Iraq

Geek Out

The Sad Story Of A Real Life R2-D2 Who Saved Countless Human Lives And Died

6:00AM December 29, 2011 | Brent Rose

Robots can’t have feelings. But humans develop feelings for them. You know, like R2-D2 in Star Wars. Or like Scooby Doo, a real life small robot that saved the day 19 times. This is his single-tear story. More »


Science

The Time I Planted A Pipe Bomb Under A Truck

9:45AM December 28, 2011 | Brent Rose

I almost crash into a truck, at first. I can turn on a dime and accelerate like a tiny nitrous-oxide-fueled bat out of hell — even though I’m holding a 10-pound pipe bomb, 30 per cent of my body weight. I don’t know what I’m doing, really. But by the time I get to the truck to plant the bomb, it’s easy. I know exactly what to do. Boom. More »


News

A Predator Drone Watches America Exit Iraq From Above

3:40AM December 20, 2011 | Sam Biddle

Have you heard? The war in Iraq is over! Pretty much. The humans are out — but the big robot eyes in the sky are going to stick around. Hey — here’s a perfectly symbolic video! More »


Science

Laser Can Detect Roadside Bombs From A Distance

4:20AM September 20, 2011 | Kristen Philipkoski

Scientists have a new laser sensor they say can detect roadside bombs, the cause of more than half the soldier deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq. More »


News

Now Iraq Has A Fake Apple Store

9:00AM September 1, 2011 | Sam Biddle

This bodes well for Iraq’s post-war recovery: the once-and-kind-of-still-ravaged nation is now doing well enough to boast counterfeit haute electronics stores in its malls. This one looks a little… off, though. More »


News

The US Army Didn’t Bother Testing 5 Million Bulletproof Body Plates

7:40AM August 6, 2011 | Sam Biddle

When you’re in a warzone, it’s nice to take the slightest comfort in knowing that someone tested the armour you have strapped to your chest, crotch, and arms. But according to a new Pentagon report, the Army botched it hard. More »


Science

Battlefield Biometric Scanning Keeps Perfect Record Of Millions

3:00AM July 15, 2011 | Sam Biddle

Distinguishing friend from foe has been one of the greater challenges through years of American military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. But science fiction-worthy biometric scanning, the NYT reports, is changing the face of warfare, two irises at at ime. More »


Mobile

How Mobile Phone Jammers Are Helping Us Win The Iraq War

5:30AM June 15, 2011 | Casey Chan

Danger Room has an awesomely comprehensive look at all the mobile phone jammers the US military used during the Iraq War. Those jammers proved incredibly important in stripping insurgents of their most powerful weapon – the IED. More »


Geek Out

US Pilots Do Crazy Flybys Too

3:41AM June 9, 2011 | apisuper

Perhaps not wanting to be left out of the aeronautical feats displayed by their Argentinean counterparts, someone just uploaded a compilation video of US Air Force pilots in Afghanistan and Iraq trying some close shaves of their own. DUCK! [Jalopnik]


Cameras

Which Of Us Dies First?

3:30AM April 27, 2011 | Gizmodo US Edition

What follows is unedited. These are the words of Teru Kuwayama, a celebrated war photographer who has been to some of the most dangerous places in the world, at some of the most dangerous times to be there, taking the pictures that allow us to imagine what it’s like. The opinions are his own. The words are provocative. We ask that you read them with an open mind. More »