America’s drone strike program needs a low-tech fix

Last week, The Intercept released a trove of classified documents (provided by an unnamed source) relating to America's use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as weapons of assassination. These activities took place between 2011 and 2013, throughou...

A Slow Day in Afghanistan

What do you do when you are deployed in Afghanistan and you have way too much down time? Sounds like a good problem to have in Afghanistan. Well, Redditor b3tarded is there and made the most of his or her downtime by creating a Mario mural. They could have read books, or slept, or got into some trouble. Instead they created a great piece of geek art.
mario afghanistan 620x465magnify


The scene included pipes, bricks and even the timer. They did a pretty good job, given the limited resources on hand. It likely also helped to cheer up a bunch of other soldiers.

You are a true geek sir or madam. Awesome job.

[via Gamefreaks via Nerd Approved]

MC-12 Crash Claims Three Lives


An airplane crash occurred in the eastern region of Afghanistan. Three people, all of them Americans, died in the crash which was said to be due to internal faults in the plane engine. Two of the...
    






Ariana Grande is the Ultimate Girl Next Door


A singer par excellence, Ariana Grande has an album out that has attracted the attention of the world’s music lovers. She is currently on a global tour that will have her visiting many of the...
    






Kellie Pickler Cheers Up the Troops in Afghanistan


Kellie Pickler may be known mainly for her voice and talent, but there are other aspects to her personality. Chief among her virtuous traits is patriotism. This brave young woman ventured to...
    






UK Ministry of Defence puts Black Hornet spy copter in Afghani skies

UK Ministry of Defence puts Black Hornet spy copter in Afghani skies

It's been a few years since news of Prox Dynamics' Black Hornet mini-copter has swung our way. But now it appears the wee reconnaissance drones have moved out of the prototype phase and into the war zone. As part of the British government's £20 million contract with the Norway-based outfit and defense contractor Marlborough Communications, 160 of these camera-equipped spy copters have been commissioned, with a portion of those units employed by troops stationed in Afghanistan. That might seem like a huge sum to pay for a fleet of remote-controllable war toys, but these 4 x 1-inch copters do present a definite advantage: they can deliver full video and stills, ably maneuver in high winds and help navigate troops past "insurgent firing points" and open terrain. All of which has the Ministry of Defence quite pleased, even prompting one Minister to call the fleet of Black Hornets a "key component" of the MoD's current budget. That's not surprising really, considering the governmental arm's plans to pump nearly £20 billion into the development of similar tech for its ISS (Information Systems and Services) and ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) programs. So, as of today, we have mini copters with cameras. But, tomorrow always brings the promise of lasers...

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Via: Associated Press

Source: Ministry of Defence

US soldiers to wear blast sensors in Afghanistan, collect shock data

US soldiers to wear blast sensors in Afghanistan, collect shock data

Starting next month, around one thousand frontline personnel in Afghanistan will begin testing the Soldier Body Unit, a sensor kit for recording the effects of explosions on the human body. While that's not the most pleasant of subjects, the blast sensors have been rushed out to collect as much data as possible before soldiers head home in 2014. The US Army's Rapid Equipping Force and the Georgia Tech Research Institute, which developed the sensors, hope to gather info on concussions and traumatic brain injuries to improve aftercare. This will also be used at source to stop super-soldiers heading back out after a concussion and increasing the probability of an even worse injury. Further sensors will be carried on military vehicles, to help measure the effects of IED blasts on passengers. Adding two pounds in extra equipment probably won't make the Soldier Body Unit too popular, but it's thought the kit could weigh in at half a pound once it's been refined.

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US soldiers to wear blast sensors in Afghanistan, collect shock data originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 07:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Army spy blimp to launch within weeks: 300 feet long, $500 million, ‘multi-intelligent’

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It can't go faster than 34MPH and it's already a year late for its planned deployment in Afghanistan, but Northrop Grumman's Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is now set for its maiden flight. The test run is scheduled for sometime between June 6th and 10th over Lakehurst, New Jersey, whose residents ought to be forewarned that it is not a solar eclipse or a Death Star, but simply a helium-filled pilotless reconnaissance and communications airship that happens to be the size of a football field. After floating around for a while, the giant dirigible is expected to journey south to Florida, where it'll be fitted to a custom-built gondola that will carry the bulk of its equipment, and by which time her enemies hopefully won't have come into possession of an air force.

Army spy blimp to launch within weeks: 300 feet long, $500 million, 'multi-intelligent' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 08:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Afghan photographers eschew electronics for wooden camera portraits (video)

If retro-style snaps are worth a billion dollars à la Instagram, what does that say about the value of real prints taken with pre-WWII gear? Reminding us that early cameras were photochemical and shutterless, Kabul is home to two lone holdouts who still practice the 75-year-old art of wooden camera photography. Due to a ban on picture-taking by the Taliban, and then an influx of cheap digital cameras, the number of practitioners of kamra-e-faoree has steadily dwindled. But thanks to the Afghan Box Camera Project, the legacy left by these artisans is being preserved -- not least in the video above. Discover how it all works and then leave the faux-vintage to the hipsters.

Afghan photographers eschew electronics for wooden camera portraits (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 14:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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