The Second Drone Age
Recent conflicts in Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh show how armed drones are reshaping the battlefield of the future
KARACHI:
Soaring high above the clouds, a lone aircraft scans the ground for movement. With its mechanical eye, it spots a column of tanks and mobile artillery moving into position for an offensive. The pilotless plane relays everything it sees to a ground controller in real time. In a matter of moments, a swarm of smaller drones appears over the armoured column. Each of them seeks out an individual target before launching into a decimating kamikaze attack.
It has been nearly two decades since armed drones first captured our collective imagination. In that time, they have seen action in theatres ranging from Pakistan and Afghanistan, to Syria, Yemen and Africa. Still, many may yet think the aforementioned scenario is straight out of science fiction.
Art in the plague year: when a painting is like a new sofa
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In March last year a friend in Bangladesh forwarded a news item that said Australia’s borders would be closed until September. “Is it true!!!!” he exclaimed. I was sceptical and replied that neither the economy nor people’s limits of endurance would allow the closures to last that long. I thought we’d be flying again within a few months.
It’s in such moments you discover you’re really an optimist. One month into 2021 and the international borders are just as firmly closed as they were at the end of March, maybe more so. The most dire predictions don’t see us travelling internationally until next year. More than 30,000 Australians can’t even get a flight home.
The Zoo of Extinct Animals is an AR experience allowing viewers to interact with extinct wildlife
Developed by Sebastian Koseda, the experience is a stark reminder of the effects of human activity – a project created in collaboration with Hannah Rose Stewart, James Rogers and Gabriel Gabriel Garble.
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The Zoo of Extinct Animals is an AR experience developed by Sebastian Koseda, a London-based graphic and visual landscape designer who’s spent the last month on a residency with Snapchat. Using its Lens Studio software to develop augmented scenes, the result is a glimpse into the species we’ve lost over time due to human activity.
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By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. The time between dog and wolf . . .’ PERSPECTIVE Is this a Manteca mayoral campaign poster for 2024 or an ad for a realtor specializing in properties along the Highway 120 corridor?
Sometimes timing isn t just everything it s the only thing.
As with this column in its attempts to be light-hearted, nostalgic, and anecdotal, there are often social constructs and stories du jour that slow my roll.
It s easy to play the role of flippant pompous jerk once a week from behind print, but I am highly aware of my surroundings within this newspaper. While stretching the broth as far as possible on a stew about mischievous youth and a high school bus egging incident with Sonora, a real news story landed in this same paper yesterday . . .
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The truth is that for all the urgency out of the White House the past 10 days, it could be months before it starts to turn the tide of the pandemic. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo