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Aucbvax.1458 fa.arms-d utzoo!duke!decvax!ucbvax!FONER@MIT-AI Sat May 30 20:04:25 1981 Article in Boston Globe today by Kistiakowsky and Tsipis FONER@MIT-AI 05/30/81 22:54:17 Re: Article in Boston Globe today by Kistiakowsky and Tsipis To: Arms-D at MIT-MC There was an interesting article in today's Boston Globe by George Kistiakowsky and Kosta Tsipis arguing that space was no place for an arms race.

What was particularly amusing was the following comment:

"...There have even appeared journalistic hyperbolae to the effect that it would be possible, within the next decade or so, to deploy "death ray" weapons in outer space that could protect the United States from a missile attack. Such claims are totally unsupported by technological reality and are science fiction best left to Hollywood."

It occurred to me that this sounded like typical flaming I'd heard on this list. Then, and then only, did I look at who wrote the article (I tend to start in the middle of things and not read author's names a lot...), and nearly fell over backward laughing. I wonder if flaming occurs in every such discussion... rather than being limited to the rather unique, fast-response characteristics of the ARPAnet. Certainly it is obvious that these authors have a tendency to flame... and nowhere did the article mention just *why* these were SF dreams.

Please note: I am in no way commenting on whether or not such devices are practical in the next decade, or whether they are needed. There's been enough reasoned discussion (and, *sigh*, flaming) on that issue in this list recently. I'm only mentioning that this guy sounds like a flamer even in a newspaper. Perhaps balancing flames about him are the best way to talk about him.

By the way, I've been referring to Tsipis as "him" above. I've never heard of Kistiakowsky, so I won't comment on him. The Globe does, however, say that he is professor emeritus of chemistry at Harvard, chairmain of the Council for a Livable World, and former science advisor to Ike. I guess I'm just uninformed as usual.

<LNF>

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