The Secret Histories, #2

[Doktor Howl]

If you take some time and look at google images, you'll notice a certain amusing fact about US military uniforms over the last 220 years.  At first, they were functional as hell...Nice solid colors that made units look bigger and more intimidating when they lined up to volley-fire (that being the only effective way to use unrifled muskets).  Later on, they became dressier, as can be seen in the Spanish-American war, as weapons became more accurate.  TR had style....And by World War II, infantrymen went into battle wearing ties.  No shit.  Ties.

Of course, the Nazis ruined the snappy uniform forever, and the Sam Brown belts had to go, along with the cool boots, and you had the olive drab sacks worn by the cannon fodder in Vietnam.  I mean, if you're only going to give them 16 weeks of training, why bother putting any effort into a uniform that's going to get all bloody anyway?

By Operation Desert Storm, though, things got a little uglier than that.  The first "stealth" uniform was issued, a sort of overcoat with a pattern that "offends" the eye, so that you don't look directly at it.  Nowaways, the standard BDUs - Battle Dress Uniform - is made in a pattern that averts the eye far more effectively.  In a way, that's far grimmer than any trench-coat Gestapo outfit.  Not more evil, just grimmer.

And uniforms are just the beginning...aircraft went from fabric and string affairs that were more dangerous to the pilot than the enemy, to efficient monoplanes, to jets bearing missiles that can strike from up to 100 miles away, to unmanned stealth drones and space planes, piloted by some geek in Maryland with a Slurpee and a quarter taped to the top of his console like on a video game at the arcade. There's talk of building tanks using the same sort of technology.  As above, there's a certain cold, detached grimness to all of this.

It seems that humans just aren't efficient enough at killing other humans, or so the designs coming out of the military-industrial complex would have us believe.  Mass murder is mechanized, integrated, state of the art business, now.  How long before we don't even need that smarmy, self-satisifed geek in Maryland?  Do you really want to know?  Will you even know when it happens?

History began with a monkey braining another monkey with a rock.  It may very well end with a machine killing monkeys from 12 miles up...Oh, and here's a bit of horror for you:  If this automation continues for a few more years, and then the US falls apart, what will become of these unmanned, automated spaceplanes, tanks, etc?

My guess is they'll keep following their programs, becoming angry Gods to our descendents.

Isn't that a hoot?

Okay for now,
Dok
 

[Adios]

If you take some time and look at google images, you'll notice a certain amusing fact about US military uniforms over the last 220 years.  At first, they were functional as hell...Nice solid colors that made units look bigger and more intimidating when they lined up to volley-fire (that being the only effective way to use unrifled muskets).  Later on, they became dressier, as can be seen in the Spanish-American war, as weapons became more accurate.  TR had style....And by World War II, infantrymen went into battle wearing ties.  No shit.  Ties.

Of course, the Nazis ruined the snappy uniform forever, and the Sam Brown belts had to go, along with the cool boots, and you had the olive drab sacks worn by the cannon fodder in Vietnam.  I mean, if you're only going to give them 16 weeks of training, why bother putting any effort into a uniform that's going to get all bloody anyway?

By Operation Desert Storm, though, things got a little uglier than that.  The first "stealth" uniform was issued, a sort of overcoat with a pattern that "offends" the eye, so that you don't look directly at it.  Nowaways, the standard BDUs - Battle Dress Uniform - is made in a pattern that averts the eye far more effectively.  In a way, that's far grimmer than any trench-coat Gestapo outfit.  Not more evil, just grimmer.

And uniforms are just the beginning...aircraft went from fabric and string affairs that were more dangerous to the pilot than the enemy, to efficient monoplanes, to jets bearing missiles that can strike from up to 100 miles away, to unmanned stealth drones and space planes, piloted by some geek in Maryland with a Slurpee and a quarter taped to the top of his console like on a video game at the arcade. There's talk of building tanks using the same sort of technology.  As above, there's a certain cold, detached grimness to all of this.

It seems that humans just aren't efficient enough at killing other humans, or so the designs coming out of the military-industrial complex would have us believe.  Mass murder is mechanized, integrated, state of the art business, now.  How long before we don't even need that smarmy, self-satisifed geek in Maryland?  Do you really want to know?  Will you even know when it happens?

History began with a monkey braining another monkey with a rock.  It may very well end with a machine killing monkeys from 12 miles up...Oh, and here's a bit of horror for you:  If this automation continues for a few more years, and then the US falls apart, what will become of these unmanned, automated spaceplanes, tanks, etc?

My guess is they'll keep following their programs, becoming angry Gods to our descendents.

Isn't that a hoot?

 

[Zyzyx]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Taste_of_Armageddon

[Doktor Howl]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Taste_of_Armageddon

Um, no.

[Freeky]

That's all for now, until I can wrap my head around an appropriate response.

[Kai]

Humans create gods rather than the inverse.

In this case the gods would act like something straight out of the Iliad, except less stupid and more dangerous.

[Adios]

Dok, I don't want you to think my popcorn response was flip. I know, as you said, that there isn't a damn thing I can do about it so I just want a front row seat.

[Zyzyx]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Taste_of_Armageddon

Um, no.

War has advanced among these people to the point where their weapons don't even kill anymore. They agree to step into the booth and be cleanly disassembled when the "bomb" hits their city.

Today drones kill from continents away, tomorrow they might not even need pilots. What next? If something like "A Taste of Armageddon" could come out of 50s sci-fi, all that's guaranteed is that the future's horrors will be far, far worse than anything our imaginations can produce. I fear for the sanctity of human life, or whatever remains of it.

[Captain Utopia]

There are a few ways to avoid this, but when you factor in other countries competing in the same field - such as the Chinese UAV variant - those few ways wither and what's left isn't worth mentioning.  I don't think I'm going to sleep very well tonight.

[Jenne]

I sometimes think that the military makes inventions out of what they hear from sci-fi stories.  They take the wildest dream and conjure it up, so that most of the greatest inventions are either powered straight on from the military machine or turned into something that can be used for war, killing, domination, etc.

The monkey finds better, newer, faster ways of FUCK YEAH DESTROY KILL KILL KILL against his fellow monkey.

All very sad, given said monkey gets delight out of inventions that don't kill, maim and cripple as well.

[Adios]

I sometimes think that the military makes inventions out of what they hear from sci-fi stories.  They take the wildest dream and conjure it up, so that most of the greatest inventions are either powered straight on from the military machine or turned into something that can be used for war, killing, domination, etc.

The monkey finds better, newer, faster ways of FUCK YEAH DESTROY KILL KILL KILL against his fellow monkey.

All very sad, given said monkey gets delight out of inventions that don't kill, maim and cripple as well.

I blame pot.

[Zyzyx]

I sometimes think that the military makes inventions out of what they hear from sci-fi stories.  They take the wildest dream and conjure it up, so that most of the greatest inventions are either powered straight on from the military machine or turned into something that can be used for war, killing, domination, etc.

The monkey finds better, newer, faster ways of FUCK YEAH DESTROY KILL KILL KILL against his fellow monkey.

All very sad, given said monkey gets delight out of inventions that don't kill, maim and cripple as well.

I blame pot.

And OBAMA!!!!1!one 

[Jenne]

Well, I blame my analysis/observation on the fact we were held hostage by Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea during our roadtrip last week.

[Adios]

The real terror in this is the killing from a safe distance issue. And that is certainly nothing new. It's just that everyone is getting better at it.

Ground troops will be nothing but mop up crews and the horror that is war and killing will be sanitized until all of the horror is hidden under a nice sterile blanket.

They are probably working on a first assault vehicle that is unmanned. Or already have it.

It seems things like this could make war more desirable socially acceptable since mothers won't be crying over the loss of sons and daughters.

[Jasper]

Not ours, anyway.

An unmanned tank prototype exists.