Comments on: Cheap UAVs http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/ Keeping politicians' hands off the Net & everything else related to technology Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:44:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jim S http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/comment-page-1/#comment-45874 Jim S Wed, 30 May 2007 17:06:45 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/#comment-45874 <p>Kind of reminds me of cheap lasers. My uncle is an airline pilot and has been lazed twice now that every nimrod with a $1000 can buy one. Now I guess he'll get to dodge Lego UAV's too. Remind me; why is regulating the use of air space a blanket statement bad thing? Or more to the point, why is it a good thing if technology makes it impossible to regulate?</p> Kind of reminds me of cheap lasers. My uncle is an airline pilot and has been lazed twice now that every nimrod with a $1000 can buy one. Now I guess he’ll get to dodge Lego UAV’s too. Remind me; why is regulating the use of air space a blanket statement bad thing? Or more to the point, why is it a good thing if technology makes it impossible to regulate?

]]> By: Jim S http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/comment-page-1/#comment-38379 Jim S Wed, 30 May 2007 16:06:45 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/#comment-38379 <p>Kind of reminds me of cheap lasers. My uncle is an airline pilot and has been lazed twice now that every nimrod with a $1000 can buy one. Now I guess he'll get to dodge Lego UAV's too. Remind me; why is regulating the use of air space a blanket statement bad thing? Or more to the point, why is it a good thing if technology makes it impossible to regulate?</p> Kind of reminds me of cheap lasers. My uncle is an airline pilot and has been lazed twice now that every nimrod with a $1000 can buy one. Now I guess he’ll get to dodge Lego UAV’s too. Remind me; why is regulating the use of air space a blanket statement bad thing? Or more to the point, why is it a good thing if technology makes it impossible to regulate?

]]> By: Steve R. http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/comment-page-1/#comment-45873 Steve R. Wed, 30 May 2007 00:15:27 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/#comment-45873 <p>This one is more to the point about advanced technology now being reproducible by the "average" person and below the regulatory radar. <a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2007/mar/radioactive-boy-scout/?searchterm=fusion" rel="nofollow">Discover Magazine</a> (March 2007 Issue) reports: <i>"In 2006 Thiago Olson joined the extremely sparse ranks of amateurs worldwide who have achieved nuclear fusion with a home apparatus. In other words, he built the business end of a hydrogen bomb in his basement. The plasma "star in a jar"—shown at the left—demonstrated his success."</i></p> This one is more to the point about advanced technology now being reproducible by the “average” person and below the regulatory radar. Discover Magazine (March 2007 Issue) reports: “In 2006 Thiago Olson joined the extremely sparse ranks of amateurs worldwide who have achieved nuclear fusion with a home apparatus. In other words, he built the business end of a hydrogen bomb in his basement. The plasma “star in a jar”—shown at the left—demonstrated his success.”

]]> By: Steve R. http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/comment-page-1/#comment-38378 Steve R. Tue, 29 May 2007 23:15:27 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/#comment-38378 <p>This one is more to the point about advanced technology now being reproducible by the "average" person and below the regulatory radar. <a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2007/mar/radioactive-boy-scout/?searchterm=fusion" rel="nofollow">Discover Magazine</a> (March 2007 Issue) reports: <i>"In 2006 Thiago Olson joined the extremely sparse ranks of amateurs worldwide who have achieved nuclear fusion with a home apparatus. In other words, he built the business end of a hydrogen bomb in his basement. The plasma "star in a jar"—shown at the left—demonstrated his success."</i></p> This one is more to the point about advanced technology now being reproducible by the “average” person and below the regulatory radar. Discover Magazine (March 2007 Issue) reports: “In 2006 Thiago Olson joined the extremely sparse ranks of amateurs worldwide who have achieved nuclear fusion with a home apparatus. In other words, he built the business end of a hydrogen bomb in his basement. The plasma “star in a jar”—shown at the left—demonstrated his success.”

]]> By: Anonymous http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/comment-page-1/#comment-45872 Anonymous Tue, 29 May 2007 22:01:51 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/#comment-45872 <p>MikeT comment provides a good entry point into one of my pet peeves. The military spends too much for <b>expensive</b> solutions. Think of it this way, military equipment is expendable. Consequently, it needs to be easily (quickly) made, must require minimal maintenance, and be relatively cheap. We are currently in a situation were some cheap technologies, such as the UAV being analyzed could easily cripple the military. Sinking one of our aircraft carriers will nearly bankrupt us and would requires years to rebuild.<br><br>PS: Many years ago Forbes reported on an Israeli company that had built a military spy drone (UAV) that was cheaper and better than what the US defense folks built.<br><br>PPS: Yes Adam, there are times when I will agree with you that private organizations can do it better.</p> MikeT comment provides a good entry point into one of my pet peeves. The military spends too much for expensive solutions. Think of it this way, military equipment is expendable. Consequently, it needs to be easily (quickly) made, must require minimal maintenance, and be relatively cheap. We are currently in a situation were some cheap technologies, such as the UAV being analyzed could easily cripple the military. Sinking one of our aircraft carriers will nearly bankrupt us and would requires years to rebuild.

PS: Many years ago Forbes reported on an Israeli company that had built a military spy drone (UAV) that was cheaper and better than what the US defense folks built.

PPS: Yes Adam, there are times when I will agree with you that private organizations can do it better.

]]> By: Anonymous http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/comment-page-1/#comment-38377 Anonymous Tue, 29 May 2007 21:01:51 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/#comment-38377 <p>MikeT comment provides a good entry point into one of my pet peeves. The military spends too much for <b>expensive</b> solutions. Think of it this way, military equipment is expendable. Consequently, it needs to be easily (quickly) made, must require minimal maintenance, and be relatively cheap. We are currently in a situation were some cheap technologies, such as the UAV being analyzed could easily cripple the military. Sinking one of our aircraft carriers will nearly bankrupt us and would requires years to rebuild.</p> <p>PS: Many years ago Forbes reported on an Israeli company that had built a military spy drone (UAV) that was cheaper and better than what the US defense folks built.</p> <p>PPS: Yes Adam, there are times when I will agree with you that private organizations can do it better.</p> MikeT comment provides a good entry point into one of my pet peeves. The military spends too much for expensive solutions. Think of it this way, military equipment is expendable. Consequently, it needs to be easily (quickly) made, must require minimal maintenance, and be relatively cheap. We are currently in a situation were some cheap technologies, such as the UAV being analyzed could easily cripple the military. Sinking one of our aircraft carriers will nearly bankrupt us and would requires years to rebuild.

PS: Many years ago Forbes reported on an Israeli company that had built a military spy drone (UAV) that was cheaper and better than what the US defense folks built.

PPS: Yes Adam, there are times when I will agree with you that private organizations can do it better.

]]> By: MikeT http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/comment-page-1/#comment-45871 MikeT Tue, 29 May 2007 18:51:17 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/#comment-45871 <p>I have to agree with Vox Day's prediction that the increasing power of small technological devices to be used for military purposes (especially as things like WMDs become easier to make and package in small form factors) that the result will not be a bigger transnational government system, but a modern feudalism. When it becomes feasible for a man to buy a $1,000 UAV to carry a nuclear bomb that he bought for $50,000 from a shop in Mexico, central governments will be screwed.</p> I have to agree with Vox Day’s prediction that the increasing power of small technological devices to be used for military purposes (especially as things like WMDs become easier to make and package in small form factors) that the result will not be a bigger transnational government system, but a modern feudalism. When it becomes feasible for a man to buy a $1,000 UAV to carry a nuclear bomb that he bought for $50,000 from a shop in Mexico, central governments will be screwed.

]]> By: MikeT http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/comment-page-1/#comment-38376 MikeT Tue, 29 May 2007 17:51:17 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/05/29/cheap-uavs/#comment-38376 <p>I have to agree with Vox Day's prediction that the increasing power of small technological devices to be used for military purposes (especially as things like WMDs become easier to make and package in small form factors) that the result will not be a bigger transnational government system, but a modern feudalism. When it becomes feasible for a man to buy a $1,000 UAV to carry a nuclear bomb that he bought for $50,000 from a shop in Mexico, central governments will be screwed.</p> I have to agree with Vox Day’s prediction that the increasing power of small technological devices to be used for military purposes (especially as things like WMDs become easier to make and package in small form factors) that the result will not be a bigger transnational government system, but a modern feudalism. When it becomes feasible for a man to buy a $1,000 UAV to carry a nuclear bomb that he bought for $50,000 from a shop in Mexico, central governments will be screwed.

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