Matthew S. Williams's Blog, page 157

Omnitouch Projection Touch Screens

One of the most interesting areas in which computing has been improving lately has been in the realm of interfacing. Concepts like the XBOX Kinect gaming console have not occurred in a vacuum; in fact, they are part of a larger research trend that wants to make projection and scanning the way of the future. After all, why rely on a monitor or a console when you can project images onto any surface and use them like a touchscreen?

That’s the idea behind the OmniTouch technology. Using the same technology from the Kinect gaming system, a research team made of developers from Microsoft and Carnegie-Mellon University revealed back in October that they’ve come up with a system that can turn virtually any surface into a touchscreen. By combining a miniature camera and a portable computer, the user can write documents, check email and carry out their daily computational tasks simply by finding a surface.

Chris Harrison, a postgraduate researcher at Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute in Pittsburgh and a former intern at Microsoft Research and co-inventor of the device, describes the process as follows:

“OmniTouch works by bringing together a miniature projector and an infrared depth camera, similar to the kind used in Microsoft’s Kinect game console, to create a shoulder-worn system designed to interface with mobile devices such as smart phones. Instead of relying on screens, buttons, or keys, the system monitors the user’s environment for any available surfaces and projects an interactive display onto one or more of them.

“OmniTouch does this automatically, using the depth information provided by the camera to build a 3-D model of the environment. The camera acquires depth information about the scene by emitting a patterned beam of infrared light and using the reflections to calculate where surfaces are in the room. This eliminates the need for external calibration markers. The system rebuilds the model dynamically as the user or the surface moves—for example, the position of a hand or the angle or orientation of a book—so the size, shape, and position of these projections match those of the improvised display surfaces.”

Hrvoje Benko, another researcher who developed the device, admits that the current shoulder-mounted model is impractical. However, all the components involved in its creation are off-the-shelf electronics which are being miniaturized all the time. “But it’s not where you mount it that counts,” he says. “The core motivation was to push this idea of turning any available surface into an interactive surface… So I don’t think we’re so far from it being made into a pendant or attached to glasses.”

All of this calls to mind the SixthSense concept invented by Pranav Mistry many years ago. Presenting at TedTalks, he demonstrated how a wearable camera, finger mounted devices, and a portable computer, a person could use just about any surface to interface with their computer and even be able to transfer documents and programs to stationary computers.

While he may have beaten the IBM research team to the punch, this represents a step forward for portable computing and touch-technology since it shows that the results can be duplicated and made commercially viable.

Click on the video below to watch the OmniTouch device in action, and check out Pranav Mistry’s presentation to TedTalks at the bottom. Both enlightening and worthwhile video segments, trust me on that!

Pappa Zulu – Chapter 29

“Would not the sight of a single enemy airplane be enough to induce a formidable panic?”

-General Giulio Douhet

Whitman squinted to see the road clearly. The hour was not yet bright enough that he could see the road clearly, but the prevalence of fires and explosions made going by night vision an absolute stupidity. At the moment, the last thing anyone in the company wanted was their drivers becoming temporarily blind and putting them in a ditch!

All the while, they had to move quickly, to make up the last stretch of distance which separated them from town. As long as they remained on the road, away from the fighting and the aerial drops, they made obvious targets. With all their assets dropping well within the boundaries of Espanola, not a single enemy bird that was currently circling overhead would fail to notice that they were in the wrong spot!

Beacons or not, at that point the enemy would be lighting them up!

Saunders kept her eyes to the skies, keeping watch on the fireworks. Each explosion was likely one of their Falcons, another friend and comrade and arms who was either buying or ejecting into enemy-occupied territory. It was a terrible thing to behold, but she knew that as long as the fight kept raging overhead, the odds of them making it in in one piece were exponentially higher.

The same was true of the tracer fire that the Rattlesnakes AAA forces were putting up. Not one of them was likely to deter all the bombers making runs against their facilities, but as long as they kept firing, 1st platoon would be in the clear.

These and other anxious thoughts went through her mind as she watched the approach the outer edge of town with eager anticipation.

Just a few klicks more, she kept thinking. With every passing second their mission felt that much less suicidal. And they had barely gotten started!

“Shit man, are we seriously being hit by our own guys?”

Saunders looked momentarily at Whitman, then back to her sector. “Looks that way, Private. Don’t tell me you’re not thinking how familiar this feels.”

Whitman knew exactly what she meant by that. “Yeah, but in LA it was different, man. We didn’t know who they were, they didn’t know who we  were. This time around… it’s different.”

“Yes,” Saunders agreed. “This time there’s no room for misunderstandings. These guys want to kill us and we know it.”

She felt Whitman’s eyes on her then, could sense the look he was giving her. She regretting saying that just then. She had seen Whitman in plenty of moods before, but never like this. Ordinarily, he responded to just about any situation as if it was a big, dirty joke. But right now, he was genuinely worried.

“Don’t worry,” she added as an afterthought. “The LT will get us through this.”

“Yeah? What about the Mage?”

She didn’t have an answer prepared for that. In just about every direction, they could see fires blazing. But HQ was not exactly on their radar, not at this distance. No telling if any of the flame sources were coming from there, whether it was intact or not. Only the LT had been on the horn with them, and he was ignoring everything that came out of there. But at the moment, he didn’t have a choice. As long as the Mage remained off the mike, he had to assume it could be the enemy talking…

“I’m sure he’s fine too,” she said, lying. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear again from him real soon.”

“Right…” Yeah, he wasn’t buying it either.

They reached the outskirts of town, the blaze to their left filled their cabin. Whitman was keeping his eyes ahead and Saunders was too busy monitoring the sector to their right-fore. But Majorca got an eyeful of the scene and was sure to fill them in.

“Holy shit, will you look at that?”

“Can’t,” said Jones. “How bad is it?”

He strained to get a better view out the window. “Looks like they got the runway… bunch of hangars are flattened… must have hit the fuel lines too because the place is ablaze.”

“Monitor your sector, Private,” Saunder said. “You see any hostiles, you let us know. Anything else, block it out.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, clearing his throat. As much as she wanted to look herself, she knew that seeing the extent of the damage wasn’t going to do any good. And any talk about it was not going to do  their moral any good right now. Driving into the midst of turmoil, seeing your own dead and dying around you, the only way to proceed was not to see it. Keep your mind on what was ahead of you and save the shock and grief for later.

“I notice one thing,” she said to take their minds off the airfield. “The enemy doesn’t seem to have any choppers in the air.”

“Too far for them, I guess,” Majorca ventured.

“Which means they came from way out of state,” Whitman concluded. Saunders nodded approvingly. Whoever they were, they were a long way from home. And the fact that they had come in via the northwestern corridor, that said much too. She was sure the LT was thinking on this too; no doubt he had some interesting theories to share. If they were still speaking later, maybe he’d share them with her…

The squawk box came alive, the LT jumping on with a word of warning.

“Viper One Actual to all Vipers! Be advised, we have a fast mover coming in on approach. Maintain heading! Do not deviate at this time!”

Shit, Saunders thought. They were so near to the edge of town. They couldn’t get this close and not make it now! Looking up to the gunner’s circle, she yelled to Mill.

“Corporal! You got eyes?”

Mill spun around and aimed his weapon at their six. A few seconds passed before he responded.

“That’s affirmative, ma’am. I got our fast mover coming in six o’clock high. Don’t think he’s coming hot though. I think he’s just coming in for a look.”

Silently, Saunders issued a little prayer for the pilot above them to mistake them for friendlies. She could hear the noise of the jet coming in low and felt a terrible sense of anticipation. It was what she imagined all grunts felt like while they were waiting for some flyboy SOB to decide whether or not to kill them. And all the while, the horrible shriek of the engines and wings, the sound of a supersonic ballistic object with incredible power.

She felt her breathing grow quicker and deeper as the noise progressed. Louder and louder, until it was rumbling the ground beneath them.

And then, it cut overhead. The pilot kicked in the afterburners and a long blue jet of flame appeared out the back. Saunders looked up from the cabin floor slowly and called in Mill’s direction.

“Corporal? We okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!” he yelled and wrapped on the hood. “No cluster bombs falling around our ears! Guess he bought it!”

Saunders let out a bellow of relief. She looked ahead again noticed with approval that they were still on the road. She also noticed their forward momentum was slowing down.

“Don’t slow down!” she said, slapping Whitman on the thigh. The Private snapped out of his reverie and hit the gas. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and slapped her SCAR, since no wood was available.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Whitman said once he was steady too.

“It’s okay, Private. Just remember, grunts like us don’t slow down when friendlies fly overhead. Makes us look scared, and scared aint what you feel when you’re not expecting to be bombed.”

Whitman chuckled nervously and pressed the gas some more. They made it to the edge of town within seconds and the entire cabin breathed a collective sigh of relief. One by one, the vehicles behind them cleared the town’s outer edge and the LT’s voice came back on the box.

“Good job, Rattlesnakes. First leg is done, now keep your eyes open for enemy combatants. Likely foot mobiles and armored vehicles. Don’t let them get too close to your or their likely to see you sporting the wrong insignia.”

Saunders raised her sights to her eye and began peering at side roads that passed along the way. It wasn’t long before she began to notice infantrymen deployed along certain side streets; men forming up and disposing of their chutes. She also noticed some equipment dropped not far from them, a heavy .50 cal with a deployable mount and several ammo crates, and how the men were rushing to secure them and get them mobile.

Setting up defensive posts, she realized. Little wonder why they had dropped in so close to the edge of town. Grabbing hold of the mike, she relayed the sighting to the LT.

“Roger that,” Braun replied. “Good eyes One One.”

In the distance, more heavy drops were being made. Clearly, they were coming into the second wave of deployment, where the first had been infantry squads and shock troops. Now, they could see heavy weapons and armored vehicles coming down. That sense of nervous anticipation Saunders felt began to return, knowing that they were getting into the thick of it now.

“Approaching Santa Cruz,” Whitman said from his seat. Saunders looked up at the juncture and breathed steadily. From this point on, they would be in the town proper, within spitting distance from the HQ and every major installation in the town. Which meant, of course, they would also be coming on several points of enemy concentration, assuming the bad guys had done their homework.

And if luck was with them, they might even get a close enough look at their enemy without them getting a good look back. It would be nice to know who they were dealing with after all they’d seen of them so far.

Saunders nearly jumped when she heard Mill wrapping on the roof again. “Sergeant! I got an LAV sighted, coming up from our left side.”

“Majorca! You got eyes?”

Majorca aimed his SAW out the window and spotted the approaching road. He yelled back promptly.

“Yes, ma’am! LAV sighted and en route to us.”

“He look hostile?”

“Can’t tell…” he said. Within seconds, Saunders could see it herself. No sooner were they a few meters from the juncture with Santa Cruz than the vehicle popped out in front of them and assumed a position in front of them. Saunders heart nearly jumped into her chest. She reached out to steady Whitman.

“Don’t slow down,” she reminded him. “And keep her steady. He’s got to think we’re on his side.”

“I got it!” he said. Saunder retracted her hand and placed both on her rifle. In all fairness, she had jumped the gun. It seemed she needed a reminder to stay steady more than he did at the moment. Carefully reaching forward, she grabbed the mike and called it in.

“Viper Actual, this is Viper One One. We have picked up some company, Light Armored Vehicle to our fore and proceeding on course with us. Intent unknown at this time, over.”

“Roger that,” Braun replied. He needed a second to process their situation before he issued any orders. What began as a fluid situation was in danger of becoming a very murky one. Especially if a firefight erupted this close to each other.

“Viper Three, pull up and give me eyes on target. If they start shooting, I want your grenade launcher assisting Viper One One, over.”

“Roger that,” Tate replied. From behind them, the third vehicle in their convoy pulled out of the line and onto the other side of the road. From above, she could hear Mill cocking the .5o cal, getting it trained on their new friend.

“Well, this is lovely,” said Jones from the back. “We got guns on him, but how long before he notices and decides to shoot at us?”

“You’d prefer it if we had no cover, Private?” Saunders said firmly. Another thing they didn’t need was people saying the obvious, not when they already knew and were feeling plenty frayed as it was. All the LAV needed to do was rotate its turret 90 degrees from where it was sighting and they’d be dead within seconds. Given the options, she preferred an option where they could shoot first and possibly survive.

Alas, for several minutes, nothing happened. Either the LAV had noticed their IR beacons and assumed they were part of the invasion force, or it was leading them into something. Saunders had to assume the former since no crew would dare risk pointing their ass at a known enemy like this. Not without some serious balls.

Another rap on the top of the vehicle made Saunders want to jump again. She grabbed hold of Mills leg and gave it an angry squeeze.

“Dammit, Corporal! What is it now?”

“Sergeant, just thought you’d like to know… our flyboy friend is coming back.”

Saunders looked out the window for some sign of the plane. She didn’t see it, but she could hear it coming back again, the horrible swooping noise announcing its approach. She looked next at the LAV again, noted the change in its disposition.

The turret was beginning to rotate slowly in their direction…

And was it her imagination, or was it beginning to put some distance between them?

Transhumans by 2030?

The issue of transhumanism, the rise of a new type of humanity characterized by man-machine interface and augmented intelligence, is being debated quite fervently in some circles right now. But it seems that groups other than Futurists and speculative fiction writers are joining the discussion. Recently, the National Intelligence Council, a US policy think-tank, released a 140 page report that outlined major trends and technological developments we should expect in the next 20 years.

The report, entitled “Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds”, predicted several trends which are likely to come true in the near future. Amongst them is the end of U.S. global dominance, the rising power of individuals against states, a growing middle class that will increasingly challenge governments, and ongoing shortages in water, food and energy. However, predictions were also made concerning a future where humans have been significantly modified by various technologies, what is often referred to as the dawn of the Transhuman Era.

Intrinsic to this new era is the invention of implants, prosthetics, and powered exoskeletons which will become regular fixtures of human life. These will go beyond merely correcting for physical disabilities or injury, to the point where average humans are enhanced and become more productive. 2030 is key year here, because it is by this point that the authors predict that prosthetics will exceed organics, and people will begin getting them installed in order to augment themselves.

In addition, life extension therapies and medical advances which will be used predominantly by the elderly will become a means for otherwise healthy people to prolong their lives and maintain health and vitality for longer periods of time. Brain implants are expected to become a reality as well, ostensibly to allow people to have brain-controlled prosthetics, but also for the sake of enhanced memory and augmented thinking.

And of course, bionics are an important factor in all this. Already, researchers have achieved breakthroughs with bionic limbs, but retinal attachments, artificial eyes, and even fully-functioning organs are expected before 2030. On top of that, improvements in drugs, such as neuropharmaceuticals – drugs that enhance memory, attention, speed of thought – and implants which assist in their delivery are expected to be making the rounds.

Finally, there is the matter of virtual and augmented reality systems, which are already becoming a reality thanks to things like Project Glass and recent innovations in PDAs. As the report notes: “Augmented reality systems can provide enhanced experiences of real-world situations. Combined with advances in robotics, avatars could provide feedback in the form of sensors providing touch and smell as well as aural and visual information to the operator.”

However, the big issue, according to the report, is cost and security. Most of these technologies will be not affordable to all people, especially for the first few years of their existence. This could result in a two-tiered society where the well-to-do live longer, healthier and have a competitive advantage over “organics”, people of lesser means who are identifiable by their lack of enhancements. Also, developers will need to be on their guard against hackers who might attempt to subvert or infect these devices with tailor-made viruses.

Naturally, the importance of maintaining uniform scientific progress was stressed, and the need for a regulatory framework is certainly needed. What the CSER recently recommended is certainly worth keeping in mind here, which was to ensure that some kind of regulatory framework be put in place before all of this becomes a reality. What’s more, public education is certainly necessary, so that the current and next generation of human beings knows what to expect and how to go about making informed choices therein.

To see the full report and learn more about the NIC, follow the link below:

National Intelligence Council: Who We Are

Source: IO9.com

Pappa Zulu – Chapter 28

“Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.”

-Nelson Mandela

He almost fell as he made his way down the last of the steps. Another concussive force hit the building and it seemed as if this one landed just above. On his way to the basement level, he had seen several soldiers running to the main entrance, erecting a barricade and training their weapons on the door.

He hadn’t had time to consider that the enemy, whoever they were, was about to break in. But that last explosion seemed to confirm that very thing. He imagined that if the Mage’s men didn’t stop them, they’d be on their way in shortly…

He slammed his way through the doorway and saw several faces staring up at him. All his assistants, all wearing the same look of abject terror and confusion. They seemed marginally happy to see him, as if they had been expecting far worse. Raising his hands, he tried to explain as calmly as he could.

“Alright everyone, listen up because we don’t have much time. We need to get out of here. But first, we’ve been ordered to destroy everything in the room. All the samples, all the test cultures, all the hard drives. They need to be destroyed before…” he waved vaguely at the ceiling, “…whoever they are get down here.”

“Who are they?” asked Sykes, her voice on the edge of breaking. “What do they want?”

“I don’t know,” Ross said impatiently. “But the Mage seems to think they want what we’ve been working on. We have to destroy it.”

“Will we be able to get out?” asked Watts next. Ross nodded his head uncertainly.

“Yes… sure. But first…” He walked over to the nearest table where a prepared rack of syringes had been set aside. He picked it up and threw it on the floor as hard as he could. The glass tubes shattered and he stepped on them several times to complete the damage. “Everything! It all has to go! Get started, now!”

There was no hesitation. The little lie that there would be a chance to get out seemed to urge them forward, as if one depended on the other. In truth, he had been given no guarantees that such an escape would be possible, but if it helped…

From his table, Li began to dump a vessel of water on the computer terminals in his section. The monitors began to spark and throw up sparks. He then ran to the nearest fire extinguisher and grabbed it from the wall, using it to slam the hard drives and smash them into pieces. The destruction continued for what felt like hours, each moment passed without anyone breaking in feeling like borrowed time. Ross continually looked up to the doorway to see if that was about to change.

The last of the hard drives was smashed against the ground, Amaru standing over it and using his heel to smash the last of its components. He looked up when he was finished, his eyes bald and white in their sockets.

“Sir!” he yelled. “What about Mance?”

Ross felt a spike of adrenalin and began to running for the back, relaying the Mage’s words as he went. “He’s being moved, it’s okay. Keep going! Nothing can survive!”

He said the words, but he scarcely believed them. He had to see for himself, make sure that the specimen upon which their work was based was indeed safely away. Perhaps it was the fact that he’d lied to make sure everyone did as they were told. Could the Mage have been doing the same to him? Was he really so shrewd to let him think that?

He pushed his way through the various sealed doors that led into the back and saw the cage. The walls were smeared with thin layers of filth and the stink of necrotic tissue was there amidst the smell of a dozen or so chemical disinfectants. But the cage was empty. He breathed a sigh of relief and nearly fell over. The Mage had been telling the truth. At least about this much…

The trip back to the other side of the lab took far longer. His body felt intensely sluggish now that he was no longer running on pure adrenalin. As he made his way back in, he surveyed the scene of general destruction and felt strangely at ease. So much work lost, so much time and effort for nothing. And yet, there was some solace in it. Perhaps the thought that someone else might reap the benefits of it were enough to make him want to rid the world of it. Or perhaps he wouldn’t realize the full extent of the loss until after they made it out alive.

“Doctor!” Sykes yelled. Ross looked to the far corner of the room where the door had just splintered off its hinges. There was no one standing there, just a small cloud of smoke that was beginning to clear. They had blown the door in, and now he could hear an ominous clinking noise… metal striking the hard floor.

A small black cylinder appeared in his field of view somewhere near the entrance. Another spike hit him, but too late to make his body respond in time.

“Get do-” he managed to scream before a loud thud filled the room. It ended abruptly, his eyes going white and his ears ringing so loud he could hear nothing else.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt the hard stone floor rise up to meet him, his head and upper body slamming hard against it.

Slowly… very slowly… the white light began to fade and he was able to see the grey-white pattern of the ceiling. Sounds slowly began to come back to him too.

A large black figure that loomed above him also became clear, as did the automatic weapon he had pointed in his face. He could see the mouth moving on him, wide and angrily, exposing two bright rows of teeth.

“Don’t move!” he seemed to be saying. As soon as his ears began to oblige him, Ross could make out the rest.

“On your feet! You’re coming with us!

The Future is Here: The Prescient Surveillance Camera!

Consider the possibility that surveillance cameras might someday be automated, that there would be no need for security clerks to sit and wade through endless hours of footage to find indices of criminal behavior. That’s the reasoning behind the Pentagon and DARPA’s new project, which is named Mind’s Eye. Far from just being automated, the camera will be the first “smart” camera ever built, capable of predicting human behavior as well as monitoring it.

Using a concept known as “visual intelligence”, the project draws on a research proposal made by researchers working for the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science. The proposal calls for the creation of a “high-level artificial visual intelligence system” which, once operational, will be able to recognize human activities and predict what might happen next. Should it encounter a potentially threatening scene or dangerous behavior, it could sound the alarm and notify a human agent.

In essence, the camera system will rely on a series of computer visual algorithms that will allow it to classify behavior as well discriminate between different actions in a scene and predict their outcomes. Might sound like a case of coldly rational machine intelligence evaluating human actions; but in fact, the algorithm was designed to approximate human-level visual intelligence.

According to Alessandro Oltramari and Christian Lebiere, the researchers responsible for the proposal, humans evolved the ability to scan and process their environment for risks, at times relying on experience and guessing correctly what a person might do next. By using a linguistic infrastructure that operates in conjunction with a set of “action verbs”, along with a “cognitive engine,” the researchers are trying to get their camera to do the same thing.

Sound scary? Well that’s natural considering the implications. Any such technology is sure to bolster private and public security efforts by relieving human beings of the humdrum activity of watching security cameras while at the same time keeping them notified about potential risks. On the other hand, a machine intelligence would be responsible for monitoring human beings and judging their actions, which raises many issues. Sure, it’s not exactly PreCrime, but it does raise some ethical and legal concerns, not to mention worries over accountability.

Luckily, the AI that would run such a system is still several years away, which leaves us time to debate and regulate any system that uses “smart surveillance”.

Source: IO9.com

Pappa Zulu – Chapter 27

Authors Note: The following chapter appeared in its original version as “Pappa Zulu: Sample Chapter” back in early November. However, it has since been updated and revised in order to conform to the rest of the story.  So if you’re getting a feeling of deja vu, relax, and please read on. It doesn’t happen quite the same this time around

*               *               *

“Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.”

-Niccolo Machiavelli

The sun was now hovering just above the eastern horizon. But the real lights came from a dozen spots to the south. Fires raged in the skies overhead, and the glow they set on the cloud cover helped to reveal all the dark spots that were slowly drifting downward.

Every head in 1st platoon watched in awe, caught between the traces, explosions, and chutes that were deploying men, materiel and vehicles to the ground. It was the strangest thing, looking up at the sky and seeing it filled with human bodies. Somehow, the mind always took it for granted that skies would be empty every time they looked up. To see so many hostile enemies descending upon you, shock and awe were the only feelings that seemed appropriate.

In the distance, they heard the sirens from the airbase wailing. Much of it was on fire, hangars, sheds and even the fuel depot burning brightly. But the klaxon continued to wail, altering everyone that an attack was underway. Within the walls, people were running about, no doubt thinking their homes were no longer safe with the troops that were currently descending all around them.

Braun wanted to shout out to them, to tell them to get back inside. Filling the streets in a mad panic wouldn’t increase their odds of survival. if anything, it would make for a much easier slaughter if those troops chose to open fire on them. The rule of engagement were clear on this issue, but respecting them was not something anyone could be sure of. Not anymore…

What’s more, he was too far away to get to them. And with their platoon held up on the highway and watching, that wasn’t going to change. They needed to get moving, he knew. But the display was just too powerful. At the moment, no one seemed to be able to break free of its grip.

The radio was the only thing talking. The voice on the receiver loudly proclaiming the obvious:

“This is Warlock to all Rattlesnakes in the area. We are under attack by armed hostiles. I repeat, we are under attack by armed hostiles! All friendlies in the area be advised. Warlock has been compromised. I repeat, Warlock has been compromised.”

“Shit, sir,” said Ramirez from the driver’s seat. “We really seeing this? Is this real?”

Braun reached forward and grabbed hold of the mike from the squawk box. His other hand rested firmly on his SCAR. Even this far from the fighting, he felt the need to hold it close.

“Looks real to me, Private,” he said, and keyed the mike for the squad’s frequency. “Viper One Actual to all squads. We are Oscar Mike. I repeat, we are proceeding to Warlock. Be ready to engage.”

He switched back over to the base frequency just as Ramirez put the vehicle into gear. The first vehicle in their convoy began to roll and he eagerly awaited the others to get going. Then the voice on the general frequency came back with another announcement, this one just as bad as the first.

“All forces are advised to retreat to areas of previous operation and await further orders. Warlock is compromised, d o not approach. I repeat, Warlock is compromised, do not approach, over.”

“Sir?” Ramirez said. “Did HQ just tell us to turn tail?”

Braun went dead silent for a second. Turning tale was one way to put it. Another, more accurate way would be to say that HQ didn’t consider itself salvageable and was telling them all to get out while they could. The thought filled him with anger, but also a great deal of pause. He wasn’t sure what to say. Some orders were just too hard to confirm.

“Sir?” Ramirez repeated. There convoy was still moving, and towards town, in defiance of their new orders. Braun shook his head.

“They don’t know we’re here,” he said. That much had to be true. They couldn’t know that elements of 1st Battalion were close to town, not for them to be giving that order. He had to let them know. He keyed the mike. “Warlock, this is Viper One Actual. We are in the area and monitoring the situation. We have eyes on the enemy and are able to assist, over.”

He got an immediate reply, one which sounded just the slightest bit angry.

“Viper One Actual, you are ordered to fall back to a secure location and await further orders. Do not attempt engagement with hostile forces at this time, over.”

Braun tightened his free fist and slammed it on the dashboard. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did they really just expect them to just fuck off ? He couldn’t for the life of him believe these orders were coming from the Mage. Someone further down the line had to be issuing them, and was making a bad call. He keyed the mike once more.

“Warlock, interrogative. What is the status of Rattlesnake Actual, over?”

Another pause. “Rattlesnake Actual is engaged and unable to respond. You have your orders. Fall back to your previous positions and avoid Warlock at all costs. Colonel Haynes has command and will be directing operations under further notice, over.”

“Shit,” Braun said. He slowly hung up the mike and pulled his weapon close. Ramirez brought the vehicle to a stop. The others in front of them proceeded onward until they noticed the Lieutenant’s Humvee putting in at the side of the road. The box began to crackle again, this time with the other squads wanting to know what was happening. Braun was too busy staring at Ramirez to answer right away.

“What the fuck are you doing, Private?”

“Sir, they ordered us to turn around,” he said sheepishly. “We got orders to return to Taos, we can’t disobey.”

Braun continued to stare angrily at him, but couldn’t countermand that simple fact. They had been given their orders and they had been clear, regardless of whether or not he agreed with them. For a moment, he sat there, looking back and forth between the convoy and the terrible scene that was unfolding within the town. He could only imagine what it looked like from the other end, by all those who were caught in the middle of it. By turning around now, he was effectively turning his back on all of them. Every member of his platoon would be.

“Sir?” Ramirez insisted. Braun turned to him and issued a sharp reply.

“What?!”

He pointed ahead to the road. Braun looked out the window to see Saunders running up alongside their vehicle, followed close behind by Rickson, Tate and Lindsay. From the back of their vehicle, Grayson jumped out to greet them, which consisted of barking at them all to return to their vehicles. A brief argument ensued. Braun opened his door and began plodding over, catching the highlights of it as it unfolded…

“The platoon has halted! Get back to your vehicles and await your orders, people!”

“Sir, we need to know what’s going on?”

“What did HQ say?”

“Are we bugging out, sir?”

“Sir!”

Braun raised his hand for silence and stepped up to their little circle. Taking a deep breath, he did his best to sound officer-like and to convey a sense of calm. Lord knew these were the hardest orders he had ever had to give, and he wasn’t looking forward to how they were going to be received.

“People, HQ has been compromised. We are to fall back to Taos and await further orders and not risk an approach. Colonel Haynes is taking command of 1st Battalion and all forces in the field. I don’t have anything more at this time, just the general order.”

Every NCO in the circle looked at him in stunned silence. Tate was the first to speak.

“What about the Mage? Where is he?”

“I don’t know,” Braun replied. “The orders didn’t come from him, direct. But we can assume they have his blessing. Clearly, the base is about to be overrun and he doesn’t want his personnel risking their lives on some foolish attempt to save it.”

One by one, they all hung their heads or looked away to hide their expressions of disgust. Braun knew exactly how they felt, and had decided he’d had enough.

“But given the situation, we can’t be sure where the message came from. Our own forces are attacking us, which means they could easily be using our comms to spread misinformation.” He looked up at them, noticed the bright lights coming on in their eyes. Perhaps it was denial, but it was doing them good. Him too.

“Sir?” asked Tate, coming to attention. “Are you saying that this order cannot be trusted, and is therefore not legitimate?”

Braun nodded. “I think I am, Sergeant. If I were the enemy, first thing I’d be doing is telling the enemy all hope was lost and not to approach.”

Saunders suppressed a smile and nodded herself. “Yes, sir. Standard propaganda tactic is to demoralize the enemy by letting them think they’ve lost more than they have.”

“For all we know, Mage is safe and secure and HQ is kicking these assholes, butts,” Rickson added. “I mean, just because they bombed the airbase doesn’t mean they’re winning in the streets right?”

Braun smiled momentarily, then quickly turned dead serious. It was a convincing tale, and he was close to believing it himself. But if he was going to encouraging insubordination and asking them to risk their lives, he needed more than just a convenient lie. They needed a fighting chance…

“The enemy is most likely using IR beacons to identify their own troops. We still got ours?”

He looked at Grayson, who unlike the others seemed just a little shocked. Clearly, he couldn’t fathom that they were defying a general order. Still, he cleared his throat and replied. “Yes, sir. Enough for every squad member.”

“Good. Sergeant, get on distribution and make sure everyone is outfitted. Between those beacons and our vehicles, the enemy won’t know to fire on us. That ought to give us just enough time to get into town and mix things up with them.”

“Alright!” Tate said.

“One thing, sir,” Saunders interrupted. “We get into town, what’s the ROE? What is the plan for Warlock?”

Braun considered that for a second and shrugged. In all likelihood, HQ was under fire and not likely to be salvageable. Not when the enemy was assaulting the town from the air and the ground. And if they were going to make it back out, they’d need something other than their IR beacons to cover them.

“It’s an evolving situation, Sergeant, and we should treat it as such. First thing, we get eyes on Warlock and determine her status. If she’s compromised, we proceed to the armory, west side of town. We stock up on Stingers and replenish our ammo, then we hightail it out. We come upon any friendly personnel, we do our best to evac them with us.” He looked around and examined all their faces. They didn’t seem particularly enthused , but at least they looked confident. “Sound like a plan?”

“Yes, sir!” they all said in unison. He nodded to them.

“Good, then get back to your squads and be ready to move. Grayson! Get on those beacons!”

“Yes, sir,” he replied, somewhat less happily.

Braun returned to the Humvee and opened the door to the cab. In the driver’s seat, Ramirez looked at him warily and leaned towards him.

“Sir? What’s the order, sir?”

Braun began checking his SCAR, making sure the sights were aligned and the grenade launcher was stocked. He didn’t bother to look up to reply.

“Order is, anything coming over the squawk box from anyone but a confirmed Rattlesnake is to be considered suspect, Private. We are proceeding to HQ and were going to do what we can for our forces.” He finished with his weapon and looked up at his driver. “Understood?”

The Private nodded warily and leaned back into his seat. Another man who very much suspected he’d be in front of a firing squad thanks to Braun’s interpretation of the situation. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

Gotta survive the next few hours before that can happen, he thought to himself. No sense in worrying about the court-martial until they made it to safety.

NASA: The World Will Not End on Dec. 21st, 2012

It seems NASA spends untold resources trying to debunk conspiracy theories and doomsday predictions. Sad, when you consider all the wonderful uses this time and energy could be dedicated towards, like putting people on Mars! In any case, and in anticipation for this coming Friday (and Saturday, if all goes well!), I thought I’d share this video NASA released to put people’s minds at ease. The world will NOT end on Dec. 21st, 2012, it claims, and presents the scientific findings that say so.

Set on Dec. 22nd, 2012, the video approaches the apocalypse as if it is something that has already come and gone and proceeds to explain how the myth of the 2012 End of the World scenario began in the first place. In examining the actual Mayan Calendar, the reasons for why the calendar ends when it does, and taking a look at all the stellar and terrestrial phenomena which are believed to coincide with the date (but which won’t), NASA shows why we have nothing to worry about.

In fact, if anything, the date in question will be a time of rejoicing. Not only is it the holiday season for people worldwide, it is also the natural turning point in the Mayan Calendar, the date at which the ancient astronomers reckoning of time would “reset” in accordance with their ancient theology. This was a regular pattern as far as the Yucatan-based civilization was concerned, and is a testament to their long and expansive concepts of time and cosmology.

Nothing destructive was ever mentioned or implied in the Mayan belief system, merely a rolling over of the odometer and an entrance into a new age. If anything, it was western apocalyptics and cultists, with their preconceived notions of the End of Days and astrology, that attached this significance to the date. Astrological phenomena, such a meteor striking Earth, an inversion of our gravitational field, a massive solar flare, or another planet colliding with us, were all added as a means of explaining how. But, as the experts as NASA show, none of this stuff is happening or in danger of happening in the next few days.

In short, we can all look forward to another holiday season with plenty of food, family, in-laws and swag. As my grandpa used to say “the sun will still rise in the east and set in the west”, the world will keep on spinning, and people will keep on waiting for the end of the days to come. Fear not the End of Days, fear waking up tomorrow and realizing that you still have to get up, go to your job, and tolerate all the little annoyances we all deal with on a daily basis. And while your at it, be thankful you’re alive and STOP WISHING FOR IT ALL TO END!

And if that is still not enough to convince the doomsayers that life will go on, perhaps a quick look at their track record will be enough to convince the rest of us of how often they are wrong. Consider…

30-36 – 2012 C.E: After the death of Jesus and the spread of early Christianity, believers begin to prepare for the “coming of the Lord”. After several centuries, it is clear that the End of Days isn’t just around the corner, so believers begin to settle in and create Monasteries in the hopes of living how the Savior would have wanted. Two-thousand years later, we’re all still waiting!

410 C.E.: Rome is sacked, leading many Christians to fear that the Barbarian hordes are the harbingers of the Apocalypse. However, St. Augustine of Hippo allays much of these fears with his book City of God, where he states that though the corporeal capital of Christianity may have been sacked, the city of God abides. People promptly calm down…

900 C.E.: The fall of the Western Roman Empire leads to renewed fears that the world is ending. However, despite the decline in education, wealth, central leadership, life expectancy, and an upsurge in violence, life goes on…

1000 C.E.: Europe becomes consumed by apocalyptic predictions with the coming of the Millennium. On Dec. 31st, 999, nothing happens! The sun rises on the following day and people go back about their business…

1206-1294.E.: The Mongol Hordes, a vast and terrible army, reach Europe from Asia and begin a campaign of conquest and slaughter. People everywhere believe they are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse foretold in the Book of Revelation. However, Mongol expansion soon ceases, the Empire is subdivided amongst Ghengis Khan’s sons and vassals, and life continues. Just another Horde from the East that failed to deliver on the Apocalypse I guess!

1348-1350 C.E.: The Black Death strikes Europe. People everywhere believe this is God’s judgement and the Rapture is sure to follow. Flagellants punish themselves for the good of humanity, witches are burned, Jews are murdered, cats hung, and any and all traces of “wicked behavior” and people are scapegoated and purged. However, within two years, the plague passes, one-third of Europe has died, but life goes on and a period of rapid recovery soon follows.

1914 C.E.: The outbreak of the Great War leads many to believe that Armaggedon, the last great battle that will signal the end of time, is upon them! After four years of brutal, protracted warfare, all sides agree to a ceasefire and previously held r0mantic notions of warfare are severely questioned. Henceforth, Remembrance Day, Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, and a series of other national and international holidays mark the occasion and remind us how foolish and horrible war really is. However, the world does not end…

1918 C.E.: “Red October” shakes the world, with many predicting that the victory by the “Godless Communists” is a sign of the Apocalypse. However, despite the terrible crimes that follow in the Marxist-Leninists wake, especially where Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong are in power, the world keeps on spinning, even after the conflict becomes nuclear in scope (see next).

1945 C.E. – : The advent of nuclear weapons and the beginning of the Cold War lead to a resurgence in Apocalyptic predictions, with many claiming that “The End is Near” on a regular basis. However, numerous close shaves pass without incident, the Cold War ends by 1991, and all predictions as to how “Nuclear Holocaust” will take place fail to be realized. In the end, many people realize that the human race isn’t suicidal or quite as stupid as previously thought. Others continue to ponder how WWIII will happen, but produce no realistic scenarios.

1948 C.E. – : The Arab-Israeli Conflict begins and escalates with such events as the Suez Crisis (1956), the Six Day War (1967), and Yom Kipper (1973). Religious scholars and believers begin to claim that these events were foretold in Scripture, and foretell of the coming battle of Armaggendon – which will take place at Tel Meggido in modern day Israel. However, land for peace and a detente have prevented any full-scale wars since 1973, and the Oslo Accords of 1992 seem to suggest that a permanent peace between Israel and the Palestinians is just a matter of time.

1980′s C.E.: The growing awareness of the AIDS virus prompts many religious nuts and homophobes to claim that “Gods Judgement is Here” and is taking the form of a virus that strikes down sinners. However, public education and about thirty years with no Rapture lead most to conclude that this is a terrible disease which merits no religious condemnation. Public decrying of victims remains, but few people take them seriously.

1994/5 C.E.: Renewed outbreaks of the Ebola virus leads to new fears of a global pandemic. Movies like The Stand, Outbreak and just about any scenario involving biological warfare do great at the box office, but the apocalyptic nightmare never comes true. And when people realize that casualties are largely reserved to African nations, they generally stop caring!

1990 – 2000 C.E. – : Y2K histeria sets in as people get wind of a possible bug that could shut down the world’s computers. People begin hoarding and stocking their shelves in preparation for the pandemonium and chaos that is expected. When the clock strikes midnight of Dec. 31st 1999, nothing happens! The world keeps spinning, the computers keep working, and the nuts go looking for another reason to panic. There are still plenty to choose from…

And let’s not forget 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Bath Salts Zombies and every other major disaster that has befallen the world in recent years. Seems every day weirdos and nutjobs are finding reasons to think we’re all going to die. One would think they wanted it to happen or something…

In the meantime, enjoy the video and all its sane and sensible points!

Source: Nasa.org, gaurdian.co.uk

The Future is Here: The Mind-Controlled Robot Suit

Back in October, some rather interesting news came out of Japan. It appears that a research company known as Cyberdyne produced a robot suit named HAL. No joke, the company is seriously named after the company from Terminator franchise that developed Skynet and the robot suit – who’s name stands for Hybrid Assisted Limb – is named after the HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Still, the company is the legit and the new robotic suit is quite impressive. Like many before it, it is a powered suit that gives the wearer enhanced strength and protection. But unlike previous models, this one comes equipped with a network of sensors that monitor the electric signals coming from the wearer’s brain, allowing them to seamlessly control the suit’s movements.

This is expected to remedy a problem which has plagued exoskeletons since their inception, which is the problem of speed. While all exos allow for greater strength and load-bearing capacity, the motors that power the limbs tend to respond slowly to the users commands. By anticipating the wearer’s movements by reading them directly from the brain, this new suit will be able to move in synchronicity with the wearer’s limbs.

The suit is also expected to be helpful with Japan’s ongoing cleanup efforts with the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. In addition to the new mind-control interface, the suit’s load-bearing capacities are expected to come in handy for workers who are forced to wear a 60 kg (132 lbs) tungsten vest while working in radiation zones. Even for a husky man, that’s quite the load to bear on top of all the additional weight they’ll need to be carrying.

Naturally, there are anticipated hazards as well, like what will happen if the power supply were to suddenly run out. Essentially, the wearer would be trapped inside. However, these and other bugs are expected to be addressed before any units are pressed into service. And with luck, suits like these could available for HazMat workers, construction crews, and people who work in dangerous conditions in just a few years time.

Source: japandailypress.com

Pappa Zulu – Chapter 26

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”

-Winston Churchill

Dezba woke with a start for the first time in weeks. He held his sheets in one fist, so tight it hurt. He also noticed his face was sweating profusely. And yet, there were no fragments of a terrible dream clinging to his waking mind.

No visions of rot, decay and white eyes.

No fiery blazes threatening to consume him.

No hot steel blades slicing through flesh and bone.

No… Tonight something else had woken him.

A loud shriek sounded overhead and sent every window pane in the house to rattling. In the distance, a loud thud sounded and reverberated over the landscape, bouncing off the nearby hills and echoing back through the valley. His mind was still struggling to shake off sleep and the good dose of whiskey which had induced it, but he knew exactly what it was he had woken to find.

They were under attack… Their own birds were deployed above them and performing point strikes, from the sound of it. And judging from the way the bombs seemed to be falling in the distance, he could only surmise the enemy was still on the outskirts of town. It had taken them long enough, but the Whiskeys had finally come home. Time to repel them once again!

Rolling out of his bed, he reached underneath and grabbed hold of the metal case laying there. One good tug freed it and he slammed it down on the mattress. He removed the clasps with his right hand and threw the top open, revealing the M4 he had stashed inside. Quickly, he remembered that he would need a second hand to performing the requisite task of getting it together and loaded. Hence, his next trip was to the closet to fetch the box that held his new hand.

“Oh shit,” he said, aware that he had neglected to recharge it the night before. No telling how much battery life it would have. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he powered it up and the indicator read half. That gave him a few good hours with which to use it. After that, he only hoped the current crisis would be resolved, or he found himself a weapon with an inexhaustible ammo supply.

While in the closet, he secured a set of fatigues and a tee shirt. He wouldn’t be getting far in his shorts, and needed the pockets for extra ammo storage. At the moment, modesty didn’t even enter into it, but sparing the locals from the sight of his junk seemed only courteous.

It was the strangest feeling, he noticed as he finished getting ready. As expected, his body had gone into panic mode, but he felt oddly at peace with that. Every muscle was spring-loaded and his heart was beating so fast, he thought it might pop out of his chest if he didn’t start moving. And yet, at the moment he felt calmer than he had in a long time.

Dressed and with two hands to work with, it took  barely a moment to get the M4 loaded, chambered, and all the spare clips where he could  get at them in a hurry. He was also sure to grab hold of the M9 in his nightstand and tucking it into his pants at the small of his back. If he was going in, he wanted a weapon he knew he could fire one handed to fall back on.

Bursting through the front door, he came out on his porch and saw light coming from two directions at once. The first was from the east, where the sun was beginning to crest. The second was to the north, where flames were belching and flaring not too far in the distance. Another loud thud sounded out half a second after the latest flare, a clear indication of secondary explosions…

“What the…?” he muttered. Had their birds struck at the airport? Where else, except for those loaded hangars and fuel depots, could he expect to see an explosion of that kind? There were no other munitions depots or fuel facilities, certainly nowhere to the north of town. Had the airbase been overrun and they were hitting it now to stop their advance? If so, things were worse than he expected.

Another thud came from the other direction. He looked up just in time to see a Falcon come down and crash in the fields just outside of town. More loud shrieks sounded from overhead, and the telltale sounds of air-to-air munitions being fired off.

That’s when the fear struck him. With nothing but a general din to go on, he had just assumed they were under attack by infected. But the dogfight in progress overhead left no doubt as to what this was.

They were under attack all right, but by their own forces… A terrible sense of deja vu crept up on him just then, his mind recalling another incident involving guided missiles, helicopters and a few too many close shaves. And he got the sinking impression that one was closely related to the other.

He looked to the street and saw people coming out of their houses to watch the carnage. A few braver ones ran from their porches into the streets to get a better look at the carnage which was now spreading all them. Tracer fire went up into the sky, explosions lit up the frames of large aircraft which were slowly arcing overhead. And the fast movers which cut across the heavens, glinting in the rising son and illuminating in sudden bursts of flame.

They looked about as confused and frightened as he felt…

Weapon first, Dezba ran down his front steps and into the street. He looked all around him for some sign of personnel. Surely, the Mage had the Rattlesnakes on station, preparing to repel anybody who tried to follow up this aerial bombardment. He looked for them as well, though he had no way of knowing how he might distinguish one from the other. If it was indeed their own people attacking them, then they’d be dressed much the same as his own grunts. Their vehicles, weapons and tactics would also be the same. Just by being out in the street now and armed he was risking getting shot, as he was sure the attackers would not mistake him for one of them. Not when he dressed down the way he was…

“What’s going on?”

Dezba looked over to his right and saw a man approaching him. He recognized him as a neighbor from back in the day, but couldn’t for the life of him remember his name.

“Sir,” he said, settling for an official title, “you should go back into your house. It’s not safe out here.”

“But what’s going on? We woke up and heard all these explosions? Who’s doing this?”

The man’s family was now standing a few feet behind him and in the street. Dezba’s memory clicked and he remembered who they were. The Woodward family, Bob and Penny. They were amongst several people who had moved in shortly after the block had been rezoned for refugee families coming from up south. He had met them only once officially, and had done all the talking back then. Penny held back, their two kids -who’s names he could not remember – huddled close by and looked on with her. Their dog, a large yellow lab, sat on their porch and barked angrily, himself clearly as confused as everyone else.

“Look… uh, Bob, I don’t know. But I need you to get back inside with your family. It’s not safe out here.”

Bob was hesitant, but nodded and turned to head back to the others. Others continued to proceed up the street from behind, several of them shouting in his direction. Somehow, in the midst of carnage, people always assumed the man holding the gun knew what was going on. He ignored them and proceeded on ahead. He wasn’t sure where he was heading, in any direction that would link him up with a military unit really. And hopefully, the one he found would be filled with friendly faces.

*                    *                     *

They were hit by another thud. This time, the lights flickered and the building itself seemed to tilt sideways. Ross took barely a second to reorient himself, and then kept running up the stairs. Moments earlier, he had been enjoying a lovely dream about sojourning on some distant beach, white sand between his toes and cool breeze blowing across his face. And then came the cacophony that had nearly destroyed every beaker, vessel and glass panel in the lab.

He would have been happy to send someone else to see what the hell was going on up above, to remain under cover with the others. But he wanted answers and someone needed to explain to him why their work was being interrupted at this crucial juncture. If anything were allowed to disrupt the development of their stores of antibodies, the results would be disastrous.

Someone was going to fill him in! Someone was going to be held responsible!

He kicked open the stairway door and moved into a sea of bodies. Back and forth, armed personnel were running to and fro, shouting to each other along the hallway or into their communications gear. He caught all forms of military speak and understood only a word in three. But it still resounded as general noise in his ears.

Eventually, he managed to get a hold of someone and put his hands on their shoulders.

“What the hell is going on here, soldier?”

The grunt looked at him angrily and swept his hands off. “We’re being bombed, asshole!”

“What…” he said, his anger quickly turning to fear. “Who? Who’s bombing us?”

“I don’t know, but they’ve taken out the airfield! We’re under general order to dig in.”

“What does that mean?”

The soldier didn’t reply and simply shoved off. Ross was left standing there for a moment, his mind racing at all he’d just been told. He looked around helplessly for what felt like an eternity, looking for someone who might be able to help. He yelled in all directions for answers, but he quickly realized the futility of it. Everyone was simply doing as they were told, getting to one place or the next to carry out some duty or another.

Only the Mage would help now. He had learned long ago that when seeking answers from military personnel, it was best to find the ranking officer. The grunts were always useless, only ever doing as they were told and never knowing a thing. Heading for the stairwell again, he paused when another loud thud hit and send a shock wave through the building. This time, he emitted a small cry, now fully aware that the source of the disturbance was someone intent on killing him.

Slowly and carefully, he made his way to the next floor and entered into another sea of chaos. This time around, it was personnel moving in and out of the conference room. He was sure the Mage would be in there somewhere, as it seemed to be the hub of the place at the moment.

Between several rows of what looked like antiquated communications terminals, he spotted Thur and Vasquez standing together. Both looked particularly occupied, but at the moment, he didn’t care. What he and his staff were doing below was no less important than their current situation, and he needed to know they would be protected. Their safety certainly warranted an interruption.

“General! General!” he said, working his way into the room. His pleas for attention garnered immediate an reaction, but from the wrong people. Between some armed men who were standing at the doors and several official-looking people, Ross had several hands on him at once. All began to push him back the way he’d come in.

“General, I need to speak to you! We’re at a critical juncture and the lab is being threatened!” The pushing intensified and he felt himself being carried. He raised his voice to a screaming pitch. “We could lose the vaccine! WE COULD LOSE THE VACCINE!”

The next voice he heard was that of Thurs, who was busy shoving his way through the Doctor’s “escort”. Vasquez was close behind, pulling officers out of the way.

“Gentlemen!” Thur said. “Get back to your posts. The doctor is with me.” Everyone obliged and returned to their stations inside the room. Alone, Thur looked to Ross and raised at hand at him to continue. “You were saying, doc?”

“Sir, my staff are hiding under their tables down below. The power has nearly cut out twice now. Everything made out of glass down there is beginning to shatter. We can’t work under these conditions!”

Vasquez quickly turned red. “We’ve got bigger problems than your damn work, doctor! I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but were in the middle of a damn firefight here!”

Ross was about to reply, but Thur’s raised hand silenced them both. He turned to Vasquez and spoke calmly amidst the sounds of explosions outside. “Colonel, could you please excuse us for a moment.”

Vasquez nodded, gave the doctor a parting dirty look, and headed back into the seminar room. More yells and barking were to be heard coming from inside, both from the comms and in response. Perhaps he was being hasty, he thought. Perhaps he should be heading below and letting the professionals handle things.

Thur, however, had some additional recommendations for him. “Doctor, I need you to do the following. I need you to cease all the work you’re doing on the vaccine. Cease it now, destroy the samples, and erase all your hard drives. I need you to do that now.”

Ross couldn’t believe his ears. “What are you talking about?”

“Doctor, as we speak, our enemy is achieving air superiority above us. Do you know what that means?” Ross shook his head. “That means they’re destroying our fighter cover. When they are finished, they will begin landing their forces here and overtaking all our positions. That includes this base, and your lab. Do you understand now?”

Ross felt a cold chill run through him. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of soldiers breaking into his lab, destroying everything, possibly killing him in the process. Thur placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him and continued.

“Doctor, are you listening? We don’t have much time here. I need you to destroy all traces of the vaccine before it can fall into enemy hands. Do you understand?”

He shook his head. “No. Why?”

“Doctor,” his grip tightened on Ross’ shoulder. “The vaccine is vitally important. It will change the course of this war forever. And it is for that reason that it cannot fall into the hands of an enemy force. You need to do this, and to do it now. We are running out of time!”

Ross shook his head again, this time to try and clear his mind of the terrible panic that was setting in. He understood the need to obey at this point, but the loss… the terrible loss!

“What about Mance?” he managed to ask finally.

“He’s being moved,” Thur said benevolently. “I’ve dispatched some troopers to take him out of his cell and prep him for transport. All that remains is the information and samples you have below.” He grabbed Ross’ face and looked directly into his eyes. “Do-you-understand?”

Ross nodded. Thur smiled. If he was afraid, he was doing a very good job of concealing it. Somehow, Ross took some comfort in that. The panic was beginning to lift, what he needed to do next taking precedence in his mind. Thur let him go and began to make his way back into the chaos while Ross turned to run back below.

Both had a very grim task ahead of them…

The Future is Here: The Roll Out Laptop!

Presenting the Rolltop laptop, a proposed next-generation portable computer that is made to look and act like a scroll. As a concept, this idea was first started in 2009 by the people of Rolltop, a team of researchers, IT developers and business administrators. By combining recent advancements in the field of OLED-Display and multi-touchscreen technology, the plan was to create a flexible computer that would combine the utility of a laptop computer with the weight of a mini notebook.

In addition, it can be switched from a laptop with 13 inch diagonal screen to a 17 inch graphics tablet. Or, stand it up against its rear-mounted support arm and use it as a primary monitor. When rolled up, it measures a mere 8.3 in width and 28 centimeters in length, and has a carrying strap which allows it to be carried around like a small case. When unrolled, the laptop is separated from a central core which contains the battery, power plug-in, and loudspeaker.

Initially, the project was merely a proposal by the Rolltop team to demonstrate their vision and ideas. However, due to the overwhelming response from the technical and consumer community, they set to work on making it happen. As it stands, the device is still in the planning and development phase, but Rolltop has everything it needs to make it a reality. Well almost… The technology exists, the concept is feasible; all that’s needed is a little more time and investment capital.

In the meantime, check out this promotional video of the Rolltop at work. And if you’re really keen, click on this link to get to the company website to pledge a donation.