Seven Short Stories About Drones

January 31, 2013 11:44 AM

1. Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. Pity. A signature strike leveled the florist’s. The Disposition Matrix. Anti-Drone Camouflage: What to Wear in Total Surveillance. Drone City. Books Not Bombs.
posted by the man of twists and turns (12 comments total)

The anti-drone camouflage dovetails nicely with Tuesday's hoodie post.
posted by hydrophonic at 11:55 AM on January 31

The anti-drone clothing is pretty shimmery and, while fashion-forward, also screams "hey, I'm evading surveillance!" I wonder if one could put reflective material under thin "regular" fabric and make something that looks like a normal hoodie but is black on heat vision.
posted by sixohsix at 12:01 PM on January 31

I want to say something snarky here about American exceptionalism, but it's too tiring. If we had neighbors who weren't overly friendly with us who were sending flying robots into our nation and blowing up our towns I somehow doubt we'd take it well. We are creating a legion of enemies with this, and I dare say this policy of "projecting force without projecting vulnerability" will one day bite us.

There is only one reason we use drones, there can be only one excuse: because we can. Someday, it is reasonable to assume, they will too.
posted by JHarris at 12:05 PM on January 31 [2 favorites]

Somebody tell the NRA that drones are just like guns (and there are gunmakers eager to manufacture them for the general public). That should help.
posted by evilmidnightbomberwhatbombsatmidnight at 12:45 PM on January 31

Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was killed by a Predator drone.

*giggling* I can't... no words.
posted by Wemmick at 12:53 PM on January 31 [2 favorites]

Another, from the Guardian / Observer 2011 books season: Terminator: Attack of the Drone, by Mohsin Hamid.
posted by raygirvan at 1:57 PM on January 31

there are gunmakers eager to manufacture them for the general public

Available now: SKY-02 small attack UAV from Beijing Micropilot UAV Control System Ltd.

Attack precision < 3.5 m
Killing radius > 10 m
Cruising speed 80-90 km/h
Service ceiling 3000 m
Relative flight height 50-1500 m
Cruise duration < 30 min
Action radius < 20 km

posted by fredludd at 2:08 PM on February 1

Drone Home

Flying a drone, even just a Parrot, makes you realize what a radically new and deeply strange technology drones are. A drone isn't just a tool; when you use it you see and act through it — you inhabit it. It expands the reach of your body and senses in much the same way that the Internet expands your mind. The Net extends our virtual presence; drones extend our physical presence. They are, along with smart phones and 3-D printing, one of a handful of genuinely transformative technologies to emerge in the past 10 years.

A review on Amazon for Maisto Fresh Metal Tailwinds 1:97 Scale Die Cast United States Military Aircraft - US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator with Display Stand (Dimension: 6" x 3-1/2" x 1"):
I have two words for you, 'predator drones.' You will never see it coming

You've had a busy play day - You've wiretapped Mom's cell phone and e-mail without a warrant, you've indefinitely detained your little brother Timmy in the linen closet without trial, and you've confiscated all the Super-Soakers from the neighborhood children (after all, why does any kid - besides you, of course - even NEED a Super-Soaker for self-defense? A regular water pistol should be enough). What do you do for an encore?

That's where the US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator from Maisto comes in. Let's say that Dad has been labeled a terrorist in secret through your disposition matrix. Rather than just arrest him and go through the hassle of trying and convicting him in a court of law, and having to fool with all those terrorist-loving Constitutional protections, you can just use one of these flying death robots to assassinate him!

posted by the man of twists and turns at 3:24 AM on February 3

The Privacy Wars: Goggles That Block Facial Recognition Technology
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:46 AM on February 10

The Day of the Drones
posted by homunculus at 7:55 PM on February 16

seagulls
posted by homunculus at 7:56 PM on February 16

Why Flying A Drone Is Just As Stressful As Flying A Bomber
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:34 PM on February 26