Infrared Imaging: Sense Out of Chaos
Infrared (IR) sensors festoon soldiers helmets, hang limpet-like on Apache and Pavelow helicopters, and are integral to M1 tanks and their battlefield kin.
X-Ray Vision
How do you “see” molecules? The molecules in plastic explosives? Or nerve gas? Or cocaine? Or Anthrax DNA? A dog’s nose is pretty good at this form of vision, which is why canines are showing up a lot in places like airports these days.
The Power of Millimeter Waves
Edison’s bulb radiates power around 500,000 GHz, which is convenient, because that’s in the frequency range our eyes can see. The downside: light doesn’t penetrate clothes, walls, fog, smoke, foliage, and dirt.
Highly Ordered Power
We built what became the four bombs; they hijacked them. We supplied the engineers, turbines and wings; they supplied suicidal fanatics and cardboard cutters. The Capitol was saved, apparently, because our civilians overwhelmed their conscripts in hand-to-hand combat on one of the planes.