Israel’s New Terminator Bot: The DOGO

It will be back:


Via SaysUncle

Sergeant Major Daniel A. Dailey on Leadership

A top ten list:

"No. 10. Never forget that you're just a soldier. 

That’s all you are. No better than any other, but just one of them.
You may get paid a little more, but when the time comes, your job is to treat them all fair, take care of them as if they were your own children, and expect no more from them of that of which you expect from yourself."

Queen of Code: Grace Hopper

I've posted about Grace Hopper before, but here is a new video. I'd like to get one of those clocks that runs backwards.

Need Air Support?

JTRS update: Radio systems move closer to deployment, while GMR gets cut

There is an app for that:

"In the future, the SDR system will continue to evolve along these lines and eventually adapt attributes and features of popular commercial devices such as tablets or iPads, where functionality and capability will be in the form of applications added through the software, he continues. Different applications will be uploaded, run on the SDR for specific missions and different needs using waveforms with different performance characteristics based on mission requirements, Miller adds."

Or you can pull a Dick Tracy:

"'We have an Android-based device that integrates with the Rifleman Radio and is worn on wrist that pulls up and displays maps,' Miller says."

Thanks to anonymous for the comment on my post about the JTRS that sent me to the above article.

Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS)

Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) - a silver bullet for military communications and "a certified radio that it will never deploy."

Via KF5CZO and AmateurRadio.com

Stephen Coleman: The moral dangers of non-lethal weapons

An interesting Ted Talk... in this one, Stephen Coleman discusses the problems of non-lethal weapons. He tells how one police department introduced non-lethal weapons as an option between "shouting and shooting." The data shows that the non-lethal weapons did not replace the handful of shooting deaths, but rather created a whole new category of confrontations with over 2,000 uses of pepper spray.

Another key point is that the perfect non-lethal weapon, one that is "nasty enough that people don't want to get hit with" it, but "doesn't leave any lasting effects," is also perfect for abuse.

I was going to brag about my running...

This guy "only" walked 1.5 km... emphasis mine below. Full article here.

"In all, Gutierrez suffered a gunshot wound to the upper shoulder and triceps muscle, left chest and lateral muscle, resulting in two broken ribs, broken scapula, a softball-sized hole in his back, a collapsed lung and multiple blood infections, which required three chest tubes, three blood transfusions and seven surgeries. To top it off, the 'danger-close' 30-mm strafing runs ruptured both of his ear drums.

Despite losing five pints of blood and walking 1 ½ kilometers, Gutierrez stayed on the radio calling for his own medical evacuation and ensuring surveillance coverage for the safe return of the ground force team."

Via Says Uncle

W.E.B. Griffin

Slim recommended W.E.B. Griffin to me before my first beach trip this year. I picked up The Lieutenants: Brotherhood of War and finally read it at home, since I can't read a ton of books on my vacations due to the preschooler factor. I really enjoyed it, so I ran over to McKay's before this trip to get the next book in the series, but McKay's is like a box of chocolates. I ended up getting the first and second book in his Presidential Agent series. I finished By Order of the President and liked it as well. Lovely... another author and several series that I'm going to spend lots of time reading.

 

Tactical Toys

Soldiers in Afghanistan use a toy truck to find roadside bombs.

Via The Opsimath (and I agree that private industry is smarter and more efficient than the government will ever be.)

VALOUR-IT

My grandfather was in the Navy. That's as close as I got to military service. Sometimes I wonder if we wouldn't be better off if you had to serve (may be even fight bugs) before being allowed to vote. I appreciate what those in the military have done and continue to do to serve our country.

I'm a geek. I love computers and can't image life with out the internet, e-mail, etc. I am amazed by the breadth and depth of options to communicate with family and friends. The information available now is almost limitless. I wouldn't want anyone or anything to take that away from me.

Put those things together and you can see why I can support a charity like Project Valour-IT that uses donations to get specialized laptops to wounded warriors.

Project Valour-IT helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries. Items supplied include:

-Voice-controlled Laptops - Operated by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, they allow the wounded to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.
-Wii Video Game Systems - Whole-body game systems increase motivation and speed recovery when used under the guidance of physical therapists in therapy sessions (donated only to medical facilities).
-Personal GPS - Handheld GPS devices build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD

Consider giving if this resonates with you.

Via BlackFive