Slashdot Mirror
Britain Bringing Out 'Sonic Gun' For Olympics Security
skipkent writes with news that Britain is planning to use high-tech, non-lethal sonic weapons to provide security at the Olympics this summer. The Ministry of Defense says they intend to use the devices primarily as giant loudspeakers. But if they find themselves in need of a way to disperse crowds, the weapons can project sound up to 150 decibels, causing physical pain within a few hundred meters. "It has been successfully used aboard ships to repel Somali pirates." The maximum range for alarms and warnings is 3km. "Police and military planners say they are preparing for a range of security threats at the Olympics including protesters trying to disrupt events and attacks using hijacked airliners."
with my sonic screwdriver
Welcome to the future
The product is called "The Who".
That's a party! We pay to have that done to us over here. Just load that thing up with Muse and point it over here! Ohhhhh yeahhhh!
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
someone to go deaf or partially deaf? Will the UK compensate someone for that life-long disability? I thought the government was suppose to protect the people, not harm them in the name of corporate interests. The more reason to boycott The Olympics this year. Thankfully I'm not in/from the UK.
Bitter? Twisted? Very glad that I live over 100km West of London? Yes.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
Here is some prior art by Van Halen.
And if you use a stack of Marshalls, you'd get the same effect; without the PR backlash of using a "weapon" on a crowd AND it'd be cheaper than buying something from a defense contractor.
The more I read about preparations, the less I want to attend.
Sounds like it will be a lot more pleasant to watch at home.
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
...while conducting detainee operations (prison guard) in Iraq. It's basically a five-hundred watt directional speaker shaped like a big flat disc that can play back a shrieking wave (sounds like a modulated sawtooth from what I can remember) that's so loud that you'll feel your bones rattle if it's pointed at you - even from a hundred meters away. While we usually used it as a big megaphone, the disruptive tone was really only effective in surprise or as a threat. In compounds where certain idiots used the LRAD repeatedly, the detainees eventually learned to ignore it.
Athletes are considered corporate cattle with reduced rights.
Viewers are considered potential terrorists with weapons aimed at them.
People still watch/attend the Four Year Games because?
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
and dont forget to bring your kids! they dont listen anyhow, so they dont really need intact ears.
ordinary people can see the games in FTA HD on like 24 channels so they can sit at home and not pay for tickets.
I'm guessing (since I'm a /. user who thinks they're always right) that a £/$1 pair of ear plugs would thwart these 'guns'
The Olympics was supposed to be an event promoting amateur sports competition to solidify friendship and peace between nations.
Now we have:
1. Increasingly, highly paid professional athletes, not amateurs; and even the "amateurs" are often exceptionally well-funded and de-facto full-time athletes.
2. National pride of the host nation, where the Olympics is supposed to show off their greatness at least as much as promote any sort of friendship between nations (admittedly, this is an old trend, at least dating back to the 1936 Berlin Olympics).
3. Extensive commercialization of the entire event, with whole shady networks of construction/sponsorship/etc. deals, even extending to weird brand-exclusivity rules that would make it illegal for you to wear a shirt with the wrong logo.
4. Extensive security procedures and apparatus, which makes the event as a promotion of international friendship and peace fall a bit flat... peace under the watch of heavily militarized police is a pretty empty kind of peace.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
The terrorists must really be loving this. They don't even have to do anything anymore to get the public terrorized - the 'security forces' are taking care of that for them! They don't even have to make half-credible bomb threats anymore - the {Ministry|Department} of Defense will just make threats up for them!
The terrorists aren't winning. They already won.
Fort London: The Olympics.
I wonder if the sonic weaponry and SAMs get stood down after the Olympics. My guess is, they don't...
Barry Manilow played loud
... and shoot everyone who cannot prove that he is not a terrorist?
I guess they're trying to prevent the outbreak of that ridiculous Olympic Games series featuring a certain blue hedgehog.
Jokes aside, this is a good bit paranoid. At a certain point comes "too cautious" and this has probably reached that point. The balance of enjoyment vs safety is not safe in a world, nay, a country that has more countermeasures for a worldwide event than you can shake a stick at. Oh wait, they took my stick too. Darn it!
The more you know, the more you have to say and the more you should listen.
In case of Sonic Attack on your district, follow these rules.....
If you are making love it is imperative to bring all bodies to orgasm simultaneously
Do not waste time blocking your ears.
Do not waste time seeking a soundproof shelter.
Try to get as far away from the sonic source as possible,
but do not panic.....
Use your wheels. It is what they are for.
Small babies may be placed inside the special cocoons,
which should be left if possible, in a shelter.
Do not attempt to use your own limbs.
If no wheels are available, metal, not organic, limbs should be employed whenever possible.....
Remember, in the case of Sonic Attack, Survival means every man for himself.
Statistically more people survive if they think only of themselves.
Do not attempt to rescue friends, relatives, loved ones.
You have only a few seconds to escape.
Use those seconds sensibly or you will inevitably die.
Do not panic.
Think only of yourself....
These are the first signs of Sonic Attack:
You will notice small objects, such as ornaments, oscillating.
You will notice a vibration in your diaphragm.
You will hear a distant hissing in your ears.
You will feel dizzy.
You will feel the need to vomit.
There will be bleeding from orifices.
There will be an ache in the pelvic region.
You may be subject to fits of hysterical shouting, or even laughter.
These are all sign of imminent Sonic destruction.
Your only real protection is flight.
If you are less than ten years old, then remain in your shelter and use your cocoon.
But remember:
You can help no-one else, No-one else, No-one else......
Sonic guns and missiles on houses... they sure need a lot of weapons.
Next they'll be purchasing human incineration ovens.
Olympics is serious business. No one is allowed to go just to enjoy themselves.
"But if they find themselves in need of a way to disperse crowds"... Who wants to make a bet that if they find themselves in possession of a way to disperse crowds, that they'll easily find themselves a need for it?
and it I get the impression that you have also - they've hired quite few tech people over the years, so I'm sure probably quite a few of us here on Slashdot. To add:
You wouldn't believe what happens when a sponsor gets their panties in a twist over something.
And there many other things with the international sports associations .... t
Left a real bad taste in my mouth ....
Don't know if it's the same exact device but we had these sonic emitters on a Maersk ship I sailed on. Had them mounted up on the bridge wings like spotlights. Awesome with some AC/DC playing through them.
Pompous? Crass? Disruptive? If a Hurricane or Ice Storm shuts down a city, it is labelled a disaster. If a city was shutdown when I rolled into town I would be declared a public enemy.
Is shutting down a city the ultimate Status Symbol, the ultimate in Imperium and Gravitas?
I appear powerful therefore I am powerful? When I walk, the city trembles? Kneel before me?
The ultimate i-Bling?
like I needed another reason to not give a shit about the Olympics
Is torture being declared legal now in the UK? Because that's what this is.
Sustained noise levels this loud will cause completely irreversible hearing damage, and the damage will only worsen with each passing second that the noise level is sustained. Even the loudest that rock concerts get is generally at about 120db or so (which even that can also problematic for sustained periods). I respect that they are trying to keep the peace here, but at what cost?
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Muad'dib Muad'dib
The Olympics are a vile joke, they always have been and always will be. Didn't the nazi's hosting it? It simply going on after Munich because not a single jock wanted to give up their chance at a bit of fame? The boycots by the USSR and the USA in turn show this clearly already?
It is only held so the rich can show off on tax-payers money they don't pay any of themselves while bankrupting a nation. Not a single event has actually helped the economy. Goes for all such events. For god sakes, the South African Soccer laugh off had the hookers hoping for extra profits. THINK about it, the average WHITE soccer fan, is he looking for a BLACK hooker? Not all soccer fans as racist hooligans you say? Indeed, so you are saying that there are nice respectable soccer fans... going to hookers?
Brits will be paying the price for this rich men show off for decades, just as all the other nations before and new nations are lining up to pay for work shy rich boy athletes to show how they fail in modern society. Nobody without free money can afford to take part and the sports are all the sports nobody cares about. Really, stick throwing? How wonderful.
The simplest proof how unwanted the olympics are is to ban all subsidy. Let the origanisers build their own buildings, pay rent to the nation it is hosted in, pay for their own security etc etc. They couldn't even hold it for one hour on a commercial basis. So instead it is a tax payers event for the rich while the poor have to evicted from their houses and put up with months of congestion, construction and invasion of privacy and reduction of liberty.
Nice.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Somali pirates probably grew up in a relatively quiet environment with no amplified music louder than a boom box; the chattering of an AK-47 their loudest percussion. European and American troublemakers grew up with rock and rap concerts with massive amplifiers all turned up to 11, parties with the loudest amps technology can offer, personal music devices with headphones set so loud they could deafen the person next to them.
A loud noise like this will not stop them. Unless, perhaps, they can figure a way to play Barry Manilow at full volume.
... got my plugs in.
there's be some serious gesturing.
. . . mine can disperse the crowd dispersers, because it goes up to 11.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
the Japanese noise musician Merzbow use this in several, if not all, of his recordings?
... what they are doing now when Olympics involve aircraft carriers, SAMs on rooftops and sonic guns. Me, I stopped giving sh..t about these natinal dick contests by IOC long time ago.
Welcome to the Olympics... May the odds be ever in your favor!
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
yeah.
Could be an opportunity for a concession.
Pointing automatic weapons at the public, black clad, imperial stormtroopers (jack booted thugs), black helicopters, gunboats, hovercraft! Fighter jets, rooftop phalanx anti-missile/anti-aircraft guns potentially firing tens of thousands of depleted uranium rounds into London, Bradly fighting vehicles (or equiv).
All this TERROR just in case some roaring nutjob wants to try some bad shit!
I don't know which is worse, well maybe I do!
I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
I wonder what's going to happen to the sonic cannons once the Olympics are done... "Oh well, now that we have them we might as well keep them. Maybe they'll come useful next time there are some student protests."
Eh... nothing I haven't heard at a Chemical Brothers concert.
Some other country invented them first, they called it "Vuvuzela"
fighting off pirates armed with assault rifles and rpgs is just like dispersing a crowd of unarmed civilians??
If Heironymus Bosch was still around he'd be able to paint it, but sadly Britart is on the Ship of Fools, not observing it.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
Permanent, non-stop ringing in the ears. Tinnitus has no cure, and never heals. Severe cases drive people to suicide.
Ministry of Defense, FUCK YOU!
Yeah, fight the last war again and look to the skies! It worked during the Battle of Britain. Anyone remember the Fall of Singapore?
"Do NOT go to Britain while the OLYMPICS ARE THERE."
Surely, a pinpoint of sound can be reflected, eg, back to the source or upwards (to protect victims)...
or onto a thin glass or other objects, eg, to entertain viewers (next day's news might have to say:
+ "Police sound-cannon causes glass to break, objects to vibrate ...or - now that it's so public - would-be victims will prepare for the attack, eg, with ear protectors, highly padded clothing, etc.
PS IMO, it's time to -STOP- HOLDING SUCH EVENTS, that are deemed to "require" such measures
Put the money to better use, eg, build / improve schools, hospitals in developing nations
olympic games was created thousands of years ago to promote peaceful co-existence of all mankind, no matter your background or color.
the war on terror was created 11 years ago to promote people living with no fear in their daily lives.
the british goverment's decision to install missile launchers on civilian rooftops and deploying sonic guns on civilian streets, during olympics games, has proved mankind has lost those two fronts completely.
British people, this is how disgusting you are to those in power in your country. You shall be treated the same way that invading, armed, bloodthirsty somali pirates are treated.
Except you might be unarmed, harmless and only trying to exercise your Freedom of speech.
If this isn't a warning for you people to all start carrying guns then I don't know what is. Go watch V for Vendetta again.
Liberty.
http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Disaster_Area
... I can't help it, but I'm having the horrible feeling that at the slightest sign of a protest or something they consider a security threat, they crank it up to 11 and start rickrolling the masses.
the infamous 1984 ad was shown during the Olympics, but, in a sad day for hyper-irony, it was during the Super Bowl.
if you can't climb a mountain because somebody at the top who got there by helicopter is throwing rocks at you and kicking your hands and stuff, well--you just didn't try hard enough. You must not be as smart as them.
I don't think helicopters can make it up to the top of the tallest mountains because the air desnity. Maybe smaller, easier mountains...
120 characters ought to be enough for anyone
Obligatory XKCD http://xkcd.com/670/
120 characters ought to be enough for anyone
"Testing... testing... tap-tap-tap EEEAAAGGGHHHHH!"
Will the UK compensate someone for that life-long disability?
Automatic qualification for an event of your choice in the Paralympics!
Set your phasers on "funky"!
There's a checklist for network/server admins over at the 360 blog, but it doesn't mention "have ear plugs handy" :-)
AG.
fly that high http://www.everestnews.com/stories2005/everestcopter05272005.htm
If you had another LRAD and pointed it at the cops' LRAD and matched their wave function, wouldn't the result be a blissful silence? How about ten thousand people with iPhones/Androids running an app that did the same thing, pointed back at the cops' LRAD?
I am not an expert in acoustics, but I seem to recall something called "constructive/destructive interference" from physics, and am also aware of the existence of Bose noise-cancelling headphones.
If not us, who? If not now, when?
How will this effect non human animals, insects, birds? Unfortunately, we will find out. We are a doomed race.
With a *sonic* gun, they should be the Ministry of Sound.
Oh wait...
With so many news about the London Olympics, I look forward to eventually reading at least one that's about, you know, sports.
But not entirely unexpected.
How's that police state working out for ya' ?
We already know Diablo III is being released today, what's new ? :)
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..