Defense Tech: FAITH-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE

Grok Headline matches for Defense Tech: FAITH-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE

Missile Defense: Ready, Set, Go?

Missile Defense: Ready, Set, Go? 04/26/2004 04:53 AM
A new General Accounting Office report says U.S. missile defense systems are being deployed before they're fully tested. The military says it's meeting an administration timeline, even though the tech is still being developed.

Indefensible missile defense

Indefensible missile defense 12/19/2004 03:23 PM
In the world of research and development, as in the world of entrepreneurial capitalism, there's this notion of a "proof of concept." A proof of concept is a small-scale test or prototype demonstration that takes some new idea and subjects it to some stress-testing by reality -- not a full dose but enough to show that the idea might be worth pursuing. Prove the concept, and maybe you'll risk fully funding the idea. Can't prove the concept? Give up. Move on to something else.

For two decades now, ever since Ronald Reagan unveiled his "Star Wars" vision, a faction of the defense-industrial complex has been trying to produce a proof of concept for missile defense -- to show that we can, with some level of reliability, defend the U.S. by shooting down hostile incoming missiles.

This week, they failed, again.

As proofs of concept go, this was not a cheap one -- the single test cost $85 million. We've spent $80 billion to date on this program, and President Bush wants to spend another $50 billion in the next few years.

But the real issue is not cost but methodology: The whole point of the proof of concept approach is that, if you can't prove the concept, you pull the plug while you're still in the R&D phase. The Bush administration is instead ignoring the simple reality of the results of its experiments and barreling forward.

I guess it's just being consistent: If you don't accept simple budgetary arithmetic and you don't accept the results of weapons inspections in Iraq and you don't accept the overwhelming scientific consensus on global warming, why should you break the pattern and accept the data from your missile-defense experiments? After all, that might be inching uncomfortably close to the "reality-based community." (See Fred Kaplan in Slate for a more detailed argument: "We can't even count on the rocket getting out of its launch silo, much less the millions of minute operations that must follow. President Bush fielded a half-dozen antimissile missiles and called them 'operational.' But they're a ruse.")

What we have here, aside from a massive and repeated technical failure, is a proof of concept for our government's new, proof-of-concept-free approach to spending our money. If we can get away with this reality-denial, the Bush administration's logic goes, let's keep doing it on a bigger and bigger scale! And indeed that's what's unfolding as the comic opera known as the Bush economic plan plays its overture to Act Two.

Let's see, we had enough money to support Social Security until we cut taxes repeatedly and manufactured a crisis, which is now being used to justify a ridiculous privatization scheme. But we still have enough money to pour into the black hole of missile defense.

I hate to be cynical, and certainly a lot of this is being driven by stupid blind ideology, but there is a common thread here: There's profit to be made by parking billions of Social Security money on Wall Street. And there's money to be made in missile defense.

Hey, maybe some of that money will be kicked back in 2008, when it's time to find and fund another Republican to keep this con game going!

Missile Defense Is A Cult

Missile Defense Is A Cult 12/19/2004 03:10 PM
Up here in Canada we’re coming under political pressure from President Bush to sign up for the U.S. Missile Defense program, we’ve got all this territory up North where they’d like to situate the launchers. Rather than just saying “Get lost!”, our Mr. Martin is (wisely I think) playing it cool and fuzzifying. It’s good not to irritate the U.S. when you don’t have to, but there’s absolutely no need for Canada to assist the dwindling but influential band of cultists who believe that Missile Defense is anything but a defense-contractor boondoggle. It was bogus back when Reagan launched it and it’s still bogus. But don’t take my word for it, check out what the American Institute of Physics has to say. Mind you, it’s less dangerous now than it was in Reagan’s day, when there was a nonzero probability that “Star Wars” might have provoked some paranoid Russians who were sufficiently stupid to believe that it might work to launch a first strike while they still had a chance. (Lauren has told me of how she, like every other underfunded Physics Ph.D. in the Eighties, noticed how dressing research up as missile-defense-related was a good way to tap into the gushing SDI money pipeline). Now, it’s just an extremely profitable waste of money. We all know that religious cults are distinguished by believing in things that are obviously not true, usually combined with substantial cash flows in the direction of those running the cult. Missile defense is an obvious example.

Congress Weighs Money for Missile
Defense (AP)

Congress Weighs Money for Missile
Defense (AP) 04/04/2005 02:37 AM
AP - Congress is weighing how much to invest in the fledgling ballistic missile defense system, which has suffered setbacks and whose cost could easily top the $150 billion partial price tag the Bush administration has estimated.

Australia Joins U.S. Missile Defense
System

Australia Joins U.S. Missile Defense
System 12/04/2003 01:16 AM
Reuters via Wired News Dec 4 2003 0:38AM ET

Bush Promotes His Plan for Missile
Defense System

Bush Promotes His Plan for Missile
Defense System 08/17/2004 10:36 PM
President Bush, in Pennsylvania, said that opponents of a missile defense system were putting the nation's security at risk.

Russia Tests Missile That Could Evade
U.S. Defense (Los Angeles Times)

Russia Tests Missile That Could Evade
U.S. Defense (Los Angeles Times) 02/19/2004 06:41 AM
Los Angeles Times - MOSCOW — After two days of high-profile military exercises, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin said Wednesday that Russia had successfully tested a new strategic missile system, a development that analysts said could allow nuclear warheads to avoid U.S. defenses.

Yahoo! News - Bush Plugs Missile Defense
System Plan

Yahoo! News - Bush Plugs Missile Defense
System Plan 08/18/2004 10:40 AM
Bush Backs Satellite-Guided Missile Defense .. once again pimps

news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&u=/ap/20040818/ap_on_el _pr/bush_4&printer=1
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MEMtronics Receives Missile Defense
Agency Contract for Tunable Filter
Development

MEMtronics Receives Missile Defense
Agency Contract for Tunable Filter
Development 03/22/2005 04:27 PM
MEMtronics Corporation today announced it has received a research contract from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) entitled �MEMS Tunable Transmit Filters for MKV Applications.� [PRWEB Mar 20, 2005]

Nichols Defense Says Bomb Case Based on
Speculation

Nichols Defense Says Bomb Case Based on
Speculation 05/26/2004 01:15 AM
Reuters via Wired News May 26 2004 5:44AM GMT

Nichols Defense Says Bomb Case Based on
Speculation (Reuters)

Nichols Defense Says Bomb Case Based on
Speculation (Reuters) 05/25/2004 08:37 PM
Reuters - Oklahoma's effort to convict Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols of murder is based on bad science, speculation and circumstantial evidence, a defense attorney said in closing arguments on Tuesday.

More R&D Support for Defense, Less
for Health and Tech

More R&D Support for Defense, Less
for Health and Tech 04/22/2004 06:44 PM
Crunched by the budget deficit and the Iraq war, the government R&D budget is growing but research dollars are increasingly allocated for defense purposes.

Defense Tech: LOS ALAMOS SHUT DOWN

Defense Tech: LOS ALAMOS SHUT DOWN 07/17/2004 04:59 AM
REMAINING EYE .. Defense Tech .. SHUT DOWN:

defensetech.org/archives/001019.html
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Tech industry presents less-than-unified
defense

Tech industry presents less-than-unified
defense 09/09/2004 09:03 AM

Defense Tech: EX-PENTAGON BIG RIPS
ANTI-MISSILES

Defense Tech: EX-PENTAGON BIG RIPS
ANTI-MISSILES 08/20/2004 10:56 AM
Defense Tech: EX-PENTAGON BIG RIPS ANTI-MISSILES .. won't work .. talks to

defensetech.org/archives/001068.html
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Homeland Defense Focuses on High-Tech
Threats

Homeland Defense Focuses on High-Tech
Threats 03/20/2003 01:05 PM
In response to fears that terrorist groups are using the Web to communicate and coordinate Internet and real-world attacks, cybersecurity is playing a key role in homeland defense legislation currently before Congress. Legislators are looking to bolster President Bush's proposal for a new government department for homeland security.

A defense of 'the price of getting
caught is too high' rings a bit hollow
in politics based on past history

A defense of 'the price of getting
caught is too high' rings a bit hollow
in politics based on past history 09/10/2004 02:36 PM
Chris Lehane is blaming the Bush campaign .. Their last post .. Powerline .. Nightline

powerlineblog.com/archives/007771.php
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"A defense of 'the price of getting
caught is too high' rings a bit hollow
in politics based on past history"

"A defense of 'the price of getting
caught is too high' rings a bit hollow
in politics based on past history" 09/11/2004 03:56 AM

US Defense Dept tech crisis leaves Our
Boys unpaid

US Defense Dept tech crisis leaves Our
Boys unpaid 07/08/2004 10:07 PM
Cheney unbilled

Defense contractor and high-tech
manufacturer Curtiss-Wright Corp. traces

Defense contractor and high-tech
manufacturer Curtiss-Wright Corp. traces 11/02/2003 09:48 AM
Miami Herald Nov 2 2003 9:19AM ET

Silicon Valley High-Tech Workers Rally
in Defense of Stock Options

Silicon Valley High-Tech Workers Rally
in Defense of Stock Options 06/25/2004 08:50 AM
Los Angeles Times Jun 25 2004 12:53PM GMT

Developing A Strategy For Saving
High-Tech:Defense Science Board Wrestles
A Political Hot Potato

Developing A Strategy For Saving
High-Tech:Defense Science Board Wrestles
A Political Hot Potato 04/13/2005 07:29 PM
Manufacturing News Apr 13 2005 11:24PM GMT

Wizdom Announces Award of Phase II DoD
SBIR to Research Methods to Increase
Production of Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs):
Focal Plane Arrays Produced by Rockwell
Scientific are Crucial to Nation�s
Missile Defense System

Wizdom Announces Award of Phase II DoD
SBIR to Research Methods to Increase
Production of Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs):
Focal Plane Arrays Produced by Rockwell
Scientific are Crucial to Nation�s
Missile Defense System 12/17/2004 06:40 PM
Wizdom Systems, Inc., a leading consulting and engineering services company has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research grant from the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to research process and control methods that will significantly increase the yield in the production of Focal Plane Arrays (FPA), devices crucial to the successful deployment of the nations missile defense system. The project is managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory; Space Vehicles Directorate. Wizdom is teamed with Rockwell Science Center RSC of Thousand Oaks, California, which is the end producer of the FPAs. This grant marks Wizdom�s tenth SBIR awarded by the Federal Government. [PRWEB Oct 29, 2004]

In Defense Of DRM

In Defense Of DRM 06/24/2005 04:41 PM

Is DRM really that bad? By Peter Rojas, Engadget

RSS self-defense

RSS self-defense 02/10/2004 02:49 AM
Now that I'm accumulating my inbound feeds as XHTML, in order to database and search them, I find myself in the aggregator business, where I never planned to be. The tools I'm using to XHTML-ize my feeds are Mark Pilgrim's incredibly useful ultra-liberal feed parser and the equally useful HTML Tidy, invented by Dave Raggett, and maintained by folks like Charlie Reitzel, one of CMS Watch's Twenty Leaders to Watch in 2004 (along with yours truly). ...

-- CAE DEFENSE FUND --

-- CAE DEFENSE FUND -- 07/01/2004 07:08 AM
charged Kurtz instead with a minor infraction, petty larceny .. improperly ordering high school science-level lab samples .. WTF?????

caedefensefund.org/overview.html#062904
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In defense of WSDL

In defense of WSDL 03/11/2003 11:53 AM
Clemens Vasters: Why I want WSDL to die. I agree in principle with the sentiments expressed in this excellent rant. It is the execution and details that things become problematic. What actually concerns me more that the (valid, IMHO) irritations that Clemens so eloquently describes is the process of getting consensus and widespread adoption of any new format.

There also is one important aspect that Clemens seems to have overlooked, which I will generically refer to as bindings. When doing SOAP using XML over HTTP, a URI and a SOAPAction are required. Non HTTP and non pointy-bracket serializations of the XML Infoset should also be supportable. A concrete example: a binary message sent over MQSeries may be a vital part of a flow of business process.

The last line of defense

The last line of defense 08/03/2004 09:24 AM
The 9/11 commission report and aviation security experts paint a damning picture of how America's airline security failed -- and is still failing.

In defense of MP3 bl0gs

In defense of MP3 bl0gs 05/26/2004 10:20 AM
Check out this rant from an MP3 blog reader -- a blogger who posts tracks that he's digging to get his readers interested -- on the threatened medium:

We're all familiar with blogs (ummm, you're reading one now), but now, we have unashamed folks who are not afraid to provide you with a daily song that has been gracing their ears. Good stuff, big bands, and totally the definition of fair use. The average blog user has 12 readers... so... if I give one song to 12 people a day, that seems entirely fair, when compared to say, WOXY radio that had to shut down because it couldn't afford the licensing and bandwidth of its 50,000 listeners.

So, I love it! It's the best of fair use, with the peer spice. Now all we need, is about 3 kabillion more so that these brave souls aren't overloaded, or targetted otherwise.

Best of all is the long list of MP3 blogs, which are a sampler's paradise. Link (Thanks, Th0m!)

Defense In Depth

Defense In Depth 05/28/2004 06:25 AM

::: cae defense fund :::

::: cae defense fund ::: 06/05/2004 11:47 AM
ARTISTS SUBPOENAED IN USA PATRIOT ACT CASE .. cae defense fund .. Steve Kurtz

caedefensefund.org
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Fair use is a right AND a defense

Fair use is a right AND a defense 09/09/2004 02:43 PM
Cory Doctorow: The entertainment companies often tell us that "fair use isn't a right, it's a defense." It's techincally true, but legally disingenous. As my cow-orker Fred Von Lohmann noted today in a mailing list post, "I've heard Peter Jaszi say on several occasions (and more eloquently), First Amendment is like fair use, technically invoked as a defense in court, but that doesn't stop us from talking about our *right* to free speech."

Why Due Diligence as a Defense is Not
Enough

Why Due Diligence as a Defense is Not
Enough 03/29/2005 09:29 AM

Defense for Your Portfolio

Defense for Your Portfolio 07/08/2004 02:12 PM
Should you consider buying these two bullet-shedding stocks?

In Defense Of Commoditization

In Defense Of Commoditization 07/13/2004 03:47 AM
A couple months back, there was yet another discussion about Nicholas Carr and his assertion that technology no longer matters, since it's being commoditized and no longer offers any competitive advantage. At the time, I wrote an explanation about why commodit ization is good for innovation, because commodities become inputs towards innovation, and (being commodities, after all) they're cheap. Cheap inputs certainly can lead to greater innovation. It looks like Sun's Jonathan Schwartz agrees. He describes why Sun is so desperately trying to standardize certain products to push along the commoditization process. This is not, as Carr would have you believe, to destroy competitive advantage, but to help build it. Of course, you could make the argument that Sun hasn't done enough to really push for standardization -- and even that their hesitation to go a standardized route has put the company in a very difficult position. Still, Schwartz's thoughts are an interesting read. The ideas make sense, even if the implementation has been problematic.

In defense of Microsoft

In defense of Microsoft 10/30/2003 12:34 PM
In late September 2003, the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) in Washington issued a new report that detailed its "findings" on the state of Internet security. The panel of experts who authored the paper agreed that the Internet security problems faced by corporations, consumers, and government users could not be solved unless these groups made a concerted effort to move away from Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products. In their opinion, the lack of diversity in computing platforms has made it easy for virus writers and hackers to target systems based on the Windows platform.

Sleeping defense

Sleeping defense 07/14/2004 11:43 AM
CNET Asia Jul 14 2004 4:12PM GMT

In Defense of the Drugmakers

In Defense of the Drugmakers 09/14/2004 08:57 AM
Business Week Sep 14 2004 1:28PM GMT

Jet Defense: What's the Holdup?

Jet Defense: What's the Holdup? 01/08/2004 08:16 PM

Grok Description matches for Defense Tech: FAITH-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE
GrokA matches for Defense Tech: FAITH-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE

Defense Tech: FAITH-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE

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