:: NEWS COCKTAIL aka BlahBlahBlog ::

:: 4.09.2003 ::

:: Wired reports ::

Urban Combat Takes Street Smarts

The technologies behind U.S. troops' victories in the open expanses of the Mesopotamian deserts aren't what's triggering the fall of Saddam's rule in the alleys and shadows of Baghdad.

GPS-guided bombs, advanced radios and spy drones all become less reliable as sand gives way to concrete and steel. Instead, the American military has leaned on the cunning of its junior officers and the overwhelming firepower of its heavy armor in its battle for the Iraqi capital.

Iraqi Dead Counted, Not Forgotten

A website keeping a running tally of civilian deaths in the Iraq war is attracting a lot of traffic, and appears to be emerging as an authoritative source of information on the gruesome subject.

The Iraq Body Count website claims to attract 100,000 visitors a day, and is increasingly being cited as a source in news outlets such as The Boston Globe, the San Jose Mercury News and the Associated Press.

Q&A: Meet Howard Schmidt, US Minister of Net Defense

WIRED: Your predecessor, Richard Clarke, used to talk about the likelihood of a digital Pearl Harbor. Others have dismissed cyberattacks as weapons of mass annoyance. That's a pretty wide spectrum.

SCHMIDT: I use the term weapons of mass disruption. Is it possible that we could have a catastrophic failure on a regional basis? Absolutely. Could we see that on a universal basis? That likelihood has been reduced significantly.

WIRED: What worries you, then?

SCHMIDT: An unknown vulnerability in a system that someone chooses to exploit in conjunction with some sort of a physical attack.

posted by me

:: 9:32:00 PM [+] ::
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