Updated 2025-03-30
Links to external websites
Video Channels
- Ward “Mooch” Carroll. Former F-14 Radar Intercept Officer in the US Navy. Excellent commentary and guests on national security / defense issues. My favorite guests include Justin Bronk, Bryan McGrath, Sal Mercogliano. Mooch manages to stay non-partisan despite discussing geopolitical issues.
- Engineering Explained. If you really want to know how cars work. Mechanical engineer Jason Fenske explains how the components and systems of cars work and the underlying principles. An excellent balance of technical detail and accessibility to non-engineers. My engineering background doesn’t include mechanical, and I learned a lot watching these videos.
Nuclear Science
- Garwin Archive. Richard L. Garwin, the most brilliant physicist you never heard of. Lots of good articles on nuclear technology, missile defense, and arms control, among other things. Also some good information on EMP (see below).
- Blog of Sherrell R. Greene, nuclear engineer
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)
EMP is an effect of nuclear detonations in space with the potential to do great harm to electrical systems and electronics over a large geographic area (large, like in the size of Alaska ballpark). It’s difficult to find good information about this. I have no faith in the media to report accurately on this threat.
- LA-UR-16-28380: EMP/GMD Phase 0 Report, A Review of EMP Hazard Environments and Impacts, issued 2016-11-07 (rev. 1). Or, search for it at www.osti.gov if that link is broken. This is the best EMP explainer I’ve found. I especially like Chapter 3: Overview of Nuclear EMP, which explains how EMP works.
Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT)
- The Journey of Actinium-225: How Scientists Discovered a New Way to Produce a Rare Medical Radioisotope. Promising research in delivering high doses of radiation to cancer with high selectivity using the radionuclide Actinium-225.
- An overview of targeted alpha therapy. National Institutes of Health paper with more detail on TAT.
Astronomy
News Sources
Think Tanks
Here are some think tanks that publish commentary that I find useful. (These are some personal favorites. I’ve seen some think tanks that publish mostly garbage.) Mainly, I like to read the articles by think tank researchers. They also publish other products like reports and videos. Below I’ve given brief instructions for reaching the articles.
- Atlantic Council. See Issues link. Pro-transatlanticism, pro-NATO.
- Center for Strategic and International Studies. In the hamburger icon at upper left, see Analysis link. Pretty neutral.
- Washington Institute for Near East Policy. See ANALYSIS link in menu bar near top. Pretty neutral.
- Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). UK think tank founded by the Duke of Wellington (defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo). Justin Bronk is a personal favorite.
- Brookings Institution. See RESEARCH & COMMENTARY link in menu bar near top. Left wing.
- Hudson Institute. See Commentary link under Research & Analysis link in menu bar at top. Right wing. Hudson is more partisan, as in taking gratuitous swipes at Joe Biden (still, though he’s retired from politics), but some authors are good about avoiding that. In spite of that, there are good experts making good points.
Media Outlets
- CNN Lite. The news in plain text only: no ads or popup videos or solicitations. It’s fast-loading and doesn’t slow down your device. Technically it’s great, especially for mobile devices. As for journalistic quality, it’s CNN; take that as you will.
- The War Zone. Comprehensive information and commentary on military events and technology. The ads and embedded media on this site are pretty intrusive and do slow down your device.