley would have used or probably even seen during the war, but it'll give an idea of the aircraft's size:
What you can't get from the photo is the fact that it was made out of wood.
So to put the aircraft in perspective: The fate of the Normandy invasion and the entire European campaign rested on the pluck of spruce, a pair of Jacobs radials, and the skill of a pilot who, no matter how ballsy he was, would have been a fat target for a passing Messerschmidt.
Not that Bradley's trans-Atlantic transport would have fared much better against a flight of Me-109s or Focke-Wulfs, but at least there would have been room to grab a parachute:
The general did get balled out for flying in the slow and unescorted C-78, but as usual he shrugged it off.
Coming to an aircraft carrier near you
First "arrested" landing for the Navy's new stealth UAV. Story.
First "arrested" landing for the Navy's new stealth UAV. Story.
Yes, to the rumors - Spielberg will direct . . .
. . . American Sniper.
Item:
Story.
. . . American Sniper.
Item:
Steven Spielberg is returning to the charged terrain of real-life American events, with the “Lincoln” director announcing Thursday he'll tackle the story of U.S. sniper Chris Kyle as his next directorial project. Bradley Cooper will star as the late Navy SEAL.
Story.
Sobriety & creativity . . .
. . .not over-rated?
Item:
Story.
The unanswered question: which works DON'T you have to be sober to create?
. . .not over-rated?
Item:
I found that while many artists did drink a great deal, very few mixed alcohol with their working hours. Even the alcoholics recognized that drinking made their creative output a little too effortless and their appraisal of the results a little too charitable. Sobriety is a requirement of most artistic work.
Story.
The unanswered question: which works DON'T you have to be sober to create?
On Boston
Figures Dennis Lehane would say it best:
Figures Dennis Lehane would say it best:
Boston took a punch on Monday — two of them, actually — that left it staggering for a bit. Flesh proved vulnerable, as flesh is wont to do, but the spirit merely trembled before recasting itself into something stronger than any bomb or rage.Op-ed here.
Just timing?
Item:
Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department on Wednesday said it has approved the sale of either the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth fighter or Boeing Co's F-15 Silent Eagle fighter to South Korea, which is expected to announce the winner of a 60-jet competition later this year.Reuters story.
Actually, the competition to pick a new fighter - the Eurofighter is in the mix as well - has been ongoing, but this does almost seem like a reaction to North Korea's idiocy. Sixty Stealth Eagles could pretty much eliminate the North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs on their first sortie . . .
Hack-a-flight . . .
You've heard of backseat driving . . . now there's Smartphone flying.
Item:
Story.
Actually, it's not very funny at all. Expect a quick fix . . . or maybe the banning of all electronic devices throughout the flight.
You've heard of backseat driving . . . now there's Smartphone flying.
Item:
A presentation at the Hack In The Box security summit in Amsterdam has demonstrated that it's possible to take control of aircraft flight systems and communications using an Android smartphone and some specialized attack code. . . .
Teso's attack code, dubbed SIMON, along with an Android app called PlaneSploit, can take full control of flight systems and the pilot's displays. The hacked aircraft could even be controlled using a smartphone's accelerometer to vary its course and speed by moving the handset about.
Story.
Actually, it's not very funny at all. Expect a quick fix . . . or maybe the banning of all electronic devices throughout the flight.
Editing . . .
Completely and totally stolen from the tumblr, Title To Come; more great riffs on the writing game here:
http://title2come.tumblr.com/
Completely and totally stolen from the tumblr, Title To Come; more great riffs on the writing game here:
http://title2come.tumblr.com/
It's our duty . . .
. . . to serve those who served us.
http://chriskylememorialtrust.org/index.html
. . . to serve those who served us.
http://chriskylememorialtrust.org/index.html
Korea
As the blustering continues, at some point you start to wonder what if these psychos are actually serious, and actually do believe they can nuke the world without consequence? It's not just Kim; it's the military leaders, old men who have lived their entire lives in a bizarre, upside-down world where North Korea dominates the world.
The U.S. and South Korea have apparently adopted a tit-for-tat policy of response: they'll respond "in kind" to whatever North Korea does. That's completely wrong. You don't respond in kind. You use the Al Capone method: Shoot one of my guys, I kill ten of yours.
Truly, the best thing to do is not to wait - eliminate the North Korean missile and nuke programs with a comprehensive first strike. Twenty-four hours and it will be done. The casualties will be less than if North Korea is allowed to start a nuclear war.
As the blustering continues, at some point you start to wonder what if these psychos are actually serious, and actually do believe they can nuke the world without consequence? It's not just Kim; it's the military leaders, old men who have lived their entire lives in a bizarre, upside-down world where North Korea dominates the world.
The U.S. and South Korea have apparently adopted a tit-for-tat policy of response: they'll respond "in kind" to whatever North Korea does. That's completely wrong. You don't respond in kind. You use the Al Capone method: Shoot one of my guys, I kill ten of yours.
Truly, the best thing to do is not to wait - eliminate the North Korean missile and nuke programs with a comprehensive first strike. Twenty-four hours and it will be done. The casualties will be less than if North Korea is allowed to start a nuclear war.
Forward, libraries . . .
Had a great time at Moffat Library's fund-raiser yesterday, meeting supporters of the written word. I got to talk to many wonderful people; I'm sure I got more out of our conversations than they did.
I'm happy to support libraries in any way I can - they've made what I do possible. And this community is raising money to build a new building - brave souls!
Just a note for anyone in the Hudson Valley: the event was held at Round Hill, a beautiful old Federal Period (and later) building, and featured some fantastic catering - and I'm not just saying that because they comped my drinks. If you're interested, here's the caterer's website, which includes information on the house and grounds: http://www.feastcaterers.com/
Had a great time at Moffat Library's fund-raiser yesterday, meeting supporters of the written word. I got to talk to many wonderful people; I'm sure I got more out of our conversations than they did.
I'm happy to support libraries in any way I can - they've made what I do possible. And this community is raising money to build a new building - brave souls!
Just a note for anyone in the Hudson Valley: the event was held at Round Hill, a beautiful old Federal Period (and later) building, and featured some fantastic catering - and I'm not just saying that because they comped my drinks. If you're interested, here's the caterer's website, which includes information on the house and grounds: http://www.feastcaterers.com/
The slow death of the American author
Scott Turow:
Full op-ed in NY Times here.
Scott Turow:
Authors practice one of the few professions directly protected in the Constitution, which instructs Congress “to promote the progress of Science and the useful Arts by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” The idea is that a diverse literary culture, created by authors whose livelihoods, and thus independence, can’t be threatened, is essential to democracy.
That culture is now at risk. The value of copyrights is being quickly depreciated, a crisis that hits hardest not best-selling authors like me, who have benefited from most of the recent changes in bookselling, but new and so-called midlist writers.
Full op-ed in NY Times here.
Machine writing
Item:
Story.
I can imagine it - one more nail in the coffin.
Item:
Imagine taking a college exam, and, instead of handing in a blue book and getting a grade from a professor a few weeks later, clicking the “send” button when you are done and receiving a grade back instantly, your essay scored by a software program.
Story.
I can imagine it - one more nail in the coffin.
My loss, your gain . . .
I busted out of the NCAAs in the first round (yikes), so in honor of that . . . and the bet I lost . . . Threat Level Black*, an early Andy Fisher thriller available on Kindle, is $2.99 from now until April Fool's Day. (Here's the link.)
Teach me to bet on college basketball.
* The book is set partly in New York during the NCAA Final Four tourney, which was the connection.
I busted out of the NCAAs in the first round (yikes), so in honor of that . . . and the bet I lost . . . Threat Level Black*, an early Andy Fisher thriller available on Kindle, is $2.99 from now until April Fool's Day. (Here's the link.)
Teach me to bet on college basketball.
* The book is set partly in New York during the NCAA Final Four tourney, which was the connection.
We're back . . .
Technical difficulties took the Hogs 1 Kindle edition out of circulation temporarily, but we're back and available here.
Speaking of technical difficulties, there was a glitch in some versions where two chapters weren't showing up in the table of contents. That reportedly has been fixed.
I appreciate hearing directly from readers when they're having problems. That helps me get to the bottom of things quicker. Of course, whether I can get them fixed or not is sometimes another question . . .
By the way, we are working on getting book 4 out as quickly as possible.
Technical difficulties took the Hogs 1 Kindle edition out of circulation temporarily, but we're back and available here.
Speaking of technical difficulties, there was a glitch in some versions where two chapters weren't showing up in the table of contents. That reportedly has been fixed.
I appreciate hearing directly from readers when they're having problems. That helps me get to the bottom of things quicker. Of course, whether I can get them fixed or not is sometimes another question . . .
By the way, we are working on getting book 4 out as quickly as possible.
Are independent bookstore coming back?
I hope so. Item:
Story.
I hope so. Item:
...community support is by no means unique to Bank Square Books, and it may be the secret ingredient behind a quiet resurgence of independent bookstores, which were supposed to go the way of the stone tablet – done in first by the national chains, then Amazon, and then e-books.
A funny thing happened on the way to the funeral.
While beloved bookstores still close down every year, sales at independent bookstores overall are rising, established independents are expanding, and new ones are popping up from Brooklyn to Big Stone Gap, Va. Bookstore owners credit the modest increases to everything from the shuttering of Borders to the rise of the "buy local" movement to a get-'er-done outlook among the indies that would shame Larry the Cable Guy. If they have to sell cheesecake or run a summer camp to survive, add it to the to-do list.
Story.
50 Shades of North Korea
China to U.S.: defending against North Korea will only make them more pissed off:
Story.
This is like telling a kid who's getting beat up at school that putting up his hands to ward off the blows will only make things worse.
But in a way China is right -- removing the threat would be much more effective than positioning interceptors to stop the missiles once launched.
Wonder what they'll say when that happens.
China to U.S.: defending against North Korea will only make them more pissed off:
Hong Kong (CNN) -- The United States' plans to beef up its missile defenses against North Korea are likely to inflame tensions that are running high over Pyongyang's nuclear program, China said Monday.
"Bolstering missile defenses will only intensify antagonism, and it doesn't help to solve the issue," Hong Lei, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.
Story.
This is like telling a kid who's getting beat up at school that putting up his hands to ward off the blows will only make things worse.
But in a way China is right -- removing the threat would be much more effective than positioning interceptors to stop the missiles once launched.
Wonder what they'll say when that happens.
Less LCS, more CGs?
Item: Navy may rethink LCS program.
From DefenseNews.com:
Translation: Maybe "one ship fits all" isn't the way of the future.
The LCS recommendation is getting most of the attention, but it's this recommendation that's the more critical one:
Full story.
Item: Navy may rethink LCS program.
From DefenseNews.com:
Whatever the future holds for the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, it’s becoming less likely the service will continue to buy both variants after 2015.
The successor may either be the Freedom-class or Independence-class designs now being built, an up-gunned, multimission variant of the current ships, or a completely different type of ship, according to senior Navy officials familiar with high-level thinking.
Translation: Maybe "one ship fits all" isn't the way of the future.
The LCS recommendation is getting most of the attention, but it's this recommendation that's the more critical one:
Copeman recommends creating a new, large surface combatant fitted with AMDR and designed with the power, weight and space to field “top-end energy weapons” like the electromagnetic rail gun under development by the Navy.
The new ship could also be developed into a replacement for today’s Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers in the air defense mission of protecting deployed aircraft carriers — a mission Copeman says needs to be preserved. All flattops have a “shotgun” cruiser that accompanies them throughout a deployment, but the missile ships are aging and, by 2025, only four will remain in service to protect the fleet’s 11 carriers.
Full story.
Phantom play
Item:
The lunacy of trying to score points by targeting unarmed (and slow) UAVs aside, it's good to know that F-4s are still flying somewhere. That old iron was an impressive beast.
Story.
Item:
WASHINGTON — An Iranian jet fighter pursued an American surveillance drone over the Persian Gulf this week but ended the chase after a radio warning from an American escort plane, Pentagon officials said Thursday. . . .The type that could shoot him down with the push of a button, obviously.
The Pentagon press secretary, George Little, said that in the episode on Tuesday, an Iranian F-4 jet fighter approached within 16 miles of the Predator, which was being escorted by a pair of American military aircraft. United States officials did not say what type of American planes were involved.
The lunacy of trying to score points by targeting unarmed (and slow) UAVs aside, it's good to know that F-4s are still flying somewhere. That old iron was an impressive beast.
Story.
Climate change and its effects
One of the more controversial aspects of the Red Dragon Rising series has been the premise that the war starts because of turmoil seeded by climate change and its vast effects on China.
Even the science hadn't been pretty well established, the fact that China has been experiencing severe droughts over the past few years makes the premise a no-brainer, but apparently some people have their doubts. It's certainly possible that China won't go to war - that part is definitely fiction. But the country is absolutely facing a host of environmental challenges, and will continue to do so in the future. As we all will.
If you're looking for some information about climate change in general, the people at Learnstuff.com have put together an informational graphic with a set of bullet points. You can look at the whole thing here:
http://www.learnstuff.com/climate-change/
It baffles me that climate change has become a political issue. Dealing with the effects of droughts, rising tides, etc., should have nothing to do with political ideologies - just as dealing with aggressive acts from other nations shouldn't. Reasonable people can disagree over what should be done, but it makes no sense at all to ignore the science.
I don't know that American innovation can completely solve the problem, but it can be a huge part of the solution. As I suggest in the more serious passages* of The Helios Conspiracy, private American companies can build a satellite-to-earth solar energy system that will take care of most of our energy needs. And there are a whole range of other new technologies - from LEDs to weather modification - that not only deserve serious consideration but will get it from scientists, entrepreneurs, and leaders in some country, if not ours.
* - Those would be the ones between the cigarette smoke and coffee stains.
One of the more controversial aspects of the Red Dragon Rising series has been the premise that the war starts because of turmoil seeded by climate change and its vast effects on China.
Even the science hadn't been pretty well established, the fact that China has been experiencing severe droughts over the past few years makes the premise a no-brainer, but apparently some people have their doubts. It's certainly possible that China won't go to war - that part is definitely fiction. But the country is absolutely facing a host of environmental challenges, and will continue to do so in the future. As we all will.
If you're looking for some information about climate change in general, the people at Learnstuff.com have put together an informational graphic with a set of bullet points. You can look at the whole thing here:
http://www.learnstuff.com/climate-change/
It baffles me that climate change has become a political issue. Dealing with the effects of droughts, rising tides, etc., should have nothing to do with political ideologies - just as dealing with aggressive acts from other nations shouldn't. Reasonable people can disagree over what should be done, but it makes no sense at all to ignore the science.
I don't know that American innovation can completely solve the problem, but it can be a huge part of the solution. As I suggest in the more serious passages* of The Helios Conspiracy, private American companies can build a satellite-to-earth solar energy system that will take care of most of our energy needs. And there are a whole range of other new technologies - from LEDs to weather modification - that not only deserve serious consideration but will get it from scientists, entrepreneurs, and leaders in some country, if not ours.
* - Those would be the ones between the cigarette smoke and coffee stains.
Nanny State suffers reversal . . .
. . . or maybe I should say, Nanny City. Item:
Story.
. . . or maybe I should say, Nanny City. Item:
A judge invalidated New York City’s ban on large sugary drinks on Monday, one day before it was to go into effect, dealing a significant blow to one of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s signature public health initiatives and a marquee project of his third term.
Story.
Speaking of Hogs . . .
Book one in the series, Going Deep, is available here.
There are a total of six books in the series. Currently three are available on-line for Kindle. We are working on converting book four. (Unfortunately, the book was published in the old-school way, and my wife, er, I mean my immense staff of assistants, has to input it by hand, then make corrections, etc., so it's very time-consuming. We're working as quickly as possible, I promise.)
Book one in the series, Going Deep, is available here.
There are a total of six books in the series. Currently three are available on-line for Kindle. We are working on converting book four. (Unfortunately, the book was published in the old-school way, and my wife, er, I mean my immense staff of assistants, has to input it by hand, then make corrections, etc., so it's very time-consuming. We're working as quickly as possible, I promise.)
Watch that tanker . . .
Had a very generous note from Mark "Nukes" Williamson, who'd noticed something that got by me in the first Hogs book regarding tankers.* I'll let Nukes tell it:
At some point I'll hopefully have a chance to get that fixed. In the meantime, Nukes was kind enough to correspond a bit, and after a bit of prodding shared his biography, which I think a few readers will appreciate - and at the same time give us all a chance to thank him for his service to our country:
Thanks Nukes - for the correction and especially for your time in the air protecting us.
Had a very generous note from Mark "Nukes" Williamson, who'd noticed something that got by me in the first Hogs book regarding tankers.* I'll let Nukes tell it:
You have a small technical error in Chapter 22 of Hog Down. KC-135s can only be configured to be refuel with the boom only, or through a drogue adapter on the boom. It cannot do both like the KC-10. In chapter 22 you have an A-10 following an F-18, that couldn't happen from the same KC-135.
At some point I'll hopefully have a chance to get that fixed. In the meantime, Nukes was kind enough to correspond a bit, and after a bit of prodding shared his biography, which I think a few readers will appreciate - and at the same time give us all a chance to thank him for his service to our country:
I've spent a lot of time hanging on the boom of 135s. Air refueling in a heavy aircraft is some of the best and most challenging flying I've done. Nothing will get the heart pumping as much as taking on 100,000 pounds of gas with a night air refueling in the weather, and that of course is usually when the tanker loses its autopilot...just to make it more "fun".
Thanks Nukes - for the correction and especially for your time in the air protecting us.
If there's going to be a first strike . . .
. . . it makes a lot more sense for NK to be on the receiving end.
Item:
Washington Post story.
The question is this: At what point should North Korea's threats be taken seriously? Because if they are taken seriously, then an American raid against their missile and nuke facilities would not only remove their threat but clearly endanger many less civilians (including North Korea's own) than any other war scenario. And it would be relatively easy to accomplish.
At some point, the logic of such an attack becomes irrefutable, even if North Korea's new leader can't work it out. In fact, the only argument against doing it is that South Korea and China would then have a basket case on their hands. But how far from that are we anyway?
. . . it makes a lot more sense for NK to be on the receiving end.
Item:
North Korea on Thursday threatened a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States and other purported aggressors, describing Washington as a “criminal threatening global peace.”
Though Pyongyang routinely vows to demolish the United States in a sacred war, the threat issued Thursday marked a major escalation of rhetoric just hours before the United Nations Security Council is to discuss new sanctions aiming at reining in the North’s weapons program and restricting illicit overseas trade.
Washington Post story.
The question is this: At what point should North Korea's threats be taken seriously? Because if they are taken seriously, then an American raid against their missile and nuke facilities would not only remove their threat but clearly endanger many less civilians (including North Korea's own) than any other war scenario. And it would be relatively easy to accomplish.
At some point, the logic of such an attack becomes irrefutable, even if North Korea's new leader can't work it out. In fact, the only argument against doing it is that South Korea and China would then have a basket case on their hands. But how far from that are we anyway?
The cost of medicine . . .
. . . and its assorted obscenities:
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/20/bitter-pill-why-medical-bills-are-killing-us/#ixzz2Ml2Gm5bv
. . . and its assorted obscenities:
Medicine had obviously become a huge business. In fact, of Houston’s top 10 employers, five are hospitals, including MD Anderson with 19,000 employees; three, led by ExxonMobil with 14,000 employees, are energy companies. How did that happen, I wondered. Where’s all that money coming from? And where is it going? I have spent the past seven months trying to find out by analyzing a variety of bills from hospitals like MD Anderson, doctors, drug companies and every other player in the American health care ecosystem.
When you look behind the bills that Sean Recchi and other patients receive, you see nothing rational — no rhyme or reason — about the costs they faced in a marketplace they enter through no choice of their own. The only constant is the sticker shock for the patients who are asked to pay.
Yet those who work in the health care industry and those who argue over health care policy seem inured to the shock. When we debate health care policy, we seem to jump right to the issue of who should pay the bills, blowing past what should be the first question: Why exactly are the bills so high?
What are the reasons, good or bad, that cancer means a half-million- or million-dollar tab? Why should a trip to the emergency room for chest pains that turn out to be indigestion bring a bill that can exceed the cost of a semester of college? What makes a single dose of even the most wonderful wonder drug cost thousands of dollars? Why does simple lab work done during a few days in a hospital cost more than a car? And what is so different about the medical ecosystem that causes technology advances to drive bills up instead of down?
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/20/bitter-pill-why-medical-bills-are-killing-us/#ixzz2Ml2Gm5bv
Chavez dead, VP blames cancer on U.S.
Item:
"We have received the toughest and tragic information that... Comandante President Hugo Chavez died today at 4:25 pm," said Mr (Nicola) Maduro in a nationally televised address.
He spoke of a plot against Venezuela, saying he had no doubt that Mr Chavez's cancer, first diagnosed in 2011, had been induced by foul play by Venezuela's enemies - the US promptly rejected the accusations as "absurd".
He said a scientific commission could one day investigate whether Mr Chavez's illness was brought about by what he called an enemy attack.
Struggling to hold back tears, Mr Maduro called on the nation to close ranks after their leader's demise.
And here I thought we were only assassinating people with drones these days.
.
Number one, Times 2
Tomorrow, the NY Times will publish its best-seller lists. American Sniper will be number one on both the hardcover and mass market paperback lists. As far as the publisher knows, it's the first time that's ever happened.
It is a humbling moment. But to say I have mixed feelings is an understatement. On the one hand, I'm certainly proud of the book - and even prouder of Chris and Taya, thankful to have worked with them, honored to call them my friends. They and their extended families - fathers, mothers, brothers, wives, children - are all exceptional people.
On the other hand - certainly I would trade every sale if time could be turned back a few weeks.
I guess the only thing to do is to take the attitude Chris took toward the book's success from the very beginning: to be grateful for the tremendous response from people, who so generously have listened to his story and taken the time to thank him, and all of our veterans and their families, for their service to our country.
Thank you all.
Tomorrow, the NY Times will publish its best-seller lists. American Sniper will be number one on both the hardcover and mass market paperback lists. As far as the publisher knows, it's the first time that's ever happened.
It is a humbling moment. But to say I have mixed feelings is an understatement. On the one hand, I'm certainly proud of the book - and even prouder of Chris and Taya, thankful to have worked with them, honored to call them my friends. They and their extended families - fathers, mothers, brothers, wives, children - are all exceptional people.
On the other hand - certainly I would trade every sale if time could be turned back a few weeks.
I guess the only thing to do is to take the attitude Chris took toward the book's success from the very beginning: to be grateful for the tremendous response from people, who so generously have listened to his story and taken the time to thank him, and all of our veterans and their families, for their service to our country.
Thank you all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
