MetaFilter posts tagged with Defense

Armed with SCIENCE!

bluefly — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:35:42 -0800

Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military is a podcast put out by the US Department of Defense. Each week, they interview scientists and other personnel about R & D in the military. Topics include nutrition, portable fuel cells, virtual online worlds, substance abuse, and the effects of sounds on whale behavior. Naturally, they are also on Twitter and on Facebook, and you can post questions there which they will try to answer during the shows. The new season of podcasts starts next week.

Your Chance to Survive!

Ruthless Bunny — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:28:47 -0800

Duck and Cover! There are many aspects of the Civil Defense program that may seem funny today, but the period after World War II was a very scary time. Civil defense officials and volunteers during that time were very serious about their work and I believe they deserve respect for their efforts. They rendered emergency services after natural and man-made disasters and would have had an impossible task had there ever been a nuclear war. This virtual museum is dedicated to the Civil Defense and emergency workers of the United States who worked to protect the public from nuclear attack.

Beyond war and crisis

Abiezer — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:02:06 -0800

Sustainable Security is a website launched this month by the Oxford Research Group "to be an important platform for promoting a better understanding of the real threats to global security in the 21st century and the policies that should be implemented to address those threats at their root cause." It highlights "four interconnected drivers of global insecurity: climate change; competition over natural resources; global militarism; and poverty and marginalisation. Prof. Paul Rogers makes the case for a rethink of the security paradigm.

"All I got in this world is my balls and my word and I don't break either of 'em for nobody!"

bigmusic — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:43:12 -0800

Before the mouse, there was the trackball. Built for DATAR in 1952, DATAR turned out to be a complete failure. The next user interface device that used a ball was the mouse at Xeroc Parc in 1972. Trackballs are a dying breed of interface devices. But sometimes a trackball just seems more natural choice for certain applications - not so obvious for others. Would you sit on one?

"Ships currently have no defense against a ballistic missile attack."

Keter — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:46:47 -0800

The aircraft carrier, a majestic and grand symbol of American naval might... susceptible to swarming small-boat assault and weak against ballistic missiles, nevermind an anti-ship ballistic missile. Is it time to reevaluate the role of the aircraft carrier in a modern naval strategy?

Moar Crafty

juv3nal — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:50:58 -0800

Remember Gemcraft? They made moar.

Dinga dinga dee!

sonic meat machine — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:17:59 -0800

Missiles! and girls! [SLYT]

That's where I play tower defense games!

EarBucket — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:47:10 -0800

Viking Defense. Another tower defense game, with a few interesting twists. And, of course, Vikings.

That was too close: RAF Tornado comes within 30ft of mid-air collision

nthdegx — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:54:15 -0800

That was too close. RAF Tornado comes within 30ft of mid-air collision.

Lockheed Martin's Multi-Kill Vehicle

odinsdream — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:51:43 -0800

Lockheed Martin's Multi-Kill Vehicle.

Corpse Craft

boo_radley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:18:17 -0800

Corpse Craft is a flash game -- a puzzle/ strategy hybrid that's one part Same Game and one part Tower defense and one part Edward Gorey. Decent art, sound, story and gameplay.

Global Domination: The Missing Manual

scalefree — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:32:05 -0800

Learning from history's mistakes? In the summer of 2002, the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment (ONA), run for 35 years by a man nicknamed Yoda, published an 85-page report titled "Military Advantage in History" (PDF). Drawing on Sun Tzu, Jared Diamond and Roman historian Titus Livius, the book analyzes the rise & fall of the empires of Alexander the Great, Imperial Rome, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon's France and attempts to plot a course for a Pax Americana that can avoid the pitfalls that led to the collapse of those earlier kingdoms. (via)

GemCraft

juv3nal — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:39:38 -0800

GemCraft Flash Tower Defense goodness. Neat little rpg/upgrading touches in between maps. Lots of maps with some epic bosses thrown in every once in a while. Protips: your mana/gold is also your life/health. Mana pool thingy trades a chunk of mana for a higher income rate/greater max. capacity so is best used early. Meet "glowing frame" score thresholds to unlock seekrit levels.

See? Forts!

dersins — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:04:22 -0800

Britain's Maunsell Sea Forts [wiki] were built during WWII as part of the coastal defense system. They were decommissioned in the 1950's, but many of them remain in use for non-military purposes (this is arguably the most famous). Some great photos here. [previously on metafilter]

China's military budget increases.

wilful — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:27:25 -0800

China has announced it will increase defence spending by 18% to 417.8bn yuan (US$59bn; £30bn) this year. The US Department of Defense estimates the true figure is at least double that (huge .pdf). China spends less on defence, as a proportion of GDP, than the US, UK, France and Russia. The US is concerned that China is developing weapons that would disable its enemies' space technology - such as satellites - in the event of a conflict (what, like this one?).

Kiss your free time goodbye.

MythMaker — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:50:42 -0800

Protector. ~Flash Friday~ Protector takes the mechanics of tower defense games, and adds an RPG element to it. Specialize, level up, and say goodbye to your free time. previously

Doing less with more

Smedleyman — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:12:46 -0800

Bush requests $515.4 billion in funds for the defense budget from congress. So what do those numbers mean? The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments states the DoD’s base budget will grow to record (or near-record) levels and will require even greater increases in the coming years. The troops wouldn’t mind the planned pay raises commensurate with the private sector, housing that doesn’t smell like bug powder and mold, and chow that doesn’t turn your stomach. But according to the CSBA’s analysis ( here * caution PDF) , it’s doubtful that even an ideological Bush clone would be able to implement those increases given the economic realities. Some vets blame the silence of the generals. Should everything have changed post 9/11?(*PDF)

1930s Japanese Air Raid and Civil Defence Posters

Rumple — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 12:16:08 -0800

The Japanese National Archives have a nice set of late 1930s, pre-World War 2, civil defence posters, created in response to their hostilities with China: General Air Raid Defence; Blackout Control; Fire Protection; and Gas Attack. via Airminded, an excellent blog on "Airpower and British Society 1908-1941, mostly." Each poster has explanation if you click the "comments" button. I found the "jpeg" link, not the "jpeg2000" link worked better, unless you want to load a browser tool. I loved was terrified by Action Radius of Heavy Bombers; Blackout of Automobile; Disposal for dropped incendiaries (interesting they were so sensitive to the danger of fire bombing, in 1937); and the Effectiveness of Gas Masks. High resolution is available for all posters. The rest of the archives gallery is great as well, especially these pedagogical wall posters from elementary schools.

And You Thought HAARP Was Just Tinfoil?

jackspace — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:47:40 -0800

The HF Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) (a Google Video) radio signals are clearly heard in the 40 meter band, echoing off the Moon. This video shows S-meter readings as seen on a Yaesu FT-1000MP amateur radio (ham radio) transceiver located in San Jose, California. And of course a thorough explanation of what you are watching/hearing can be found on About the HAARP - LWA Moon Bounce Experiment.

I know it's not friday.

juv3nal — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:23:58 -0800

Flash Element Tower Defense 2 (registration not necessary to play). From the creator of Flash Element TD & Desktop TD. via JiG

Economic Consequences

homunculus — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:35:28 -0800

The Economic Consequences of Mr. Bush. "The next president will have to deal with yet another crippling legacy of George W. Bush: the economy. A Nobel laureate, Joseph E. Stiglitz, sees a generation-long struggle to recoup." [Via Firedoglake.]

The Common Good

edverb — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:24:31 -0800

Government is good. An unapologetic defense of a vital institution. We Need to Stand Up for Government The Forgotten Achievements of Government How Government is Good for Business What is Really Wrong with Government and How to Fix It A Day in Your Life (via)

return of the soviet union - the empire strikes back

chrisranjana.com — Tue, 29 May 2007 10:27:01 -0800

Russia on Tuesday test-launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile The points to note are:- It could penetrate any defense system, the statement did not specify how many warheads the missile can carry, it's either a decoy or something that has been developed in complete secrecy.

So if he sells weapons to Moqtada al-Sadr, will we have to call it "Gates-gate"?

xthlc — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 10:31:32 -0800

Who is Robert M. Gates? At first glance, he seems a pretty good candidate for Donald Rumsfeld's replacement as Secretary of Defense. As a former director of the CIA, his experience and contacts in the State Department may help heal the bureaucratic rifts between State and the DoD that erupted in the wake of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. However, there was that small matter of the Iran-Contra affair . . .

Executive Excess

homunculus — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 23:11:53 -0800

Executive Excess 2006: Defense and Oil Executives Cash in on Conflict (PDF). A new study from United for a Fair Economy and the Institute for Policy Studies looks at who is making a killing from the war on terror (or whatever they're calling it this week.) Looking ahead, I better review my portfolio. [Via C&L.]