Disqus - Latest Comments for check_engine

Re: Electric grid, emergency communications vulnerable to electromagnetic weapons

check_engine — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:46:56 -0000

To bill_brown, as stated previously. Please produce a nomenclature
or link to a "portable and stand-alone" EMP device (as if one exists
outside of my former laboratories in the defense/industrial complex).
And the definition of "portable" was debatable. More like transportable
via a truck, and even then - effectiveness was limited. You want
usable EMP ? detonate a Whiskey 78, airburst fuzing.

From a tactical deployment perspective, it's much easier for an
adversary to Tim McVeigh a target (ie. load up a truck with ANFO
explosives and take out multiple substations).

Again, this is total BS !!! Must've been a slow news day. And it's
equally disappointing to read that people here (who are supposedly
in the technology industry), need to be lectured that a "modern"
vehicle has multiple 'chips'.

Re: Electric grid, emergency communications vulnerable to electromagnetic weapons

check_engine — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:52:10 -0000

Great, more hysterical hyperbole and conjecture without a shred of proof !
Notice how the "evil terrorists" are always lurking around the corner. Under
your bed, in the closet, your foreign born next door neighbor. Reminds some
of us of "old times". In a far away place, in another time. When a certain
"Fuehrer" was rallying the people for more powers and more authority to control
the lives of ordinary citizens.

It's disappointing to observe the degradation in journalistic investigative
skills of todays "reporters" (who invariably have no knowledge of what it
is they're supposedly reporting on!). This article is a perfect example of
technical innacuracies and blatant garbage being reported as "factual".

What do you expect when technically clueless politicians and corporate
shills with dreams of avarice (ie. profit) converge in the same room ? Hint,
the citizen taxpayer will get the short end of the stick. (more erosions of
our freedoms under the guise of "security" , while corporate pets make
out like bandits).

To the other poster, TEMPEST standards have nothing to do with protecting
hardware from EMP events. It was intended to shield equipment against
SIGINT exploitation by hostile adversaries.

In the 80's MilSpec semiconductors were the standard. Then COTS was
the new buzzword, and the level of hardening was degraded (hey, you
get what you pay for ! no pesky russkies to worry about right ? we have
a "peace dividend" ! yaaay !!! let's party - while the ship is enroute to
a pirates lair !).

I swear, we need voter competency quizzes and term limits !

Re: AT&T position helps public safety, but more is needed

check_engine — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:55:55 -0000

Here's a brilliant idea. How about just letting *INDIVIDUAL* "public safety" entities
apply for the D Block channels by themselves ! Why is there so much pressure to
GIVE these frequencies to some COMMERCIAL entity ? It's completely counter to the
stated usage of that spectrum slice.

Who says some commercial entity needs to operate some nationwide system for
"public safety" ? Give me a freakin' break ! sheesh. Have any of you talked to (and
I use the term VERY loosely) "customer service" on their 1-800 numbers and tried
to get something done ? Yup, I'm going to call 1-800-BE-AGGRAVATED to get some
new trunking radios put on my system, or make some simple talkgroup changes to
my consoles ? NO - ain't gonna work ! I'll bet the commercial vendors will happily
cut corners where they can (heck, make the call center in India !) to make a nice
PROFIT at taxpayer expense!

Sprint/Nextel is in the crapper because evidently the people in the "ivory tower"
are more concerned with the management buzzwords of the day - meanwhile they
ignore the basic reason they're there - THE CUSTOMER !! I cancelled my Sprint
service years ago (and know many who have done the same) out of utter disgust
over their billing/customer service practices. Verizon is no different. AT&T is in the
same boat.

The expectation that these 'entities' can operate a public safety grade, mission
critical network for say the state of michigan (currently Motorola P25) is absurd.

The next logical question to ask is, WHY ? why on earth would some sheriff in a
small town in North Carolina, have a reason to talk - "nationwide" - to an FBI agent
in downtown L.A. ?

There are simpler, more cost effective solutions that can be implemented to
accomplish "interoperability" without handing over the spectrum block to these
bandits.

Disqus - Latest Comments for check_engine

Re: Electric grid, emergency communications vulnerable to electromagnetic weapons

Re: Electric grid, emergency communications vulnerable to electromagnetic weapons

Re: AT&amp;T position helps public safety, but more is needed

Re: AT&T position helps public safety, but more is needed