Hole in the Head Press

Google Book Scanning

No matter how the Google settlement ends up, Google's book scanning frenzy is going to have an impact on everyone who produces any "Media" for years and years. And the extent of that impact cannot yet be measured,but even at this early stage, it doesn't look good.

The way I look at this is that, in spite of Google's "Do No Evil" shtick, their technology prowess and financial resources have allowed them to commit massive copyright violations on a scale that has never before been possible.

And Google is not Robin Hood, robbing the rich to give to the poor thousands of books that would not be otherwise available.  This is a very touching story that some may swallow, but the fact is that Google has stolen the work of hundreds of thousands authors, illustrators, and publishers and is attempting to justify their actions by offering their stolen goods to the public - with certain strings attached.

They seem to have had a little help from certain cash strapped libraries that may not have thought through all the consequences of giving up their collection to Google to scan.  Not least of which is that if scans of this material are available on line, why patronize the library?

Since Google wants to be a "Media Company" they fully understand that they need to own or control or at least tie up the rights to as much "Media" as possible, and the theft of the rights of the authors, illustrators, and publishers of at least some10 million books looked to them to be the quickest route to becoming a "Media Company."

They also recognized that intellectual property rights is a very complex area of the law, and that the public has a very short attention span.

So Google worked out a "settlement" that is so stunningly complicated, convoluted and far reaching that it will take years to sort it all out in the courts. Google has the financial wherewithal to keep this thing tied up in the courts for years and years. Almost everybody will have forgotten about the whole thing by the time the final settlement has been worked out.

As time goes on, and everybody gets all twisted up in the minutia of the details of the settlement, and focusing on what celebrity author is suing Google. Google will be trucking along on its goal of being a "Media Company."

Meanwhile, they will have essentially gotten away with the largest theft of intellectual property rights in history.

Now, how does Google's activities impact Hole In The Head Press?

I'm currently in the process of reprinting "To Defend and Deter" an Air Force sponsored history of the Cold War ICBMs and other missile systems.  The first 10 chapters have already been reworked by my graphics and layout person.

So, I have substantial bucks invested in this project.

Google has already scanned this book.

I spent the better part of a year finding the person in the Pentagon that could approve reprinting the book.  Even though it is in the public domain, my efforts resulted in getting written approval and getting the original artwork and photographs from DOD.

Of course, I don't have exclusive rights to the material, and it is in the public domain, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Google has scanned it already.

So, am I doomed? 

I don't think so.

As I see it, it's my job to add value to my product and make it more attractive than the Google scanned book by updating the information, adding new photographs, and having all of the illustrations redrawn in a more artful manner.

In this way, Google will have scanned an "old" copy with out of date information.

Now, the question is - how do I keep Google from scanning my new version of this book when it comes on the market.

Given what I read, the answer is I don't really know.

Further, I find that Google has also already scanned another book that I intend to reproduce, "The Emerging Shield."

Again, I intend to hire an author to rewrite "The Emerging Shield" and combine the material with a second public domain book on the same topic to produce an entirely new product.

So, even if Google gets around to scanning both of these books, my product will be updated and very different than the two books that Google has scanned.

So, in this manner, I hope that Google's obsessive scanning, and attempts to overturn the copyright laws will have a minimal impact on my little enterprise.

I'm trying to fly under the radar, so to speak.

The Last Missile Site Due out Soon

The Last Missile Site by John Martini and Stephen Haller is due out in April 2010. This is a comprehensive account of SF-88, a Nike-Hercules missile site in the Marin Headlands. SF-88 is the only mechanically operational Nike launch site in the United States, and is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Last Missile site tells the story of SF-88 through the eyes of the men and women stationed there during the Cold War. For more information about The Last Missile Site go to the Hole In The Head Press website.

The 3rd Edition of Rings of Supersonic Steel Available Soon

The 3rd edition of Rings of Supersonic Steel should be available in April 2010. The new edition has grown to over 300 pages with the addition of new graphics, photographs, illustrations, and color plates of Nike unit distinctive insignia.

 

If you would like to know more about the new edition, check it out at Hole In The Head Press.

Nike Hercules Missile Model Available

This  1/40 scale US Army Nike Hercules Missile by Revell is available from Tower Hobbies.

Nike Ajax Warhead

Duck and Cover

Nike Warhead Systems

The family of warheads  used with guided missile MIN-14 includes one fragmentation warhead (T45) and the W31 nuclear warhead in three yields; 2 kt (kilo ton) (Mike-97), 20 kt (Mike-22), and 40 kt (Mike-23).  Some sources indicate yields of 1 kt, 20 Kt, and 40 kt.

Fragmentation

Warhead T45 consists of approximately 20,000 cubical, 140 grain, steel fragments arranged in single and double layers around a 625-pound explosive charge and warhead booster. Detonation of the warhead is initiated by a burst pulse form the missile guidance set. The burst pulse ignites a small explosive charge in two safety and arming devices M30A1. These charges ignite two explosive harnesses M38. The explosive harnesses detonate the warhead booster which in turn detonates the warhead charge. The safety and arming devices M30A1 cannot be fired until they are armed by the force of acceleration during the boost period. The fragment distribution (blast pattern) of warhead T45 is approximately spherical with a conical dead zone to the rear.

Nuclear

The W31  was designed by the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. The W31is a boosted fission nuclear device, meaning that the yield is enhanced by the addition of a mixture of deuterium and tritium gas to the core.  By adjusting the amount of D-T to the core, yield can be increased by 100%.  The W31 could be set to yield a range from one to forty kilotons. (Some references indicate a yield from two to forty kilotons.) Presumably, this was done by adjusting the amount of D-T in the core.

Nuclear Warhead Test

It is believed that the only time a NIKE nuclear warhead was tested was during the Operation Dominic.  A subset of tests, Operation Fishbowl, were conducted at the Pacific Test Range in November, 1962. 

Shot Fishbowl Tightrope was a Department of Defense sponsored live launch of a Nike Hercules Missile with a   W31 nuclear warhead.  The warhead detonated at 69,000 feet approximately two miles South South West of Johnston Island. The yield of this test is not in the public literature, but

The airburst created an intense white flash as seen on Johnston Island, too bright to view through high density goggles.  The detonation was accompanied by a strong heat pulse.  A yellow-orange disk formed, slowly changing to a purple toroid which faded from view after several minutes.

Fishbowl Tightrope Shot *

This shot is generally regarded as the last U.S. atmospheric test. The later zero-yield atmospheric plutonium dispersal tests conducted in Operation Roller Coaster are however listed as "nuclear tests" by the U.S. government and counted as part of the total of U.S. nuclear tests. Furthermore, several later Plowshare nuclear tests (Cabriolet, Palanquin, Buggy, and Schooner) were surface cratering shots, in which the explosions intentionally broke through the surface, venting a substantial fraction of the radioactivity produced.

* (Source:) http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Dominic.html

 

Strange Planes

Strange Machines

National Guard Poster

Chinese Shoot Down Satellite

The rumor is that the Chinese have successfully shot down - or destroyed in orbit - one of their old weather satellites, according to the ArmsControlWonk and Aviation Week.

If they have the capacity to do this on a regular basis, it pretty much puts all of our fancy-smanchy high technology - net-centric - near-real-time intelligence gadgets in real danger.