 |
TroopTube: YouTube For Military And Families
TroopTube is the U.S. military's answer to YouTube; the goal is to provide soldiers and their families with a way to communicate in a secure way.
All videos placed on TroopTube will be screened by the Pentagon to make sure that no copy-protected material or material that might threaten national security is posted. YouTube is just one of the many websites that the military has blocked to try to improve security.
(Sample videos available on TroopTube)
The military has always tried to support the families of the troops, but the current fascination with social networking tools like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter has left the military in catch-up mode.
Science fiction fans may recall a similar incident in Star Trek: Voyager. In the series, the crew are stuck in Delta Quadrant 75,000 light years from Earth; now, that's a long way from home. In one episode, they are excited to learn of the remarkable Hirogen transmission arrays, which are powered by miniature black holes. Over a period of time, the crew begins to catch up with the doings of family members.
(Hirogen Communications Network)
At some point, the Hirogen demand that they stop using their official network, and attack the Voyager. During the resulting exchange, an antithoron burst initiates a sequence that takes down the entire network.
It turns out that one of the reasons the U.S. military is concerned about the use of YouTube and similar sites by the troops is that they put an undue burden on their internet capacity.
I don't know what kind of services the military sets up for families on a regular basis; here's another science-fictional example from the Transformers movie. One of the soldiers sees his wife and daughter. I don't know if this is a commonplace scene; maybe readers in the military can let us know.
(Connecting troops and families in fiction)
From the Guardian and Trooptube.tv; thanks again to the wonderful Moira for supplying the tip and the reference.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 11/13/2008)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Communication ")
FlexPai Foldable Phone By Royole
'...A paper thin polycarbon screen unfurled.' - William Gibson, 1986.
BrainNet Social Network Of Brains
'I used my implant to tell MILLIE what we wanted and she took care of it' - Pournelle and Niven, 1981.
Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) Workshop
SF writers have thought about this since the 19th century.
Burner Generates Temporary Phone Numbers
'Interesting phone system he's got, by the way...' - John Varley, 1984.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
Amazing Kepler Space Telescope Decommissioned By NASA
'Thus it came about that the search for a planetiferous sun... was not unduly prolonged...'
ODYSSEUS Solar-Powered Stratospheric Plane Flies Forever
'The planes flew continuously, twenty-four hours a day...'
Augmented and-or Virtual Reality Shoes From Google
'The auto-treadmill's bumps and gullies matched whatever terrain the goggles showed me...'
Soon, Your Tesla Will Follow You Like A Pet
'... follow him as faithfully as a well-trained hound.'
Chinese Watrix Gait Recognition Watching You Always
'... those pesky gait-recognition cameras.'
FlexPai Foldable Phone By Royole
'...A paper thin polycarbon screen unfurled.'
Oh Yes, We're Building The Rotating Tower In Dubai
'Give me an old-fashioned tetragon on a central pivot every time.'
Bioreactor Helps Legless Frogs Get Their Jump Back
'An alien drug... Used by an insect race... It can repair bones and organs. It can grow new tissue."
Xinhua AI Anchor Puts CGI Face To Automated News
'...a congeries of software agents.'
Wirewax Watching You Watch, Adjusting Your Experience
'He adjusted the n, the r and b knobs, and hopefully anticipated a turn for the better...'
LawGeex AI Beats 20 Top Lawyers
'The Law Society has strict rules on the use of pseudo-intelligent software - terrified of putting... its members out of work.'
ROAM Robotics Skiing Exoskeleton
'The real genius in the design is that you don't have to control the suit; you just wear it...'
MIT Headset Lets You Communicate Without Speaking
'The subvocal read nerve signals, letting her enter words by just beginning to will them...'
Exploring Oceans Across The Solar System
'Black liquid flashed past the turbot’s infrared eyes.'
SWEEPER Robot Peter Piper Picking Peppers
'... little machines, that went from plant to plant, apparently on caterpillar tracks, cutting off the ripe fruit.'
Oil from Algae - Can It Be Done?
'We dump everything that's waste into the tanks, pump the oil off the top.'
