The late Michael Mahon Hastings was a journalist, author, contributing editor to Rolling Stone and reporter for BuzzFeed. LA Weekly reported that he was preparing new reports on the CIA at the time of his incineration in 2013. He was 33 years old. Nothing to see here.
Cool, huh? Hardly. As and per usual the media and consumer public have no ability to look beyond and behind the story and look deeper. With the advent of automation and the automaton, AI, drones and driverless cars the implications are frightening, to put it mildly. One day you’ll be a passenger in your car, not a driver, but a mindless passenger. You’ll be driven where you’re allowed to drive and should there be an accident of any sort, the issue of liability will be raised most assuredly.
Who killed Michael Hastings? Read this great piece on various speculation as to Hastings’ potential assassination. And where would anyone get that crazy notion. Oh, Dick Clarke, perhaps. “Wait, are you telling me that there is yet another example of a story I know nothing about because the media have yet again failed to do their job?” Ahem.
Could it be true? Former U.S. National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism Richard A. Clarke said that what is known about the crash is “consistent with a car cyber attack”. He was also quoted as saying “There is reason to believe that intelligence agencies for major powers—including the United States—know how to remotely seize control of a car. So if there were a cyber attack on [Hastings’] car—and I’m not saying there was, I think whoever did it would probably get away with it.” Ouch. But I digress. Watch the following horrors infra to see how farfetched that is.
Run! In the horror video that follows, Dr. Kathleen Fisher, a DARPA program manager, talks candidly and eerily jovially about the ability to hack into automobile computer systems. She candidly explains how it is possible to remotely control modern cars through Bluetooth and smart phone technology and destroy them. As I trust you know, DARPA, the acronym of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is the Department of Defense research agency responsible for the development of new technologies for use by the military. Her incredibly troubling address demonstrates that such an ability exists and the Pentagon has researched it and that should send shivers up and down your spine. She makes the comments within the first three minutes of the following video.
Send in the drones. Will drones be viewed as stalking devises, provocations of war? Subjects of harassment? After the umpteenth drone gets sucked up into a passenger jet turbine and disaster results, we’ll see how many people still love drones and UAVs. Not to mention the horrors caused in Yemen via our own POTUS Barry.
The commercial drone industry is in its infancy, so much so, that the FAA is having a difficult time separating aerial drone photography from actual commercial use. One thing the FAA seems to have a clear understanding of is Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ intent to fill our skies 400 feet or below with drones whizzing packages to Amazon’s Prime Members. Amazon has been awarded the FAA’s Experimental Airworthiness Certificate. Allowing Bezos to adhere to the FAA’s provisions. What could go wrong? [Source]