Archive for the 'War' Category
Norway: Oculus Rift Helps Norwegian Soldiers Drive Tanks
May 6th, 2014Via: Vice: As it usually happens, video games are designed to mimic real-world fighting. Now it seems the model’s being flipped on its head—the battlefield, for better or worse, is bearing an increasing resemblance to a game. Look at Norway, where the Army has started using Oculus Rift to drive tanks with increased visibility, according […]
U-2 Spy Plane Caused Widespread Shutdown of U.S. Flights
May 5th, 2014Update: FAA Confirms Spy Plane Scrambled Air Traffic Control in California Via: NBC: The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed an exclusive NBC News report that a Cold War-era spy plane scrambled the computer systems of a major air traffic control system in Southern California, resulting in region-wide air travel delays affecting hundreds of flights and […]
CIA, FBI Agents Advising Ukraine Government
May 4th, 2014Via: AFP: Dozens of specialists from the US Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation are advising the Ukrainian government, a German newspaper reported Sunday. Citing unnamed German security sources, Bild am Sonntag said the CIA and FBI agents were helping Kiev end the rebellion in the east of Ukraine and set up a […]
Black Hawk Helicopter: Pilot Optional
May 3rd, 2014Via: Wired: The Army’s most iconic helicopter is about to go pilotless. The U.S. Army and defense contractor Sikorsky Aircraft demonstrated hover and flight capability in an “optionally piloted” version of the Black Hawk helicopter last month. It’s part of the Army’s effort to reduce troops and costs, in this case by letting the five-ton […]
‘Solar’ Jet Fuel Made Out of Thin Air (Average Efficiency of 1.73%)
May 2nd, 2014This is nowhere near viable (at least in terms of what is publicly acknowledged), but I thought it was interesting anyway. Via: Chemistry World: The dream of producing hydrocarbon fuels from carbon dioxide and sunlight is one step closer thanks to chemists in Europe who have made jet fuel from scratch in a solar reactor […]
‘Robin Hood of the Banks’
April 29th, 2014Via: Russia Today: Enric Duran, dubbed the ‘Spanish Robin Hood of the Banks’, for swindling 39 banks out of half a million euros to redistribute them to organizations fighting against the established financial system, spoke to RT Spanish to reveal his moves and motives. In hiding for more than a year, and in serious trouble […]
Pentagon to Destroy $1 Billion Worth of Ammunition [???]
April 29th, 2014Via: USA Today: The Pentagon plans to destroy more than $1 billion worth of ammunition although some of those bullets and missiles could still be used by troops, according to the Pentagon and congressional sources. It’s impossible to know what portion of the arsenal slated for destruction — valued at $1.2 billion by the Pentagon […]
Firearms Applications Surge, Swamp Registration System
April 26th, 2014Via: USA Today: A record surge in recent firearms production and transactions have swamped the federal government’s automated registration system for select weapons, including machine guns. In a notice earlier this month to the firearms industry, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was temporarily suspending parts of its computerized system to […]
Pentagon: Russian Warplanes Violate Ukraine’s Airspace
April 25th, 2014Via: USA Today: Russian warplanes have entered Ukrainian airspace several times in the last 24 hours, the Pentagon announced Friday. U.S. officials called on Russia to cease the operations, said Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman. “We call upon the Russians to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation,” Warren said. Army Gen. Martin […]
Pentagon’s Superpowered Autopilot Will Do the Work of 5 Crew Members
April 22nd, 2014Via: Wired: Some think that the Defense Department couldn’t possibly reduce its forces as much as it claims it will. After all, who would fly the planes? Now DARPA has an answer. The Pentagon’s research arm is developing a sophisticated, drop-in autopilot that can replace as many as five crew members of a military aircraft, […]
