"Every war becomes a proving ground for new tactics and new technologies. Battleships rose to prominence in World War I; tanks and bombers determined the course of World War II; Vietnam brought air power definitively into the Jet Age. The current conflict is no different. The Pentagon began this war believing its new, networked technologies would help make U.S. ground forces practically unstoppable in Iraq. Slow-moving, unwired armies like Saddam Hussein’s were the kind of foe network-centric warriors were designed to carve up quickly. During the invasion in March 2003, that proved to be largely the case—despite most of the soldiers not being wired up at all. It was enough that their commanders had systems like BFT, which let them march to Baghdad faster than anyone imagined possible, with half the troops it took to fight the Gulf War in 1991. But now, more than three years into sectarian conflict and a violent insurgency that has cost nearly 2,400 American lives, an investigation of the current state of network-centric warfare reveals that frontline troops have a critical need for networked gear—gear that hasn’t come yet. “There is a connectivity gap,” states a recent Army War College report. “Information is not reaching the lowest levels.”"
Space shuttle launch photo.
OV-105 Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour from Pad 39B on mission STS-97. This is a five minute exposure taken from the Causeway (about 7 miles away from the pad). Taken with a borrowed all-manual Nikomat camera, 24 mm lens, f/16, Kodak Royal Gold 100 film. When the exposure was stopped in this shot, the shuttle was approximately 229 statute miles downrange.
the history channel in running da vinci code related programing this week. last night they ran a great mysteries of the freemasons doc that was awesome and will be replayed saturday 6pm. do i really need to see dc the movie? ive avoided the book pretty successfully.
hayden hearing on wnyc.
likely on cspan as well but The Washington Notes steve clemons is supposed to appear on wnyc.
likely on cspan as well but The Washington Notes steve clemons is supposed to appear on wnyc.
theres always a defense contract lurking behind any bush foreign policy initiative.
Seems like most people don't trust Wayne Madsen. I don't know enough to judge, but it seems to me like he at least sometimes gets a scoop. Especially on insider DC stuff. Anyway, he says tomorrow is Fitzmas.
I'm not saying I believe (or trust) her, but this is interesting:
...Judy Miller tells Rory O'Connor and William Scott Malone about the story she'll regret for the rest of her life -- the fact that an anonymous White House source told her in July 2001 that an NSA intelligence report predicted a large al Qaeda attack, possibly on the continental United States...Or maybe she'll just say anything to get back into the spotlight.
Ned Lamont commercials, the first featuring Kos.
something weird going on with the crooksandliars home page.
Tom "6 months" Friedman. LOL. (Did I get this from one of you? Sorry if it's a dupe.)
bill maher : new rules
malcolm gladwell has a blog. does that mean weve reached a tipping point?
Comment of the Day -- on a thread about conservative battle wanking fatigue
Son, we live in a world that has blogs, and those blogs have to be guarded by men with computers. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Waring? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Reynolds and you curse the Keyboarders. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Reynolds’ existence, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don’t want the truth because deep down, in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that blog. You need me on that blog. We use words like “fisk,” “indeed,” “heh” … We use these words as the backbone to a life spent at home defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a woman who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the endlessly self-important invective that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a laptop and start to post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to!
Batiste
, WSJ page A1 (saturday edition)
, WSJ page A1 (saturday edition)
kos booksigning wednesday on the bowery.
lance mannion thinks lost in the city by edward p jones is the best work of american fiction written in the past quarter century. what say you, bibliophiles?
city of god premieres on ifc tonight at 845.
never heard of a furniture librarian before
bill, did you catch sonic youth on gillmore girls last night? thurston and kim playing with their daughter in stars hollow. is it possible for a kid to have cooler parents? lucky girl.
