"1945-1998" by Isao Hashimoto - a timelapse of nuclear explosions on Earth

[gary]

In seeking solutions to the apparent Fermi-Hart paradox (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox#cite_note-48), some writers have
proposed that as a civilization technologically advances, the probability of it wiping
itself out with advanced weapons also increases.

I first saw this 14 minute video by Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto some time back
as part of an introduction (http://fora.tv/2010/09/21/Richard_Rhodes_Twilight_of_the_Bomb s) to a talk given by Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Rhodes (http://www.richardrhodes.com/).

The artist describes the film as "a bird’s eye view of the history of nuclear explosions
from 1945-1998 by scaling down a month into one second". The film was
based mostly on data of "Nuclear Explosions 1945-2008 (http://www.iaea.org/inis/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/31/060/31060372.pdf)" by Nils-Olov Bergkvist and
Ragnhild Ferm.

Video here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxyRLvcjVCw

[GeoffW1]

Hi,

That is truly scary.

There is another possible answer for the Fermi Paradox, which is that any recent ET observer would not have close knowledge of the political systems we use, their time-spans, and our mind-set towards wars and weaponry (roughly, that whole nations will follow their political leaders into war without much question).

So observing the THOUSANDS of nuclear explosions (OMG) since 1945, they might conclude there is a long running nuclear war going on (almost true, isn't it?).

Wouldn't WE stay away?

Cheers

[brian nordstrom]

:sadeyes: scary stuff , kinda makes me wonder ,, is this the reason cancer is rife in the world today ??
I did not realise that , that many have been let off ,, fools!!!
Brian .

[gary]

Hi Geoff,

You raise a good point.

If one were delivering pizza, got to the front door of a stranger's house and heard
the sounds of breaking glass, screaming and live gunfire inside, you would
undoubtedly be reticent to knock on the door and call out "Pizza!". :lol:

What is possibly even more poignant is when you consider the video only
depicts weapons that were tested, not those were/are ready to deploy or
were/are in stockpiles at any one point in time.

As Richard Rhodes writes in his 2007 book, "Arsenals of Folley - The Making of the
Nuclear Arms Race (http://www.amazon.com/Arsenals-Folly-Making-Nuclear-Arms/dp/0375414134)", by 1960 the U.S. arsenal had increased to 18,638 bombs
and warheads yielding 20,500 megatons (1.4 million Hiroshimas)".

The first Single Integrated Operational Plan, designated SIOP-62, (http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB130/) "was designed
to work either preemptively or in retaliation for a Soviet nuclear strike on the
United States". "It targeted not only the Soviet Union but also the People's Republic
of China and allies of the two countries in Eastern Europe and elsewhere". [Rhodes p 87]

The plan called for some 3,200 nuclear weapons to be delivered to 1,060 enemy
designated ground zeros (DGZ's) in the event of a preemptive strike.
Throwing everything they had into an initial strike was what SAC commander
Curtis LeMay called his "Sunday punch". [Rhodes p 84]

General David Shoup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_M._Shoup), the Marine Corps commandant, reportedly asked
Thomas Power (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_S._Power), commander in chief at SAC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Air_Command), at a SIOP briefing in 1960
"if the United States had any options to avoid bombing China if the country
happened not to be involved in the conflict that had lead to nuclear war."
Power replied, "Yeah, we could do that. But I hope nobody thinks of it because
it would really screw up the plan." [Rhodes, p 87].

[Stardrifter_WA]

Hey Brian, I wouldn't worry about it. There is more radiation from the Sun, I would have thought. :)

[Miaplacidus]

Seems we should be more worried about being bombed by our own governments than by hostile nations. Ironic, hey?

[leon]

That's incredible, I had no idea so many have been detonated over this time, how scary is that.

Leon

[Stardrifter_WA]

I wouldn't worry about it. Live for today, as tomorrow we fry! :P

[TrevorW]

Lets really screw up our own planet first, fortunately a lot of these tests were carried out deep underground.

but that radiation has to have gone somewhere