Drone warfare for dummies

Drone technology is shrinking, which should terrify you. More so even than the small aircraft we've been seeing on the news.

When the technology is so easily available to hobbyists, then organizations and individuals can handily eliminate their threats without personal risk, we have a problem. When thew can overwhelm you, there's literally no defense; no guns or toxins will stop them.

Today's hobby style RC (radio-controlled) planes, tricopters and quadcopters are capable of delivering payloads of insect-sized microdrones in significant numbers. And the term radio-controlled is an enigma, really, because these drones can easily be made autonomous using cheap programmable computer modules and sensors. Arduino is one. See how cheap.

Others are developing rather fast, like the newer Hobbyking KK2.0 Multi-rotor LCD Flight Control Board. Think of it as advanced avionics capabilities for electronics novices.

Armed with one of these inexpensive controllers, you command your aircraft with a list of if/then statements based on specific states of sensors, commanding a swarm of tiny-but-deadly attack robots.

These little buggers are smart, too. Every control surface can be pre-programmed to adjust its course, just like their full-sized counterparts with autopilot. And the computer chips inside keep track of the same kinds of information good pilots do, such as:

• Location
• Air speed
• Bearing
• Altitude & attitude

Also conditions like:

• Wind speed & direction
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Barometric pressure

You can now send your drone on pre-programmed mission. Imagine telling yours to go to coordinates x and y at an altitude of z and energize switch n. Basic instructions like that might send the drone to an elementary school playground during recess and release poisonous gas.

I was enjoying watching Iowa radio talkshow host Simon Conway and Iowa Dept. of Education director Jason Glass go at it this afternoon in a Twitter war.

@simonradio1776 dude, switch to decaf & stop being a goon. I don't think there is a need to question my patriotism or knwldge of country.

— Jason E. Glass (@jasonglassIA) January 31, 2013

Formed by the framers as a republic in which only 6% of the population were allowed to vote, the United States has taken on some democratic attributes over the years. It might be said that we have a democratic republic, or even an indirect democracy, but at its foundation the country is in fact a republic, with at least some protection against the tyranny of the majority.

But this is not the amusing part of the story. How does the state representative on education look when he addresses a member of the media as "dude" and calls him a "goon" on Twitter?

Is Subway shorting customers?

I find recent news reports on the lawsuits being filed against Subway for selling shorter-than-12-inch subs curious.

Why are people concerned with the actual length, which to me seems somewhat arbitrary? What if I promised you a foot of gold but delivered on 11? How much does an inch of gold weigh?

How much less sandwich are people receiving in an eleven-inch sub compared to a 12" sandwich? I imagine it matters whether you judge strictly by length, as opposed to volume or weight. For my money, I'd rather use the weight of the various parts, bun and contents, to determine the answer.

Length can be affected by shape or density of the bun without affecting weight, assuming strict adherence to portion control of the dough is maintained.

If I were asked to decide the damages, I would demand to know what criteria the plaintiff values and at what rate. I might also ascertain whether the plaintiff bothered measuring depth and width, because those dimensions could make up for any loss in length.