Nov 19 2008 Korean Soldiers Get New Halo-y Armor
The Rupublic of Korea's troops are stepping into winter fashion in a big way -- with all new threads and a sweet-ass rifle.
The new new battle uniforms would provide protection against nuclear, biological, and chemical attacks, and would feature automatic temperature control. A new protective vest is also planned. In addition to keeping the lead out, the helmet will be prewired for minicam video transmission, GPS navigation, and assorted networking gear
And the gun?
The double-barreled K-11 assault rifle lets the shooter fire either NATO 5.56- or 20-millimeter grenades, all off the same trigger. Day and night aiming is accomplished with a thermal target seeker and laser that calculates distance automatically--a true point-and-shoot.
Oh man, WANT! I just question how legitimate this new gear is seeing how the picture looks suspiciously like someone Xeroxed the cover of an old sci-fi novel.
Hit the jump for a 5:00 video about the new rifle. Pretty sweet drop-test footage starting at 4:15.
Nov 3 2008 Who Am I And Where The Hell Are My Pants?: Scientists Study Possibility Of 'Amnesia Beam'
Being able to selectively delete memories, this sounds promising.
A team of scientists from the United States and China announced last week that, for the first time, they had found a means of selectively and safely erasing memories in mice, using the signaling molecule αCaMKII. It's a big step forward, and one that will be of considerable interest to the military, which has devoted efforts to memory manipulation as a means of treating post-traumatic stress disorder. But some military research has moved in another direction entirely.
Wow, really? Who would have thought -- another direction entirely. Brainwashing anybody? I didn't really bother reading the rest of the article because I've been picking through my Halloween candy, but it said something about flashing lights and microwave exposure to the brain. Which can only mean one thing: how can I get the microwave to run with the door still open?
Military Investigates Amnesia Beams [wired]
Thanks to....uh, damnit, it was just on the tip of my tongue. Thanks to....shit, hold on. Thanks to Allegro, who could out-memory two elephants easily.
Oct 3 2008 Buns And Guns Is A Real Freaking Restaurant
Buns and Guns is an actual freaking restaurant in Beirut and I would totally eat there.
At the "Buns and Guns" fast food restaurant, deep in Beirut's Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs, the chefs wear military helmets, the food is wrapped in camouflage paper, and the motto is "a sandwich can kill you."
The glossy camouflaged menus feature burgers with names like "the mortar" and "the 155 mm howitzer," while grilled chicken sandwiches can be a "magnum" or a "rocket-propelled grenade."Lebanon's most common and popular weapon, the AK-47 Klashnikov assault rifle, is a beef steak sandwich served in long baguette-style bread.
Oh man, I love a good beef steak sandwich, I'm gonna have to go try one. I'll get it with extra hot peppers too, really blow my o-ring sky high.
Hit the jump for a ton more pictures of the restaurant.
Continue Reading " Buns And Guns Is A Real Freaking Restaurant "
Aug 7 2008 Seriously, What Could Go Wrong?: United States Military To Be 30% Robotic By 2020
The U.S. military has a goal -- that it's 30% robotic in twelve years. Why? Because robots don't feel pain, and when they die you just solder them back together or build a bitchin' chair out of the scrap metal.
While advances in robot technology will probably result in more radical robot designs and allow for the military's goal of a 30-percent robotic force, there will always be human involvement in the control process. Researcher Bill Smart had this to say about our future robot army:"It's a chain of command thing. You don't want to give autonomy to a weapons delivery system. You don't want the robot to make the wrong decision."
Wow, somebody actually talking some sense for once. Clever, Bill. Or should I say smart? Get it? Because that's your last name. No, I'm not making fun of you. Jesus, it was a compliment you jackass.
Anyway, this whole human vs. robot for control of weapons systems is a real Catch 22 (love you Joseph). On the one hand, you don't want robots to have any control over anything, because all they want to do is kill us all and have oily robotic orgies. But on the other hand, you put a man in front of a giant red button that reads "DO NOT PUSH, THE WORLD WILL END" and 9 times out of 10 -- as soon as nobody's watching -- he's got his pants around his ankles and is mashing that thing with his dick like candy's gonna rain from the sky.
U.S. Military To Be 30 Percent Robotic In Twelve Years [io9]
Thanks to Karilyn, whose radiant beauty had originally distracted me from giving her credit for the tip.
Jul 22 2008 Wait, What?: SAS Dogs Trained To Parachute
Allegedly, German Shepherds are being trained to jump from planes at 25,000 feet strapped to SAS soldiers. The dogs will soon be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, where they will serve as reconnaissance shepherds.
With tiny cameras fixed to their heads, the animals will be sent in before their human partners to hunt for Taliban or insurgent hideouts. The cameras will beam live images back to the troops as the dogs penetrate behind enemy lines and warn of ambushes.According to The Sun, the dogs will be trained to accompany soldiers on what are called 'High Altitude High Opening' parachute jumps, after which they may have to travel 20 miles to their targets.
Apparently dogs have been trained to jump out of airplanes since World War II, when German Shepherds were used to infiltrate the German ranks and poison high ranking officials. Okay, I made that up (minus the parachuting). Still, somebody should make a movie about it. But I have a question. Why does that dog in the picture have a bionic mouth? And why is that guy pointing his gun at its head? Calm down bro, so it ate your boot -- that's what dogs do. And also, hump the cat and shit on the sofa. Right?
German Shepherds trained to parachute with SAS troops [telegraph]
Thanks Pat, now imagine if they did the same thing with mice. Stuart Little parachuting in behind enemy lines and then sneaking around and shit and talking in that little cute voice of his. That'd be great. Oh, another blockbuster movie idea.
Jul 21 2008 Wasp Knife In Action: Goodbye Watermelon
Remember the WASP Knife we posted last month that injects a ball of compressed gas into the stabee and explodes their organs? Well now the company has released a video of the knife versus a watermelon. After all, nobody can sell deadly knives like a jackass in a wetsuit and safety goggles stabbing a watermelon in his backyard. If this was an infomercial I'd have called immediately and gotten two and a free LED keychain bonus gift. Just imagine all the time you could save carving the Thanksgiving turkey. Minutes.
Hit the jump for disturbing watermelon carnage. Seriously, If you can blow up a watermelon with this thing, I don't even wanna know what you can do to a cantaloupe.
Continue Reading " Wasp Knife In Action: Goodbye Watermelon "
Jul 18 2008 Eye Candy: More Chinese Anti-Terrorism Exercises For The Olympics, With Captions!
Remember the picture of the Chinese military on Segways as part of an anti-terrorism exercise? Well it turns out there's a whole bunch more of them performing various drills. And I've posted them here for your viewing pleasure. This is one of the group practicing their synchronized flailing routine.
Hit the jump for 7 more, with captions!
Jul 3 2008 Chinese Military Prepares For Olympics
So your good buddy The Geekologie Writer got what is known in the medical field as "f***ed the f*** up" last night because his wife made the mistake of going out of town for the holiday weekend. He hit wing night, drank like 300 beers, and then proceeded to sing "Ring Of Fire" at karaoke (he has a deep, sexy voice just like Cash). Good times. His hands are still shaking. Anyway, this is a picture of the Chinese military during a rapid deployment exercise in preparation for the upcoming Olympics. Because, let's face it, nothing says "I'm going for the gold!" like military personnel dry humping Segways.
Thanks Guillaume, I did a Segway once, but it was nothing compared to a Hoveround.
Jun 16 2008 Epic Failures: How Not To Drive A Tank
Tank Driving 101
Don't drive your tank off a cliff. Don't drive your tank too deep in a bog. Keep your treads on at all times. Don't try to mount another tank from behind unless you've taken it out for dinner and bought it a few drinks. Don't try to stunt-drive your tank on a single tread. And last but not least -- never, ever, ever pose for a picture with the tank you just f***ed up.
And while I'm not saying I could drive a tank any better than these guys, it'd be pretty hard not to.
A nice big gallery of tank mishaps (and a few planes for the hell of it) after the jump.
Jun 12 2008 Wow: Little Kids Firing Automatic Weapons
This video is old. Old as anything else that was filmed in 2005. But I hadn't seen it until now, and it's awesome. Awesome in a "holy shit, four-year olds are blowing up cars with automatic weapons" kind of way. Make sure you have the volume down on your speakers, it gets kind of loud. The video was taken during "Oklahoma Full Auto Shoot", an annual event in which kids with no motor skills destroy things with automatic weapons. Just watch it. I love how at 0:14 when the car starts rolling and the kids start firing at it, you understand just how dangerous a weapon is in the hands of a child. Now I'm not sure how many people typically die at this awesome annual event, but if I had to guess I'd say oh my God they're training these kids to be in a militia.
Toddlers shooting machine guns at cars [bbgadgets]
Apr 25 2008 Gryphon Glider Is Wicked Freaking Sweet
We've seen several different gliding apparatus here on Geekologie, and we've even posted the Gryphon before. So why again? Because many of you probably haven't seen it. Plus it's been updated yo. Now the stealthy looking bastard is down to 30 pounds, can carry 100 extra in a built in compartment (pic after jump), and the best part -- can now be fully weaponized. Two words: missiles and lasers and bombs. Is this making you as hot as it is me?
The Gryphon attack glider, designed to penetrate combat zones at 135 miles per hour, could revolutionize the art of parachuting. Its helmet has a heads-up display and provides on-board oxygen for the jump. To land, a soldier separates the wing from his pack and releases his parachute to slow his descent. The wing remains attached to the soldier by a cord and lands before him.
The wing is currently steered manually via rotary controls connected to the rudder, but SPELCO, the company behind it, hopes to add an electronic system to make it much easier to steer. If successful, they'll be dropping a commercial version! Man oh man I can hardly wait. Sure it's no jetpack, but if my shorts are any indication, that hasn't stopped me from riding the 4-Inch Express to Bonertown. *toot toot* All aboard!
Several more pictures of the pack and a link to a video, after the jump.
Continue Reading " Gryphon Glider Is Wicked Freaking Sweet "
Apr 11 2008 Crashed B2 Stealth Bomber Looks Sad
Remember the story about the Stealth Bomber that crashed in February? Well here's the aftermath. I know, it's almost too sad to bear. What was once a wicked $1.2 billion technological marvel is now a burnt-out shell of its former self. *sniffle* I hope we can all learn a valuable lesson from this. Namely that my girlfriend should forgive me for crashing her car into her cousin's wedding party. Let's just say the dramatic entrance I had planned for the event went horribly, horribly wrong.
Another picture of a much happier B2 after the jump.
Apr 9 2008 BB Gun With All Kinds Of Stuff Hanging Off It
This is the Walther NightHawk BB Gun. As you can see it looks like they threw on every extra peripheral possible. It's got a flashlight, red dot sight, muzzle compensator, microwave, and I think I saw a hot tub. Okay, so no microwave. Still, it is pretty sweet looking. Unfortunately the $160 gun only holds 8 rounds per clip and shoots at a paltry 360 FPS. But besides that, it's cool. Did I mention I like the styling? I like the styling. I think this is just the thing to tote when I'm breaking into the neighbor's house to steal beer at night when I'm too drunk to drive. I've got one on the way, so I'll update and let you know how Mission Too Drunk To Drive But Not Drunk Enough To Sleep goes.
UPDATE: He shot me... the old bastard shot me... he had real gun... bleeding... lots... someone please call... Domino's... see if one of their drivers can... ugh... swing by with a case...
Video review of the gun after the jump.
Continue Reading " BB Gun With All Kinds Of Stuff Hanging Off It "
Mar 25 2008 Raytheon Tool Blows Through Concrete
The Raytheon Controlled Impact Rescue Tool (CIRT) weighs 100 pounds and can smash through concrete walls. The product has rescue in its name, but I assure you it'll be busting down all kind of walls where the primary objective isn't to save anyone. A little slow though Raytheon, because I've had one of these for years. It's called a jealous girlfriend. She thinks she hears another girl's voice on the other side of locked door/wall and she'll tear through it like a wet paper bag with a chocolate bar inside.
Worthwhile video of the unit in action after the jump.
Feb 22 2008 Knitted Gas Mask Will Keep You Warm But Not Safe From A Chemical Attack
This nonfunctional knitted gas mask was made by skilled craftswoman teriyakimoto for a friend to keep warm on his bike commute to work. It looks good and has more style than a boring "bank robber" style mask. I, however, prefer the real deal. I wear a gas mask I picked up from the military surplus store just in case anybody decides to chemically attack me. I was going to get one for my girlfriend too but I didn't have enough money. No worries though, because like the boyscout motto goes, "she's a whore and doesn't deserve one."
Knit gas-mask hat [boingboing]
Jan 3 2008 Hyper-Sub Fathom Is Both Boat And Sub
The Hyper-Sub boat/submarine hybrid was built by a Florida man and his neighbor. It's capable of cruising the sea at 40 knots (~46 MPH), and then dive to depths of 250 feet. It has a 500 mile surface range and currently only exists in prototype form. However the man responsible for the thing has started a company and hopes to get models in production in the not-too-distant future. Which would be sweet, because I've always wanted a boat-sub hybrid. Almost as bad as I've always wanted a time machine-rocketship hybrid. But I actually built one of those last year so I'm good on that. As a matter of fact, I'm actually writing this right now from the moon while I bang Cleopatra. True story, I have the laptop resting on her back.
A bunch more pictures and a video after the jump.
Nov 27 2007 Exoskeleton Is Wicked Nasty, I Need One
Utah based Sarcos spent six years developing this exoskeleton bodysuit capable of giving an average person superhuman strength. I must admit it looks pretty bad-ass. The suit mimics everything you do, making it way easier to lift and move heavy objects. In the future the company wants to make the suits autonomous, allowing a person to remove the suit and have it act as a humanoid robot. Which sounds like a bad idea for something that has giant hooks for hands (don't touch your privates). I kept waiting to see if the suit could run through a brick wall or throw a car, but the video didn't show. Meaning it definitely can. Awesome.
Exoskeleton Turns Humans Into Terminators [liveleak]
thanks to Ben Hur, a superhuman himself, for the tip
Aug 16 2007 Metalstorm 1,000,000 Rounds Per Minute
Metalstorm, a company run by kids that grew up loving guns and never stopped, has a gun that can fire over 1,000,000 rounds per minute. The weapon uses stacked bullets in multiple chambers, fired by electronic triggers to achieve its ridiculous rate of fire. 1,000,000 shots a minute? I don't think there is anything I can do that many times in a minute, except maybe suck at life and have an ugly face. Besides those things I've got nothing. While the gun is pretty radical, it needs to make cooler sounds, and I think I could do just as much damage to those boards with a cannonball. Or maybe a trebuchet.
Metalstorm 1,000,000 Rounds Per Minute [OhGizmo]
Jan 24 2007 0.50 Caliber Venom dart takes out mines
This is a modified satelite-guided bomb which releases thousands of darts carrying the chemical DETA that's meant to take out mines. The Venom dart can go through ten to twelve feet of water or two feet of sand and still retain its effectiveness. Although I'm not entirely sure what the chemical is for. I'm guessing they're pheromones so that when the dart gets to the mine they'll wind up falling deeply in love with each other.
