• Author unknown

  JOURNAL: Off the Shelf Leverage

  http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2008/12...
  37 days ago in Global Guerrillas · Authority: 253

  How did the Mumbai attackers leverage global infrastructure and technology to facilitate the attack? Noah Shachtman, the editor of Danger Room, lists the ways (read the post in its entirety): Boat navigation was by GPS for precision. Satellite phone, found onboard one of the vessels, for coordination en route. Constant use of cell phones for tactical communication. Blackberries for real-time tactical analysis of media coverage (which provided details on the status of forces arrayed against them). Also, an ability to check Web sites, including that of the police, for tactical data and global media coverage for strategic direction. This allowed them to route around attempts to sever their connectivity. E-mail and remailers for communication to the local media. The evolution towards ever greater leverage continues. It's pretty clear from the above that these guerrillas were better connected to both the tactical and strategic environment than any US and other developed nation military personnel have ever been (the opposition believes in the strategic corporal, why don't we?). NOTE: The leverage available from off-the-shelf biotech and other DIY (do-it-yourself) advances is en route (at the speed of a Moore's Law Tsunami) and the long tail of potential enemies that will employ them is accelerating with each phase of the global economic melt-down. Unfortunately, we aren't even in the game because we won't even acknowledge the problem.

  • Photo of newlaunches

    Tech savvy terrorists used gadgets to carry out attacks in Mumbai

    http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/tech_savvy_terrorists_us...
    36 days ago in Newlaunches.com · Authority: 828

    The Mumbai terror attacks of 26/11 were one of the worst that the city has witnessed so far, as the captured terrorist reveals more details the information obtained is far more gruesome than estimated by anyone. The attackers used sophisticated

    • Photo of gigaom

      Telecommunications Targeted During War

      http://gigaom.com/2009/01/06/telecommunications-targeted-dur...
      1 day ago in GigaOM · Authority: 3,877

      Israel’s strikes into Gaza continue apace, and news stories are pointing out that the conflict is being fought online as well — Twitter, YouTube and hacking web sites are playing a role, as ways to get information out of the country and dispense propaganda. There’s no need to drop pamphlets when you can post video of soldiers destroying a government building on YouTube or send threatening texts. The delivery mechanism is new, but propaganda isn’t. Neither are the efforts to take out the delivery mechanism and means of communications. However, with Hamas using the same technology as citizens, the scope of such destruction is much wider. On Sunday, Palestinian mobile operator Paltel said that 90 percent of its infrastrucutre in Gaza was down, potentially cutting off communications via cell phone. Warning that the Gaza strip could be “disconnected from the outside world,” Paltel issued a statement that read: Paltel Group has several alternatives and means that can allow connecting Gaza Strip with the outside world, however only one alternative is still functioning as all other alternatives have been totally damaged as a result of the air strikes and ground assault. Other reports detail challenges in landline communications and Israeli news sources report that communications among Hamas leaders have pretty much been limited to walkie-talkies. This communication disruption is a scorched earth policy that goes beyond just disrupting the communications of military leaders, and it disadvantages the entire population — civilians included — by cutting them off from the benefits of the information economy. The use of civilian technology and communications by military and terrorists groups makes that infrastructure a bigger target (as was the case in Iraq), much to the detriment of everyone else on that network. Concentric Hosted IT Solutions and Web Hosting Click here to save cost on your IT demands

      • Author unknown

        Gun Restricting Nightmare

        http://fortressaustralia.blogspot.com/2008/12/gun-restrictin...
        20 days ago in Fortress Australia Outpost · Authority: 23

        "Crimes that involve technology usually make the police very nervous," Mumbai attackers more tech savvy than the police the latest tech gadgetry. MUMBAI, India – When the attackers arrived on the shores of Mumbai last month, they had studied satellite images of the city, were carrying handheld GPS sets and were communicating with their handlers via the Internet and satellite phone. Many of the Indian police they encountered did not even have walkie-talkies. The Mumbai gunmen not only overwhelmed security forces with their weaponry and willingness to die, but also with their sophisticated use of technology, security experts said. "These (terrorists) are well aware of the technology available and also know that the police are several steps behind. And a lot of this technology is extremely easy to use and to learn," said Pavan Duggal, a technology expert and New Delhi-based lawyer. India's underfunded and poorly trained police force is simply unable to compete, experts said. "Crimes that involve technology usually make the police very nervous," Duggal said. link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081214/ap_on_re_as/as_india_shooting_technology Disarming the public is the biggest nightmare I can imagine: it left Mumbai, and any other gun-restricting cities, wide open to attack, technology or not. New York and all other major cities should loosen up, not tighten, current concealed carry laws. - [Link: blog.wired.com...] How Gadgets Helped Mumbai Attackers By Noah Shachtman December 01, 2008 The Mumbai terrorists used an array of commercial technologies -- from Blackberries to GPS navigators to anonymous e-mail accounts -- to pull off their heinous attacks. For years, terrorists and insurgents around the world have used off-the-shelf hardware and software to stay ahead of bigger, better-funded authorities. In 2007, former U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid complained that, with their Radio Shack stockpile of communications gear, "this enemy is better networked than we are." The strikes that killed at least 174 appears to be another example of how wired today's "global guerrillas" can be. And yet all that tech could have been thwarted by a few effective, armed opponents is the first few minutes. Web comments: They might get a few to start with, but they will probably pick places with "gun free zones" stickers to begin, using our own system against us since they do have some smarts... - Apart from a 9/11-style attack (or N-B-C, of course), the worst way to hit America would be to mount a Mumbai-style attack on a U.S. City. The shock and pain from actually "losing" a City (even if just for a few hours) would be devastating. Many have said that the police or the "armed veterans" would swoop into the rescue, but real life says otherwise. We'd eventually fight back, of course, but the damage done would be far more valuable to the terror-cause than our immediate reprisals. In fact, I'm guessing that hundreds of innocent Americans would be dead before anyone even mobilized to fight. I'm sure a lot of people on this site are Vets, so they'll know that even if your entire Battalion is in the barracks, wide awake and ready to go, it'll still take 45 minutes to an hour to issue weapons and ammo. Imagine how long it would take to outfit the Cops? The only surprise here is that anyone is surprised. Tech is expanding exponentially and if security forces are relying on stuff even five years old they are living in the Stone Age. Hell, I just saw an ad for night vision goggles for kids...and so did a lot of bad guys. How soon will these gizmos be showing up in police reports?  Link: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/32177_Dark_Ages_Savages_with_21st_Century_Tech/comments/#ctop

        • Photo of shirazdatta

          Please help him……..Me, & Ourselves!

          http://www.shirazdatta.com/2008/12/please-help-himme-ourselv...
          23 days ago in Data By Da{t}ta - Shiraz Datta · Authority: 3

          Through this post I would like to urge for HELP. Firstly, help for my not so near friend President Zardari to get him “The Evidence”. Of course the World knows where 26/11 terrorists came from, Rice said "There is evidence of involvement somehow on Pakistani soil" in Mumbai attacks and later confirming Pakistan role in Mumbai attacks along with Powell  who said that Pakistan will have to eliminate LeT, but still my friend is not able to find the “evidence’. While articulating this post saw on CNN that Police is plain cloths are posted in Kesab’s (Caught Terrorist) village to keep the reporter or journalist away. The Three days of terror that claimed 195 lives was an act of share cowardness. The Mumbai terrorists used an array of commercial technologies -- from Blackberries to GPS navigators to anonymous e-mail accounts -- to pull off their heinous attacks. Statesman says U.S., Indian officials cite evidence, including phone calls, pointing to group in Pakistan , France24.com articulated Gunmen had 'commando' training at Pakistan camp, India even had proof of involvement by ISI and even the Pakistani father of surviving gunman speaks about his son. The gunman captured during the attacks on Mumbai said he had undergone months of commando-style training in an Islamist militant camp in Pakistan. The training was organized by the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, and conducted by a former member of the Pakistani army. The arrested terrorist says gang hoped to get away and even had the GPS coordinates that charted a return course to Karachi, but now pleads for legal help from Pakistan . Each move of was carefully orchestrated while Terrorists were receiving instructions from Pak. But unfortunately with so much written or evidence provided still president Zardari says 'Pakistan in no way responsible' for mumbai attacks and now despite UN sanctions, Pakistan has even released four detained workers of Jamaat-ud-Dawa. So much in the name of cooperation.  While researching for this post I came across few aftermaths of the terror attack in Mumbai.  I feel wretched when a section of community is targeted or when we indulge in communal polarisation . Yes it is “we” who does not take a minute before passing a judgement, forming a belief or even acting or reacting. "I consider myself neither Hindu nor Muslim, but Indian. Yet, it's my name that is causing problems”;  said Dr Sharifa Bijliwala, who is trying to rent a house in Pune. So how we are different from people who is caused this attacks. Aren’t we doing the same to section of community what these terrorist did to us – “target the innocent or victimize them”.  This is one question that “I and you” need to answer. Who gave us the permission to segment people based on their name, the way they dress, and so on? If I may assume, President Zardari may have pressure from all over commanding his act, but what pressures you and me have that leads us to quickly make an opinion about an event, people, society or place? Having opined about this frustration, I would like to emphasize that I am not against any religion or country; however I only urge that no where in the world people should witness such a kind of inhuman act – Terror or Discrimination. Killing innocent men would not lead them to any Allah, God, Bhagwan, Christ, & so on. The only way to serve god is to serve what god has created – “Mankind”. While world helps my not so near friend President Zardari, we need to help ourselves to get rid of this hatred and attitude of quickly generalizing. Today, I see someone very close to me……..very far, and I can see what hatred and lack of communication can do. This reminds me of a phrase of one of the popular ad campaign of Airtel (India leading mobile operators) - “Barriers break when people talk”. So please, as President look for “evidence”, YOU do not look for reason to hatred. I and you have only one life, and let’s make the best of it. The act of terror is unacceptable so does the act of discrimination. So don’t just smile, help others to smile as well. Note :- I don't wish to make this blog a platform for political or emotional debate(s) but certain issue needs articulation.

          • Author unknown

            Proofs on Mumbai Attack

            http://horizonspeaks.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/mumbai-and-pro...
            31 days ago in The New Horizon · Authority: 13

            December 7, 2008 — Diganta A few moments back I read the report by The Observer about Ajmal Kasav and his village, Faridkot in Punjab (Pakistan). The reporters went to the village and a few locals accepted that they know the person whose face and photograph has been shown on Indian TV channels. The villager also added : “They brainwash our youth about jihad, there are people who do it in this village. They tell them they’ll get a ticket to heaven. It is so wrong,” Reporters from another news agency got hold of his parents’ voter registration in the local electoral listing. The BBC Urdu report (original report) shows : In the report broadcast on its Urdu service, the BBC quoted the people of this village as saying that some security officials had come and taken away Ajmal’s family. The BBC report also quoted the residents as saying that for the last one week activities of government security officials have increased significantly in their village. After a lot of lapses, Indian Government is taking the right step to provide the DNA of Kasav to the International Investigation Agencies. If that is matched with his parents, at least to the Scientists, this should seal the scope of further inquiry for evidences. I don’t think there are more proof required to establish arguments against Pakistan. The amount of proof required, is always dependent on the stake of the event and the level of mutual trust. In case of a friend, a word of mouth is sufficient to lend him a few dollars. It’s not the same if the amount is large enough. However, in case of a Bank, every penny of transation is documented. Pakistan can refute all the proofs that India provides. But, at the same time, they should lay a list of items those they will accept as proof. However, the extent to which Pakistan could act, is limited. I am eagerly waiting for the outcome of the event. Despite having importance in a lot of contemporary conspiracy theories, the war, at the end of the day, is not going to take place. Given that, how much does Pakistan concedes, will be an important milestone of the future of the region. To end with, I would like to place a youtube video of Pervez Hoodbhoy talking about Pakistani terrorist activities. (Towards the end it becomes a propaganda though. Hopefully I’ll get a better video at youtube soon.) Also the Times Now report on Kasav’s origin. Added : New investigation reports from The Dawn (Pakistan), Antara (Indonesia) and McClatchy (UK). Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Mumbai Attack : Questions and Conspiracy TheoriesMumbai atrocities highlight need for solution in KashmirIndia, Pakistan, Obama, and the Status Quo — or — “Game On!!(?)!! — W…IMRAN.TV: Should India Attack Pakistan Over Mumbai?

            • Author unknown

              Using Technology Against Terror: Any Ideas?

              http://www.medianama.com/2008/12/223-using-technology-agains...
              34 days ago in MediaNama.com | Digital Media in India · Authority: 85

              Much has been written about how the terrorists used technology during their attack on Mumbai and citizens used twitter to share information and seek help on the net. Following up on a suggestion by one of our readers, we’re opening up this post as a platform for inputs on how we can use digital technology to help prepare us better in the future, protect us from future attacks and perhaps speed up response systems as well. Any ideas? Share this post

              • Author unknown

                http://nomagicpill.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/coordination/

                34 days ago in No Magic Pill · Authority: 3

                No, I still haven’t shaved yet. In the back of my mind, I’m toying with letting the whole mess grow out until I get all these puppies adopted since I started the Movember thing right around the time all the pups came into my life (three black chows left and only three weeks until Christmas *wink*), even though someone already said I have a caveman look going on as it is:I’m thinking more toward a little hair coloring, a cool hat, some sunglasses…It’s oddly no small coincidence that I just happened to think of the above picture. From my training log this morning:So I finally decided to embrace a weird correlation I’ve been tinkering with over the past couple months. I’ve noticed that on days when I absolutely cannot get in sync playing Guitar Hero, I really shouldn’t be lifting. For some reason, there are days when my hand-eye coordination just isn’t there, and no matter how easy a song I try to play, I just can’t get it. Those are the days I feel the worst and am therefore very iffy on working out–if I can’t get my fine motor skills to match up with some pretty buttons on a TV screen, how in the world am I supposed to safely complete Olympic and other ballistic lifts? Conversely, on days when I’m nailing the harder songs, I feel better in general (both before and after playing, so it’s not a cause-and-effect, just a correlation) and specifically toward being able to safely lift with maximal intensity.Weird? Yes. Working? So far.So, there it is. I don’t know how to explain it, but I’m guessing it’s a good indicator of how my brain is functioning—if I can’t get through “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn,” forget it; if I can hit 90% or better on, say, “Rooftops,” then I’m good to go; if I get through any Tool song on “hard” without getting booed off the stage, I’d better be hitting personal records :)This post from Brad got me thinking about how businesses coordinate their locations. Next time you’re out running errands, take a look at the niche/franchise gyms and weight-loss centers embedded in strip malls and note who their neighbors are. I remember noticing this back near my first post-college gym (in Concord, NC, for those of you in the area). My gym itself was a stand-alone building, but across the parking lot was a pizza place. The drive to and from the gym took me by a weight-loss center seated adjacent to a sandwich place. Is it any small wonder that my current gym (same as the first gym, just a different location) has pizza parties and buffalo wing get-togethers? In the freaking lobby, no less, so EVERYone has to pass through the aroma (now that I think about it, that first gym did that, too—bastards). To hell with people getting healthier—let’s make some money!A couple things before the links: —Lyle McDonald has a revamped website but the same kick-ass content. Go there. —America’s Hat is now letting fatties fly free (well, sort of, based on body volume). Hey, whatever, but ever since I was sandwiched between two mammoths on a flight from Baltimore to Buffalo (coincidence?) several years ago and practically breathing through a straw poked through the sliver of daylight creeping from between the straining lap belt extenders (the only airspace not consumed by blubber), I have no sympathy. I happen to overhang the armrest on most economy-class seats—at my shoulders—yet I can’t say anything about having no elbow room since my hips fit, but if I happened to have a bulbous ass that spills over the armrests into another seat like an over-yeasted loaf of bread baking, I can get cheaper airfare per cubic inch of human mass? I think Michelle needs to comment. —My Hurricanes fired highly successful (as in won the Stanley Cup) head coach Peter Laviolette this week and hired back former yet also successful head coach Paul Maurice. Huh? The ‘Canes are (barely) above .500 only a couple dozen games into the season, and it’s panic time? This makes about as much sense as the Bobcats hiring Ben Stein—er, Larry Brown. I won’t be surprised if the results are similar.Thanksgiving leftovers: food fights, leftovers recipes, fourteen reasons to be thankful, in defense of holiday gluttony, in defense of holiday restraint, visual turkeys of 2008, how some spent the morning (I was at the track running with one of my dogs), tips for recovery.Body bits: keeping workouts short and sweet, fixing your lunge, Mark goes clubbing (talk about primal), two big mistakes, some lower-back pain relief and exercise, corrective exercise defined, proper physioball sizes, body composition defined.Edibles: Brian’s five for now, “bioengineered” sounds better than “genetically modified” (peanuts still resist), Dr. Eades goes nuts in his photo food diary (here, here, here, and here), milk as a sports drink, health halo paradox (Andrew’s take), organic people, Tony <3 protein powder (and Lyle), eating to beat stress (not), Mark takes on cowpooling (I’m still looking for Charlotte-area people interested in this!).Mind matters: the business of happiness, the coming neurological epidemic, mental disorders rampant in young adults (this is called “growing up,” ya pricks), body swapping therapy, owning another body, mechanisms of personal perception and identification.Kiddie corner: early fitness supports lifetime fitness, sports gene testing *face palm* (Ross’ take), training the baseball catcher, pre-natal exercise may reduce epidural need, labor envy (not me), ignorance is bliss for the FDA and the lame-duck President, media (over)use impacts health, pop music trumping lullabies, exercise clothing during pregnancy, parental benefits of an empty nest.Fiscal fitness: have sex to save money (just remember: kids are expensive), Big Pharma accused of delaying generics, money-saving video games, more people turning to the fitness industry (read: check those credentials thoroughly).General health: America’s health faces downfall, avoiding exercise immediately before blood work, no-smoke no problem for Big Tobacco, drug samples being bypassed, clinic discloses drug maker ties, medical manners, yes for heroin but no for weed (odd).Geek-out: —Transportation: EV cycle that won’t get you splatted, first new Lotus in thirteen years, Wheego $19K EV, get your BMW Mini-E EV (if you can), hot rodding hybrids, Detroit downsizing, self-driving scarab, Fisker’s Karma comes around, Boeing’s hydrogen future. —Tech stuff: nuclear anniversaries, Wiimote musical hack, accidentally awesome cameras, batteries may give way to fuel cells (what could possibly go wrong?), JFK’s magic bullet gets funding, terror tech advances, cell phones as terrorism threat, World Wide Web safer (for now), the trouble with social advertising, surgery-by-text, Facebook for the filthy rich, Logitech makes one-billionth mouse, what NASA has done for you, a decade of the ISS (pictures). —Nature: the world’s biggest trees, hacking salmons’ mental compass, creative green ideas, our solar submarine, key life-building molecule found, supernova re-run. —Miscellaneous: prehistoric wound dressing, geeked-out hotels, Canadian diamond rush, the age of big ideas, comic books to save science education, Second Life possibilities, copper theft threatens infrastructure.Git r dun: —A strong body is a body in its natural state. —”Genetics” is just another excuse. —Firsthand transformation. —A soldier who refused to torture. —Knowing isn’t necessarily doing. —Leave your comfort zone. —Six keys to killer workouts.

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