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Schneier on SecurityA blog covering security and security technology. « Privacy in Google Latitude | Main | Leaving Infants in the Car » March 17, 2009The Onion on the Hudson River Plane CrashPosted on March 17, 2009 at 5:42 AM • 23 Comments To receive these entries once a month by e-mail, sign up for the Crypto-Gram Newsletter. Reminds me of the plans for pigeon-guided missiles in WW2. You could probably train birds to fly into yet-engines. Posted by: A nonny bunny at March 17, 2009 5:56 AM The only trouble is reassembling them once trained. I can't really see how you'd do non-destructive testing here. Posted by: Calum at March 17, 2009 6:12 AM Non-destructive testing of bombs is pretty dificult, too. Posted by: Andrew Gumbrell at March 17, 2009 6:16 AM Geese wouldn't probably be intelligent enough to undergo this kind of training, but Russians in WW2 actually used specially trained dogs to deliver bombs under enemy tanks: The dogs selected for the special service units were strong and healthy and possessed plenty of stamina. Their training was very simple. First, they were not fed for several days, and then they began to receive food near some tanks: the meat was given to them from the tank's lower hatch. So the dog learned to go beneath the tank to be fed. The training sessions quickly became more elaborate. The dogs were unleashed in the face of tanks approaching from quite considerable distances and taught to get under the tank, not from the front but from the rear. As soon as the dog was under the tank, it stopped and the dog was fed. Before a battle the dog would not be fed. Instead, an explosive charge of between 4 and 4.6 kg with a pin detonator was attached to it. It was then sent under the enemy tanks. (V. Suvorov: Spetsnaz) Posted by: jm at March 17, 2009 7:33 AM Wasn't the problem with the russian dogs that they recognised the "friendly" tanks as food-bearing tanks, and ran under those instead of the enemy tanks? Or is that just a myth? Posted by: Björn at March 17, 2009 7:41 AM This is a bit off topic, but fits under humor. Posted by: Anonymous at March 17, 2009 8:13 AM Actually geese are one of the smarter birds, you might well be able to train them to do this. Posted by: Ian Woollard at March 17, 2009 9:10 AM @anon at 8:13a Posted by: Anonymous two at March 17, 2009 9:10 AM @Anonymous: Technical accuracy? The ability to crack any kind of encryption at your fingertips just because you're a level 5 analyst, or recovering vital fragments of data from formatted or destroyed media in seconds is certainly ridiculous. Never mind the technique of enhancing low-res pictures. But it's not like the show is any more accurate in non-technical matters. Traveling to any destination in less than 10 minutes. Turning battle-hardened suspects to give up vital information in seconds. And of course the bad guys' stupidity to kill hundreds of victims yet never shooting Jack Bauer when they have the chance. There is more "accuracy" in Star Trek. Posted by: FP at March 17, 2009 9:23 AM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-tank_dog Posted by: Alan Braggins at March 17, 2009 9:28 AM @Anonymous: The so-called back door is simply Bruce's own innate ability to crack any encryption that has ever been developed, or ever will be (even before it has). ;-) Posted by: Dave Aronson at March 17, 2009 9:45 AM A-hem. Those were "Canada geese". Unless passports or other travel documents are found, the nationality of the geese in question will remain undetermined. Posted by: Chris S at March 17, 2009 10:10 AM Hey the 24 thing last night was awesome. The best part about it is only real hard core security geeks like us would catch it. I have been watching for schneier's comment on it. Sure the whole thing is fiction, but that is the reason we watch. Posted by: 24 Lover at March 17, 2009 10:57 AM @FP @24 Lover Posted by: Anonymous two at March 17, 2009 11:12 AM @ Chris S, 'Those were "Canada geese".' Err the last time I looked out the window here it was "Canada Geese" (as the breed is known in the UK) cr4pping on the grass by the rivers edge (admitadly due to the unexpectedly warm and sunny afternoon here I was looking for a different kind of bird to be parading on the grass ;) Posted by: Clive Robinson at March 17, 2009 11:58 AM I notice nobody has cracke the oblicitory "siting duck" joke ah well must be a slow afternoon... Posted by: Clive Robinson at March 17, 2009 12:00 PM Ugh, so many typos in a single sentance... I must stop looking out the window it's to distracting... Posted by: Clive Robinson at March 17, 2009 12:12 PM @Clive Robinson Posted by: Anonymous two at March 17, 2009 12:42 PM I thought perhaps there were hunters on the plane, and it was a suicide mission by WETA, waterfowl for the ethical treatment of animals. Posted by: Tom O'Brien at March 17, 2009 3:06 PM This reminds me of this Farside cartoon: Posted by: Filias Cupio at March 17, 2009 7:05 PM @Clive Robinson Posted by: Reader at March 19, 2009 10:17 AM Subscribe to comments on this entry Post a comment
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