Thursday, September 27, 2012

Wired: How Big-League Bats Are Getting Harder Than Ever

How Big-League Bats Are Getting Harder Than Ever: Ted Williams looked for bats with knots in the barrel because, he thought, the compressed wood within the gnarls would return more energy upon impact with a pitched baseball. It?s the same reason that, dating back generations, players have worked over their bats by rubbing an animal bone lengthwise across the barrel, packing the raised grains of the wood and create a tight, level hitting surface.

TBD: The 2011 Army survey: Actually, Tom, there is a lot to worry about in there

The 2011 Army survey: Actually, Tom, there is a lot to worry about in there:
By Jörg Muth
Best Defense directorate of mission command
Thank you for posting the link to
the annual survey of Army leaders
. To answer your question I think we
should start worrying now. While the report was exhaustive, transparent and
well crafted, it came from within the system and thus suffers heavily from betriebsblindheit -- company blindness.
That is a notable German word that describes the inability of a person who was
forever with a company to see certain problems. I read the report with the eye
of the sociologist, historian, and Army fan.
The first worrisome fact is that only 15.7 percent of uniformed
personnel were willing to take part in that survey. It is most likely that many
of two major groups whose responses would be most important did not reply --
those in combat units because they are too busy and those who want to get out
anyway because they are too disillusioned already.
There are discrepancies in the findings that are not solved.
When 70 percent of the leaders rank the leadership capabilities of their superiors as good, why do only half of the questioned want to emulate the behavior of their
leaders, and why are only 44 percent able to learn from them? After all, 70 percent point out that
their superior leads by example.
How is it possible to get so many favorable ratings on
leaders when 58 percent of those who think that the Army heads in the wrong direction
reflect that the Army is unable to retain the best leaders, and only 44 percent think
that the personnel promotions are accurate? The same level of identified toxic
leaders over the years shows that there is something wrong with the system of
weeding out incapable leaders.
Surveys like this from active duty soldiers need to be
corroborated with surveys from officers who left the service because they
believed the good leaders were not promoted. There was a survey not long ago
for West Point officers who left the service and they gave that as their second
most important reason to leave, just after the Army bureaucracy (82 percent).
Especially the agreement to leadership capabilities expressed in higher ranks
points out to the tendency that those who were the most streamlined were
promoted.
Obviously most (85 percent) leaders of the current survey showed
false confidence in their cross-cultural interaction abilities because the
feedback from foreigners about behavior of U.S. Army officers is way less
positive.
If the leadership is so outstanding, why do only 43 percent of
those stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan rate the morale of their unit as high or very
high? Samuel Stouffer in his seminal sociological work, The American Soldier, had recognized
in 1949 that in such surveys you need to distinguish between combat and
non-combat units. I predict that the leadership ratings for combat units will
be way worse if they were singled out for this survey. It is easy to lead by
example a staff stationed in a FOB, compared to a rifle company in Helmland,
Afghanistan. The tail of the U.S. Army is by now so big that only a fraction of
the leaders served in combat units, yet they are the most crucial.
Morale seems to be an issue and that needs to be addressed.
91 percent of the Majors and Colonels claim to be satisfied with their careers, yet
their personal morale level is at 63 percent (high or very high).
The idea of the survey is excellent, but what can be done to
improve it next year?
  • Make it shorter instead of more detailed to
    motivate soldiers to participate. Focus on key leadership elements.
  • Bring in experts who know the Army but are not
    in the Army for an out-of-the box perspective.
  • Distinguish between combat and non-combat units.
  • Corroborate the data of the survey with other
    surveys, especially from soldiers who have left the Army.
  • Give room for quality answers and not only
    closed questions. Before World War II, the German Army routinely used to ask its
    juniors officers during the district defense examination for their opinion on a
    certain topic and thus got a wealth of valuable input and creative ideas to
    improve.
Jörg Muth, PhD, studied History, Sociology, the Law and Peace- and Conflict
Studies. He is an expert on the US Army -past and present. Jörg is the author
of
Command
Culture: Officer Education in the U.S. Army and the German Armed Forces,
1901-1940, and the Consequences for World War II.
The book was placed by the Army Chief of Staff, General Raymond T.
Odierno, on his professional reading list. In June
Command Culture received the 'Distinguished Writing Award' of the Army
Historical Foundation
.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The Fastest Way To Crack A 4-Digit PIN Number [Infographic]

The Fastest Way To Crack A 4-Digit PIN Number [Infographic]:

Pin Analysis Data Genetics
Good ol' 1234 accounts for about 10 percent of passwords. That's more than the bottom 4,200 combinations put together.
We know people default to bad passwords, whether for their computers or banking PINs. But, we have to stress this here, people are really bad at picking passwords. This infographic visualizes that idea by taking all of the possible combinations and mapping them based on frequency of use.
A data set of 3.4 million pins was used. The first two digits are on the horizontal end; the second two on the vertical end. That perfectly diagonal yellow line streaking across it shows the frequency of 1111, 2222, etc. Data Genetics crunched the numbers (based on "released/exposed/discovered password tables and security breaches") used in the graphic, and came up with some fascinating finds:
  • You can crack more than 10 percent of random PINs by dialing in 1234. Expanding a bit, 1234, 0000, and 1111, make up about 20 percent.
  • 26.83 percent of passwords can be cracked using the top 20 combinations. That would be 0.2 percent of the passwords if they were randomly distributed.
  • For the data set used, 8068 is the "safest" password, used just 25 times out of 3.4 million.
  • Birthday years are big. The 1900 PINS--1986, 1960, 1991, and so on--are extremely popular, with PINs from later in the century used the most.
  • A full 17.8 percent of PINs are couplets, such as 7878, 8181.
  • 2580 seems random, but comes it at No. 22 most-used on the list. Why? Because it's straight down the middle row on a telephone keypad.
There are better ways to pick a password.
[Data Genetics via visual.ly]



A Computer Program That Predicts Terrorist Attacks

A Computer Program That Predicts Terrorist Attacks:
A data-mining project that adapts analytics used by Amazon and big box retailers to predict customer behavior is now being used to stop terrorism before it starts.

You Won't Need a Driver's License by 2040

You Won't Need a Driver's License by 2040: According to the IEEE, autonomous vehicles will make up the majority of cars on the road by 2040. And since you don't need a license to ride a bus, you might not need special training to be whisked from location to location.

The Horror of Antietam

The Horror of Antietam:
A misty rain shrouded Antietam Creek as Pvt. David L. Thompson and other footsore soldiers from the 9th New York Infantry took their places on the Union line and unrolled their blankets. It was Sept. 16, 1862, a night marked by the sputtering fire of nervous pickets, the cursing of men tripping over objects in the dark (including a regimental dog), and waves of panic.

Autonomous Vehicles Now Legal in California

Autonomous Vehicles Now Legal in California: At Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, Governor Jerry Brown was joined on stage by Sergey Brin to sign a new law that would allow autonomous vehicles to operate on California roads.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Army Master Sgt. Mike Morton breaks American 24-hour race record

Army Master Sgt. Mike Morton breaks American 24-hour record with 172-mile gold medal run:

Army Master Sgt. Mike Morton, 40, during the International Association of Ultrarunners 24-Hour World Championships in Katowice, Poland. Morton won — and crushed the American record — by running 172.458 miles in 24 hours. (IAU photo)
The buzz among ultra-nerds this week has been all about Mike Morton and his jaw-dropping, American record-breaking 172.458-mile performance at last weekend’s International Association of Ultrarunners World 24-Hour Championships in Katowice, Poland.
Morton, a master sergeant in the Army, won the gold less than eight weeks after a scorching win at the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley, Calif.

[Also sporting a Team USA uniform this month: Air Force Tech. Sgt. David Perez competed Sept. 2  in the duathlon world championships, finishing 11th in his age group and 134th overall.]
A field of 248 competitors started at noon Poland time on Sept. 8 to run as many loops of a 1,554-meter course as possible in 24 hours. Morton’s 172.458-mile distance — about 8 and a half minutes per mile — earned him the win and crushed Scott Jurek’s 2010 American 24-hour record in the process. Morton finished nearly ten miles ahead of second place Florian Reus of Germany.
Update: Greek runner Yiannis Kouros holds the World 24-hour road record with 290,221 meters (180.33 miles), according to the IAU. Kouros also holds the 24-hour track record with 303,506 meters (188.59 miles).
Morton’s win in Poland tops off of a banner year for the 40-year-old. Besides winning Badwater, he’s also won — and set course records  at — the Long Haul 100-miler (13:18:58), the Umstead 100-miler (13:11:40) and the Keys 100-miler (13:42:52).
I called Mike this morning to completely geek out talk about the race. He credits a lot of his success to an injury-free year of good conditions and well-planned training.
“Everything along the way has been maxed out,” Morton said. “I mean, in my mind when I was planning it I was like, alright, well I’ll do these 100s as long training runs. Winning wasn’t the goal, it was just go there and make the most of it. I’m elated that not only did the plan work — I was able to get the American record — I set some other records along the way. I think it would be tough to have a better year, to have something that would top it.”
In 2011, Morton posted 163.9 miles at the Hinson Lake 24-Hour in North Carolina, where he ran virtually unchallenged — second place Joe Fejes finished over 30 miles behind him. But last weekend in Poland, Morton was running against an elite field, which helped push him.
“The atmosphere was totally different,” he said. “It was all about competition.”
He explains:
“An Italian runner was only two laps behind me and started to gain on me during the night; he was looking strong,” Morton wrote in an earlier email. “Mike Spinnler, the JFK 50 [race director], was my crew and coach. He fed me numbers the whole time. The Italian guy started to get in my head because he was right there for so long. Eventually Mike told me that he came in looking rough and stopped for a while. I knew I had to put him down and made an effort to look strong and upbeat every time I came through the aid station. The Italian was unable to continue and he faded away, then I had a solid five- to six-lap cushion. Mike kept the focus on the American record and fed me the numbers. I ran based off of how I felt but I felt better hearing him tell me where I was!”
Morton said he’s been focused on the 24-hour championships for over two years, and now that he’s won the race and bagged the American record, he can set his sites on a 100-miler personal record.
“Right now, I think I’m at peak fitness, and I attribute it to the the series of races and the distances. So, I think if I go into recovery mode for a couple weeks or a month, and then go into a maintenence mode, I think I could have a good 100,” he said. “In the other 100s — and even Badwater — in the back of my mind there was always a little bit of hesitation to push it at times, because I knew the goal was Sept. 8. I think now I could take a no-holds-barred approach and be a little risky toward the end.”
How risky? Morton set a new 100-miler PR last weekend — with a 13:10 split — and then ran 72 miles more.
“If I go in with the mindset of, ‘Hey, get the first 50 under the belt in the normal time, and then push it,’ I think I can shave some time off that.”
Does Morton think he can break 13 hours?
“That’s my goal,” he says.
Read more about Mike Morton here, and check out our coverage from Badwater here.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Autonomous Vehicles will have full-time 3D situational awareness

From New Scientist:
Talking cars help each other see around blind corners: A system that allows autonomous vehicles to gain a 3D view of an area could reduce the chance of a collision with an unseen obstacle or person by 14 times


MentalFloss: The 5 Other U.S. Ambassadors Killed by Terrorists

Why didn't I learn this in school?

The 5 Other U.S. Ambassadors Killed by Terrorists:
According to the State Department Office of the Historian, five U.S. ambassadors had been killed in the line of duty by terrorists prior to the killings of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and three embassy staffers on Tuesday. Here are their stories.

Getty Images

1. John Gordon Mein – August 28, 1968, Guatemala

Mein became the first U.S. ambassador to be assassinated while serving in office when Guatemalan terrorists ambushed his limousine after a political luncheon in Guatemala City. Following his death, it was reported that Guatemalan military officials had tried to supply Mein with guards, and one Guatemalan colonel went so far as to enact a mock ambush to make a point to Mein that he was too cavalier about his safety. According to the Washington Post, Mein was determined to show that Guatemala’s terrorists could not force Americans into armored shells, and he routinely ran errands with minimal security.
Born in Kentucky, Mein spent much of his childhood in Brazil, where his father was a Baptist missionary. He graduated from Georgetown, earned a law degree from George Washington and worked for five years at the Department of Agriculture before joining the State Department in 1941. After serving in Brazil, Italy, Norway, Indonesia and the Philippines, Mein was appointed ambassador to Guatemala under President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.

2. Cleo A. Noel Jr. – March 1, 1973, Sudan

Members of Black September, a faction of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, killed Noel after kidnapping him and nine other diplomats from a party at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Sudan. The terrorists offered to exchange Noel and the other hostages for the release of 60 Palestinian guerrillas held in Jordanian prisons, as well as Sirhan Sirhan, who was convicted of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Upon learning of these demands, President Richard Nixon said, “We will do everything we can to get them released, but we will not pay blackmail.” In addition to Noel, his outgoing deputy, George C. Moore, and a Belgian diplomat were killed.
Noel was born in Oklahoma City, grew up in Missouri and graduated from the University of Missouri, where he taught history for a year before joining the Navy. He did graduate work in history at Harvard after World War II and was hired by State Department personnel officer Lucille McHenry, who would become his wife. He spent time in Saudi Arabia and Sudan before he was sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Sudan on Dec. 8, 1973 1972.

3. Rodger P. Davies – August 19, 1974, Cyprus

Davies was standing in the central hall of the U.S. embassy in Cyprus when a bullet fired by a Greek Cypriote sniper from outside the building struck him in the chest. An embassy secretary, Antoinette Varnavas, was shot and killed after running to Davies’ aid, while Davies was pronounced dead upon arrival at a private clinic nearby. The shots were fired during an anti-American demonstration, which was spurred by the Greek Cypriotes’ recent defeat at the hands of Turkish forces. One of Davies’ goals was to establish a peace agreement between the two sides. Five suspects were arrested in 1977 following an extensive investigation. While homicide charges were dropped, two men were sentenced to five- and seven-year prison sentences later that year for their involvement in the demonstration.
Born in Berkeley, Calif., Davis graduated from the University of California in 1942 and entered the Foreign Service after serving in the army during World War II. Prior to being nominated as the U.S. ambassador to Cyprus in 1973, Davis had served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs. He arrived at his post in Cyprus less than one month before he was killed.

4. Francis E. Meloy, Jr. – June 16, 1976, Lebanon

Meloy, his economic aide, and his Lebanese chauffeur were kidnapped and murdered in Beirut by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a faction of the PLO. The kidnapping occurred as Meloy’s vehicle was crossing the dividing line between Beirut’s Christian and Muslim sections. Twenty years later, Lebanon’s top appeals court acquitted two former Islamic guerrillas who were involved in the assassinations. Their cases fell within the scope of a 1991 amnesty law that covers crimes committed during the war.
Meloy was born in Washington, D.C., served in the Navy during World War II and later as the U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. President Gerald Ford nominated Meloy as ambassador to Lebanon following the resignation of the ailing G. McMurtrie Godley in April 1976.

5. Adolph Dubs – February 14, 1979, Afghanistan

Dubs, who was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan after a Soviet-aligned faction came to power there in 1978, was kidnapped by four armed militants from the opposition party posing as policemen. The militants demanded the release of their imprisoned leader and took Dubs to a room on the second floor of the Kabul Hotel, where he was killed during a rescue attempt.
A Chicago native, Dubs graduated from Beloit College in 1942, served in the Navy during World War II and later studied at Georgetown, Harvard and Washington University in St. Louis. He entered the Foreign Service in 1949 and was one of the first Foreign Service officers assigned to West Germany. He later worked in Liberia and Canada before learning Russian and being assigned to Moscow in 1961. Dubs soon became a specialist in Soviet affairs.

ACL: Discovering Those Who Make

Discovering Those Who Make.:
Short videos of people making things is nothing new around these internets. How many factory videos have I posted on this site? Answer: a lot. Does it mean that all of the attention to craftsmanship is slowing —not so much. And it is not dissipating because it is still interesting. People are also becoming more and more interested in actually making things —be it leather goods or food items. Small batch goods from small batch makers in towns all over the world.
The discovery of the tumblr Those Who Make came as a very welcome surprise. The site is sort of a catch all for interesting maker films — sort of like a regionally unspecific version of my Fuck Yeah Made in USA, but with a more open concept for food, consumer goods and all sorts of other interesting stuff. After looking through, I found some of the food / spirits films most intriguing and original. Maybe I haven’t been paying attention, but the culinary film aspect hasn’t been as front and center. With the exception of the Mast Brothers who must have had thirty shorts focus on them. I pulled out a few of my favorites, and added in a few other recent film discoveries that seemed to fit the same bill.
I should add that far and away my favorite film of this sort was made by The Smith (discovered via Devour) who profiled hunter / gatherer /cook Rohan Anderson —who could be the most badass man on the internets since Aaron Draplin crushed the world one slice of illustrator at a time. Watch as Rohan builds himself a smokehouse by hand, all with bacon in mind. It is a gloriously representative film for a mesmerizing movement that I hope continues to flourish.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Stanley McChrystal: Leadership is a Choice

Stanley McChrystal: Leadership is a Choice:
GEN (R) Stanley McChrystal, USA addresses leadership during this hour-long video for the Stanford Graduate School of Business. The takeaway? “Leadership is not a talent or a gift. It’s a choice. It’s not complex, but it’s very hard.”

When The Pope talks, people listen.

Abu Muqawama: Setting the Record Straight on Obama and Iraq

Setting the Record Straight on Obama and Iraq:
A few months ago, it was still fashionable on the American Right to blame President Obama for withdrawing all U.S. troops from Iraq and thus squandering any residual U.S. leverage over events there. I pressed back on this narrative, pointing out that it was the Bush Administration that, to its credit, successfully negotiated the Status of Forces Agreement in the fall of 2008 that established the terms for the U.S. withdrawal. It was not logical, I argued, for critics of the Democratic Obama Administration to blame it for faithfully executing a course of action established by the Republican Bush Administration.
The American Left, though, is increasingly giving the president credit for the withdrawal from Iraq. Here is former New York Times editor Jospeh Lelyveld writing in the New York Review of Books:
Barack Obama can claim two big foreign policy accomplishments: getting American forces out of Iraq and compressing his predecessor’s expansive, grandiose-sounding “Global War on Terror” into a narrowly focused, unremitting campaign against the remnants of the al-Qaeda network, relying largely on high-tech intelligence gathering and pilotless drones.
The Left needs to be reminded, today, of what we reminded the Right yesterday. The Bush Administration started the disastrous war in Iraq, but it also ended it. I remember the debates on Iraq in the 2008 presidential campaign, and what neither campaign was quick to acknowledge was that the U.S. mandate in Iraq expired on 1 January 2009 and that it would thus be the Bush Administration -- and neither a McCain or Obama Administration -- that would negotiate a withdrawal with the government in Baghdad. Campaign debates over Iraq policy were thus of little consequence. Any administration would inherit a policy largely dictated by the parameters established by the one that preceded it.
The Right wants to blame the Obama Administration for withdrawing from Iraq without recognizing the role played by the Bush Administration in 2008. The Left, by contrast, wants to give the president credit for withdrawing from Iraq -- again without recognizing the role played by the Bush Administration. Neither should be allowed to both have their cake and eat it too.

One Project Closer: How to Buy the Right Generator for Your Home

How to Buy the Right Generator for Your Home:
Editors Note: Today we’re featuring a guest post by Chris Long from The Home Depot.
Tired of being left in the dark when the power goes out?  Had enough with throwing spoiled food out and watching the basement sump overflow?  As much as our electric utility companies try and prevent this, power outages happen.  Violent storms, earthquakes, ice storms and even just plain grid overload can mean a power loss for days, even weeks at a time.
Don’t be a victim.  We can prepare for these events by generating our own power until the grid comes back online.
Generate my own power?  That sounds complicated.  Visions of roof-mounted solar panels and a back yard full of windmills aside, we are really only talking about temporary situations where a small engine-powered generator will suffice.  Let’s break this down into two major categories: automatic standby generators and portable gasoline generators.

Automatic Standby

Automatic standby generators offer the best (but most expensive) solution to unreliable utility power.
These units mount on a pad near your home, run off natural gas or propane, and are permanently wired to the electrical system.  They monitor utility power and automatically take over whenever grid power fails.  You don’t have to be awake, or even at home for these units to operate.  All automatic standby generators use a transfer switch to isolate your home from the grid during operation and reconnect to the grid when utility power returns.
Some of these units include a transfer switch designed to power only select circuits in your main panel.  You get to choose which items are covered when the switch is installed, within the circuit number and amperage limits of the generator.
Another type of automatic standby generator uses a “load shedding” style of transfer switch.  This type supplies power to all circuits in the home and selectively turns off circuits only when more power is demanded than the generator can safely supply.  You choose the circuit priority when the generator is installed.
Due to the plumbing for gas pipe and the installation work at the meter and service panel, these generators are not considered DIY installation projects.  A building permit and inspection will be required for these permanent installations.

Portable

Powered by a small gasoline engine, portable generators offer an inexpensive way to power essential home appliances for short periods of time.
Wheeled out of storage, portables are set up outside where exhaust fumes will harmlessly dissipate.  Extension cables run into the home to power appliances, sump pumps, etc.  Obviously, someone needs to be home to set up, run and refuel portable generators.  Smaller models have manual start recoil pull cords like most lawnmowers.  Larger models will offer electric starting, using a battery much like a lawn tractor.
Will you be powering computers, home electronics or other sensitive equipment?  All automatic standby generators and a few specially built portables provide filtered sine-wave power at low harmonic distortion levels.  The portables with low distortion or “clean power” will definitely mention this in their list of features, as it adds to the cost.
Hardwired loads are not powered by these units, so things like lights, outlets and furnace motors don’t work when the grid is down.  One increasingly popular portable generator option is a combination transfer switch and exterior outlet box.
Plug one heavy duty cable from the generator to the outlet, and the manual transfer switch can now power home circuits.  No more extension cords snaked all through the home, and you can use light switches, outlets and that essential furnace motor as well.  A licensed electrician can install these switches for you.

Size Matters

Hopefully by now you have a good idea about which type of generator you want.  The next question becomes – what size generator do I need? Let’s look at the chart below for determining portable generator power sizing:
The sizing requirements for automatic standby generators are based on the load capacity of all the circuits to be connected.  Your installer will analyze your power needs and go over generator sizing options with you.
I hope this guide has been helpful.  Let’s keep the beer cold and the basement dry!
Chris Long is a store associate at a Home Depot in the Chicago suburbs.  He has been helping customers since 2000, and writes on electrical topics ranging from light bulbs to circuit breakers.

What's up with kindle? Review.

What's up with kindle?:
Oh Kindle? They're doing ok.
Amazon's got three main new things for you that affect our leaderboard.
–Kindle Paperwhite: First, the new e-ink reader has a light, and a marginally better screen. Verdict: No brainer on getting this, even before reviews come out. It ships on October 1st and costs $119. We updated our Best E-Ink reader piece to include it, but you can also buy it here.
–Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire: The Kindle Fire is now $159. I think you can safely ignore it. The new contender for best budget tablet is the Kindle Fire HD ($200), which is identical but has a higher resolution screen. You can buy it here. Oddly, the bigger 8.9 inch screened Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (terrible name, I know!) is cheap enough that its worth knowing about if you're looking for a solid cheap tablet that can also do magazine pages well. We'll make our pick for best small tablet once we have more data. For now, we're not absolutely sure its better than the Nexus 7, our current favorite Small Tablet. But we'll know soon enough.
Kindle Fire HD 8.9 and Kindle Fire 8.9 4G: I apologize on Amazon's behalf for these crazy names. These tablets have slightly smaller and lower res screens than an iPad, and worse software and app choices. Both will be out in mid to late November.They have streaming video and Kindle books for Amazon Prime owners but so do iPad owners, through Amazon apps. (Only Kindles can take advantage of the Prime lending library, though.) Sure, the Fire HD 8.9's claim better audio and Wi-Fi, but who cares. The big deal? They are 40% less than a comparable iPad–that's the killer thing, especially combined with Amazon Prime's advantages. While the 4G model is $500 which is too much to pay for something that is not as good as an iPad, the cheaper $300 Wi-Fi only Fire HD 8.9 is kind of an awesome deal. If it shakes out in reviews. Either way, the iPad is still the best tablet.
More on Buzzfeed, which is where I got these nice images from.
And here are the leaderboard pieces that were updated to include information on these new Amazon toys. But you don't need to read them, since I told you everything important above.
-Best E-Reader
-Best Cheap Tablet
-Best Tablet

TBD: 'No Easy Day': Bad precedent being set?

'No Easy Day': Bad precedent being set?:


What worries me is all the talk of pre-publication review by the Pentagon. I know CIA does that sort of thing, but I don't remember the military doing it much. I read all the books by guys like Hugh Shelton, Tommy R. Franks, and David Crist, and I don't recall much talk of the Defense Department getting to peek at the books first. I mean, I doubt that Eisenhower submitted Crusade in Europe to some lawyer at the Pentagon before it went to press.

So I think it would be a bad thing if people came to expect some sort of right of the military to review memoirs. I suspect that a lot of the criticism of the book is being provoked not by legal concerns but by anger among SEALs and the like that the author violated the cultural code of the Special Ops community and blabbed.

University of Maryland Scientists Develop New Methods to Combat Pakistani Terrorist Group Lashkar-e-Taiba

University of Maryland Scientists Develop New Methods to Combat Pakistani Terrorist Group Lashkar-e-Taiba:


Go Terps

Steve Osborne: Takedown Day

Steve Osborne: Takedown Day:
An NYPD cop about to conduct the biggest raid of his career is suddenly sidetracked by events downtown.

Study: Intelligent Cars Could Boost Highway Capacity by 273%

Study: Intelligent Cars Could Boost Highway Capacity by 273%: null

Smarter cars could be the smartest way to fix traffic congestion