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Just stop reading Clancy's books from after the Soviet Union collapsed and you'll be fine. Two exceptions: Without Remorse and Rainbow Six. (The latter is deeply stupid, but in an awesome/hilarious way).
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Aug 1, 2017 14:53
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Phanatic posted:Not to mention hundreds of pages of subplots that went nowhere at all. Like the two guys who build an ANFO bomb out of a cement truck and then randomly do something dumb and get arrested at a diner. Boy, I'm sure glad you wasted pages on that bunch of nothing. I once heard a spirited defense of that from a Clancy fan saying that it is good and realistic, because so often a terrorist is stopped by some good ole sheriff just doing his job instead of snazzy counter-terrorism, so actually we should be thankful that we got to read all that poo poo.
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Aug 1, 2017 15:02
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hobbesmaster posted:Alternatively I guess we could revive the sprint and deploy it along the DMZ. It only carries a 1kT warhead though and thats practically nothing by ridiculous cold war weapons standards. Of course, the second NK starts thinking about MIRVs (and who's going to stop them) the whole thing becomes futile. evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Aug 1, 2017 |
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Aug 1, 2017 15:16
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KJU, you can have all the ICBMs you want, just promise to stage them within 15 miles of our boost interceptors.
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Aug 1, 2017 15:18
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Even with Sprint, or the Russian equivalent, a launch phase interception is almost impossible.
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Aug 1, 2017 15:24
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Yeah, Sprint is purpose built for one thing: getting a small nuke up above your head to blow up the bigger nukes that are already falling. Doubt is has the legs to do any boost phase intercept unless it launches from the same place as your target. E. There's a reason it didn't stay in service for long.
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Aug 1, 2017 15:50
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evil_bunnY posted:They could put a modern guidance package in the spring and kinetic-kill them all day. Zero to mach 10 in 5 seconds because gently caress you. Wanna see that spring  e: from a safe distance
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Aug 1, 2017 16:48
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aphid_licker posted:Wanna see that spring
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Aug 1, 2017 16:58
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Are giant chemical lasers in geosynchronous orbit above North Korea too much to ask for? Seriously, people.
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Aug 1, 2017 17:07
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Hubis posted:Are giant chemical lasers in geosynchronous orbit above North Korea too much to ask for? Seriously, people.  Boy, I wish we had one of those doomsday machines...
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Aug 1, 2017 17:09
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mlmp08 posted:I once heard a spirited defense of that from a Clancy fan saying that it is good and realistic, because so often a terrorist is stopped by some good ole sheriff just doing his job instead of snazzy counter-terrorism, so actually we should be thankful that we got to read all that poo poo. I think that was someone arguing with me in the book barn, I mentioned that side plot once in there because it's just so absolutely bizzare. Never in any other book, and I've suffered through some terrible books, have I seen an entire self contained story arc die on the vine without touching or impacting anything outside of itself like that.
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Aug 1, 2017 17:46
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Shooting Blanks posted:It was close enough that the dude in the book was burned alive by the backblast from the launch. That could easily be from over 100 meters away. A lot more depending on the rocket, the launch facility, and where the shooter is.
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Aug 1, 2017 17:55
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shame on an IGA posted:I think that was someone arguing with me in the book barn, I mentioned that side plot once in there because it's just so absolutely bizzare. Never in any other book, and I've suffered through some terrible books, have I seen an entire self contained story arc die on the vine without touching or impacting anything outside of itself like that.
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Aug 1, 2017 18:08
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Hubis posted:Are giant chemical lasers in geosynchronous orbit above North Korea too much to ask for? Seriously, people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILIhh32URRM
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Aug 1, 2017 18:11
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Shooting Blanks posted:Debt of Honor predates EO. That's the one where Clancy effectively wrote a modern version of Japan's unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor (instead having them occupy the Marshall Islands), crash the US economy, and it culminates with a rogue Japanese pilot flying a 747 into the Senate building during the State of the Union address, wiping out almost the entire executive and legislative branches. P. sure Clancy wasn't the only big name author writing stuff like that either.
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Aug 1, 2017 18:50
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Shooting Blanks posted:Debt of Honor predates EO. That's the one where Clancy effectively wrote a modern version of Japan's unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor (instead having them occupy the Marshall Islands), crash the US economy, and it culminates with a rogue Japanese pilot flying a 747 into the Senate building during the State of the Union address, wiping out almost the entire executive and legislative branches. Debt of Honor is completely nuts (wasn't there also something about Japan secretly developing ICBMs?), but at least in that one the US military's fancy geegaws are bested and they have to be clever to win. In EO and B&D they just roll up whoever they're fighting with no difficulty whatever because they have the best toys.
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Aug 1, 2017 18:50
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shame on an IGA posted:I think that was someone arguing with me in the book barn, I mentioned that side plot once in there because it's just so absolutely bizzare. Never in any other book, and I've suffered through some terrible books, have I seen an entire self contained story arc die on the vine without touching or impacting anything outside of itself like that. Someone never read any Game of Thrones.
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Aug 1, 2017 19:43
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raWZraPHLqM I would also accept a low-altitude orbital vehicle, but I think that would rely on us catching the vehicle on the pad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTx_qTwQqjU
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Aug 1, 2017 19:44
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Cyrano4747 posted:Someone never read any Game of Thrones. Hey, those story arcs might be relevant in the next book
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Aug 1, 2017 20:17
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howe_sam posted:Debt of Honor is completely nuts (wasn't there also something about Japan secretly developing ICBMs?), but at least in that one the US military's fancy geegaws are bested and they have to be clever to win. In EO and B&D they just roll up whoever they're fighting with no difficulty whatever because they have the best toys. Yeah, it was insanity like taking down part of the Japanese AWACS fleet with what is effectively a laser gun to blind the pilots of two of them, the Japanese Prime Minister kidnapped and put under house arrest so the megacorporations could ultimately sieze control, and yes, several of a much improved Japanese version of the SS-18 hidden carefully that we had to use a B-2 to take out.
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Aug 1, 2017 20:24
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I stopped reading Clancy when *on* 9/11 he was plugging his books as an 'expert' and talking about "you know, I wrote about something like this once..." I also had a friend who worked at a book store he was going to be coming to for a signing, and his rider had poo poo in it like "do not talk to the artist" and "two cartons of Marlboro Reds must be made available to Mr. Clancy along with someplace inside to smoke them so he doesn't have to mingle with readers any longer than he has to." She had *nothing* complimentary to say about him other than "he left promptly." ...of course, knowing some of his readers... "Mister Clancy, I was wondering if I could ask you about page 179 in Red Storm Rising where you wrote that the Mark 48 ADCAP...  "
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Aug 1, 2017 20:27
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BIG HEADLINE posted:
See I'd think this would drive you to drink over the decades. Maybe the cartons of cigarettes are to run into Chicago to avoid taxes?
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Aug 1, 2017 21:39
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Torrannor posted:Can you recommend some for me? Find the latest edition of The Spread of Nuclear Weapons by Waltz & Sagan Extremely dumbed down edition: in a purely realist world, every state would have nuclear weapons, they are the ultimate insurance against invasion. This is a good thing, it prevents conventional war (nuclear stability theory). States like Iran, Iraq and North Korea seek nuclear weapons as insurance against regime change, and proliferation by these states isn't a big deal because they aren't going to use them offensively. Counterpoint: Proliferation has not occurred. Nuclear armed states have fought conventional conflicts. Cue of literature on why this has / has not happened. (Nuclear umbrella, public opinion, etc) Recent events such as the invasions of Iraq and the Ukraine as points to why you should have nukes, and also the rise of the idea of nuclear terrorism have resulted in additional papers. Edit: the above is a giant oversimplification that leaves out a ton of details and theory Smiling Jack fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Aug 1, 2017 |
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Aug 1, 2017 21:40
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Nuclear proliferation is a nation-state's second amendment right.
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Aug 1, 2017 21:55
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Cat Mattress posted:Nuclear proliferation is a nation-state's second amendment right. ...Had not thought of it that way before. Now I want to see an ICBM launch console with a bullet button.
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Aug 1, 2017 22:28
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Sperglord Actual posted:P. sure Clancy wasn't the only big name author writing stuff like that either. Clive Cussler's Dragon involved the Japanese trying to take over America by sneaking nukes into cities hidden in new cars. Dirk Pitt had to dig up the super-secret third B-29 carrying an atom bomb in 1945 to stop them.
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Aug 1, 2017 23:40
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Vincent Van Goatse posted:Clive Cussler's Dragon involved the Japanese trying to take over America by sneaking nukes into cities hidden in new cars. Dirk Pitt had to dig up the super-secret third B-29 carrying an atom bomb in 1945 to stop them. I was about to mention this book cause I read it in like 7th grade but decided against it. There was that other one where the Titanic held the key material to a missile defense shield that compacted the atmosphere into a wall of air or something. Those books were strange. Good to middle school me, but strange.
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Aug 1, 2017 23:47
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Mazz posted:There was that other one where the Titanic held the key material to a missile defense shield that compacted the atmosphere into a wall of air or something. Those books were strange. Good to middle school me, but strange. Poor quality iron soaked in ice-cold sea water?
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Aug 2, 2017 00:06
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I consider myself lucky that the only Clancy I ever got suckered into reading was Rainbow six. Also yeah that Godfather part was loving weird.
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Aug 2, 2017 00:08
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Carth Dookie posted:I consider myself lucky that the only Clancy I ever got suckered into reading was Rainbow six. You should read Red Storm Rising
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Aug 2, 2017 00:20
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Old stuff like The Cardinal of the Kremlin can be great I wonder how well it has aged...
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Aug 2, 2017 00:28
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Smiling Jack posted:the next book
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Aug 2, 2017 00:33
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Yes, it's like a lava lamp.
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Mazz posted:You should read Red Storm Rising Red Storm Rising is one of my favourite pure entertainment books. Never quite sure whos side I'm on though!
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Aug 2, 2017 00:47
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Potato Salad posted:Old stuff like The Cardinal of the Kremlin can be great I reread it about 5 years ago along with Clear and Present Danger. They both held up OK.
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Aug 2, 2017 00:48
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None of these books are as bad a the wingman series by Mack Maloney where the main character flies the only modern plane left in the world which happens to be a Thunderbirds F-16 which he modified to have 6 guns and more missile pylons
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Aug 2, 2017 01:06
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Potato Salad posted:Old stuff like The Cardinal of the Kremlin can be great Great. Love that book. As Cold War spy thrillers go it's pretty top-notch.
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Aug 2, 2017 01:17
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Apropos of nothing, here's a link to the C++ coding standards document for the JSF project: http://www.stroustrup.com/JSF-AV-rules.pdf
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Aug 2, 2017 01:27
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Hexyflexy posted:Red Storm Rising is one of my favourite pure entertainment books. Never quite sure whos side I'm on though! Is that the one with the AIR FORCE OFFICER that saves an innocent pure icelandic girl from EVIL RUSSIANS? That whole arc in Iceland is utterly pointless.
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Aug 2, 2017 01:30
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orange juche posted:Is that the one with the AIR FORCE OFFICER that saves an innocent pure icelandic girl from EVIL RUSSIANS? The PREGNANT innocent pure Icelandic girl!
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Aug 2, 2017 01:50
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The only military fiction I've read is The Last Ship back in high school which I thought was pretty good save for some embarrassingly bad sex scenes
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Aug 2, 2017 01:56
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