A Conversation for The Quite Interesting Society
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 9, 2009
Very close but back to front.
Have a DGI +1 for perseverance.
QI - Penning an open letter.
gandalfstwin OGGMSTKMBGSUIKWIATA Posted Dec 9, 2009
That means that a 'secret' paper wasn't worth the sheet of paper that it was written on.
Seeing as we are moving into A-Bomb territory in 1942, did this Penn guy design a bomb that simply would not work, and Bush knew this, because he had done his sums, and Penn hadn't????
GT
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 9, 2009
Let me clear that up before you go to far.
It means a public paper became secret. (i.e was censored) - what you've to figure ut is what kind of public paper.
>this guy Penn<
There was no-one called "Penn".
On the matter of 'having a bomb that wouldn't work.' you are so tantalisingly close.
QI - Penning an open letter.
pedro Posted Dec 10, 2009
Wasn't Heisenberg wrong about something quite fundamental in how a nuclear bomb would work? So was one of his papers made confidential to wrong-foot the Germans? Or the Russians too?
QI - Penning an open letter.
pedro Posted Dec 10, 2009
Or, De Broglie came up the the equations for waves being particles too. Something to do with him?
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 10, 2009
Well in truth all these names may have been caught up in it by virtue of the fact that they worked at Los Alamos for the Manhatten project, but that kind of wide-net truism aside - no de Broglie ad nothing to do with this.
You were closest with Teller.
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 10, 2009
>was one of his papers made confidential to wrong-foot the Germans? Or the Russians too<
This was MUCH bigger than ONE paper. 
and no on the wrong-footing.
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 10, 2009
But I'm off to bed - to be resumed tomorrow.
QI - Penning an open letter.
tzjin_anthony_ks Posted Dec 10, 2009
did it have something to do with gambling? (teller-ulam-monte carlo)
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 10, 2009
Nope.
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 10, 2009
I just fell in. 
"Penning"
"Penn and Teller" 
"Edward Teller" - 
Pure coincidence.
There *is* a significant link to Edward Teller, but it's got nothing to do with surnames.
QI - Penning an open letter.
Taff Agent of kaos Posted Dec 10, 2009
was the story of how to build a super weapon to end the war published in a news paper, and it was sooo close to the truth that it was censored in the interests of national security
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 10, 2009
Nope
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 10, 2009
I remind you. 1942, there was no bomb yet.
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 10, 2009
No nibbles on the line this evening. 
| | | | | 
| | | *
QI - Penning an open letter.
gandalfstwin OGGMSTKMBGSUIKWIATA Posted Dec 10, 2009
Did someone want to walk before they could crawl??
ie. Build a fusion weapon before they had built a fission weapon??
GT
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 11, 2009
(@116 
)
Nope You're all thinking to BIG.
QI - Penning an open letter.
Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. Posted Dec 11, 2009
By way of a hint (signpost reads: secret lair in cave under mountain O.B.L xxx ) try this:
The novelty of the new. 
QI - Penning an open letter.
Vip Posted Dec 11, 2009
O. B. L. - that's not Bin Laden, is it? So was Bsh afriad of terrorist attacks?
But what's that got to do with censorship?
Aaah! This one is doing my brain in, Clive!
Key: Complain about this post
QI - Penning an open letter.
- 101: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 9, 2009)
- 102: gandalfstwin OGGMSTKMBGSUIKWIATA (Dec 9, 2009)
- 103: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 9, 2009)
- 104: pedro (Dec 10, 2009)
- 105: pedro (Dec 10, 2009)
- 106: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 10, 2009)
- 107: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 10, 2009)
- 108: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 10, 2009)
- 109: tzjin_anthony_ks (Dec 10, 2009)
- 110: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 10, 2009)
- 111: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 10, 2009)
- 112: Taff Agent of kaos (Dec 10, 2009)
- 113: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 10, 2009)
- 114: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 10, 2009)
- 115: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 10, 2009)
- 116: Malabarista - now with added pony (Dec 10, 2009)
- 117: gandalfstwin OGGMSTKMBGSUIKWIATA (Dec 10, 2009)
- 118: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 11, 2009)
- 119: Clive the flying ostrich: Amateur Polymath | Chief Heretic. (Dec 11, 2009)
- 120: Vip (Dec 11, 2009)
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