# Are scalar weapons for real? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 4, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879 "2003-08-04T12:50:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![SkyBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@SkyBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkyBum)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/81 "2003-08-14T12:58:35Z")
Say…all this talk about the 1920’s style Death Ray’s has gotten the Pentagon to [thinking](http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1018361,00.html). …and you all thought they weren’t listening in on our little discussion. > [@](#): > > \*\*US military pioneers death ray bomb > > Pentagon project brings fear of new arms race > > David Adam and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington > Thursday August 14, 2003 > > American military scientists are developing a weapon which kills by delivering an enormous burst of high-energy gamma rays, it is claimed today.\*\* When are you guys ever going to learn to keep your voices down? I’m telling you, they are using 1990’s style _listening devices_! Shhhhh! Did you just hear something? Oh God, I’m \*so \*outta here! ---
**Author:** ![SkyBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@SkyBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkyBum)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/82 "2003-08-14T13:08:35Z")
Heh. More on that updated 1920’s style death ray technology [here](http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-08/ns-gw081303.php). ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/83 "2003-08-14T13:37:49Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by SkyBum \* > \*\* American military scientists are developing a weapon which kills by delivering an enormous burst of high-energy gamma rays, it is claimed today._\* Gamma bomb??? The fools!!! Have they learned [nothing???](http://leaderslair.crosswinds.net/noexcuses/hulk001.html) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/84 "2003-08-14T13:38:48Z")
the link describes it as a Gamma Ray Bomb. Dr. Banner? Dr. Banner? Paging Dr. Bruce Banner?.. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/85 "2003-08-14T13:41:48Z")
Damn you, **Max Carnage**! Damn you, _and_ you Electro-Atomic Simul-Post Machine! 😉 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SkyBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@SkyBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkyBum)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/86 "2003-08-14T14:01:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > **the link describes it as a Gamma Ray Bomb.** Correct **Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor** but the headline described it as a **Death Ray Bomb**. And I LOVE it when they toss a bone back to that 'ol 1920’s death ray vibe. Kinda makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Or is that the 21st century mind control device beginning to take effect? Yikes! ---
**Author:** ![BlackPheonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BlackPheonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackPheonix)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/87 "2003-08-14T15:22:56Z")
Any man who electrocutes himself for fun is not my idea of stable… or genius. I forget what his death ray thing was all about, so I’ll get to the modern one. Seemingly it can cause earthquakes, hurricanes, a plethora of mental effects including (but certainly not limit to) mind control, and there’s some insignificant stuff about zapping electronics… blah blah blah. There are only two theoretical ways to zap people, computers, or both. Now zapping people would be highly moronic. You’re going to spend billions developing and building a weapon that is equal to artillery but takes a hellaoflotta energy and is theoretically impossible to aim. Yeah, sure. Not that killing computers is impossible. The effect of such a weapon to destroy electronics, while not totally debilitating, would have great effect on countries such as the US which rely on electronics heavily. Imagine a US with basically no air force, no navy and a crippled army combined with a shocked and TV-deprived public. Scary. The thing is you need to create an ElectroMagneticPulse to do so… the problem being is you need lots of energy to do so. From what I’ve read you need a wave of electrons to hit other electron thus making them go really fast, blah blah blah. Again, even if I knew exactly how this works it’d be pointless because there is no way of getting enough energy going to do so. Plus this can’t be done in the “death ray” style. You can’t just aim a straight ray at something. The best idea would be to suspend such a thing… but thats impractical. No, what you want is a electromagnetic bomb of sorts. Again, you need a way to get enough energy to produce a pulse of electrons. IF you could convert the kinetic energy of a nuke into a wave of electrons without blowing your bomb to kingdom come, then walla. But wait, why the hell would you bother? Thermonuclear bombs over 1 megaton produce a nice electromagnetic pulse anyhow. Please help my science because I may be totally off base. [http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/a-list/2003w10/msg00171.htm](http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/a-list/2003w10/msg00171.htm) [http://www.spacedaily.com/news/nuclearspace-03a.html](http://www.spacedaily.com/news/nuclearspace-03a.html) [http://www.google.com/search?q=electromagnetic+pulse+AND+university&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N](http://www.google.com/search?q=electromagnetic+pulse+AND+university&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/88 "2003-08-14T20:17:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BlackPheonix \* > \*\*Any man who electrocutes himself for fun is not my idea of stable… or genius. > \*\* I object! As long as you triple check your triple-redundant safety features and keep voltage and amperage at safe levels, it is fun. Who among us has never thrilled to the sensation of a square 9-volt touched to a wet tongue? Or dragged our feet across a carpet to play with static? Or stood on an insulated platform and touched a museum’s VanDergraf generator? Done properly, electrocuting yourself is not only safe and fun, it’s a great way to interest kids in science or pick up girls. ---
**Author:** ![BlackPheonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BlackPheonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackPheonix)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/89 "2003-08-14T20:41:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DocCathode \* > \*\*I object! > Who among us has never thrilled to the sensation of a square 9-volt touched to a wet tongue? > \*\* Ummm, me 🙂 He was starting to lose his sanity in the death ray years. Didn’t he also want to crack the earthin half or something? I appreciate his coils and other contributions to science, but he was a nutter .:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Olive\_The\_Other\_Reindeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Olive\_The\_Other\_Reindeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olive_The_Other_Reindeer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/90 "2003-08-15T01:58:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Trigonal Planar \* > \*\*Scalar weapons != creating lightning. \*\* What I want to know is . . . WHO WAS PLAYING WITH THEIR 1920’s DEATH RAY NEAR NIAGRA FALLS??? ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/91 "2003-08-15T02:07:02Z")
I think that the US is denying the involvement of any 1920’s style death rays in the Blackout. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/92 "2003-08-15T02:07:07Z")
I think that the US is denying the involvement of any 1920’s style death rays in the Blackout. ---
**Author:** ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/93 "2003-08-15T02:09:57Z")
I’m surprised that in a discussion about scalar weapons the death rays of the 1920s have only been mentioned in passing. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/94 "2003-08-15T02:42:18Z")
This thread is getting a little repetitive. I think that this is the work of the Death Rays. 1920s vintage Death Rays. ---
**Author:** ![BornOfStardust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@BornOfStardust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BornOfStardust)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/95 "2003-08-15T03:05:06Z")
The following is an urgent message from **Marley23** , who is without power in NY: **Need to defend against looters. Please send solar-powered 1920’s-style death rays.** ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/96 "2003-08-15T03:41:41Z")
Ohmygod, 1920s Death Rays perfected in the '30s, The New Deal, Seabiscuit, Capone, crop circles, 200mpg carburetors, over unity energy devices, fake moon landing, grassy knoll… It all makes sense. Wait. someone’s at the door. No, it’s them! Argh! gurgle gurgle [Guys and Dolls cast reject]Youse didn’t see nuttin’[/G&DCR] ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/97 "2003-08-15T08:06:53Z")
Wasn’t the Avro Arrow taken out of commission due to it’s ineffectiveness against 1920’s style “Death Rays”? ---
**Author:** ![rngadam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/97f17d/32.png) [@rngadam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rngadam)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/98 "2003-08-15T10:06:13Z")
Je ne suis pas sur de comprendre le OP, mais je pense qu’il se refere a des Rayons de la Mort des annees '20. ---
**Author:** ![smam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@smam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smam)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/99 "2003-08-15T11:16:30Z")
We had a shipload of rays brought in to our testing facility back in nineteen-canteen, of course in them days they could only perm the hair of a man you had shot point-blank in the face. A man with permed hair in my town would invariably end up getting his ass kicked. So they were not nearly as dangerous as the so-called 1920’s style " Death -Rays " as they were so-called…in the 1920’s. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879/100 "2003-08-15T11:44:42Z")
I think the OP is confusing scalar weapons with George V’s commutation of capital sentences with respect to WWI espionage cases. Oops. My bad. I was thinking of 1920’s royal death stays… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-scalar-weapons-for-real/192879.md?page=6)