tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417751.post115068797997780338..comments2024-01-22T18:22:29.391-08:00Comments on hedera's corner: Future Warriorshederahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01696592301686568456noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417751.post-1151027049201647102006-06-22T18:44:00.000-07:002006-06-22T18:44:00.000-07:00As long as we're talking about stupid military pro...As long as we're talking about stupid military projects, here's part of one of David Corn's posts:<BR/><BR/>FUN FACT? Congress is debating a military appropriations bill for next year that tops over $500 billion. But let's look at the overall figure. Anyone care to guess what percentage of global military spending the Pentagon budget makes up? It's more than half. According to the Worldwatch Institute, world military expenditures in 2004 totaled $1.024 trillion dollars. And what the United States is spending on the Iraq war almost equals the combined military spending of every other nation on the planet. Which means (that) the United States could just about buy the military of every other country in the world. Now that would truly mark the triumph of capitalism.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417751.post-1150928326985118492006-06-21T15:18:00.000-07:002006-06-21T15:18:00.000-07:00I meant Indochinese, of course.Anonymous, easily c...I meant Indochinese, of course.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous, easily confused DavidAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417751.post-1150928234313825072006-06-21T15:17:00.000-07:002006-06-21T15:17:00.000-07:00Spot on, hedera. When the distinction between lit...Spot on, hedera. When the distinction between literary and literal becomes muddled in the way it has here, one really wonders what they are ingesting and whether it is generally available as a weekend recreational aid. <BR/><BR/>And then there is the issue of what a 110 lb. Indonesian with a large bag of rice and a low-tech infantry rifle was able to do, not to mention an angry Iraqi with some explosives and a garage door opener.<BR/><BR/>What are these people thinking? We've got to be ready for every conceivable military obstacle when we get to Mars? Oh, I'm sorry. I just confused altered-state cognition with what we commonly mean by thinking.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous DavidAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417751.post-1150897910635339082006-06-21T06:51:00.000-07:002006-06-21T06:51:00.000-07:00Boggart,I was thinking the same thing. It reminde...Boggart,<BR/><BR/>I was thinking the same thing. It reminded me of "Starship Troopers" by Robert Heinlein. Which was a much better book than movie.<BR/><BR/>A 250 Million effort? I am sure that is just the first drop in what will be a very big bucket. I did know about the pack weight, I have some friends in the military. Wonder how much weight this stuff will add.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417751.post-1150852011021469212006-06-20T18:06:00.000-07:002006-06-20T18:06:00.000-07:00Somebody somewhere has been reading sci fi. Sc fi ...Somebody somewhere has been reading sci fi. Sc fi has had battle suits for years. In some of John Ringo's and David Weber's books the battle suits are described in detail. I'd say either we have to start somewhere, and people often laugh at before their time beginnings, or someone needs to learn the difference between science fiction and reality. Especially as we all know what happens to pioneers: a place in history, woven into myths, and monuments over their graves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417751.post-1150773440735281782006-06-19T20:17:00.000-07:002006-06-19T20:17:00.000-07:00Cost? You're worrying about the cost of all this ...Cost? You're worrying about the cost of all this cool stuff?? <BR/><BR/>I went back and looked: the article doesn't estimate the cost of a single BattleSuit(tm). It does describe this as "a $250m effort to devise military technologies for deployment starting in 2010." Given what the GuvMint commonly spends on the defense budget, this is barely pocket change; so, as usual, they are short-changing the guys on the ground. Sigh.<BR/><BR/>Did you know that an infantryman's pack weighs 120 pounds? I didn't. <BR/><BR/>The article says the intent of this program is "to transform each soldier into a kind of part-human, part-machine cyborg—“an F-16 on legs”". Is this video game fever or what??hederahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01696592301686568456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20417751.post-1150732863016905062006-06-19T09:01:00.000-07:002006-06-19T09:01:00.000-07:00Did they mention how much the BattleSuit(tm) would...Did they mention how much the BattleSuit(tm) would cost? Why do the basics when you can get all high tech and fun? Maybe they are hoping it will help with recruitment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com