CNN
Laser-armed fighter jets by 2020
Laser-armed fighter jets by 2020
Thom Patterson writes for CNN:
Here's how Air Force special ops might use them: The commander of USAF special ops, Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, said last September that by 2020 he wants them on C-130J Ghostrider gunships for landing zone protection.The laser weapons would take out possible threats like enemy vehicles, or disable infrastructure such as cell towers.
I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens last night (more on that coming in an article later) so laser weapons seem an appropriate story to share today.
Drone regulation, firefighting and basic decency
Drone regulation, firefighting and basic decency
Michael Martinez, Paul Vercammen and Ben Brumfield report at CNN:
Five such "unmanned aircraft systems" prevented California firefighters from dispatching helicopters with water buckets for up to 20 minutes over a wildfire that roared Friday onto a Los Angeles area freeway that leads to Las Vegas.
This is an inappropriate use of drones, wholly lacking in basic decency. It’s not impossible, or even implausible, that a drone-related delay will some day result in the destruction of one or more homes or even get someone burned to death.
It’s not far removed from scumbaggery like the Ohio jackass who filmed the aftermath of a fatal car accident instead of helping the victims. Drone enthusiasts who want to minimize regulation already have a tough road ahead, so they would be wise to engage in some self-regulation.
Connecticut lawyer and commercial drone lobbyist Peter Sachs created the Drone Pilots Association to advocate for more commercial drone use. There is even video on his website of his using a drone to assist the volunteer fire department he works with.
The difference between sachs and the California morons is that Sachs offered his drone to the department for its use in battling a blaze. So it’s clear that drones can be a useful tool in fighting fires, they just shouldn’t be used for fire tourism when firefighters, homes and civilians are potentially in danger.
Photo of a 2008 California wildefire via Wikimedia Commons
Sheryl Sandberg: The real story
Sheryl Sandberg: The real story
CNN’s Miguel Helft, in a great profile of Sandberg at the Money blog:
How Sandberg, amid all her Facebook activities, managed to write Lean In, orchestrate flashy book tours on three continents, launch a foundation, and become a ubiquitous spokesperson for the ambitions of women, remains baffling to most people.
Her advocacy for women in business is great, but what I find most impressive about Sandberg is not that she is a woman and an executive, but an executive with such a full plate who seems to truly love what she does.
Minnesota governor signs same-sex marriage bill into law
Minnesota governor signs same-sex marriage bill into law
Number twelve and counting; this looks to be a big year for marriage equality in the United States.
Delaware becomes eleventh state to approve same-sex marriage
Delaware becomes eleventh state to approve same-sex marriage
And the steady march continues, as Delaware joins their ten predecessors in granting gay couples the basic American right to marry.
Fareed Zakaria Apologizes for ‘Lapse’; Faces Time and CNN Suspensions
Fareed Zakaria Apologizes for ‘Lapse’; Faces Time and CNN Suspensions
I would be honored to work for Time, CNN, The Atlantic, or The New Yorker. While I may require some on-the-job journalism training, I will absolutely do my own work 100% percent of the time.