western users of sas software

from reader megan, who adds, "it is unclear if i can get funding to go to a WUSS conference."

lighting solutions and design

i bet their lights are just magnificent. if you actually see them, that is.

(thanks to natalie from seattle!)

Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System

The Precision Weapons Platform (PWP) is a lightweight turret that SDL is creating for the U.S. Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) as part of the Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System (ARSS). SDL is also developing the operator’s station and the algorithms and software needed to control the PWP.

PWP is intended to integrate a sniper system onto a rotary–winged unmanned aircraft that will allow sniper capability on a platform that can achieve line of sight to a target by going above or around obstacles. This system could provide an accurate delivery of fire with little or no collateral damage, which is particularly useful in urban settings.

maybe this one isn't really all that unfortunate, after all. i mean, it's a sniper system for the army. my guess is that it could potentially be used to kick some pirate booty, right?

but it's not google

Microsoft has used attack ads to go after Apple, and now it has Google in its sights. The software giant is set to launch an $80 million to $100 million campaign for Bing, the search engine it hopes will help it grab a bigger slice of the online ad market. That's a big campaign -- big compared with consumer-product launches ($50 million is considered a sizable budget for a national rollout) and very big when you consider that Google spent about $25 million on all its advertising last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, with about $11.6 million of that focused on recruiting. Microsoft, by comparison, spent $361 million. Certainly Google has never faced an ad assault of anything like this magnitude.

that all sounds fine and good.

but

it's

not

google.