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Sandia Labs Creates "Sim-Terrorist Attack"
linuxwrangler writes "This article in the San Francisco chronicle describes the new "Weapons of Mass Destruction Decision Analysis Center" software created at Sandia labs. Work started on the software, modeled after the popular Sim* series of games, well before 9/11. It is designed to simulate a "war room" atmosphere and looks like a cool way to put geek toys to practical use. Now if I could just download the tarball...." Be sure to examine the picture of it running on their CAVE like system.
Have these "scientists" learned nothing from the esteemed Dr. Falken?!?!
That thing looks nothing like a CAVE. I worked at the Cornell Theory Center and my group used our CAVE a lot... it is ideal to cover 3 angles (via 3 walls and projection) for immersion, and a CAVE is typically used for more immersive visualizations than spreading out information ala' their display.
Theirs is more like a movie screen.
Remember that what's inside of you doesn't matter because nobody can see it.
I'm glad to know that our elected officials will be prepared to deal with the threat of large monsters destroying our cities...
Forget the whales - save the babies.
It looks a lot more like non-technical people spending government money and trying to come up with something to show for it. And not doing a very good job...
"looks like a cool way to put geek toys to practical use"
Geek toys are never of practical use. That's the whole point of them.
Then again, there have been plenty of nuclear war sim-type games released throughout the years, so why would this be any different.
Damn...I just flamed myself.
Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
Just go up to the menu and turn disasters off.
modeled after the popular Sim* series of games
Sim City: Do they include the scenario when the aliens visit?
The Sims: So will it take them 15 minutes to go to the bathroom, and set fire to the simulation room centre when trying to cook a snack?
I thought it was funny enough when games were used for real life scenarios. Esp. the designers of a major building, creating a virtual version in the Quake engine... and then prospective clients/investors took a virtual tour and promptly died when trying to use an evelvator (falling down the lift shaft didn't help either).
Are you local? There's nothing for you here!
...software run on Windows... people use giant projection screens filled mostly with empty space in dialog boxes yet don't have their own monitors, and sit in Aeron chairs... photos show infamous "text projected on a face" effect except that it's real this time, someone actually got a face in front of a projector, blocking it from all others...
Why does it all look like a PR stunt, dotcom style, or something from a low-budget TV series?
Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.
What are thousand-dollar Aeron chairs, which the dot coms were criticized for wasting money on, doing at a government lab?
That text is really sharp. It's amazing how the pale whiteness of her skin makes for a really good projection surface.
(B) + (D) + (B) + (D) = (K) + (&)
Keep in mind that the value of such a simulation is NOT to play the game but to experience the decision-making cycle and understand the process of what comes at civic leaders with a potential pandemic on their hands.
________________________________________ History Must Not Fall Into The Wrong Hands ___________________________________
...before Maxis releases this as another cheesy $30 expansion pack for The Sims?
"All art is quite useless." -- Oscar Wilde
I thought Microsoft published this a while ago.
"You have chosen to distribute medication to halt the spread of the bioterror weapon. Windows must reboot to continue saving the world. Please wait."
Since they term the system: Weapons of Mass Destruction Decision Analysis Center, then obviously it deals from simple plagues to tactical nukes, no? The article mentions about a possible nuclear holocaust. They plan to distribute this to various public agencies. The only problem that I have with this is the fact 1) This has already been done by the military, playing "war games" of such where you have a group of military/civilian high-ranking officials, being presented with a situation, having a narrator provide more details and sparse messages that manage to get through.
The problem with allowing non-military public officials to use this software to possibly prepare for various "Attacks" of sort, is the issue of possible other means that could arrive from the military, since they are kept classified. Intelligence gathering and analyzing most probably does not play an issue in this situation. This is for the "anthrax attacks". And if it was a bioweapon to cause that many people to die, you would also have to deal with such things as A-4 Skyhawks with 80 rounds of Zeni missiles patroling the area, the National Guard mobilized, ports closed, airports closed, phone lines shifted for emergency use only, et cetera. I fail to see how this program could easily deal with the large amount of variables for a seemingly "attack upon the nation", without all the information for each and every military post, equipment, flight patterns, tours of duties, et cetera.
We have so much time, and so little to do - strike that! Reverse it. Tryn Mirell
This is just another Disaster type of Preparedness/Emergency Management (DP/EM) software. I had the chance to see similiar software used by large government installations/institutions. This particular one was purchased by Camp LeJeune developed by Applied Ordanance Technology. The typical scenario use was either for prepardness, running simulations of disasters (everything from terror attacks to floods), or for Emergency Management where emergency professionals would use the software on site at an emergency location to help plan their efforts. Usually all of this was tied into GIS/Mapping software compiled with all kinds of information. You could program the software to raise the water levels by X feet in one area, or map out affected areas depending on a WMD you specify, weather, social events, population, season, etc. It would even allow you to get all the way down into the nitty gritty getting detailed architectural plans of any building you specify. This is great for emergency personel who need to know what type of materials are stored in a building at a location before they enter.
you mean the WOPR?
Here is a 6 sided cave(like), and a 4 sided with movable walls... http://www.vrac.iastate.edu/about/otherLabs/index. html
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http://subatomic.vrsource.org!!
music - http://www.subatomicglue.com
I want one. This would be perfect for Half-Life..
That said, I think Sim-Terrorist actually sounds like both a good idea and a good game. Honestly, Counterstrike is based on an counter-terrorism scenario. Why couldn't you build a game where you're Tom Ridge, and it's your job to stop the fanatical flavor of the month.
Speaking of "fanatical flavor of the month", Who's it going to be next? Think I'm being too cynical? Think Quadaffi, Khomeni, etc etc etc. In America we NEED someone to hate, otherwise we won't feel like we're better than everyone else.
When the economy gets slow, we bomb stuff. Sometimes it's stuff we've never bombed before, but most often, it's the usual suspects...
The Dopester
"Yes, I'm a Karma Whore, but I'm doing it to pay my way through school."
Look at the middle image. Clearly a Win32 app running under WinXP, right? It would make sense that all the computers used for the same project would be running the same OS, and that is likely what is happening.
However, on the left, we see a Windows 2000 style window. The two machines could still be configured the same, and the system would look like the picture, if the app running on the left was a Win16 app. This would suggest that the system is much, much older than we are led to think.
-twb
Sandia should be very experienced with mass destruction, after all, they've (along with Los Alamos) been developing weapons of mass destruction for decades.
Guess it takes one to know one.
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
Where can I purchase a copy? Is it multiplayer? :-) j/k.
Albeit, it would be really cool to try out.
~ kjrose