Overall I agree. However, it does seem that purpose built CFL fixtures do have considerably longer bulb life than CFLs used in standard fixtures. Have not done a real study but I have used a lot of CFLs in both commercial and residential situations for over 10 years. The typical screw in replacements frequently, (and sometimes spectacularly),fail in less than one year. On the other hand - many of our overhead CFL fixtures have bulb lives exceeding 4 years.

Great light output, color temperature, and reasonably long life. Good for places I like a LOT of light, (kitchen and bathroom). Maybe they are new in the states but they have existed for over 10 years in Europe. (Long enough that you can get assorted Asian knockoffs as well as the standard Phillips, Osram etc).

No. The latest, (and most previous), fuel economy improvements followed large increases in fuel prices.

Continuing the military analogy... What great battles have been won purely by defense? Denying yourself he ability to "reach out and touch someone", will always give the advantage to those who seek to blow you up -- or to bring your server down.

Why not go all the way and paint them with aluminum paint, (like we have done in the American southwest for, oh, 60 years or so). Big payback in required cooling. Equally big difference in heat absorbed by the BIQ, (Building In Question). This increase in albedo, (due to cities where forests used to be), was the driving force behind the OMFG Ice Age in he 1970s. Maybe it will help with the current global warming fad as well.

Mk 44 Bushmaster 30mm. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M242_Bushmaster and http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a6f_1179347015 . Yes there is a shipboard version.

The summary was a little misleading on how/where these would be deployed. The dirigibles would be used for covering large areas from a safe distance. They would not be deployed in a active air war where major military opponents had AA defenses against high altitude targets. Think Iraq, Afghanistan, and similar places. The threats are real but generally limited to small arms and shoulder fired missiles. 65,000 feet is plenty safe against these threats.

I have ridden the Empire Builder, the Southwest Chief, and the California Zephyr, ( "Tho it's been a while). Expensive, takes longer than flying, and absolutely worth it. Note that the differences between NE Corridor and other eastern trains and Amtrak trains west of Chicago are extreme. Equipment , personnel, attitudes, and scenery are much nicer. Big seats, the ability to relax, (or actually walk around), and the fact that you are generally treated as guests rather than as members of a herd make it far superior to flying.

Admittedly I am out of my element here but there seems to be a couple of potential problems with this.

1. Water vapor is the most significant of the greenhouse gases.
2. Cloud cover prevents heat from being re-radiated into space.

I guess if you covered the whole earth with clouds it might reflect more sunlight and lead to a net temperature decrease. Not sure about that being a Real Good Idea.