Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Technology: ‘Morality Moments’ for the Army of Two Video Game
Friday, October 9, 2009
Cool Stuff: Off Duty Gamers
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
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:
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Crime: NY Pair Used Twitter and Cell Phones to Direct Protests During G-20, Pittsburgh
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.
Friday, October 2, 2009
PMC 2.0: Mesh Networks
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.