Speed of Light Lingers in Face of M.I.T. Media Lab Camera - NYTimes.com

In the early 1960s, I worked in a laboratory that used Doc Edgerton's ultra high speed strobe lights to measure the elongation (and breaking strength via deflection of a pendulum of know mass and period) of nylon cargo parachute webbing. It was a simple method to capture stretching/elongation characteristics of the various webbing samples sent to us by the Army and the Air Force. 


We set up a camera in a pitch black room and fired a projectile from a compressed air gun into a V-shaped webbing sample. When the projectile struck the webbing, the strobe light flashed at a very high rate. This created multiple exposures on the film.


We developed the photographs and measured (with a ruler!) the elongation as the webbing stretched to the breaking point from the impact of the projectile. A simple but effective way to determine the 'stretch' of each sample.

"More than 70 years ago, the M.I.T. electrical engineer Harold (Doc) Edgerton began using strobe lights to create remarkable photographs: a bullet stopped in flight as it pierced an apple, the coronet created by the splash of a drop of milk.

Now scientists at M.I.T.’s Media Lab are using an ultrafast imaging system to capture light itself as it passes through liquids and objects, in effect snapping a picture in less than two-trillionths of a second.

The project began as a whimsical effort to literally see around corners — by capturing reflected light and then computing the paths of the returning light, thereby building images coming from rooms that would otherwise not be directly visible."

Mullen - Pakistan’s Spy Agency Supported U.S. Embassy Attack - NYTimes.com

Such bold and frank talk by Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, signals to me that the U.S. may be considering some bold move in Pakistan.

"“In choosing to use violent extremism as an instrument of policy, the government of Pakistan, and most especially the Pakistani Army and ISI, jeopardizes not only the prospect of our strategic partnership but Pakistan’s opportunity to be a respected nation with legitimate regional influence,” he said. “They may believe that by using these proxies, they are hedging their bets or redressing what they feel is an imbalance in regional power. But in reality, they have already lost that bet.


“By exporting violence, they’ve eroded their internal security and their position in the region. They have undermined their international credibility and threatened their economic well-being.”"


'via Blog this'

This Hero, Ed Freeman, Exemplifies Courage and Caring

Ed Freeman's Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:

Captain Ed W. Freeman, United States Army, distinguished himself by numerous acts of conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary intrepidity on

14 November

1965 while serving with

Company A,229th Assault

Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). As a flight leader and second in command of a

16-helicopter

lift unit, he supported a heavily engaged American infantry battalion at Landing Zone

X-Ray

in the

Ia Drang

Valley, Republic of Vietnam.

The unit was almost out of

ammunition after taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, fighting off a relentless attack from a highly motivated, heavily armed enemy force. When the infantry commander closed the helicopter landing zone due to intense direct enemy fire, Captain Freeman risked his own life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time, delivering critically needed ammunition, water and medical supplies to the besieged battalion. His flights had a direct impact on the battle's outcome by providing the engaged units with timely supplies of ammunition critical to their survival, without which they would almost surely have gone down, with much greater loss of life.

After medical evacuation helicopters refused to fly into the area due to intense enemy fire, Captain Freeman flew

14 separate

rescue missions, providing life-saving evacuation of an estimated

30 seriously

wounded soldiers — some of whom would not have survived had he not acted. All flights were made into a small emergency landing zone within 100 to

200 meters

of the defensive perimeter where heavily committed units were perilously holding off the attacking elements.

Captain Freeman's selfless acts of great valor, extraordinary perseverance and intrepidity were far above and beyond the call of duty or mission and set a superb example of leadership and courage for all of his peers. Captain Freeman's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.

Op-Ed Columnist - General McChrystal and the Culture of Exposure - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist (David Brooks)- General McChrystal and the Culture of Exposure - NYTimes.com:

David Brooks' take on the sacking of Gen. McChrystal and the media culture of exposure. The underbelly of public and military service has become the target for media. Do Americans win or lose as a result?

Public servants should understand the salacious nature of today'smedia and not get caught in the trap. We can blame the media if we choose to for the sacking of Gen. McChrystal, but smart people ought to know better than vent to reporters, on or off the record.

"The reticent ethos had its flaws. But the exposure ethos, with its relentless emphasis on destroying privacy and exposing impurities, has chased good people from public life, undermined public faith in institutions and elevated the trivial over the important.

Another scalp is on the wall. Government officials will erect even higher walls between themselves and the outside world. The honest and freewheeling will continue to flee public life, and the cautious and calculating will remain.

The culture of exposure has triumphed, with results for all to see."

McChrystal Apologizes for Remarks in Magazine - NYTimes.com

McChrystal Apologizes for Remarks in Magazine - NYTimes.com

Assuming real fire is causing this smoke in the Rolling Stone story, the aesthetic General McChrystal soon will be relieved from his command of the Afghan effort.

TeamObama or any President cannot tolerate this public display of 'attitude' from a top commander in the field. General McChrystal has crossed a line. Whether he's right or wrong makes no difference, a President cannot tolerate and a sage general should never make such remarks.

Nevertheless, with these attitudes out in the open, TeamObama's Afghan policies will gather yet more detractors. In any event, my guess is the military was already not in the TeamObama camp. None of this bodes well for him and his policies

I wonder what Secretary of Defense Gates will say and do? He cannot support McChrystal and remain Secretary.

Update 6/22/10

Gates' initial statement:

"I read with concern the profile piece on Gen. Stanley McChrystal in the upcoming edition of “Rolling Stone” magazine. I believe that Gen. McChrystal made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment in this case. We are fighting a war against al Qaeda and its extremist allies, who directly threaten the United States, Afghanistan, and our friends and allies around the world. Going forward, we must pursue this mission with a unity of purpose. Our troops and coalition partners are making extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our security, and our singular focus must be on supporting them and succeeding in Afghanistan without such distractions. Gen. McChrystal has apologized to me and is similarly reaching out to others named in this article to apologize to them as well. I have recalled Gen. McChrystal to Washington to discuss this in person."

Op-Ed Contributor - A Better Missile Defense for a Safer Europe - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Contributor - A Better Missile Defense for a Safer Europe - NYTimes.com

Bravo for Secretary Gates. He makes a reasoned argument for the announced change in deployment strategy and technology for missile-defense in Europe.

In a former life I worked in the ABM systems that the army was testing to counter Soviet Cold-War ICBMs. Then I was amazed at the technology we had available. At that time we had the capability to destroy outside the atmosphere Multiple Independently-Targeted Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs). Now the developments and capability must be astounding.

I support Gates and TeamObama's decision to deploy a different, more effective system earlier than that originally proposed for Poland and the Czech Republic.

Editorial - How to Pay for a 21st-Century Military - NYTimes.com

Editorial - How to Pay for a 21st-Century Military - NYTimes.com

The Times recommends detailed cuts in specific weapons systems and other options for the military. Unless they identify the expert sources for this editorial, I put little stock in the NEW YORK TIMES as a military advisor. They are not qualified in military matters to be taken seriously. Who do they think they're kidding passing themselves off as military experts?

Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda in Many Countries - NYTimes.com

This sort of military work is exactly what our specially trained special forces are equipped to do. The article describes that many ops have been canceled suggests that the authority was used with discretion and good judgment.

"Bush administration officials have shown a determination to operate under an expansive definition of self-defense that provides a legal rationale for strikes on militant targets in sovereign nations without those countries’ consent.

Several officials said the negotiations over the 2004 order resulted in closer coordination among the Pentagon, the State Department and the C.I.A., and set a very high standard for the quality of intelligence necessary to gain approval for an attack."

Now, President-elect Obama, will you continue to sanction these missions or will you change our policy of preemption when it comes to fighting terrorist hiding in other countries? I hope you are courageous enough to continue these clandestine operations when the odds are good that we'll eliminate terrorist leaders

Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda in Many Countries - NYTimes.com

Dean Kamen's Genius - A Prosthetic Arm

Dean Kamen in New Hampshire is one of those special few engineering geniuses in our nation. You'll remember him as the inventer of the Segway which is an amazing device but has had limited popularity.

But please click on the link below to watch this video to see what he's doing recently. It's mind blowing and wonderful.

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/82

Gates Says NATO at Stake In Afghan Mission Debate - WSJ.com

Gates Says NATO at Stake In Afghan Mission Debate - WSJ.com

The U.S. cannot be 'alone' in fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and elsewhere. NATO had best step up to its obligations to do its part. I wonder if Senators Clinton and Obama have a plan to provide for our common defense?

MUNICH, Germany -- Survival of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization alliance, a cornerstone of U.S. security policy for six decades, is at stake in the debate over how the U.S. and Europe should share the burden of fighting Islamic extremism in Afghanistan, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates
said Sunday.

"We must not -- we cannot -- become a two-tiered alliance of
those willing to fight and those who are not," Mr. Gates told the Munich Conference on Security Policy, where Afghanistan was a central topic. "Such a development, with all its implications for collective security, would effectively destroy the alliance."

Washington has had innumerable disputes with its NATO allies in the 59 years since the alliance was founded as a bulwark against the former
Soviet Union. But today's debate over the importance of the mission in Afghanistan and how to accomplish it was portrayed by Mr. Gates as among the most difficult ever.

A central theme of Mr. Gates's speech was his assertion that al Qaeda extremists, either in Afghanistan or elsewhere, pose a greater threat to Europe than many Europeans realize.

After delivering his prepared remarks Mr. Gates fielded questions from his audience, which included dozens of top government officials, mainly from Europe and the U.S., as well as military officers, private security specialists, members of Congress and European parliamentarians.