Airborne Combat Engineer

Prefer not to be shot? Be home by midnight.

If you check the stats (ACE will look for a link to them later -- see continuation), you'll find the vast majority of those who get shot are shot between midnight and 4AM.

Another example was just after 3AM this morning in Atlanta , when there was a fatal shooting (several shots in the chest) just after Club 112 (at Peachtree & 12th St) closed down permanently.  It was absolutely the latest one could get shot at Club 112 at its latest location. [11Alive report with link to video] Probably nobody will be charged.

A few years ago, some Atlanta clubs stayed open all night.  Then, the city forced them to close at 3AM, as this copy of an AJC article notes. A 2005 "Creative Loafing" article described the ATL night club scene.

It's a free country, and I'm personally opposed to any restrictions on what adults can do, as long as they are not harming others, but I'm just saying you're chances of getting shot or stabbed before midnight are very low. If you're at home watching the Eleven O'Clock news, you're even safer.

The problem with GA carry law is it doesn't allow firearms in public places like bars, so unless you're violating the law, you're not going to be armed when you need to be most, which is from the bar to your car. They should allow customers to check their guns, like some places allow you to check your coats.

ACE goes 100% wireless

Your A-C-E editor has cut all his phone cords, in effect.

By using a U720 USB broadband plug-in from Sprint, I can connect from any of my computers from anywhere a Sprint cell phone works (which is about everywhere I go on a regular basis), via a secure connection (unlike WiFi). The the speed is quite adequate for my purposes (Even pages with lots of images load in a few seconds and YouTube videos run fine -- at least where I've tried it so far), and my total communication costs are reduced.

if interested, see the continuation

Hack net attacks and potential overload

Hackers briefly overwhelmed at least three of the 13 computers that help manage global computer traffic Tuesday in one of the most significant attacks against the Internet since 2002.

[AP, 06FEB07] [h/t Defense Tech]

In related news, some are saying services like YouTube could bring the AlGoreNet to its knees, as Al never dreamed of it supporting streaming video.[CRN]

Where is the new, improved net already?

Battle training on the computer

The Army’s Program Executive Office, Simulation Training and Instrumentation Command has awarded Cubic Corp. of San Diego a contract for more than $24 million in orders of its battlefield simulation training system, which will be delivered to new locations.

Army soldiers will hone their ground fighting skills with small arms using the computerized training system that creates an environment that simulates battlefield conditions.

The training system, called the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000, teaches marksmanship skills, squad-level collective defense and “shoot-don’t shoot” tactics.

[WWW, GCN, 25JAN07]

Has Apple done it again?

Alderete thinks so. Others think it's being overhyped.

Gizmodo says it doesn't do anything Windows Media can't do, but it's a slicker interface.

ACE will wait and see, while waiting for the price to drop. (A cell phone with keypad screen bought years ago was replaced with one with keys years ago.) One of the few people to have some hands-on notes: "Typing is difficult. The letter keys are just pictures on the glass screen, so of course there’s no tactile feedback."

Computerized gatling gun?

Nawh! It's just a case mod.

See the upper left image at bit-tech.

Sunni-Shiite war enters cyberspace

Reflecting the ongoing downward spiral of relations between Sunni and Shiite Muslims--not only in Iraq but across the entire Middle East--Sunni militants have announced a campaign to attack certain Shia websites that they have accused of besmirching the honor of the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and the mujahideen of Iraq.

[Counterterroism Blog, 12/12/2006] (h/t Defense Tech)

GoBooks XR-1 ruggedized laptop

The laptop computer has become a weapon. Increasingly common on the battlefield, defense contractor General Dynamics now manufactures a line of "ruggedized" laptops aimed at the military market, and commercial users who need a machine that can survive in harsh environments. It's been called "the Hummer of Laptops."

The GoBooks XR-1 is made by Itronics, which was acquired by General Dynamics.

[Strategy Page]

"The GoBook XR-1 has clearly raised the bar for high performance rugged notebooks by a considerable margin. It has done so by offering a near perfect balance of performance, versatility, ruggedness and good industrial design. Yet, the XR-1 is smaller in every dimensions and lighter by almost two pounds than its direct predecessor, the GoBook III. That is a remarkable accomplishment. And one that is certain to give the competiton a very tough challenge to meet."

[Comprehensive review]

You can buy one for civilian use in September, but it will set you back about $4300.

[New Itronics site]

Using NSA technology to serve us ads?

[LINK] Military Information Technology via Defense Tech

The National Security Agency is actively seeking venues to advance its Technology Transfer program and make more patented NSA technology available for licensing. One of those technologies, a method for determining the geographic location of Internet users, represents a nascent but promising market that has proved useful for financial institutions to combat criminal fraud and could help in the NSA’s collection and production of foreign signals intelligence.

The most common use of Internet geo-location technology is in the area of ad-serving. When users do a Google search, for example, the technology will show ads to them that are localized depending on their geographic location. Companies embed Quova’s GeoPoint data directly into their offerings in order to localize ad campaigns for their clients.

Real war bloggers use stealth keyboards

The $80 Das Keyboard is the computer equivalent of the Steatlh fighter, night attacks, and the black assault rifle so feared by the leftists.

If you work in an office environment, you will not have to worry about somebody "borrowing" your computer while you're at lunch or on break (even if you have a password implemented on your screen saver, as you should).

Order one of these ASAP, or turn in your combat blogger badge!

Don't know how to touch type? Well, it's high time you learned. You weren't born knowing how to fire a rifle, either.