(Phys.org) — Engineers should stop working on killer robots and kick the habit of military funding, a leading Australian applied ethicist has said.
In a paper published in IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, Monash University philosopher Dr Robert Sparrow, called on engineers to boycott work on military robots such as the controversial ‘Predator’ drone from the United States. “It is clear that military organisations fund a significant amount of, and perhaps even most of, robotics research today,” Dr Sparrow said. . . . Read Complete Report
(CNN) — Don Hartsell knows his idea could be considered crazy.
“I thought this project was so large, so ambitious, that no one would take me seriously,” says the Texas resident and aircraft enthusiast. “In fact, I was concerned they would think I was insane.”
Hartsell is talking about his World Sky Race, which as conceived would be a grand global spectacle. If all goes according to plan, a fleet of airships will take off from London in 2014 and race each other around the world, watched by millions of spectators, before finishing six months later just outside of Paris.
The event is planned as a series of 18 back-to-back races that will circumnavigate the globe. Although the route isn’t finalized, the proposed path will take pilots over at least four continents and about 130 United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) World Heritage sites — among them the Egyptian pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Statue of Liberty and the Palace of Versailles. . . . Read Complete Report
With the United States’ conflicts in the Arab world drawing to a close, the government is using some of the technology honed on battlefields overseas on the home front.
Over the next few weeks, the U.S. military will begin to test a 72-foot-long, unmanned surveillance blimp in southern Texas that could be used to spot drug traffickers and undocumented immigrants entering the U.S. via its border with Mexico. Read Complete Report
Here is a list from Popular Mechanics of the “World’s 18 Strangest Military Bases’ sent to my by our own Tim Cridland. What caught my attention was that the first one is just across the St. Johns River from me,Jax NAS, a distance of about 2 miles. You might also take note of another article submitted by Tim regarding a “dark triangle” spotted in the sky above Jacksonville Florida about 1/2 mile due West of Jax NAS. . . EDITOR
from Popular Mechanics
The World’s 18 Strangest Military Bases
By Chris Sweeney
The world’s hodgepodge of military bases run the gamut from hazardous mountaintop forts to seemingly impenetrable underground bunkers. Then there are bases on remote islands tracking objects in deep space and high-tech laboratories probing the most lethal microbes in existence. The design of a base needs to address the immediate needs of a military while still being versatile enough to remain useful as threats and technology evolve. We tracked down some of the most interesting active military facilities and spoke with Brad Schulz, vice president of federal architecture at HNTB, about why they’re notable.
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Naval Air Station Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Fla:
Background:The new Hangar 511 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville is the largest hangar in the Navy’s inventory, capable of storing 33 P3-C Orions, four C-130 Hercules and a helicopter unit. In the coming years, the hangar will be instrumental in housing the P-8 Poseidon and its 120-foot wingspan Read more: Strange Military Bases – The World’s 18 Strangest Military Bases – Popular Mechanics
Especially of interest to those of us keeping an eye on all things underground is this listing of Underground bases. Enjoy! , , , EDITOR
