A11 Ur Dronz R Be1onz 2 Us 6

6 comments

1. George

   July 3, 2012 at 11:30 am

   Sorry, garbage. The bogometer got pegged at about “the implicatios of this are that terrorists could” take over the drone and crash it into a building. But they didn’t actually commandeer a Reaper or a Global Hawk, they took over some crap thing they bought themselves. Homeland Security doesn’t own the real drones. The USAF and CIA does, and they’ll be the people leasing the flights. Finally, at 3:30 they mention the issue that the mil drones aren’t vulnerable. So, if I followed it right — they bought some cheap drone, spent more on their GPS spoofers, used Ph.D. candidates to do it over the space of a couple years, and now are trying to make the argument that terrorists could pose a threat using their methods. Typically, I’ve seen this approach to things ever since the war on terror cranked up. US academics, or nat security businesses, or our intel agencies, bring all their resources to bear on what they believe is a problem that terrorists could pose, without ever actually looking at how many terrorists there are — not many — and what they’re constrained by.   Fatuous quote by Todd Humphreys: “I think the vast majority of Americans are fascinated by drones, by the prospects, by the thought perhaps they could get takeout food delivered to their door by a drone …” 
   Basically, he deserved to be hooked right then. Takeout food drone service disrupted by terrorsts! Pizza bombs and chicken ticca dropped all over town!
    

    
2. Frank

   July 3, 2012 at 7:16 pm

   Sorry, not garbage.  If it can be done, someone damn sure will try to do it.  Maybe they won’t take over the CIA’s drones in flight, but the Mayberry Sheriff’s Department had damned well better watch out when they start droning on.

   Part of the appeal of drones is the sense that they are somehow magically surgical and invulnerable, just the way the atomic bomb was–for about four years.

    
3. George

   July 3, 2012 at 7:58 pm

   You’re right. But from my perspective, it’s just more of the same bad approach to security thinking. It’s simpler to buy the types of drones he’s talking of. And there have been stories on this for a few years, the upshot being it’s hard to make them lethal. You need something with lifting power and endurance, plus a Hellfire, which isn’t within the purvey of terror organizations. And I just can’t let him get off on the drones delivering takeout nonsense. He knew that when he said it, too, I’m betting. I also suspect that people are now a lot less thrilled with the prospect of a drone boom then he lets on. There have been enough negative political cartoons and the economy is depressed enough for people to begin resenting the idea of another special category of manufacturers and operators getting more swag for doing things of dubious value when half of everyone else gets to enjoy part time employment or joblessness. Anyway, have a good 4th. It’s warm here but, of the news is right, a lot warmer in the east, surprisingly.

    
4. Frank

   July 3, 2012 at 10:10 pm

   Given all the garbage that gets spewed by security consultants ISO contracts, I certainly understand your skepticism and generally agree with you positions on the such things.  And, as you know, I applaud your crusade to defog the foggers.  
   And your criticisms of Hilary Edward Boob Phud in the video are on point.
   Regarding the weather, give me 100 degrees and Virginia humidity over 120 degrees of “dry heat” any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  One thing you will not see in these parts are billboards that say, “Hydrate or die.”

    
5. George

   July 4, 2012 at 12:04 pm

   Hah. The over 100 dry heat days don’t arrive here until August/September. Then the urban concrete and asphalt that’s the San Gabriel Valley holds it overnight. At which point it’s grim for a couple weeks.

    
6. Frank

   July 4, 2012 at 4:57 pm

   I was in Oxnard some years ago in March and the LA temps were hitting 103.  I was okay in Oxnard on assignment, but the family was with me trying to do the tourist thing.

   And you can have Phoenix.