The Real Story Of The U.S. President's 'Nuclear Football'

From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the nuclear "football." (Jamie Chung)

The Real Story of the "Football" That Follows the President Everywhere -- Michael Dobbs, Smithsonian Magazine

Take a peek at the mysterious black briefcase that has accompanied every U.S. president since John F. Kennedy

It is the closest modern-day equivalent of the medieval crown and scepter—a symbol of supreme authority. Accompanying the commander in chief wherever he goes, the innocuous-looking briefcase is touted in movies and spy novels as the ultimate power accessory, a doomsday machine that could destroy the entire world.

Officially known as the “president’s emergency satchel,” the so-called nuclear “Football”—portable and hand-carried—is built around a sturdy aluminum frame, encased in black leather. A retired Football, emptied of its top-secret inner contents, is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. “We were looking for something that would demonstrate the incredible military power and responsibilities of the president, and we struck upon this iconic object,” says curator Harry Rubenstein.

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WNU Editor: The below video describes how important the 'nuclear football' is.

This Is The Greatest Paper Map Of The United States

Left: Imus map of Cincinnati. Right: National Geographic map of Cincinnati

The Greatest Paper Map Of The United States You’ll Ever See -- Seth Stevenson

Made by one guy in Oregon.

American mapmaking’s most prestigious honor is the “Best of Show” award at the annual competition of the Cartography and Geographic Information Society. The five most recent winners were all maps designed by large, well-known institutions: National Geographic (three times), the Central Intelligence Agency Cartography Center, and the U.S. Census Bureau. But earlier this year, the 38^th annual Best of Show award went to a map created by Imus Geographics—which is basically one dude named David Imus working in a farmhouse outside Eugene, Ore.

At first glance, Imus’ “The Essential Geography of the United States of America” may look like any other U.S. wall map. It’s about 4 feet by 3 feet. It uses a standard, two-dimensional conic projection. It has place names. Political boundaries. Lakes, rivers, highways.

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My Comment: Yup ... this is proof that you can always make something better .... even a better map.

Amazing Video Of What A Nuclear Explosion Looks Like

One Of The Most Amazing Nuclear Explosions Ever Recorded On Film -- Sploid

As things get hotter between Russia and NATO, Putin is waving his nuclear dick around. Russia plans to conduct massive nuclear war maneuvers. Yesterday it successfully tested its new Bulava ("Mace") submarine launched nuclear missile, hitting its target with complete accuracy with its dummy warheads.

The Red Fleet's Commander-in-Chief Admiral Viktor Chirkov said that it blasted off from the White Sea, hitting its objective in the Russian Federation's far east minutes later. The Bulava can travel for 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) to rain nuclear death in the form of six to ten warheads.

Let's pause a bit, look at this video, and reflect on this.

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My Comment: I have seen this video before .... it is a testament to how inventive and destructive man can be at the same time.

Millions Across Africa Are Now At Risk In The Latest Ebola Outbreak

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Millions More At Risk In Ebola Outbreak, British Study Finds -- The Telegraph

Research by the University of Oxford reveals how 15 more countries across Africa could be hit by the Ebola virus

The deadliest Ebola outbreak in history could spread to a further 15 countries in West and Central Africa, putting up to 70 million people at risk of infection, a ground-breaking study has found.

Research by the University of Oxford compared historic outbreaks to the virus’ possible transmission in bats and chimpanzees to predict how the disease could spread through its vast animal reservoir.

It is the first time scientists have attempted to explain how the virus, which is contracted through contact with infected bodily fluids, has travelled westward across Africa.

The resulting map shows how the populations of the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ghana and a dozen more countries could be hit by the outbreak, which has already killed nearly 2,300 people in 2014.

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More News On The Ebola Crisis

Ebola virus: 'Biological war' in Liberia -- BBC
Ebola is ‘devouring everything in its path.’ Could it lead to Liberia’s collapse? -- Washington Post
Virologist: Fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia is lost -- Deutsche Welle
Ebola outbreak a 'war with an enemy that we don't see' -- AP
Ebola death toll rises to at least 2,296, WHO says -- FOX News/Reuters
35 Deaths Attributed to Ebola Outbreak in Congo -- AP
Worst Ebola outbreak on record tests global response -- Reuters
Official: U.S. military’s response to Ebola hampered by lack of expertise with virus -- Washington Post
Photos: Ebola, the Invisible Threat -- WSJ
The reason Ebola isn't being stopped -- Elizabeth Cohen and John Bonifield, CNN

Update: The crazy conspiracy theories are now making the rounds .... Largest Liberian Newspaper: US Government Manufactured Ebola, AIDS Virus (CBS)

182 Billion Emails Sent Daily Worldwide

My Comment: And how many are span?

Doctors Without Borders: Ebola Virus Is “Totally Out Of Control” In Western Africa

Doctors Without Borders: Ebola Virus Is “Totally Out Of Control” In West Africa -- Legal Insurrection

The international volunteer medical organization Doctors Without Borders has issued a chilling warning — that the deadly Ebola virus is “totally out of control.”

The Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with infected people and causes internal bleeding and organ failure. There is no cure or vaccine so infected patients must be quarantined to stop the rapid spread of the virus. According to the World Health Organization, an Ebola outbreak can result in over 90% fatality rates.

Bart Janssens, director of operations for Doctors Without Borders, said Friday that the international community must send in more resources to stop the current Ebola epidemic.

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More News on reports That The Ebola Virus Is “Totally Out Of Control” in Western Africa

Doctors Without Borders: Ebola Out Of Control In West Africa -- IBTimes
Doctors Without Borders: Ebola outbreak 'out of control' -- AP
Ebola outbreak is 'out of control' in West Africa, says medical expert -- Tech Times
Ebola Outbreak 'Tip of the Iceberg,' Experts Say -- NBC

A Look At The U.S. Navy's 'Area 51'

The Navy's Acoustic Research Detachment is located on the banks of Lake Pend Oreille, which provides the perfect conditions for testing new submarine advancements as conditions closely mimic the ocean

The Navy's Most Vital And Secretive Submarine Base Is In... Idaho?!? -- FOXtrot Alpha/Jalopnik

From Foxtrot Alpha: The US Navy's submarine bases are some of the most high-security installations in the world, but one of their most important and shadowy submarine outposts is not in the middle of an ocean, but rather in a lake in landlocked Idaho.

The US Navy's submarine bases are some of the most high-security installations in the world, but one of their most important and shadowy submarine outposts is not located along the ocean, but rather in a lake in landlocked Idaho.

The Navy's Acoustic Research Detachment (ARD) at Bayview, Idaho, which is some 375 miles from the ocean, is where new submarine and surface ship shapes and subsystems are tested in a sub-scale environment that closely mimics the ocean. In other words, ARD Bayview is the Navy's lower-key subsurface Area 51, and massive Lake Pend Oreille is a water based, smaller, and more outsider friendly Nellis Range Complex.

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Update #1: The Navy's top secret submarine base in land-locked IDAHO where its new stealth technology -- Daily Mail
Update #2: The Navy's 'Area 51' in North Idaho -- Boise Weekly

My Comment: Forget about the US Navy testing it's newest equipment .... I would love to have a cottage on that lake .... the view looks awesome.

Are French Spies Responsible For Creating Mysterious YouTube Videos?

Are French Spies Creating Mysterious YouTube Videos? Bizarre 11-Second Shorts Could Be Encrypted Codes, Claim Conspiracy Theorists -- Daily Mail

* Unexplained clips appeared on Webdriver Torso's account in September
* Clips were posted for seven months, stopped three weeks ago but then started again today
* Each upload has 10 slides with blue and red rectangles of different shapes
* A BBC report has suggested the videos were likely uploaded in France
* Theorists claim it could be a modern-day equivalent of a numbers station used by spies during the Cold War

For seven months, a YouTube user posted a series of bizarre videos one after the other in quick succession before suddenly stopping.

Almost every clip on the Webdriver Torso channel lasts for 11 seconds and features ten slides, each one showing a blue and red rectangle of different sizes and shapes.

These were posted approximately every hour until three weeks ago, when they just stopped.

However, a new video has appeared today – causing conspiracy theorists to speculate on what the clips are.

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More News On Reports That French Intelligence Is Responsible For Creating Mysterious YouTube Videos?

Webdriver Torso YouTube mystery clips' French connection -- BBC
Are French spies creating mysterious YouTube videos? -- Digital Trends
Is this espionage or an art project? -- Globe and Mail
Could This Mysterious 'Number Station' YouTube Account Be A Message Board For Spies? -- Huffington Post
The truth behind one YouTube account's 77,000 mysterious videos -- The Guardian

WNU Editor: Here are some more mysteries on the web .... Five of the Internet’s eeriest, unsolved mysteries -- Washington Post

Dolphin Wars?

NATO Military Dolphins to Roam Black Sea – Media. © Photo public domain

NATO Military Dolphins to Roam Black Sea – Media -- RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti) – US military-trained dolphins and sea lions will participate in upcoming NATO military exercises in the Black Sea, the Russian Izvestiya newspaper reported Monday.

The paper, citing a spokesman for the US Navy’s marine mammals program, said some 20 dolphins and 10 sea lions will participate in exercises.

The exercises will test new equipment designed to "disorient enemy sonars, while sea lions and dolphins are looking for mines and military divers," the newspaper wrote.

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More News On NATO Exercises To be Conducted In The Black Sea Using Dolphins

US Navy to deploy combat dolphins for Black Sea military drills – report -- RT
Dolphins 'to Take Part' in NATO Black Sea Drills - Report -- Novinite
US, Russian military dolphins may face off in Black Sea -- News.com.au
US Military Dolphins to Participate in Black Sea Nato Drill -- IBTimes
Russian and American Military Dolphins Might Face Off This Summer -- Government Executive
Will U.S. and Russian Dolphins Face Off? No Way, Navy Says -- NBC

The Future Of Surveillance Will Be On Display In Today's Boston Marathon

Creepy Autonomous AI CCTV Surveillance Network Watches All Of Boston -- Daily Caller

Following the Boston Marathon bombings almost one year ago, the Boston Police Department started looking toward more high-tech means of securing the city against future attacks. They found the solution in the form of an artificially intelligent, self-learning surveillance network that now watches the entire city, and all of its inhabitants.

The Texas-based Behavioral Recognition Systems, Inc. (BRS Labs) headed by former Secret Service special agent John Frazzini has a reputation for developing advanced, AI-based surveillance platforms. The system the company built for Boston after the bombings is on the bleeding edge of such technology, and not only watches and analyzes human behavior, but learns from it to identify suspicious or abnormal activity.

It actually predict threats by itself, completely free of additional human programming, guidance or monitoring.

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My Comment: This is cutting edge technology that is just as disturbing as the NSA's ability to monitor our communications networks.

A 'Radiation Belt' For Nuclear Emergencies

Israeli Company Develops 'Radiation Belt' For Nuclear Emergencies -- Jerusalem Post/Reuters

Called the "StemRad 360 Gamma" belt, it shields the body from the effects of gamma radiation.

"It may look simplistic on the outside but the structure inside is three dimensional and very unique. The idea here was to create a product that on the one hand protects but on the other hand is not over burdened weight."

Oren Milstein is co-founder of Stemrad, the company behind the belt. He won't give much away about its key technology, but says it's partially comprised of lead and has been designed to protect the pelvic area, where most of the the body's renewable bone marrow is concentrated.

Milstein says protecting that bone marrow can be crucial to ensuring survival after radiation exposure.

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Update #1: Nuclear Accident? Fasten Up Your 'Radiation Belt' -- NextGov
Update #2: ‘Anti-radiation belt’ developed by Israeli firm for nuclear emergencies -- RT

My Comment: There are three Nobel laureates on-board, and they are vouching for it.

Scientists Reconstruct Asteroid Impact To Have Hit Earth 3.26 Billion Years Ago

The massive asteroid was almost as wide as Rhode Island and about three to five times larger than the rock thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs.

Scientists Reconstruct Asteroid Impact SIX TIMES Bigger Than The Blast That Wiped Out The Dinosaurs Which Boiled Oceans, Burned The Sky, And Shook The Earth For Thirty Minutes -- Daily Mail

* 36 mile wide asteroid is believed to have hit Earth 3.26 billion years ago
* Collision punched a crater into the planet’s crust 300 miles across
* Atmosphere filled with dust and the tops of oceans boiled

cientists have reconstructed one of the biggest asteroid impacts ever to hit Earth - and say it was six times as big as the blast than wiped out the dinosaurs.

The 36 mile wide asteroid is believed to have hit Earth 3.26 billion years ago, creating unique geological features found in a South African region known as the Barberton greenstone belt.

Researcher say the impact would have boiled oceans, burned the sky, and cause the planet to shake for 30 minutes.

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My Comment: That must have been one hell of an impact 3.26 billion years ago.

Boeing's 'Phantom Swift' Vertical Take Off And Landing Craft

 

Boeing Going Vertical with 'Phantom Swift' Military X-Plane (Video) -- Yahoo News/Live Science 

Aerospace giant Boeing is designing a new type of aircraft capable of taking off, hovering and landing vertically, the company says. Such vehicles are essentially hybrids of helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes, and could one day be used by the military to transport troops, weapons or cargo to and from the battlefield. 

Boeing was one of four companies recently selected to receive funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — the arm of the U.S. Department of Defense charged with developing new technologies for the military — to design new, unmanned vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Boeing will receive $17 million as part of the agreement, which is part of DARPA's VTOL Experimental Plane, or X-Plane, program.  

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My Comment: The above Live Science article provides a good description of DARPA's X-Wing Competition.

For One Day Only Next Week, Google Will Let Anyone In The US Buy Glass

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For One Day, Google Will Let Anyone In The US Buy Glass -- The Verge

Google is about to make its biggest push yet to get Glass in the hands of as many people as possible. The Verge has obtained documents indicating that the company will open up its "Explorer Program" and make Glass available to anyone who wants to purchase a pair, possibly as soon as next week. It’ll be a limited-time offer, only available for about a day, and only US residents will be eligible to purchase the $1,500 device. Google will also include a free sunglass shade or one of its newly-introduced prescription glasses frames along with any purchase. An internal Google slide shows that the promotion may be announced on April 15th, though all the details of this program have yet to be finalized.

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Update: Google Glass available to anyone for one day only -- CNN

My Comment: Rats .... it will only be available in the U.S. .... and I live in Canada.

U.S. Air Force To Test Google Glass For Combat And Intelligence Missions

Above: Airforce test dummy wearing Google Glass. Image Credit: Rick Eldridge, 711 Human Performance Wing, U.S. Air Force

U.S. Air Force Is Testing Google Glass & Building Apps For Battlefield Use (Exclusive) -- Venture Beat

The U.S. Air Force’s “BATMAN” research team at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio is beta-testing Google Glass for possible use on the battlefield.

And so far, it likes what it sees.

The positive attributes “are its low power, its low footprint, it sits totally above the eyes, and doesn’t block images or hinder vision,” said 2nd Lt. Anthony Eastin, a behavioral scientist on the BATMAN team testing the glasses.

The BATMAN evaluation group is part of the U.S. Air Force’s 711th Human Performance Wing and is one of the military’s most distinguished research and development groups. It comprises both military and civilian behavioral and technology scientists. The BATMAN acronym stands for Battlefield Air Targeting Man-Aided (K)nowledge.

“We borrowed the “N,” Eastin said.

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More News On The U.S. Air Force To Test Google Glass For Combat And Intelligence Missions

The US Air Force is testing Google Glass for use on the battlefield -- The Verge
Air Force researchers test Google Glass for combat, intelligence missions -- RT
Holy Smokes! BATMAN Tests Google Glass for the U.S. Military -- NBC
Google Glass testing begins with the US Air Force -- Android Community
US Air Force takes a look through Google Glass -- CNet
U.S. Air Force’s ‘BATMAN’ team tests Google Glass for combat use -- Guns.com
U.S. Air Force Reportedly Assessing Disruptive Technology Like Google Glass -- Wall Street Pit

Astronomers Believe They May Have Found Evidence Of A Potential Exomoon

Image Caption: Researchers have detected the first "exomoon" candidate -- a moon orbiting a planet that lies outside our solar system. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Astronomers Say They May Have Found Evidence Of A Potential Exomoon -- Red Orbit

Titan, Europa, Io and Phobos are just a few members of our solar system’s pantheon of moons. Are there are other moons out there, orbiting planets beyond our sun?

NASA-funded researchers have spotted the first signs of an “exomoon,” and though they say it’s impossible to confirm its presence, the finding is a tantalizing first step toward locating others. The discovery was made by watching a chance encounter of objects in our galaxy, which can be witnessed only once.

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More News On Astronomers Believing That They May Have Found Evidence Of A Potential Exomoon

Faraway moon or faint star? Possible exomoon found -- Phys.org
Out of This World: Astronomers May Have Spotted First 'Exomoon' -- NBC
NASA-funded researchers spot first possible 'exomoon' -- FOX News

Take A 'Global Selfie' When Celebrating Earth Day

A “Blue Marble” image of the Earth taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA's Earth-observing satellite — Suomi NPP. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on Jan. 4, 2012. Credit: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring

Celebrate Earth Day With NASA By Taking A 'Global Selfie' -- Space.com

NASA is asking everybody on Earth to help create a new image of the planet composed entirely of selfies taken during Earth Day on April 22.

The aim is not only to raise awareness about Earth and climate change, but also to advertise the five Earth-gazing satellites that NASA will launch this year. That's the highest launch count for the agency in more than a decade.

"Designed to encourage environmental awareness and recognize the agency's ongoing work to protect our home planet, NASA's 'Global Selfie' event asks people everywhere to take a picture of themselves in their local environment," the space agency said in a statement.

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My Comment: This is something that I will support.

One More Step Forward To The Development Of A Quantum Computer

Photo: In this experiment, an atom is sandwiched between mirrors, forming half of the quantum switch. Graphic: Andreas Reiserer, MPQ, Quantum Dynamics Division

Two Big Steps Toward The Quantum Computer -- Popular Mechanics

With lasers and mirrors, researchers develop clever quantum versions of key computer components.

It's a machine that could calculate solutions to problems so impossibly time-consuming that even the most powerful supercomputers could never handle them. And it would do so in an instant. This is the quantum computer, made possible by the bizarre nature of quantum mechanics. And though the idea is still in its infancy, it's no fantasy.

Two research teams, at Harvard University and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Germany, have just announced that they have independently forged the building blocks for tomorrow's quantum computers. As they published today in the journal Nature (1, 2), the scientists discovered a way to hook up atoms and particles of light to create a new type of switch and logic-gate‚ quantum versions of the connecting structures that link bits of data in modern computers.

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More News On Developments Towards A Quantum Computers

Atom-Photon ‘Switch’ Heralds Quantum Networking Advances -- Time
New “switch” could power quantum computing -- R&D
New ‘switch’ brings scientists one step closer to quantum computing -- Science Recorder
New 'Switch' Could Bring Scientists Closer To Highly-Anticipated Quantum Computing -- HNGN
New Atom And Photon 'Switch' May Bring Quantum Computers Closer to Reality -- Counsel & Heal
Atom-Photon switch: Quantum computing looks closer than ever -- NVO News

Human Organs: The The Next Frontier In 3-D Printing

The Next Frontier In 3-D Printing: Human Organs -- CNN

(CNN) -- The emerging process of 3-D printing, which uses computer-created digital models to create real-world objects, has produced everything from toys to jewelry to food.

Soon, however, 3-D printers may be spitting out something far more complex, and controversial: human organs.

For years now, medical researchers have been reproducing human cells in laboratories by hand to create blood vessels, urine tubes, skin tissue and other living body parts. But engineering full organs, with their complicated cell structures, is much more difficult.

Enter 3-D printers, which because of their precise process can reproduce the vascular systems required to make organs viable. Scientists are already using the machines to print tiny strips of organ tissue. And while printing whole human organs for surgical transplants is still years away, the technology is rapidly developing.

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My Comment: This is exciting stuff .... and will impact all of us in the years to come.

How To Levitate And Melt An Aluminum At The Same Time

An Aluminum Slug Melts And Levitates At The Same Time -- io9

Run an alternating current through a coiled length of copper and you'll create a levitation cylinder. Drop a bar of aluminum in and you've got yourself some hovering metal. But leave the metal there too long...

The thing about this levitation cylinder is that it doubles as an induction heater. In a nutshell: the current coursing through the copper (which has been coiled to form a solenoid) creates an alternating magnetic field. The magnetic field induces a special form of electrical current (known as eddy currents) in the hovering piece of aluminum. These eddy currents give rise a phenomenon, called Joule heating, that, with enough power, can cause the metal to become very, very hot, as it does here.

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My Comment: This is so cool.