Travel writing about nuclear weapons
Defense industry journalists Sharon Weinberger and Nathan Hodge took a two year tour of key locales related to nuclear weaponry and turned it into a book, A Nuclear Family Vacation. The pair visited a slew of intriguing destination, including the "Underground Pentagon" bunker where Cheney allegedly hangs out, the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility in Iran, the Trinity Test Site, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee, which until 9/11 hosted an annual Department of Energy deer hunt. IEEE Spectrum reviewed the book and posted a a slideshow from the "Nuclear Family Vacation." Looks like a fascinating read! From the article:
The 1955 Apple-2 bomb was designed for “civil effects testing” at the Nevada Test Site. The government built make-believe houses and stores and filled them with mannequin families to understand how civilian infrastructure would be disrupted by a nuclear blast. This shack (seen above) is a survivor of Apple-2.Link to IEEE Spectrum article, Link to buy A Nuclear Family Vacation
UPDATE: Noah Schacthman kindly reminded me that Sharon Weinberger also blogs at Danger Room. Noah posted a terrific interview with her today about the new book! Link
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"This shack (seen above) is a survivor of Apple-2"
Yes, but which shacks survived "Atari-800" or "Commodore-64"?
Ouch. That joke megahertz.
seems similar to the 4th book mentioned here: http://www.boingboing.net/2007/06/22/feral-house-and-proc.html
I'm planning a vacation to New Mexico at the end of summer and would've like to visit the Trinity Test Site, but unfortunately its only open to the public two days a year. Apparently the first Saturdays in April and October. Nuts. Radioactive Nuts, at that.
About two days ago here in Arizona I visited the Nuclear Silo still intact from the Cold War. It was very interesting to see, and hearing exactly how the missile would have been launched was a bit haunting. The Titan II is located just outside of Tuscon, and I'd highly recommend giving it a visit.
My friend Paul Jacobs, now dead, alas, produced a documentary about the nuclear gang years ago. He told me he'd learned that during one of the bomb tests in Nevada they had dressed animals up in military uniforms to test the effects of the blast on their skin.... and that they had used primarily pigs whose skin resembles ours.
So, Jacobs believed that somewhere there is film of pigs in military uniforms waiting for the bomb to fall and he told me he asked the Pentagon for it, please. FOIA and all.
And he told me the Pentagon guy said to him, Jacobs, I'm not saying there is any such film, I'm just saying you are never going to get it.
always found the opening seconds of this piquant;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeCQXVNK6jo
@Takuan (#7), Whoa, that's some heavy shit. Thanks. I think.