Search found 267 matches

by zapkitty
Sun Aug 01, 2010 1:46 am
Forum: General
Topic: Has any thought been given to a polywell powered BOLO?
Replies: 70
Views: 22162

You're quoting figures I haven't seen, unless those are for chemical lasers. Nope. Solid-state lasers have been the primary laser for the various laser programs since the tech for multi-kilowatt modules became feasible. Grumman reached the 100kW at combat durations goal last year, Textron reached t...
by zapkitty
Sun Aug 01, 2010 1:01 am
Forum: News
Topic: Polywell FOIA
Replies: 475
Views: 185727

And there's always the very real possibility that they aren't being given too many options besides "lock it down... now." While oil is far from being the only resource in the oligarchic toolbox, it cannot be denied that oil has been a very convenient lever for our lords and masters... and they might...
by zapkitty
Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:49 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Has any thought been given to a polywell powered BOLO?
Replies: 70
Views: 22162

Amidst all the theorizing it's good to remember that powerful directed energy weapons are not a given just because you have lots of electricity. Lots of electricity means solid state lasers, but they're still so inefficient that the heat generated severely limits their power. Even when they have ac...
by zapkitty
Sat Jul 31, 2010 7:13 am
Forum: General
Topic: Has any thought been given to a polywell powered BOLO?
Replies: 70
Views: 22162

... so instead of the tank hiding from the aircraft the aircraft is now hiding from the tank?... ;)
by zapkitty
Sat Jul 31, 2010 2:15 am
Forum: General
Topic: Has any thought been given to a polywell powered BOLO?
Replies: 70
Views: 22162

If we can get polywell working well enough to power something the size of a mech, I see no reason you would not simply put more of that power into a fleet of aircraft that almost never have to land/refuel, and if they make directed energy weapons more combat capable than current munitions, they wou...
by zapkitty
Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:07 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Has any thought been given to a polywell powered BOLO?
Replies: 70
Views: 22162

Yeah. That is why tanks are obsolete until someone invents a power-source capable of supporting a high power laser system capable of downing aircraft like it was swatting flies. ... and any sensible implementation thereof will take out all anti-tank missiles and infantry within range... which bring...
by zapkitty
Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:47 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Has any thought been given to a polywell powered BOLO?
Replies: 70
Views: 22162

The Soviets countered APFSDS with their Kontakt-5 Explosive Reactive Armor before the end of the Cold War, and as Russkies have only improved it since. K5 was so good that when the US Army & Bundeswehr got their hands on some, they lost sphincter control. Last I knew reactive armor was only good ag...
by zapkitty
Fri Jul 30, 2010 11:40 am
Forum: General
Topic: Has any thought been given to a polywell powered BOLO?
Replies: 70
Views: 22162

Interestingly. a polywell could well usher in a new generation of yet more capable armored fighting vehicles. With such a large amount of electrical power available it becomes feasible to mount point defense laser turrets onto a tank. This would potentially tilt the balance in favor of the main bat...
by zapkitty
Fri Jul 30, 2010 9:17 am
Forum: General
Topic: Female chauvinist pigs?
Replies: 6
Views: 1564

.... and I thought the first post was a surprising outbreak of Schlaflyism...
by zapkitty
Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:43 am
Forum: General
Topic: Has any thought been given to a polywell powered BOLO?
Replies: 70
Views: 22162

Sorry, but it is not in the cost class of an aircraft carrier. An aircraft carrier, 300 meters of steel is the cost of a division of BOLOs. Carriers don't have to carry armor capable of stopping heavy anti-tank rounds... 70 meters by 30 meters by an unknown width times armor enough to stop at least...
by zapkitty
Fri Jul 30, 2010 1:21 am
Forum: General
Topic: Has any thought been given to a polywell powered BOLO?
Replies: 70
Views: 22162

Re: Has any thought been given to a polywell powered BOLO?

Nope, no one has considered that idea at all.... ;) http://www.talk-polywell.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p=45209&highlight=#45209 How big would a tank need to be to carry a polywell, and what kind of armament could it muster. The obvious answer would seem to be a 7 meter cube plus weapons plus propulsion m...
by zapkitty
Thu Jul 29, 2010 5:28 pm
Forum: General
Topic: 2010:warmest year ever since records began
Replies: 547
Views: 101958

What if I shoot your dog or a relative, ... My dog, yes, if I volunteer. My relative, only if tse volunteers. (Tse, "That sapient entity", an proposed gender/species neutral pronoun). While gender-reliance does cause real and demonstrable communications problems for the language... that particular ...
by zapkitty
Thu Jul 29, 2010 3:11 pm
Forum: General
Topic: High Speed Rail
Replies: 37
Views: 13441

If you are going to use the rails, why not just use a train? I guess I just don't get the issue here. It really is on topic... in this case getting a high-speed rail system starting from a low-speed infrastructure. If I wanted to go with fly-by-wire for each car I'd just skip the whole "air cushion...
by zapkitty
Thu Jul 29, 2010 2:30 pm
Forum: General
Topic: High Speed Rail
Replies: 37
Views: 13441

Of course for the straightaways loading is no problem. I could see designing a track follower. It is just a question of getting a good enough system frequency response. The problems come with loading in the curves. Oh yeah... I'm not a rail buff but I've gathered that the steel wheels handle all th...
by zapkitty
Thu Jul 29, 2010 9:18 am
Forum: General
Topic: High Speed Rail
Replies: 37
Views: 13441

I'm not thinking of the load. I'm thinking of blasts of air throwing the gravel outside the trackway. errrrr.... gravel roads are a very standard thoroughfare for hovercraft. Indeed, when a road is intended primarily for use by hovercraft a gravel road is usually what is built. Any particular reaso...