drones

"How One Man Watches an Entire City"

Posted August 24, 2016 by Christian

baltimore-Persistent-Surveillance-loop

technology is progressing – now one plane is enough for a constant CCTV stream of every street from above:

“Watch This Surveillance Master Dissect a Murder From the Sky” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-23/watch-this-surveillance-master-dissect-a-murder-from-the-sky

“surveillance master” – !?!!!?!!!!
great video effects I’d say. Strong analysis tools looking good.

The background story about the technology and where it’s being used:
“Secret Cameras Record Baltimore’s Every Move From Above” https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-baltimore-secret-surveillance/

new words learnt:
“image exploitation”
“circle of persistence”

sales pitch:
“watch here… and here… and here… and here…”

more images provided the company: https://www.google.de/search?tbm=isch&q=site:www.pss-1.com

drone action

Posted June 16, 2016 by Christian

we had some fun with our drone yesterday at the first day of our two-day workshop. Looking forward to next week!

Drones & Satellite issues (with a bit of Big Data mixed in)

Posted November 4, 2015 by Christian

Talking points and links from today’s seminar, in chronological order:

Amazon delivery drones are coming http://wordpress.khm.de/sag/?p=1628

Ostfriesen testen Bierdrohne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2oVw39rk1U

Matrix Sentinel https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=matrix%20sentinel&tbs=imgo:1

autonome Kampfroboter: “Das Gesicht unserer Gegner von morgen” http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/krieg-mit-drohnen-das-gesicht-unserer-gegner-von-morgen-11897252.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_2

a science fiction novel in our Semesterapparat: Daniel Suarez, Kill Decision New York, NY: Penguin , 2013 . – 495 S

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/digitales-denken/daniel-suarez-im-gespraech-schwaerme-von-toetungsmaschinen-11897282.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_2

Rezension von Dietmar Dath dazuin der FAZ vom 21.7.2012: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buecher/thriller-kill-decision-von-daniel-suarez-wie-technik-die-welt-zum-schlechteren-wendet-11826693.html?printPagedArticle=true#pageIndex_2

Surveillance in Science Fiction. About how most things that were once science fiction are now here and in use. Plus a list of actual surveillance measures deployed right now.

http://rhizome.org/editorial/2012/jun/6/natural-history-surveillance/ linking to:

http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science_List_Detail.asp?BT=Surveillance

Martha Rosler quoting from Philip K. Dick: Vulcan’s Hammer http://www.martharosler.net/projects/drone2.html

Anti-drone self-defense

Animals and drones – chimpanzee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPidiiaovL4

Animals attacking drones

“Thank you, animals, for being able to express how we all feel.”

+ another comment below:

“drones shouldnt be considered property, if i destroy them, it is self defense in 100% of cases, as a person with programming knowledge, I know you can program to do literally anything you desire for them to do, and since, by sight i cannot know what they are programmed to do, and yet at sight they may be able to harm me, i have the right to disable them, they are hazardous anima they cannot be of traditional perception of “property” .. when i can see them, they infringe upon me explicitly.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F8sPBsR9Lo

These Shotgun Shells Are Made for Shooting Down Drones http://makezine.com/2015/08/19/these-shotgun-shells-are-made-for-shooting-down-drones/

Long-Distance Jammer Is Taking Down Drones http://makezine.com/2015/10/16/research-company-takes-aim-uavs-portable-anti-drone-rifle/

new problems! but what about robot rights? https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2015/08/shooting_down_d.html

Drones that shoot back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqHrTtvFFIs

Prototype Quadrotor with Machine Gun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPJMk2fgJU

Basically these things exist in reality and have been used in war for quite some time now.
The Intercept – Drone Papers https://theintercept.com/drone-papers

Al-Quaida anti drone instructions: http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_international/_pdfs/al-qaida-papers-drones.pdf

Eben Moglen: Time To Apply Asimov’s First Law Of Robotics “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/06/26/eben-moglen-time-to-apply-the-first-law-of-robotics-to-our-smartphones/

typical news photo 2015 – it’s now OK to photograph someone from above and use that in newspapers

https://www.google.com/search?sa=G&hl=de&tbm=isch&tbs=simg:CAQSjgEaiwELEKjU2AQaBAgACAMMCxCwjKcIGmIKYAgDEijEGfkO4hvHGeQO5Q76DskZ-A7GGdAs2i2pOtEs7zqtOt0tyy2GJLMzGjA2T-Vc6YLYXtS4M9QtFwGYbczcCNja0f6NMP8hdR7NR4y24DtdX-1sJRRB94AA4IEgAgwLEI6u_1ggaCgoICAESBM1cybYM&ved=0CBsQ2A4oAWoVChMImfL9hJr1yAIVwjcUCh3ecwT_&biw=1389&bih=776

Big Data using Satellite view: skybox startup

“Inside a Startup’s Plan to Turn a Swarm of DIY Satellites Into an All-Seeing Eye” http://www.wired.com/2013/06/startup-skybox/

http://www.skyboximaging.com/

“Skybox Imaging empowers global businesses to make better decisions with timely, high fidelity imagery and infinite analytics.” http://www.skyboximaging.com/products/analytics

Introducing SkyNode – yes let’s try and order this for seminar use: http://www.skyboximaging.com/products#access
In the end, the aim is to have a live street-view. Example full-HD videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsW6IGc4tt0&index=1&list=PLIIuwfzJSzET1C0KDpA5FZrHLlDGfcHr3

conflict in Tripoli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWXN3CXsxTg

The discussion strayed into Big Data territory (even though we try to concentrate on aerial issues), so let’s have this excellent essay as a last point:

James Bridle, booktwo.org: Big Data, No Thanks http://booktwo.org/notebook/big-data-no-thanks/

Raben und Krähen. Das waren Frauen und Kinder.

Posted October 15, 2015 by Christian

Aus der Befragung des ex-Drohnenpiloten Brandon Bryant im NSA-Untersuchungsausschuss des deutschen Bundestages, 15. Oktober 2015

Flisek: Gab es in Ihrer Praxis Fälle, wo es zu Kollateralschäden gekommen ist, wo Menschen im Umfeld des Ziels zu Schaden gekommen sind?

Bryant: Ja.

Flisek: Einzelfälle? Worüber unterhalten wir uns, war das Regelfall?

Bryant: Ziemlich. Drei Kennzeichen: Männer in milit. Alter. Dann Raben und Krähen. Das waren Frauen und Kinder. Sonst Männer in milit. Alter, d.h. über 12 Jahre. Das waren legitime Ziele. Würde sagen, das sind Kollateralschäden, weil nicht entsprechend UN-Terminologie.

Flisek: Per se Männer mit Aussehen über 12 Jahre als milit. Ziele eingestuft – zum Abschuss freigegeben?

Bryant: Ja.

Flisek: Woran hat man das Alter festgemacht?

Bryant: Wussten wir nicht. Man hat gutes Bild von Körper über Infrarot bekommen. Konnte gut sehen: Jugendlicher, Kind, Frau, Mann.

Animals vs. Drones

Posted September 10, 2015 by Christian

It’s not just humans who dislike the small flying objects. YouTube has videos of drones being stared at quizzically by a moose, harassed by a raven, attacked by a hawk, butted by a ram, knocked out of the sky by a chimpanzee (who planned the whole thing) and a goose, and punched out of the sky by a kangaroo.

And bears hate them, even if they don’t actually attack.

via Schneier

"Bycatch", a card game about drone strikes

Posted August 23, 2015 by Christian

Leading up to this Winter term’s “Up in the Air”, here’s a different way to talk about flying killer robots. “Bycatch” is a card game for 3 to 5 participants, played with paper cards and your own mobile phones. You get a lot of points for successfully killing a “terrorist” and only a few minus points for offing the wrong people. So the incentive is to just go for it. That sounds terrifyingly realistic. You can use your phone to photograph your opponent’s cards and use this surveillance to judge whether to strike or not – you get one blurry snapshot and that’s all. Yes, it’s cynical and not too subtle, but it also sounds promising – just ordered a copy for our upcoming seminar.
https://bycat.ch/
https://www.wired.de/collection/latest/bycatch-macht-den-drohnenkrieg-zum-kartenspiel/
https://boingboing.net/2015/08/20/bycatch-card-game.html

I’m curious as to what the effect of playing really is – does it work? Is this a viable way to “get” the mechanics of contemporary warfare, as exercised by the West?

What I know is that humor is often the only way to confront a terrible reality. It distances you from it, and from that perspective allows you to see it for what it is. How fitting for a game about drones.

Bycatch game