Superbomb ignites science dispute (Got Hafnium?)

SFGate.com ^ | 9/27/03 | Keay Davidson - SF Chronicle

[NormsRevenge]

The Pentagon's pursuit of a new kind of nonnuclear super-weapon has sparked a behind-the-scenes revolt among its elite scientific advisers, some of whom reject the scheme as pseudoscience.

The military's goal is to develop a bomb that might be far more powerful than existing conventional weapons of the same size. Precisely targeted, such a weapon could take out targets -- such as underground caverns that conceal weapons of mass destruction -- without posing the severe political risks of using nuclear bombs.

[American in Israel]

The Becker team has used instruments that are "a hundred thousand times more sensitive" than Collins' dental X-ray machine, and "in spite of our best efforts, we cannot reproduce those results."

This is a scientist? dental x-ray machines look at nothing, it is the film that looks, the x-ray machine is the energy source. If they are quoting some guy that knows less about it than the man on the street credibility is a bit of a problem. This is a guy that looks in the wrong end of a telescope and cites it as proof the moon does not exist.

[American in Israel]

For one that got away, there are still people there. Wonder what that site is for hmmmm?

[American in Israel]

Indeed, if the breakdown is a resonant effect, the spectrum of what you hit is with is critical. Real science would know this, that is why this article is very strange.

George hit the nail with a hammer, and fred drove over the nail with a car. Then fred said george was wrong about nails being good for fastening wood.

[RLK]

"In my opinion, this matter is worse than cold fusion,"

-------------------

Cold fusion has been shown to occur reproduceably in numerous experiments.

[David1]

I was thinking the same thing. He would have nothing to worry about then, right??? Or maybe...

[Defiant]

The key to the concept is a little known element called hafnium

Just think how powerful it would be if we used Fulnium!

[ASOC]

Gee, this stuff klooks old hat.
A really powerful explosive that has been around for years and years

"duodec"

And no radiation......

[TLI]

Would not hold a candle to HushABoom...

[SAJ]

Duodec?

Really? An E. E. Smith fan here? He died way too young (and would likely have had scathing things to say about both cold fusion and hafnium superbombs).

[skinkinthegrass]

Hafnium...thanks... :)

[skinkinthegrass]

For a wee bit of education, and a grin or two, try this...

..thanks..where's is Ms. Sharp, Now?....She'd love this dittie.. I never could remember all of them..104 back then. :)

[thegreatbeast]

There is no sorting out of politics anymore. This might just be communists bitching about not being able to get back to Never-Neverland. Some investigation , some experimentation is certainly in order.

[skinkinthegrass]

Oh well.

I wonder if Texas A&M is has theirs... :|

[skinkinthegrass]

Oh well.

Texas A&M used to have one..or something along that line...in '67, first Unversity to have one on campus. :|

[ido_now]

"but...but...what about photon torpedoes?? and light sabers??? what about them???!!!!"

I agree but Klingon disrupters might also work unless the enemy is using a cloaking device.

This all sounds "Hafnium-assed" to me. Why not just use an old fashioned 1 kiloton atomic device and lie about what we used. Governments are very, very good at lying.

[jaykay]

Although Herrmannsfeldt regards claims for hafnium-178's super-energy powers as nonsense, he fears that other nations will take them seriously, triggering a new arms race.

Lets get this straight, he says they wont work, but he worries that other nations will build them.

Hey, this may be a good idea. Why not have North Korea, Iran and all the other wacko nations furiously building useless bombs? Just "leak" a warning that the "weapons" are so devastating that they can't be safely tested.

[Bon mots]

All we really need is a little bit of element 115...

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

So, has anyone actually gotten ahold of a dental x-ray machine and tried to duplicate the original work? ... It may well be that there is something specific to the equipment Collins was using.

Its hard to believe that this wouldn't have been done...