Restricted Data: The Nuclear Secrecy Blog
A fascinating blog documenting the secrecy around nuclear weaponry, past and present, by Alex Wellerstein of the American Institue of Physics.
Tags: coldwar
greg.org: the making of: The Satelloons Of Project Echo: Must. Find. Satelloons.
Bomp. bomp. bomp. Satelloon of love. Bomp. bomp. bomp. Satelloon of love.
Советские плакаты по гражданской обороне
This cold-war era soviet manual for post-nuclear life is as fascinating as it is horrifying.
A Tall Tail by Charles Stross | Tor.com
A terrific little conspiracy theory short story from Charles Stross set at last year’s (very real) 100 Year Starship gathering.
IBM Sage Computer Ad, 1960 - YouTube
A 1960 advertisement for IBM’s SAGE system …WOPR by another name.
To be ready for the worst so that the worst will never happen…
Innovation Starvation | World Policy Institute
A rallying cry from Neal Stephenson for Getting Big Stuff Done.
Inside the Russian Short Wave Radio Enigma | Magazine
There are echoes of “the footage” from Gibson’s Pattern Recognition in this strange tale of a cold war radio signal.
Cosmonaut Crashed Into Earth ‘Crying In Rage’ : Krulwich Wonders… : NPR
An astonishing story from the Soviet side of the space race that is equal parts stupidity and sacrifice.
Wired 9.03: Founding Father
Here’s a gem from the past: a thoroughly fascinating and gripping interview with Paul Baran by Stewart Brand. It’s thrilling stuff—I got goosebumps.
Space stasis: What the strange persistence of rockets can teach us about innovation. - By Neal Stephenson - Slate Magazine
An excellent historical overview of rocketry by Neal Stephenson.