Image via DARPA website

Now that unmanned surveillance and attack drones hovering over foreign and friendly skies the world over has become almost commonplace, the Pentagon is looking to add another eye in the sky for big brother. The Defense Department’s research arm DARPA, is developing a satellite that would capture real time imagery from space. Project MOIRE (Membrane Optical Imager for Real-Time Exploitation) would fit spy satellites with camera lenses nearly 60 feet wide. DARPA argues that because there aren’t enough drones or other aircraft providing real time imagery and current satellites only take still photos, such a project bridges a national security gap.

According to Universe Today, each MOIRE satellite would cost $500 million and would cover an area of more than 100 km by 100 km. DARPA hopes the device would be able to track a vehicle moving up to 60mph, which would require a resolution so fine it would be able to see objects a mere 10 feet long in a single pixel.

While the satellite is of course, purported to be used to detect missile launchers, one only has to wonder how many organizations like the NSA, CIA, or FBI would love to get their hands on. Given the recent passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, which gives the U.S. Government the right to detain American citizens and recently released FBI documents which highlight the agency’s interest in prosecuting animal rights activists as terrorists, we can only wonder how long before MOIRE satellites end up keeping an eye on the average citizen.

Article by Aaron Cynic

                          

Above the Law reports the Career Development department at Boston University’s School of Law circulated an email to students and alumni, warning them not to read anything from the Wikileaks website if they want a job with the federal government. Part of the email reads:

“Two big factors in hiring for many federal government positions are determining if the applicants have good judgment and if they know how to deal with confidential/classified information. The documents released by Wikileaks remain classified; thus, reading them, passing them on, commenting on them may be seen as a violation of Executive Order 13526, Classified National Security Information.”

It goes on to warn students that part of background checks the Fed does digs into social media habits: “so DO NOT post links to the documents or make comments on any social media sites.” Boston U isn’t the only school to have warned its students – Raw Story reports that Democracy Now obtained a similar letter sent by Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. In addition to potential federal employees, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget sent a reminder to all federal agencies saying “each federal employee and contractor is obligated to protect classified information.”

In other words, if you want to work for or with the government, you should probably give up your rights as a citizen to read, comment, disseminate or even think about information the government doesn’t want you to know. One has to wonder how long it might take for more bellicose voices to begin demanding EO 13526 apply to all citizens with swift penalties attached to visiting the site. But hey that’s just a sign democracy is doing just fine in America, right?

                          

File this under “not surprised:”

Proponents of the device say that the pain ray weapon will allow guards at the prison to break up incidents before they get out of control, with minimal risk to guards and without incapacitating or injuring combatants. Of course, that same logic has been used in other supposed “less than lethal” measures before with limited success. The weapon itself produces a burning sensation which targets can only stand for about 3 seconds. One has to wonder how long before the A.I.D. ends up in an interrogation room.

                          

For January, I chose The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives by Nick Turse. I’ve read plenty of columns from Turse over the years. He usually writes about the invasive and inhuman ways the Defense Department encroaches on our lives. The Complex is just that – a lengthy explanation of Pentagon ties to the lives of everyday Americans.

The book opens with a brilliantly crafted narrative about a progressive minded young couple that believes they’ve done their best in avoiding supporting the DOD behemoth. Very quickly we learn that everything, from their iPods to their coffee to the copy of Hegemony or Survival sitting on their bookshelf is somehow interlinked with the Pentagon. In a globalized world, such connections are hard to avoid – be they to the Complex, a sweatshop, Wall Street or any other nefarious entities. Still, the names and numbers become staggering.

The first half of the book points out connections and relationships that become less surprising as they’re analyzed. One can assume that large corporate hegemons like AT&T, Boeing, and more recently, Google, would do everything in their power for a contract with an entity holding an unlimited wallet. Turse also points out relationships and monies spent with more independent/local businesses by the DOD, but again, this isn’t a terrifying surprise as one would be hard pressed to find a local hot dog joint not interested in a thousands of dollars. More staggering though, is the amount of waste, misplaced and unaccountable money that passes from the doors of the Pentagon into the business world. Politicians and pundits often complain about pet pork barrel projects and federal budgetary wastes, but the Complex leaves the reader wondering why none seem to want to trim the fat out of the DOD budget.

Later on, The Complex pulls back the blinds on the web of connections the military has to entertainment – from movies to Myspace – and how those connections are used to draw in fresh recruits. Turse draws attention to movies like the Transformers, first person shooter video games and even NASCAR as ways the lines between entertainment, simulation training and pro-war propaganda blur almost indistinguishably. Finally, The Complex opens the doors of DARPA, the DOD’s dream machine, where the cyborg soldiers and surveillance state of the movies collide in real life.

Peeling back the layers of the Pentagon is no easy task, but Turse does great work here and lays his findings out in an easily (and entertaining) manner. Soft cover, 290 pages. Pick it up by clicking here.

For February, I’m reading Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past by Ray Raphael. If you’d like to follow along and comment at the end of the month, drop me a line and we can collaborate! – Aaron Cynic

                          

Image courtesy weeklyreader.com

Every time I log in to the site to do maintenance and add posts, I get a bit excited when I see I have pending comments. “Wow! Not only is someone reading, but someone has something to say about it!” Unfortunately, this usually isn’t the case. That someone turns out not to be exactly human and unfortunately the words strung together by the algorithm, while complementing, are almost as meaningless as an email from the king of Nigeria.

Spam is a numbers game and sadly still a profitable one. Word Press maintains that 83% of blog comments are spam. I’m left wondering exactly what the point is. I like to believe that most internet using humans are smart enough to realize that a comment from “Sexy Model” is as real as an email from the Ugandan consulate regarding a misplaced inheritance.

I’m sure there’s some synchronicity in the fact that the most spammed piece here is the one titled “Killer Corpse Eating Robots.” Maybe they’re trying to tell us something. Whatever the message may be, here’s a little sampling of what gets my hopes up, then dashes them away each day:

In response to Tweet Your Way to and FBI Raid... from Frances Billingsly: “Thank’s 4 The Great Post I’ve found My Free Credit Report is definitely a great place to get my credit”

In Response to Killer Corpse Eating Robots… from Sexy Model: “Saw your Blog bookmarked on Reddit.I love your site and marketing strategy. Check out my website if you get a chance, just click on name. Check out my Valentines Day Lingerie Website if you got time”

In Response to Sci-Fi Just Can’t Seem To Imagine Greater… from FreeOnlineMovies: “Easily, the post is really the greatest on this laudable topic. I agree with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your forthcoming updates. Saying thanks will not just be sufficient, for the wonderful lucidity in your writing. I will right away grab your rss feed to stay privy of any updates. Good work and much success in your business enterprise!”

Here’s the thing, clicking “spam” on a dozen or so of these a day isn’t really all that annoying. Even scanning them to make sure an actual reader’s comment didn’t get mixed in isn’t that annoying. The part that bugs me, that really eats at my stomach, is when I think about how many times I’ve heard this kind of chatter in actual conversation. Yes, human on human, real “meat space” face to face conversation.

I used to work in a business to business sales environment. It’s as boring and sad as it sounds. Day to day one could expect an interesting conversation or two, but for the most part personal interaction consisted of office banter and inane chatter about the weather. Once and awhile I’d end up at various networking events where self appointed professionals like myself would gather to snag free snacks and low quality booze while attempting to schill one another. The truly sad part of the whole affair though, was the conversation. A crowded room of people all talking at one another, doling out fake compliments while pushing products no one wanted at each other.

So now I log in every day to see some of the scripted nonsense I used to actually speak and listen to in a former life. I’m left wondering if technology is imitating life, or life is imitating technology. What are we leaving the world and future generations when so much of what we do is built on a circular system of buying and selling shit no one wants or needs?

Article by Aaron Cynic

                          

Thomas the Tank Engine's true self revealed

The concept is pretty simple. The Energetically Autonomous Tactcial Robot will “perform long range, long endurance missions without the need for conventional refueling.” The EATR won’t need to refuel thanks to its ability to harvest its own fuel, BY EATING. It can use conventional fuels when they’re available, but the EATR can also “find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment and other organically based energy sources.” Skeptics will quickly shout science fiction on this one, but much like the PHASR, the EATR is not only real, but begging to be fast tracked into production, since DARPA is ready to match hungry investors dollar for dollar.

The EATR platform has endless possibilties, from surveilence to transport to “robotic swarms and cognitive collectives.”

Artist's rendering of robotic swarm. Artist most likely in grade three

Oh, and we could probably mount a whole fuckload of guns to it.

There are so few times I end up on the same page as the folks at Fox News. Originally, Fox posted a story about the EATR and suggested that it could feed on dead bodies, since warzones are usually filled with them and they are made up of organic material. Unfortunately, Fox pulled the original article so I can’t read it, but the corrected version (and other news stories) states that the EATR is strictly “vegetarian” feeding on things like plant matter and wood chips. The PDF presentation even includes multiple pictures of a happy herbavoric Rhino munching on plants to drive the point home.

You know, we could totally strap some lasers to this guy

Cyclone Power Technologies Inc assured the public that the EATR will be able to distinguish between vegatative mass and other materials, with a cybernetics expert backing them up saying “If it’s not on the menu, it’s not going to eat it.” They also quickly reminded us that the Geneva conventions clearly states that desecration of the dead is a war crime. Of course, I’m sure that certain US lawyers will be able to figure out a legal justification around that one.

CEO of Cyclone Power Technologies Harry Schoell attempted to calm the public’s fear of people eating robots by saying “We completely understand the public’s concern about futuristic robots feeding on the human population, but that is not our mission. We are focused on demonstrating that our engines can create usable, green power from plentiful, renewable plant matter. The commercial applications alone for this earth-friendly energy solution are enormous.” Clearly, Harry never paid much attention to science fiction, because I’m sure that’s the same thing the team who invented Skynet said just before it became self aware and nuked the population.

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^{Once again, welcome to the future!}