I’ve spent a big chunk of the last four years writing about how technology is changing the way battles are fought. Now it’s time for me to witness those changes close-up – and see how war still remains brutally, awfully the same. I’m leaving for Iraq on Saturday morning, on assignment for Wired magazine.

For the moment, I can’t go into too many details about what I’ll be doing there. It’s just too tasty a story to let out of the oven before it’s baked. But here’s what I can say: I’ll be embedding with a high-tech Army unit – one that’s playing an absolutely central role in the counterinsurgency there. If these soldiers fail in their missions, the entire coalition operation could go up in smoke. If they succeed, lots and lots of American and Iraqi lives will be saved.

I came across this blog yesterday. It contains a number of really good links. It also looks like some good first-hand content is on the way. I'm going to be keeping an eye on this one.

Also found via this blog, ArmsControlWonk.

Defense Tech (.org)

Decius Wrote:

Equipped with a camera and sensors, the Guardrobo D1, developed by Japanese security firm Sohgo Security Services Co, is designed to patrol along pre-programmed paths and keep an eye out for signs of trouble.

Intruder Alert!

DO NOT MOVE! DO NOT MOVE! EXTERMINATE!!!

DigitalCamera@101reviews - Japanese Robot Guards to Patrol Shops And Offices

Acidus cranks out another neat hack.

The AMIS protocol was designed in the late 80s early 90s to allow Voice mail systems of different vendors to automatically transmit voice mail messages to each other.

It uses DTMF tones to communicate back and forth, establishing who the voice message is for, where it is coming from, and for the destination system to specify if the mailbox is full, to provide a forwarding number, etc. The use of timeouts, checksums and acknowledgements make this a reliable protocol, with a variable payload length. The analog voice message itself is not digitized, and is played real time. A sample session looks like:

-A dials B
-Using DTMF tones, A and B agree on a protocol.
-A tells B for the message is for, who it is from
-B confirms information is correct and mailbox is available
-A plays voice message "Hi Billy, this is Jill..."
-A signals message is over
-System gracefully terminate.

While I don't really care about forwarding voice mail, the use of DTMF tones to create a reliable datalink layer is something I was trying to do. A pair of FSR radios, some DTMF chips and some PICs and I have a reliable, low speed (~45bps) data communcations with around a mile range for under $50. This is far more flexible then the model airplane remote controls that cost over $75.

Cisco has some info on it too.

AMIS: DTMF Data Link (kind of) [ZIP]

If perhaps you once dismissed the business plan for General Memetics Corporation, consider briefly the $300 million value of the contracts discussed in this article.

The Pentagon awarded three contracts this week, potentially worth up to $300 million over five years, to companies it hopes will inject more creativity into its psychological operations efforts to improve foreign public opinion about the United States, particularly the military.

"We would like to be able to use cutting-edge types of media," said Col. James A. Treadwell, director of the Joint Psychological Operations Support Element, a part of Tampa-based US Special Operations Command. "If you want to influence someone, you have to touch their emotions."

"What's changing is the realization that in this so-called war on terrorism, this might be the thing that wins the whole thing for you. This gets to the importance of the war of ideas."

Pentagon Funds Diplomacy Effort

] Mashing up Google maps and Gasbuddy = locations of cheap
] gas in your area on a Google map (map or satellite view).
] Just choose a city- then the data on the right side is
] updated cheapest gas prices. If you have mobile high
] speed access you could add a GPS and have this running
] while you drive. In the future, maybe our cars will do
] this for us.

I was just able to use this to find two local gas stations with sub-$2 a gallon prices. And this is in Jersey, so that's full service.

Find Cheap Gas with Google Maps

According to research by Ivor Hewitt, MSN Search skews its results based upon web server software. If you are running ISS, you are more likely to show up in the first page of results. He has compared MSN with Google, Yahoo, and Teoma, all with roughly the same findings. His research is ongoing.

Google and MSN search comparison

] "We were able to identify the situation right away,"
] Russo said. "We are working with the (hardware) vendor to
] make sure it doesn't happen again."
]
] Russo on Wednesday said Tuesday night's outage was the
] result of an issue involving its domain name servers. She
] declined to identify Comcast's hardware vendor.

Of all things, DNS is something you'd expect Comcast to have a grip on. It is the single most important service your ISP offers you after actual IP transit..

Its always a good idea to keep a few DNS server IP addresses on hand for when these situations come up. Or a pre-configured copy of BIND installed.

New round of outages peeves some Comcast users | CNET News.com

Eva, the socially interactive robot, is pretty damn cool. In 15 years, will these will be serving me lattes and muffins?

Movie of NASA's Socially Interactive Robot

terratogen wrote:
] The satellite feature is pretty neat.

It sure is.. I was disappointed when MapQuest removed a similar feature. Google Maps is going to eat them alive.

Check this out.

RE: Google Maps

This matter is open for public comment until April 4th.

] In a misguided attempt to make US passports more secure,
] the US Department of State plans to put radio frequency
] identification (RFID) chips in all new passports. This
] RFID chip will contain the same information currently on
] our passports, including the passport holder's name, date
] and place of birth, passport number and photograph.
]
] In a dangerous world where Americans are targeted by
] thieves, kidnappers and terrorists, the RFID-chipped US
] passport will turn tourists into targets, and American
] business travelers will transmit their identities to
] kidnappers wherever they go, thanks to the US State
] Department.
]
] Close up, the information broadcast from the RFID chip
] can be read by anyone with an inexpensive electronic
] reader. Farther away, the RFID chip can be activated
] enough to identify the passport holder as an American.
]
] From identity theft to identity death, an RFID-chipped US
] passport means good news for the bad guys.

RFIDKills.com