I'm curious how well this article resonates with people outside a particular bubble (vs. being puzzling if you are inside a different bubble.)
The statement that Anduril sponsoring a NixOS conference was inherently damaging as opposed to the reaction causing the damage, "When did defense work stop being taboo" etc.
I've worked in the US Midwest->SFBay->US West and defense work never seemed particularly taboo in my circles, moreso that the work was boring and constricting.
Traditionally cautious sectors adopting a particular technology seems like a sign that a technology is viewed as having a particular level of dependability. That's a good thing.
I don't think this post applies much critical considerations on the reality we live in. Just pulling some of the examples at the start of the article and giving an alternative interpretation:
> Helsing has a contract making German Eurofighters able to detect radar lock-on (which indicates the aircraft may be being targeted by AAW, Anti Aircraft Warfare). This could help make German Eurofighters more “survivable”, which includes the ones that carry Nuclear Weapons for deterrence. They argue this helps ensure German nuclear deterrence isn’t nullified by AAW, ensuring peace.
Germany does not own their own nuclear weapons. It may host US/NATO nuclear weapons, but they're not German. Perhaps this German fighter was destroying an unoccupied bridge to stop the advance of enemy troops that were about to kill and rape a village of citizens. Does this now make the plane "good" and no longer "evil"?
> Autonomous drone flight control systems for Ukraine, including “GPS Denied” option (navigating while GPS is being jammed). It was impossible to confirm IRL whether or not this is purely reconnaissance or navigating and dropping payloads on targets. However, it is likely part of a kill chain, as even SIGINT will likely be used for e.g. artillery fire.
Perhaps this will also be used by the civilian aviation industry which currently suffers the same GPS interference. Would the author prefer a precise artillery strike that disables an opponent or imprecise artillery that may destroy kilometres of land and housing and ancillary buildings (and potentially innocent lives)?
> To me, this sounds partially like an anachronistic appeal to big data, an unsurprising marketing spin for an industry still far behind the bleeding edge of software engineering.
Let's leave the politics aside for a moment, but is there any benefit to even be on the "bleeding edge of software engineering"? I would assume these engineers are measured by reliability of their product instead of a techstack that looks good on a resumee?
While this article is definitely long-winded, I’m definitely on the side of pushing defense tech out of these circles.
Private defense does not care about your safety. If it was profitable to harm you (similar to private healthcare) it can and will happen. You just happen to be in a position where this is unlikely. I’m happy for everyone on this comment section, but this is not the reality for civilians who get buried in the rubble from AI-targeting drones.
jauer ·18 days ago
The statement that Anduril sponsoring a NixOS conference was inherently damaging as opposed to the reaction causing the damage, "When did defense work stop being taboo" etc.
I've worked in the US Midwest->SFBay->US West and defense work never seemed particularly taboo in my circles, moreso that the work was boring and constricting.
Traditionally cautious sectors adopting a particular technology seems like a sign that a technology is viewed as having a particular level of dependability. That's a good thing.
Show replies
flumpcakes ·18 days ago
> Helsing has a contract making German Eurofighters able to detect radar lock-on (which indicates the aircraft may be being targeted by AAW, Anti Aircraft Warfare). This could help make German Eurofighters more “survivable”, which includes the ones that carry Nuclear Weapons for deterrence. They argue this helps ensure German nuclear deterrence isn’t nullified by AAW, ensuring peace.
Germany does not own their own nuclear weapons. It may host US/NATO nuclear weapons, but they're not German. Perhaps this German fighter was destroying an unoccupied bridge to stop the advance of enemy troops that were about to kill and rape a village of citizens. Does this now make the plane "good" and no longer "evil"?
> Autonomous drone flight control systems for Ukraine, including “GPS Denied” option (navigating while GPS is being jammed). It was impossible to confirm IRL whether or not this is purely reconnaissance or navigating and dropping payloads on targets. However, it is likely part of a kill chain, as even SIGINT will likely be used for e.g. artillery fire.
Perhaps this will also be used by the civilian aviation industry which currently suffers the same GPS interference. Would the author prefer a precise artillery strike that disables an opponent or imprecise artillery that may destroy kilometres of land and housing and ancillary buildings (and potentially innocent lives)?
Show replies
WhatsName ·19 days ago
Let's leave the politics aside for a moment, but is there any benefit to even be on the "bleeding edge of software engineering"? I would assume these engineers are measured by reliability of their product instead of a techstack that looks good on a resumee?
Show replies
okokhacker ·18 days ago
While this article is definitely long-winded, I’m definitely on the side of pushing defense tech out of these circles.
Private defense does not care about your safety. If it was profitable to harm you (similar to private healthcare) it can and will happen. You just happen to be in a position where this is unlikely. I’m happy for everyone on this comment section, but this is not the reality for civilians who get buried in the rubble from AI-targeting drones.
Show replies
bitbasher ·18 days ago