Month: March 2022

Space Force Is Still Finding Its Way. Space Force Offers Clues | Wired

Post author By Samuel Nolan
Post date March 19, 2022

It was uncertain a year ago if the besieged US Space Force would survive. Now, the sixth branch of the US military is trying to find legitimacy and purpose in a society that still mocks its Star Trek-inspired emblem and nomenclature. Space Force on Netflix follows a similar path. The sitcom, which premiered in 2020 as a parody of Trump’s agency and will continue for a second season on Friday, is dealing with an identity problem like that of its namesake, but with less brinkmanship and more humour. Now that the department it critiques is no longer a viral joke, it’s looking for a prime directive, a goal. Even if jokes about a president who is always tweeting are no longer funny, Space Force indicates where the Space Force may go.

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/space-force-vs-space-force/

Gaming

Elden Ring Isn’t Made for All Gamers. I Wish It Were | Wired

Post author By Samuel Nolan
Post date March 13, 2022

Elden Ring is the favorite to win the game of the year award in 2022. It has received rave reviews from critics. It’s the game that everyone in the gaming community is talking about and wants to play. The buzz sounds eerily similar to that of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which went on to become one of the best-selling video games of all time. Elden Ring, on the other hand, will never acquire that status—the gameplay is just too difficult for any player to enjoy.

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/elden-ring-difficulty-modes/

Cyber Security

Google to acquire cybersecurity firm Mandiant for $5.4 billion | CNBC

Post author By Samuel Nolan
Post date March 12, 2022

Google said on Tuesday that it wants to purchase cybersecurity company Mandiant for $5.4 billion as part of a larger attempt to secure its cloud clients. The publicly listed company, which was launched in 2004, will be acquired for $23 per share by the Mountain View, California-based search engine. If authorities accept the transaction, it would be Google’s second-largest acquisition after the $12.5 billion Motorola Mobility acquisition in 2012. Two years later, Google sold the firm to Lenovo for $2.9 billion. Nest, a developer of smart home products, is Google’s third-largest purchase, which it paid $3.2 billion for in 2014. Alphabet is the parent company of Google. The transaction is likely to be completed later this year.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/08/google-plans-to-acquire-mandiant-for-5point4-billion.html

Drones

How useful are Turkish-made drones fighting in Ukraine? | DW

Post author By Samuel Nolan
Post date March 12, 2022

Several congratulations films using the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone have been circulating on Ukrainian and Turkish social media sites in recent days. The movies, which include English and Turkish subtitles, claim that the Ukrainian military has successfully employed the drone against the Russian military on multiple occasions. They often contain images of Russian vehicles and equipment exploding or being destroyed. However, it has yet to be independently confirmed how effective the Bayraktar drones, also known as TB2s, were during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine has been operating TB2 drones since 2019 and has acquired around 50 in the last three years. Last Wednesday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that it had bought an unidentified number of more TB2 drones, which were ready for war.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/how-useful-are-turkish-made-drones-fighting-in-ukraine/a-61035894

Information Warfare

Why Vladimir Putin is losing the information war to Ukraine | Atlantic Council

Post author By Samuel Nolan
Post date March 12, 2022

Vladimir Putin has long been known as an expert in information warfare. His use of social media as a weapon and relentless promotion of false narratives have proved crucial in a number of significant victories over the last decade, including the takeover of Crimea in 2014 and Donald Trump’s victory in 2016. This just adds to the astonishment of the present situation. Even though Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has only been underway for less than two weeks, it is apparent that the propaganda battle has been decisively defeated. Putin’s invasion has rendered Russia poisonous in ways that even his strong misinformation campaign has been unable to counteract. It has resulted in unprecedented international sanctions and the severance of all relations with the government by several of the world’s largest corporations. Even traditionally dependable allies like China are becoming more hesitant to openly support the Kremlin.

Source: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/why-vladimir-putin-is-losing-the-information-war-to-ukraine/