Pirates Thwarted by Sonic Weapon 599
Kristian Hermansen was one of dozens to submit a story about would be pirates attempting to take control of a cruise ship of the coast of Africa, only to be twarted by some sort of
sonic weapon known as an LRAD, or Long Range Acoustic Device.
And if it wasnt for.. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And if it wasnt for.. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And if it wasnt for.. (Score:4, Funny)
We, the residents of your game of Civilization IV, would like to air some grievances with you.
Yes, you have been managing our tribe, "Americans", very well, and we have you to thank for our endless bounty of TV reality shows. However, there are still some problems that we humbly ask you to address.
First, while the government type "Theocratic Mock Democracy" has raised our citizen's morale, we think it is high time that we switch to a more advanced one, such as "Secular Humanist Republic" or "Constitutional Democracy". Many of us are afraid that we are regressing to the government type of "Monarchy", and possibly even "Despotism". Please note that we have the Statue of Liberty Wonder, we will not incur the usual series of rioting and violence when we switch governments, and your citizens will be happier for several turns if we choose a real Republic or Democracy!
Secondly, we are told by experienced players that reasearching the discovery of Intelligent Design is a bad idea, as it leads to a dead end in the tech tree. It only gives the Wonder of the Dunce Cap of Kansas (-5 research in the city it is built), and the unit "Preacher-teacher", which gives +1 happiness and -1 research in every city it establishes a school in. We recomment instead reasearching Darwainism(2 free tech. advances), with the goal of Genetic Engineering, which makes available the Wonder of Cure For Cancer(1 happy citizen in every city). It is much more useful in the long run, and the other tribes won't be laughing at us as we destroy our future research abilities.
Third, please note that even in a Theocratic Mock Democracy such as the one we live in currently, keeping troops stationed more than 5 squares away from our cities can lead to morale problems, and requires 2 shields of upkeep per unit. You have kept many of our units in the cities of the Babylonians to keep down the unrest and maximize the trade points from their Oil resource squares, and it is costing our own cities very much. Isn't it about time to move those units back to their home cities?
Fourth, our city of New Orleans has recently gone from population 8 to population 1, because of a combination of natural disaster and mismanagement. We do not seek to point blame at anyone, but please, for the love of Sid Meier, have the Engineer units fix the Levee city improvements and check the flood preparatioin of other cities on rivers and coasts. As well, if you had not used the Engineers to drain the Marsh squares near the city to increase trade points, we might have been better off. Also, some belive if you had not been so stingy with your upkeep for the Levee city improvements(2 coins per turn), this whole mess might have been prevented.
We thank you, dear player, for listening to our grievances and we kindly beseech thee, benevolent mouse-mover, to look upon us with kindness as we go about, living our lives turn by turn.
Signed, The Civs
P.S. We have heard the cities of the French, under Emperor Jacques Chirac, is undergoing Revolt because their citizens happiness was mis-managed. Don't let this happen to you!
P.P.S. Now would be a good time to use our military to take over the French, or at least their capital of Paris. It has the Eiffel Tower Wonder(improves diplomacy with other nations), as well as many city improvements.
P.P.P.S. When are we going to get our own game, "The Civs"? It would be just like the Sims, but with more bloodthirsty combat! It would be great! Let's show those wussies at Maxis what a REAL party (orgy & gladiators at the colosseum) and city disaster (riot + stealth bombers + alpine troops + barbarian horde + spies) are!
I think it would work better if (Score:5, Funny)
2 cents,
Queen B
Re:I think it would work better if (Score:4, Funny)
Dupe (Score:5, Funny)
Too bad it doesn't use the brown note (Score:5, Funny)
Pirate:Argggg we've popped our pants. Run.
Re:Too bad it doesn't use the brown note (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Too bad it doesn't use the brown note (Score:5, Informative)
Your very own link suggests that the experiment may have been flawed.
The rumor that I've heard most often is that it's a specific frequency next to 8Hz, and that it's sort of a universal resonance frequency. (ObDisclaimer: I believe in the fractal nature of the universe.) See also: Schumann [wikipedia.org] Resonance [www.oulu.fi].
Yeah, good idea (Score:5, Insightful)
Its entertainment, not science. The fact that it could be used as a source to declare something an urban legend is a sign of the risk using Wikipedia as an authoritative source.
(Reduced) Myth busters (Score:3, Insightful)
An example of this is the episode on the five second rule. They tested whether bacteria transfers in five seconds. What they should have tested, is whet
Re:Too bad it doesn't use the brown note (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Too bad it doesn't use the brown note (Score:3, Funny)
Setting: on a pirate ship, A Captain, a lookout, a cabin boy.
Lookout: Captain, there be one ship off the port bow.
Captain: How many guns?
Lookout: twelve guns.
Captain: Prepare for battle! Cabin boy, get me my red jacket.
--after the battle, a while later--
Lookout: Captain, three ships off the starboard bow.
Captain: How many guns?
Lookout: 6, 12, and 8.
Captain: We can take them... Prepare for battle! Bring me my red jacket!
--after the battle...--
Cabin Boy: Sir, why do you ask
Aaarrrrrgh!! (Score:5, Funny)
I find that most of the music put out by major labels these days is a painful enough torture, but hey, that's just me.
Oooooh! (Score:3, Funny)
Celine Dion (Score:3, Funny)
Or may be Neil Diamond..
Re:Celine Dion (Score:2, Funny)
I hear its not unusual...
Ugh. Thanks. (Score:2)
Re:Celine Dion (Score:2)
Re:Celine Dion (Score:5, Funny)
Man, that would be sweet if you combined it with a Howitzer and some shoulder rockets.
They'll be running for their lives before you know it. Never underestimate the force multipling effect of a little psychological warfare.
The pirates are dying off anyway... (Score:5, Funny)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_spaghetti_mon
"Global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct consequence of the decline in numbers of pirates since the 1800s. A graph showing the inverse correlation between the pirates and global temperatures was also provided. This component of the theory highlights the logical fallacy of correlation implying causation. "
Wow...a pirate story about actual pirates... (Score:5, Funny)
Sonic weapon? (Score:4, Funny)
interesting... (Score:2)
Weekly piracy report (Score:5, Informative)
Just read IMB's Weekly Piracy Report [icc-ccs.org] for an idea of how active and how dangerous modern pirates are.
Re:Weekly piracy report (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Weekly piracy report (Score:5, Informative)
Re:interesting... (Score:3, Interesting)
Seaborne piracy against transport vessels remains a significant problem (with estimated worldwide losses of $13 to $16 billion USD per year)
More info can be obtained form Wikipedia [wikipedia.org].
Re:interesting... (Score:4, Funny)
You don't hear much about them here in St. Louis, MO
That would be because there aren't many of them in St. Louis MO. I'm not sure, but it could be the lack of high seas. ;-)
You don't hear much in the US (Score:4, Interesting)
However in many areas of the world, particularly Africa but also South America and Asia to an extent, where there's not sucha powerful sea patrol, it's more common than you'd think.
Natural in some humans (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Natural in some humans (Score:2)
did you clean out the kitty-litter box?
did you forget to buy the toothpaste?
will you rub my feet?
will you take the trash out?
one of these days Alice... *POW* straight to the moon...
Re:Natural in some humans (Score:4, Insightful)
Sorry for the snark, but 5 minutes rubbing feet and 10 minutes cleaning a cat box? That's not exactly a long time away from your WoW auctions, is it?
Not to jump on the GTD bandwagon, but if it takes 10 minutes or less, just do it right now, you'd be amazed at how much easier your life becomes
(oh, and use lotion on those feet, peppermint body shop foot lotion work wonders on sore female feet)
i bet it felt like... (Score:2)
(i hate the lameness filter)
I call B.S. (Score:2, Interesting)
And even if true, next time, won't the pirates just wear earplugs?
Rioters are next? (Score:2)
On a related note, could these sonic weapons cause any other damage besides hearing? Could it affect things like the heart or other organs?
Re:Rioters are next? (Score:3, Informative)
Wikipedia says that most "lethal sonic weapons" are science fiction, although they note that underwater sonic weapons are definitely lethal. High powered sonar has killed fish and whales, and there is speculation that some whales may use sound to stun prey.
Re:Rioters are next? (Score:3, Funny)
Just a point.... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm sure it certainly contributed, but they're not even sure it actually was the reason why the pirates weren't able to catch them.
Non-Lethality is important (Score:5, Funny)
Let the guessing begin (Score:2)
Freeking Pirates.
Interesting. (Score:2)
Pirates?! Rawk! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Pirates?! Rawk! (Score:3, Informative)
In any event, we're
Re:Pirates?! Rawk! (Score:3, Insightful)
Screw that. That just encourages them to continue attacking. If people would fight back, maybe this would end.
I mean, look: These [bbc.co.uk] are the pirates - and their pirate "ship" - that attacked the cruise ship. The news is calling this a "speedboat". It looks like the ratty, $500 fishing boat the poor people down the street from me own.
Don't tell me you couldn't fend off these rascals with the appropriate weapons. I kno
Re:This was a cruise dimwit. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Pirates?! Rawk! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Pirates?! Rawk! (Score:3, Insightful)
When you're perched on a large ship, watching this dinky little "pirate ship" approach - for crying out loud, it was barely big enough to hold the four pirates - you totally have the tactical advantage. Unless you're not paying attention to your radar, you should see these fools coming a good long time before they're close enough to launch their attack, let alone board your ship.
If they've boarded your ship, everythi
Boy is that disappointing. (Score:3, Funny)
Sad (Score:2)
I guess that the *AA propaganda really works, in that the common usage of the word pirate is what they want it to be, rather than what it actually is.
LRAD plays Disaster Area... (Score:2)
All joking aside, that's kind of cool. I know I run from any irritating noise. I wonder if the same weapon could be used to stop rioters, or other civic disturbances. It could, in theory, prove cheaper and cleaner than tear-gas, tazers, or foam.
If you want to really annoy the pirates (Score:2, Interesting)
other news stories (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/11/07/somali
The 100 mile figure is that that's how far off the coast the cruise ship was --- the weapons used don't have near that sort of range.
William
travel where u arent welcome (Score:2, Interesting)
Ba dum bum (Score:5, Funny)
Fear Our Response (Score:2)
I do hope... (Score:5, Funny)
New Headline (Score:5, Funny)
Re:New Headline (Score:5, Funny)
Shivering Timbres Shiver Timbers
LRAD (Score:2, Informative)
Lifting content from wikipedia? (Score:5, Informative)
Something you left out from the wiki content:
"At maximum volume, it can emit a warning tone that is 151 decibels (1000 W/m) at 1 metre, a level that is very capable of permanently damaging hearing."
I'm not sure I'd call that "an ideal use of this technology in private sector" as you put it... ethical concerns don't just go away if you're "private sector".
So half-baked, it's burnt (Score:3, Funny)
That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. The USS Cole was bombed by
Re:So half-baked, it's burnt (Score:3, Insightful)
So does putting them in jail but it's still effective if you can manage it. Just because someone is willing to die doesn't mean that they are willing or able to endure pain.
Re:LRAD (Score:5, Informative)
Yes.
Sending a 1Khz tone a long distance would require a large reflector to produce a relatively tight beam. Sending a 30 KHZ tone requires a much smaller reflector to deliver the acoustic power the same distance. The small dish sends high power signals. For example if we sent 30Khz and 31Khz, they would both travel in a well defined beam as a ~30Khz signal. Unfortunately we can't hear 30 Khz ultrasonic signals (except for a few audiophiles
Now enter a couple very high intensity sound waves of two frequencies. Now you have non-linear mixing. In non linear mixing (just like in a radio reciever) you get out the 2 original frequencies + the sum and the difference. Therefore 30Khz + 31 Khz is 30Khz, 31Khz, 61Khz and 1Khz. Now you have delivered a very loud and painful 1Khz sound using the tight beam delivery of 30Khz with a small dish.
Re:LRAD (Score:3, Interesting)
Great (Score:2)
LRAD Countermeasure? (Score:5, Funny)
Since it is just sound, and apparently high-frequency sound (thus relatively low-energy vs low-frequency sound) I wonder if something as simple as noise-cancellation headphones would provide significant protection against LRAD usage.
Will we see pirates wearing Bose noise-cancellation headphones and listening to pirated music while they pirate real ships now?
Re:LRAD Countermeasure? (Score:5, Informative)
Noise cancelling headsets (and noise cancelling technologies in general) don't work all that well for high-frequency sounds since the impinging noise and the 180-degree shifted sounds need to be perfectly aligned at the ear to cancel each other out. That's difficult to do with high-frequency sounds because of the relatively small wavelengths involved.
Now passive hearing protectors (e.g. ear plugs) work very well at high frequencies. However, the best ear plugs reduce sound by 20-30 dB at high-frequencies. If the LRAD literature is true, and it can produce sound levels of 150 dB, than ear plugs can reduce it to 120 dB, which is still uncomfortably loud.
Re:LRAD Countermeasure? (Score:3, Interesting)
Add a nice big parabolic dish of your own, and see how good the originator's ear protection is.
150 decibels (Score:3, Informative)
According to this decibal chart [gcaudio.com], that's somewhere between "jet at 100 feet" and "death of hearing tissue." I used to go to a summer camp near an air force base, and A-10 warthogs would frequently fly overhead. I doubt they were any closer than a few hundred feet, but they were still incredibly loud. It was near impossible to hear anyone speak/yell until the aircraft had passed. As for this weapon, my guess is that the pain of the sound it produces (while the most noticeable of the effects) is probably no more important than the fear and confusion it imbues.
Be Greedo (Score:5, Interesting)
Pirates do exist, and account for nearly $16b in losses annually. If you're interested in a career like Han Solo, piracy is an option.
Most pirates today work between Eritria and Mumbai. Seychelles is very casual about accepting boats without valid port histories. The pirate ships are often large yachts with fast ciggy boats for docking. Glocks and Kalishies are the norm. The dress is much like the old pirate look -- bandanas, beards, loose shirts, etc.
Pirate robbers make the news often, yet most pirates are smugglers (food, drugs, medicine and health equipment). Countries with US/UN embargoes pay well -- 400% over the white market rate.
Cuba was easy money until 9/11, now we have our Coast Guard pretending to fight terrorism but actually destroying the free market in smuggling.
Malaysia has a growing piracy need as the government gets more religious. Somalia and Sri Lanka both ignore the pirates like Seychelles.
Take a trip to Dubai or Seychelles. Hook up with the right crowd and you can make 6 figures easily.
Arrrrr!
Re:Be Greedo (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Be Greedo (Score:4, Interesting)
To be honest, everyone I know with a yacht in deep waters already carries decent guns for protection. It is pretty easy to dump them if you're boarded by a coast guard or naval vessel.
Re:Be Greedo (Score:4, Insightful)
A 9mm pistol?
A P90?
An AK47?
A BREN gun?
An M2 Heavy machine gun (or equivalent)?
An M61 Vulcan Autocannon?
BOFORS gun?
4.5 Inch artillery?
18 Inch artillery?
Surely to fight off a speedboat you don't need 'heavy' weapons per se, you just need a lot of lighter weapons
Has the UN thought about passing a security council resolution providing for military escort for aid freighters? I don't suppose pirates are likely to try anything whilst staring down a fully equipped modern destroyer or frigate - a perfect trial mission for new ships.
Re:Be Greedo (Score:3, Funny)
I think the most appropriate weapon for these ships to carry would be cruise missiles.
Thanks, I'll try not to post again all week.
Re:Be Greedo (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Be Greedo (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Be Greedo (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Be Greedo (Score:4, Interesting)
documentary about opportunities in working in the Indian Ocean black market. Robbery is wrong, but smuggling and violating tariffs/embargoes is A-OK to me.
Re:Be Greedo (Score:3, Interesting)
Traveling to countries that seem scary in the news is fun and I recommend it for everyone with a little bit of courage. It was one of the prime reasons I gave up government -- visiting Cuba 13 years ago, visiting Persia/Iraq before the second
How many times do we have to reming you... (Score:5, Funny)
Non-lethal? (Score:3, Insightful)
The pirates are my cousins! (Score:5, Interesting)
This piracy started as a way to defend our coast-lines from illegal international fishing. Somalia hasn't had a government since 1990, and our fish resources became the loot of international fishing conglomerates. Others have used our coast to dump their waste, even nuclear waste.
After the fall of the Somali government, our coast guard's ships and vessels were looted by tribes. Some of our ships and boats were sold to illegal fishing companies, which didn't go far but stayed to fish in our waters! While other boats stayed in the hands of tribal leaders and warlords who used them for piracy and people smuggling to the middle east, although more often as a vehicle for products and trade with Yemen, our neighbor to the North.
It's funny how companies registered in Democratic developed nations, and pay their taxes there, are the ones looting our natural resources and using our sea and land to dump their waste.
http://gurukul.ucc.american.edu/ted/somalia.htm [american.edu]
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=24
http://somalinet.com/news/world/Somalia/1063 [somalinet.com]
I wish the international community would deploy high-tech sonic weapons to defend us against real theives, not just pirates, blinded and deafended by greed.
- Mahammad Darwish
The ship's message ... (Score:5, Funny)
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
150 decibels only slaps at the problem... (Score:3, Interesting)
(Wikipedia notes that "Sound levels of around 200 dB can cause death to humans").
This is news? (Score:3, Funny)
I can't wait for the inevitable Slashdot article on how to make your own LRAD from a Pringles can.
Re:Wikipedia reference (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wikipedia reference (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wikipedia reference (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Wikipedia reference (Score:4, Funny)
That was the first model. The new enhanced (super-secret) model plays WESTERN too!
Torture (Score:3, Funny)
BTW, the Nairobi hospital in Kenia reported a large increase in Somalis with banana leaves stuck in their ears...
Re:Twarted? (Score:2, Funny)
Mekka.
Re:Twarted? (Score:2, Funny)
Clearly, Cmdr Taco is the code name for former Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien.
100 miles off the coast (Score:2)
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
Re:Huh? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Huh? (Score:3, Insightful)
Consider what the parent said. These are known pirates. They are known to commit such crimes as murder, torture, rape(if there's any females on the boat), kidnapping, etc...
Marine movement being what it is, it's mostly impossible for the authorities to track the pirates down after the fact, especially if they're based out of a consenting harbor. Which is a big part o
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
Re:Brown noise? (Score:5, Funny)
Reminds me of an old joke... Now this isn't the exact version, but its as close as I can remember...
Whenver the captain of an old spanish galleon was heading into battle, he always asked his assistant to fetch him his red pants so that if he were to be injured and bleed, his crewmen would not see the blood and lose hope. One day, they were heading into battle against a massively powerful enemy. The captain saw the assistant already going to fetch the red pants and shouted, "Stop! This time, get me my brown pants!"
Re:Lethal Weapons? (Score:3, Insightful)
Anyone without body armor and their own heavy weaponry should be afraid of a bunch of cutthroats with AKs and RPGs. Those guys shot an RPG right into someone's cabin. The passengers might have strength in numbers, but three guys with 40-round magazines would be able to kill over 100 of them more or less immediately. I don't thin