Andrew Polk
S. B. / B. S.

(2010)    Lithography     20"H x 8"W

Smart Bomb / Dumb Blond

How Smart is a Smart Bomb really?
     The basic concept of a bomb could hardly be simpler. A conventional bomb consists of some explosive material packed into a sturdy case with a fuze mechanism (yes, that's fuze, not fuse). The fuze mechanism has a triggering device -- typically a time-delay system, an impact sensor or a target-proximity sensor -- which sets the bomb off. When the trigger goes off, the fuze ignites the explosive material, resulting in an explosion. The extreme pressure and flying debris of the explosion destroys surrounding.
     A "dumb bomb" is a bomb with only these elements, dropped from an airplane (such as the B-2 bomber). The bomb is considered "dumb" because it simply falls to the ground without actively steering itself. Needless to say, it's some feat hitting a target precisely with this type of weapon. A bomber might have to drop dozens, or even hundreds of dumb bombs to take out a target effectively. "Smart bombs," by contrast, control their fall precisely in order to hit a designated target dead on. Excerpt from: From http://science.howstuffworks.com/smart-bomb.htm

How Dumb is a Dumb Blond really?
     The dumb blonde is a popular-culture derogatory stereotype applied to portraying some blond women as beautiful, sexy, and dumb. This stereotype is used in blonde jokes. A related derogatory stereotype is "bimbo", an attractive but unintelligent woman regardless of hair color.
     Like many popular-culture stereotypes, the origins of this concept are murky. The 1925 Anita Loos novel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Illuminating Diary of a Professional Lady (later used as source for a film by the same name made by Howard Hawks and starring Marilyn Monroe) featured the character Lorelei Lee, a beautiful but empty-headed singer. While some look to this as the source for the concept, in fact, it might be far older.Excerpt from: From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blonde_stereotype

Footnote: Marilynn Monroe reportedly had an IQ of 168.