Looks like Lockheed, BAE, and the General Dynamics/AM General team won the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contest. The Northrop/Oshkosh team was based on a hybrid design…but was not selected:
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/10/winners-tapped.html
One big problem for US troops in Afghanistan is the major shortage of helicopters and spy planes. It is interesting to note that Afghanistan requires helicopters to operate at 10,000 feet, and most US Army helicopters are not equipped with oxygen so they can’t operate that high for long:
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/10/real-afghan-sho.html
Pakistan is protesting the UAV missile attacks by the US on Taliban and al Qaeda targets. The US backed down on US troops pursuing Taliban or al Qaeda targets into Pakistan, and now Pakistan wants the US to stop the UAV attacks also:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/world/asia/30pstan.html?hp
Article on the five top national security research challenges for the next President:
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/10/do-we-over-stat.html
DARPA wants a significantly upgraded robotic mule to carry soldier’s gear and gas:
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/10/bigdog-20.html
Five pirate attacks near Somalia were repelled today:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/10/29/somalia.pirates/index.html
Apparently the US chose to use cheap RFID chips in its new “secure” passports, but unfortunately those RFID chips are easy to clone and make the new US passports insecure:
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/10/28/232948/cheap-rfid-chips-make-new-us-passports-insecure-say.htm
Research is ongoing to create nuclear-powered passenger aircraft:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5024190.ece
8x more malicious e-mail attachments were sent out in the last quarter than in the previous quarter!
http://hsdailywire.com/single.php?id=7009
Given the financial problems that T. Boone Pickens is experiencing now, I’m doubtful that his energy plan will succeed. It must really sting to have lost $2 bil this year while managing funds that are tanking:
http://www.todaysfinancialnews.com/oil-and-energy/t-boone-pickens-shows-his-cards-5028.html
The problems in the financial markets have hit the biotech sector hard:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/business/29biotech.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Not only will Wal-Mart be selling the G1 phone, but they will be selling it 17% below its cost at the T-Mobile stores! That will make the G1 phone $51 cheaper than the iPhone…
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/10/29/WalMart_to_sell_G1_Android_phone_for_less_1.html?source=NLC-MOBILEHARDWARE&cgd=2008-10-29
ASUS will launch their Android-based phone in the first half of next year:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/29/asus-said-to-be-launching-android-handset-in-first-half-of-09/
Motorola currently uses 6 operating systems for its mobile phones, but will now just use 3 operating systems, including using Android for their mid-tier and multimedia phones:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122523624204277979.html
http://web20.telecomtv.com/pages/?newsid=44051&id=f7e62028-1ab4-490d-8adb-dfc93628f845&view=news
Teaser video released about unlocking the 3G iPhone:
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/10/28/iphone-dev-team-teases-with-3g-unlock-video/
Aruba Networks launched an open development laboratory for research on WiFi and the all-wireless workplace:
http://urgentcomm.com/test_and_measurement/news/aruba-unveils-wifi-labs-1029/
This reviewer really slams Windows 7–saying that it will not fix any of the flaws of Vista:
http://weblog.infoworld.com/enterprisedesktop/archives/2008/10/windows_7_oops.html?source=NLC-DAILY&cgd=2008-10-29
Vietnam will ban people with small chests from driving? There are a lot of complaints in Vietnam, and the government hasn’t explained how a chest smaller than their guidelines will make someone a bad driver:
www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081028/BREAKING/81028053
The Nation’s largest newspaper (Gannett) will lay off another 10% of its workforce in its local newspapers:
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003878647
I’m glad about this result–kids encounter ads much less frequently than adults. I try to keep ads away from my kids, and their online activity is basically once per month on pbskids.org or starfall.com:
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/digital/e3i7dfc6c789c3842dbb36f9b93e8947c62
18-year-old sentenced to 18 months in juvenile detention for putting his senile grandmother in his rap video:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/28/ap/strange/main4554058.shtml
It is sad that some Taco Bells did not give out free tacos yesterday. I know that a Taco Bell near my daughter’s preschool and a Taco Bell near my home were giving them out yesterday…
http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/sportsbiz/2008/Oct/28/free-taco-denied/
Putting a hat on this 9-year-old cat has generated $10 mil for this Japanese town:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/29/japan.station.cat/index.html
