Items by Noah Schachtman
Wired: Top Stories
-
Army Reloads on Sticky Foam Weaponry
Posted: February 26th, 2009, 4:50pm EST by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
The military struggled to develop a sticky foam that could stop rioters in their tracks. It never panned out. But the idea resurfaces again, this time with the Army hoping to gum up hostile vehicles instead of people. -
Blackwater Takes Our Advice: Adopts Inscrutable, Opaque Name
Posted: February 13th, 2009, 12:55am EST by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
They never picked up on our Hello Kitty-style logos. But after a godawful year and a half, the private security firm Blackwater Worldwide finally takes Danger Room's advice and changes its name to something opaque and hard-to-pronounce: Xe. -
Call Off Drone War, Influential U.S. Adviser Says
Posted: February 10th, 2009, 11:55am EST by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
Pakistani leaders have condemned American drone strikes on their territory that have killed hundreds. Now, an influential adviser to American policymakers is raising his voice against the unmanned attacks, too. -
Darpa's Tether Out, Agency's Longest-Serving Chief
Posted: February 9th, 2009, 5:00pm EST by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
Tony Tether, expected to remain at Darpa's helm until the spring, is abruptly handed his walking papers by the Obama administration. -
Pics: Inside the Tunnels of Gaza
Posted: January 23rd, 2009, 10:40am EST by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
The tunnels are dug through the sandstone, linking Egypt to Gaza. With everything from food to medicine, and cigarettes to livestock to weapons passing through them, these tunnels have become a major component of the local economy. Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, provides these exclusive pictures of Gaza's underground economy to Danger Room.
-
Army Assembles 'Mad Scientist' Conference. Really
Posted: January 9th, 2009, 3:45pm EST by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
The "Mad Scientist Future Technology Seminar," a three-day conference hosted by the U.S. Army, posits a near future where access to advanced military technology is available to all. So we'd better get our problems sorted out pretty damned quick.
-
Darpa Chief Staying On, for Now
Posted: January 9th, 2009, 1:25pm EST by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
Tony Tether, Darpa's controversial chief, will continue holding the reins after Barack Obama takes office. It's a bit strange, considering Darpa's history as an agency that prides itself on rapid turnover.
-
Wage Cyberwar Against Hamas, Surrender Your PC
Posted: January 8th, 2009, 2:35pm EST by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
Israeli cyberwarriors develop a program that makes it easy for just about anyone to attack pro-Hamas websites. But using this "Patriot" software means handing over control of your computer to the Israeli hackers.
-
Twitter as a Terrorist's Killer App
Posted: October 24th, 2008, 10:32am EDT by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
Could Twitter become terrorists' newest killer app? A draft Army intelligence report, making its way through spy circles, thinks the miniature messaging software could be used as an effective tool for coordinating militant attacks.
-
Air Force Will Fight Online, Without 'Cyber Command'
Posted: October 8th, 2008, 11:55am EDT by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
The Air Force is going ahead with plans to put together a force that will wage wars online. But it won't be a full-fledged Cyber Command as previously advertised.
Wired.com -
Darpa Kills Shape-Shifting, Supersonic Bomber
Posted: October 2nd, 2008, 2:23pm EDT by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
It sure sounded cool: a shape-shifting, sideways-flying, unmanned, supersonic bomber. But the Pentagon couldn't figure out how to make one fly. So the so-called "Switchblade" program comes to an end.
Wired.com -
Air Force Looks to Laser-Proof Its Weapons
Posted: July 30th, 2008, 1:30pm EDT by Noah Schachtman
Tags: [edit]
Real-life laser weapons aren't here, yet. But they're getting closer. Which is why the Air Force is starting to look for ways to laser-proof its bombs and missiles -- with spray-on coatings, no less.