UAS - Public Access

UAV Intell - Anyone can see drone feeds and more

UAS - Public Access Video

UAV feeds open to view reports Danger Room

Energy Security, cyberwar - first notes

DoD's energy website. In 2009 the largest energy user in the world discovered energy security.

The USMC had its first energy summit in August 2009. Find the papers here. All US services are starting their own energy offices.

US Navy's 'Prius' warship, the USS Makin Island (LHD 8). Combined gas/electric engines saved $2m in fuel on maiden voyage.

This is a good overview of US Govt bureaucratic approaches to energy.

The Solar decathlon is a fantastic US Govt program. For a video on this years program see this.

The Energy Conversation is an incredibly useful monthly energy roundtable in Washington DC where energy experts from govt, military, academic and industry get together and share ideas. Its funded by the USN.

When the Saudis get worried about US attempts to diversify energy sources they have trouble hiding their annoyance. Now they want to be paid for the oil sales they wont make!

World pipeline maps here.

Algae as an alternative energy solution? PBS video overview.

Trash to Power - one of my favorite systems at the moment.

Cyber attacks on the grid? There is an insane amount of hype about cyberwarfare. If it was as easy as many advocates claim then America would be under continual attack. There is scant good/hard data on the real situation. One of the most compelling bits of evidence I have seen is this Homeland Security video showing a power generator being hacked and blowing up. There is much debate over why AQ has not taken up the cyber weapon against the US. My guess is that they are too dependent on the internet for their C2, recruiting, financing, propaganda and communication to want to mess with it. Moreover, they probably dont have the skills or patience to map the infrastructure and keep up with security changes/patches required to make a big impact on a large system. Again one has to ask what would be the objective of such an attack and would it fit their programs?

Funding the Taliban

This is a very interesting read on the difficulty of operating at the end of a very long and tenuous tether. Now a Congressional committee has picked up on this topic. Now Time Magazine is in on the act.

Why Blog?

So this is starting as a means by which I can aggregate various media for my own research purposes. I intend for it to be a research tool more than a platform for speaking to the world. But who knows what this might turn into? If its useful to others, more the better. My primary professional interests are the war in Afghanistan, intelligence, cyberwar, energy security, grand strategy, small wars, Islamist extremists, and America's place in the world.