The RAND Corporation was the Cold War granddaddy of all thinktanks, and it's still with us. In the 1950s, nuclear war-gaming a conflagration, it took the U.S. military into virtuality and science fiction long before there was an Internet to play with. In the 60s, it helped several administrations plan and fight the Vietnam War and was instrumental in giving our empire the militaristic cast it retains to this day. |