DEFCON

The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces.

The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or states of alert) for the U.S. military. It increases in severity from DEFCON 5 (least severe) to DEFCON 1 (most severe) to match varying military situations.

DEFCONs are a subsystem of a series of Alert Conditions, or LERTCONs, which also include Emergency Conditions (EMERGCONs).

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/02/nato-war-game-nuclear-disaster

Operations

The DEFCON level is controlled primarily by the U.S. President and the U.S. Secretary of Defense through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combatant Commanders, and each DEFCON level defines specific security, activation and response scenarios for the troops in question.

Different branches of the U.S. Armed Forces (i.e. U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Air Force) and different bases or command groups can be activated at different defense conditions. In general, there is no single DEFCON status for the world or country and it may be set to only include specific geographical areas. According to Air & Space/Smithsonian, as of 2014, the worldwide DEFCON level has never risen higher than DEFCON 3. The DEFCON 2 levels in the Cuban Missile Crisis and 1991 Gulf War were not worldwide.

Defcon (album)

Defcon, also known as Örli Wörks (Early Works), is the first release by the German industrial music project wumpscut:.

Summary

Defcon appeared in two different editions, with two completely different tracklists. Most of the songs that originally appeared on this release were released later on the :wumpscut: compilations, The Mesner Tracks, Preferential Legacy, Blutkind, and Preferential Tribe. Both editions of this tape are extremely limited to 50 copies.

Track listing

Defcon (Örli Wörks)

Side One

Side Two

DEFCON (video game)

DEFCON (stylized as DEFCOИ) is a real-time strategy game created by independent British game developer Introversion Software, developers of Darwinia, Multiwinia, Uplink, and Prison Architect. The gameplay is reminiscent of the "big boards" that visually represented thermonuclear war in films such as Dr. Strangelove, Fail-Safe, and especially WarGames.

The game has been available by download since September, 2006 through Introversion's web store and Steam. In the UK it was released for the high street shops on June 15, 2007 and for a limited period included the developer's first game Uplink. On April 5, 2007, US publisher Encore announced they would be publishing the game in the United States, and had ordered an initial 50,000 copies of the game for retail.

Gameplay

Players are given a 1980s vector graphics computer-themed world map, a varied arsenal of nuclear and conventional weaponry, and a primary objective: destroy as much of the enemy's population as possible while having as little of one's own population destroyed as possible. A typical game will see civilian casualties numbering in the millions (megadeaths) while players try their hand at annihilating their opponents.

Octagon

In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον oktágōnon, "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon.

A regular octagon has Schläfli symbol {8} and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t{4}, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t{8} is a hexadecagon, t{16}.

Properties of the general octagon

The sum of all the internal angles of any octagon is 1080°. As with all polygons, the external angles total 360°.

If squares are constructed all internally or all externally on the sides of an octagon, then the midpoints of the segments connecting the centers of opposite squares form a quadrilateral that is both equidiagonal and orthodiagonal (that is, whose diagonals are equal in length and at right angles to each other).

The midpoint octagon of a reference octagon has its eight vertices at the midpoints of the sides of the reference octagon. If squares are constructed all internally or all externally on the sides of the midpoint octagon, then the midpoints of the segments connecting the centers of opposite squares themselves form the vertices of a square.

UCL Main Building

The Main Building at University College London, includes the Octagon, Quad, Cloisters, Main Library, Flaxman Gallery and the Wilkins Building. The North Wing, South Wing, Chadwick Building and Pearson Building are also considered part of the main UCL building.

History

In 1827, a year after the founding of UCL, construction of the Main Building began on the site of the old Carmarthen Square. The Octagon Building is a term used for the whole of the Main Building, but more appropriately for a central part of it. At the centrepiece of the building is an ornate dome, which is visible throughout the immediate area. The Octagon was designed by the Architect William Wilkins, who also designed the National Gallery. The original plans by Wilkins called for a U-shaped enclosure around the Quad (square). Funds, however, ran out in 1829 with only the Portico and Dome finished. Wilkins original plans were not to be completed until the 20th century: The Main Building was finally finished in 1985, 158 years since the foundations were laid, with a formal opening ceremony by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

Octagon (Dilate album)

Octagon is the second studio album by Dilate, released on June 24, 1997 by Hypnotic Records.

Track listing

All music composed by Victor Wulf.

Personnel

Adapted from the Octagon liner notes.

Release history

References