March 2007 Archive

Just reading TPMmuckraker today and saw this article on the Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs) that were discussed in this article of the New York Times. What surprised me was the actual description of the device as seen here in this graphic (click on the graphic on the right) and my personal close experience with them.

Back in the late 80s/early 90s, I was a newly minted engineer from Purdue, seeking jobs in the engineering world. I was a CS/EE and was talking to a number of companies. One of my trips to a company was to Honeywell in Minneapolis where I was introduced to the Advanced Weapons Group. I spent the day with one of the engineers who offered me a glimpse into two new weapons they were developing for the US Government and how they needed a good controls engineer to work on them. While I forgot the first one, the second one is quite familiar:

“You launch the projectile into the air ABOVE the target in a very high arc. The projectile deploys a parachute and begins its decent, scanning the terrain like a mini radar system. Once it determines its target, an explosive charge occurs behind the material and the shaping of the charge causes it to deform into a mortar-like object. This will then plunge through tanks and other defenses quite easily.”

I remember the picture of the six inch steel wall that had been pierced by the projectile and how the engineer commented on how the shrapnel of the projectile was even more destructive within the enclosed environment, killing all of the combatants inside.

Suffice it to say, I did not take the job offer.

Tags: Explosively Formed Penetrators, EFP

I go to bed with one thought and awake to another. Reading the New York Times, I saw the following article on Florida’s work on moving the date of their primary:

The Senate is taking more time to study the pros and cons, said Senator Jeremy Ring, a Democrat from Parkland who is sponsoring a Senate version of the proposal.

Still, Mr. Ring said the Senate would most “likely” endorse the leap to Jan. 29 by the time the legislative session ends in May. The Senate’s current bill calls for moving the primary to Feb. 19, but Mr. Ring said that date was serving as a placeholder while lawmakers debate the issue.

“Right now it looks like Jan. 29 would be more favorable,” he said from Tallahassee. “One thing you can be sure of is that Florida will be relevant during the primaries.”

Jeremy is a powerful force when it comes to his vision - I was proud to work with him in his run and think his vision on building up the back-benches for the Democrats is important. This move to bring the Florida primary up will increase Florida’s influence in the process, one I also think is long overdue.

Here’s to wishing the State Senate well in making the decision.

Tags: Jeremy Ring, Florida primary

Yes, after all of these posts about websites and opinions on political matters, a “how to” post. The inspiration comes from a conversation with my friend Howard Greenstein, CEO of Social Media Club who just came from a lecture where he was a panelist on SEO/SEM. Funnily enough, what he told me has been second nature to so many sites that most people forget, and do not think to improve once they have it. So, to help in the discussion, let me give you my quick-and-dirty list of “to-dos” for improving SEO/SEM.

Read the rest of this entry »

On the subway today and I happen to glance over at the seat next to me. Someone left a NYPost sitting there - and I decide to pass the time away, reading the articles. I forgot how insane this paper is (and how right-wing it can be) until I read the following article:

GLOBAL WARMING OIL BOON

March 19, 2007 — HANOVER, N.H. - Global warming, blamed for melting polar bears’ icy Arctic habitat, could be a boon to the shipping and oil industries in the far north, according to a new report.

The dramatic decrease in sea ice above the Arctic Circle means that formerly impenetrable shipping routes are now open or soon could be for much of the year, the U.S. Arctic Research Commission wrote in a report released last week at an Arctic-scientist summit in Hanover.

“[This will] significantly shorten global marine transportation routes,” says the report, prepared for President Bush and Congress.

Beyond shipping, less sea ice means easier access for offshore oil exploration and drilling in the Arctic, which is thought to contain about 25 percent of the world’s remaining oil and gas reserves, the report said.

But with increased prospecting for oil and gas, the report noted, the risk of spills also rises, spurring the need for new clean-up technologies.

Hey - finally, an upside to the melting ice caps! Easier for the tankers to get more oil to us and allow us to lower the price on oil (yeah, right!). Can someone please tell the editors at the NYPost that they need to get their priorities straight? I mean, really, a report on the positive effects of global warming? Well, it was a warm winter this year - and I throughly enjoyed the late snow this weekend in New York City. Did the Groundhog see his shadow this year?

Tags: Global Warming, New York Post