Because Evil Geniuses need to protect their IP too

The UK Intellectual Property Office (the Patent Office as was) has a list of technologies for which patent applications may be made classified (page links to 79kb PDF).

I wonder how this list was created? Some of the technologies listed are very specific (e.g. 'Hard alloys having a density greater than 13 grams per cc', 'Features enabling turbine entry gas temperatures above 1500K or re-heat boost temperatures above 1800K to be sustained in a gas turbine'); I suspect the former falls under 'there are worrying uses for such materials' whilst the latter may be 'if anyone works out how to do this HMG wants to keep it to itself'.

The redactions are also interesting, although if the original document was only RESTRICTED then they can't have been that exotic. Of course, the UKIPO may have a further document at a much higher classification that lists the really alarming things you might see in a patent application.*

*If it is protectively marked as TOP SECRET MAGINOT BLUE STARS and gives the number of Capital Laundry Services, I really don't want to know.

Spoilers (contains no actual spoilers)

Watching this clip of the exchange of jokes at a fundraiser between Mitt Rombney and Barack Obama, I wonder when the term 'spoiler' became so mainstream that the President of the USA can casually drop it into a joke?

Wikipedia suggests that the term in that context dates from at least 1971, and more recently from an article by Roger Ebert in 2005. It was certainly current on Usenet 20 years ago (especially in the rec.arts.sf.babylon5 groups!) but I remember being slightly surprised to hear it being used on Doctor Who in 2008 ("Spoilers, sweetie!") although that may have been a shout-out to the fans.