Feral Jundi

Friday, October 9, 2009

Cool Stuff: Off Duty Gamers

Filed under: Cool Stuff,Technology — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 3:24 PM

   I picked up on this over at Blackfive, and thought it was pretty cool.  There are a few games now that revolve around PMC’s, and if you want your voice heard about what they are getting right or wrong with these games, then sites like this are the place to go.

    You are probably wondering why would security contractors want to hang out on a site like this?  Well for one, there are a lot of guys out there that play these games during their off time out on contract. This is the kind of stuff we do to pass the time or to let out some steam, and the games are pretty fun.  The military guys are the same way, and on all of the FOB’s and Outposts, gaming is a huge thing.

   But what is even more important, is that these first person shooter and strategy games, are what influence these guys that play them.  If PMC’s are portrayed negatively in these games, then you as the security contractor gamer on a site like Off Duty Gamer could express your opinion or enlighten others about what the real deal is.  You can also be a source of information for other Off Duty Gamers that might be interested in getting into this industry.  It is also important that we make sure these game designers make a good product.

   Of course there are plenty of forums that guys can go to now, but a site like this is designed specifically for our kind, and it’s purpose is to seek out our opinions.  Now that is some shared reality.

   I have no idea when they will be up and running, but when they do I will put the word out. –Matt

Edit: 01/04/2010 – Off Duty Gamers is fully operational and check it out.

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Off Duty Gamer

Off Duty Gamer

The concept is pretty simple and goes like this. A lot of games in the console and PC market are either directly or indirectly military related yet the primary people who would know this genre best are the least polled or heard from.

In a time when gaming has gotten very realistic it is time for those of us who know the material to have a place to go and be among our own community. The site will cover things such as:

(more…)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Crime: NY Pair Used Twitter and Cell Phones to Direct Protests During G-20, Pittsburgh

Filed under: Crime,Pennsylvania,PMC 2.0,Technology — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 10:50 AM

    I wanted to post this to show how these technologies are being used for command and control of events like this.  The key elements to this, are using pre-paid cellphones that are basically disposable, and Twitter, all with the intent of directing a protest or riot for maximum effect.  I wonder when we will hear of the first terror cell usage of Twitter, to direct a Mumbai style complex assault?  I know for the Mumbai deal, they used text messaging for command and control.     With Twitter, a leader can send orders to massive groups, and in turn, that leader can track reports coming from the various sectors of the battlefield, all using quick little reports coming through Twitter.  And with the advent of cloud computing, the most active sectors will come front and center in everyone’s Twitter account, and everyone can see where the focus should be in the protest.  It is a way to make a group more connected and more responsive to whatever police forces are doing. Just as long as they all have a connection with their phones. Now couple that with Google Maps and the common GPS features in today’s smart phones, and now you have some super empowered hooligans. Interesting stuff. –Matt

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New York pair accused of directing protesters during G-20 in Pittsburgh

By Jeremy BorenTRIBUNE-REVIEWSunday, October 4, 2009

State police have accused two anarchists from New York of using cell phones and the Internet messaging service Twitter to direct the movements of protesters during the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh.

Police arrested Elliot M. Madison, 41, and Michael Wallschlaeger, 46, both of Jackson Heights, N.Y., after they found them Sept. 24 in a Kennedy Township hotel room full of computers, police scanners and Pittsburgh-area maps, according to a state police criminal complaint.

FBI agents spent 16 hours Friday raiding the home of Madison and his wife, Elena, according to a federal court motion filed in Brooklyn, N.Y., by Madison’s attorney Martin R. Stolar seeking the return of Madison’s possessions that were seized in the raid.

Stolar did not return a message seeking comment Saturday. No one answered the phone at a number listed for Madison.

Wallschlaeger and Madison wore headphones and microphones as they sat in front of computers they used to send Twitter messages to protesters in Pittsburgh to help them move about the city “and to inform the protesters and groups of the movements and actions of law enforcement,” the state police complaint states.

(more…)

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Law Enforcement: Police Departments Back Anti-terror Citizens Watch

Filed under: Law Enforcement,Technology — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:01 AM

     I should file this under ‘super empowered sheepdogs’ or SEI, because that is what we will need to combat super empowered individuals (SEI) and groups. I brought up the Joker from the movie Dark Knight in past posts, as the epitome of a SEI. These SEI’s are individuals that learn about their cause and how to prosecute it, all on their own. They can conduct operations that can cause a lot of death and damage, and with tools like the internet, they are intellectually empowered to create all sorts of mayhem. Law enforcement cannot be everywhere and at all times, so it is important to tap on to the one resource out there that can be everywhere and at all times.  That resource is you.

     Now one idea for iWatch is to make it into a mobile application.  Not only could you update what to look for on each smart phone through updates, but iWatch could send alerts with new info, straight to the iWatch mobile application.  The other thing they could do is put the ‘most wanted’ list on iWatch, with a last known location (LKL) function attached to that list.  I would set it up where the iWatch app notifies you when you are in the area of a LKL of a most wanted individual or individuals.  It would be a reminder of who to look for, based on specific areas.

     The way I could see it working is that you have your iPhone or PDA in your pocket, and then as you are walking around, you get a notification.  You as the user could set up your notifications and alerts to your personal preference, but either way, you get a notification in the form of a alarm or vibration.  You pull out your phone, hit the alert tab on your iWatch icon, and then it gives you the details.  Now you will have a picture in your head for that specific area.  And now the odds of a offhand spotting of a booger eater increases.  Or even an offhand spotting of a vehicle listed or of suspicious activity.  There are all types of things you could do with this.  Hell, you could even do like Crime Stoppers, and attach bounties and awards to this, to further increase the odds of a capture. –Matt

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Police departments back anti-terror citizens watch

By EILEEN SULLIVAN (AP) – 2 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Big city police chiefs are backing an anti-terrorism community watch program to educate people about what behavior is truly suspicious and ought to be reported to police.

Police Chief William Bratton of Los Angeles, whose department developed the iWATCH program, calls it the 21st century version of Neighborhood Watch.

(more…)

Friday, October 2, 2009

PMC 2.0: Mesh Networks

Filed under: Disaster Response,PMC 2.0,Technology — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:11 AM

   This is important research for PMC’s and PSC’s, because if companies want a simple way for contractors to communicate with each other on some disaster zone or war zone gig, then this will allow them to do that.  Especially since most guys have, or will soon have smart phones that are bluetooth and wifi capable. You could add this capability to your communications plan, and if these guys can make this open source and free, then it would be a no-brainer to utilize Mesh Networks.

   In disaster zones and war zones where there is no infrastructure for 3G or cell towers, or those things were destroyed somehow, you must have a communications infrastructure back up system.  Mesh Networks is a possible solution if they can pull it off.  To make it free is even cooler, because then it will not be something that is exclusive to one company or another.  Along with the Mesh Networks, there must also be a way to encrypt the communications or something, and I am sure some technology will come along to do such a thing.  But first things first–get the Mesh Networks going.

    And for military/police/medical/disaster response crews, this will be awesome. For coordinating purposes and for evolving incidents like the Mumbai attack, you must have communications and information sharing systems that have redundancy built into them. If terrorists or some flood destroys the cell tower(s), then you must have an alternative network for everyone to talk on.  This is smart and I wish them all the luck in their research. –Matt

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Researchers developing free mobile mesh network

Munir Kotadia

Oct 1, 2009

Can provide comms during mobile network blackout?

Researchers from Australia and Singapore are developing a wireless ad-hoc mesh networking technology that uses mobile handsets to share and carry information including high quality video.

The mesh network will make use of Bluetooth or Wifi and could be used at a large sporting event, conference, or even a crowded city centre during an emergency, to swap information between handsets – even if the mobile phone network was offline.

(more…)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Technology: The Bedazzler–A $250 Less Than Lethal, DIY ‘Puke Gun’

Filed under: DIY,Technology,Weapons Stuff — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 10:45 AM

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