Thanks to Arc’teryx LEAF for reminding me.
Happy Canada Day!
July 1st, 2013Liberty Week – Privacy
July 1st, 2013Yesterday I said that I wanted to take this 4th of July week to address the concept of Liberty. I got several excellent suggestions for topics but some of them were more focused on the roots of the Independence movement. Today, we face different threats to our Liberty that are an outgrowth of how we communicate.
Some have taken on the invasive and ubiquitous governmental data collections and begun to develop new means to counter those efforts. One of these innovations is a disruptive typeface called ZXX after the Library of Congress trigraph for “No linguistic content; Not applicable.”
While I don’t agree with the sentiment (there are more appropriate ways to raise awareness of criminal acts than compromising loads of classified information) of the example in the image above, it does give a good idea of what ZXX looks like in use.
In a recent post on Walker Art Center’s Gradient Blog, Developer Sang Mun (himself a former NSA contractor) said, “I drew six different cuts (Sans, Bold, Camo, False, Noise and Xed) to generate endless permutations, each font designed to thwart machine intelligences in a different way. I offered the typeface as a free download in hopes that as many people as possible would use it.”
I’d call this a practical design project. While it can be a pain to read, it would seem to fool OCR systems. Given the scope of ZXX’s applicability, it’s worth considering whether its use is practical. But ultimately, the question is, would an early adopter flag himself through its use? Interestingly, there was a time in the not so recent past when only criminals would feel the need to conceal their communications so. Now, more and more, the average citizen is asking himself whether the Government is reading his mail.
For more info on ZXX visit z-x-x.org
MS Clean: The Magazine Shaped Cleaning Kit
July 1st, 2013
Peter Palma used his experience as a Marine, including his dissatisfaction with the issue cleaning kit, to create the MS Clean. The MS Clean is a hard plastic cleaning kit shaped like a 30-round STANAG magazine, which allows it to fit into any pouch, pocket, etc. that would fit a STANAG mag; it’s dimensions are slightly larger than the actual magazine so it can’t accidentally be seated into a mag well. This makes the kit readily available while also keeping parts organized. The MS Clean is currently in the prototype phase and is available for funding on Kickstarter.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/823246061/ms-clean-the-magazine-shaped-cleaning-kit
And The Blue MultiCam Variants Keep Coming
July 1st, 2013As if the RAAF Blue AMP variant wasn’t enough, now we can see the operational use of a Blue Maritime MultiCam knockoff from Montenegro. I’d like to point out that Crye had no hand in either of these travesties.
Thanks to Strike Hold for the tip.
Sneak Peek – Centurion Light Fighter Parka
July 1st, 2013This is a sneak peak of Domari Nolo Defense Consulting’s prototype Centurion Light Fighter Parka. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with these guys at the Shot Heard ‘Round The World earlier this year in New Hampshire after being introduced by Lawrence from Hyde Definition. The Domari Nolo guys love the Pencott patterns and have incorporated them into their line of products that are starting to come out.
They want their gear to be functional, affordable, and American made. Normally you get two of the three but so far, these guys seem to be making it work by managing design and finding great manufacturing partners.
The Centurion Light Fighter Parka is an anorak design and made from 50/50 ripstop NYCO water resistant, quick-drying, lightweight polyester fabric that Hyde Definition also used for their SnowDrift camo overwhites (which is being evaluated by SOCOM) but in the PenCott Greenzone pattern. It’s the same fabric used by the USMC for their snow camo overwhites and the USAF for their PT suits.
It Costs A$27,700 to Outfit a Digger
July 1st, 2013The War on Terror has resulted in a revolution in Soldier Systems here in the US as well as for our Allies. Prior to the war, the Australian Soldier was outfitted in an ensemble that, other than the 1980s-era DPCU camouflage, very much resembled what his forebears would have worn in Viet Nam.
But, as you can see from this excellent graphic prepared by The Australian, the replacement of the old gear that cost taxpayers just A$3700 is striking. I would even venture to say, that the Australian Soldier is better equipped than his US counterpart with certain items. I’d say, the A$27,700 investment is money well spent.
Field Gourmet – Box Nasties
June 30th, 2013Earlier today I was watching the old Jimmy Stewart flick, “Strategic Air Command.” In one scene he’s flying the then new B-47 and eating from a white cardboard box. That’s right, a Box Nasty. That movie is from 1955 and that box hasn’t changed, except for some graphics added to the lid as seen here on this fine example from al Udeid AB, Qatar. Let’s face it, it’s the meal we love to hate.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter that the wrapping is the same, because the contents, no matter where they come from, almost always lead to digestive issues. Doing a little research, (Here’s a free tip. Do NOT google ‘box nasty’ as an image search. Trust me on this one.) I found the coolest website about arcane subjects ever; the Box Nasty Hall of Shame. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been updated since 2009 but there are some awesome examples in this virtual museum.
www.choxnpinz.com/141starlifter/boxnasties/box
Tell us your box nasty stories.
Remember This?
June 30th, 2013A friend of mine named Dave, who happens to be a Retired Navy SEAL, sent this photo to me of an old magazine he had lying around the house. It was his as a kid and he told me that he remembers reading about the exploits of the Viet Nam era SEALs and then having the privilege to serve with them.
Have any of you had similar experiences?
