The Inquisitr » pirates

Firm Develops Defensive Sonic Blaster To Repel Pirate Attacks

AHN — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:19:44 +0000

Miami, FL (AHN) A recent pirate attack on a U.S. Flagged cargo ship was repelled by some hi-tech sound waves. The device called a Long Range Acoustic Device is growing in popularity with both the military and private enterprise.

The Maersk Alabama caught itself under attack by pirates for the second time in seven months on Wednesday. Rather than be taken captive again armed guards on board the vessel used the device and were able employ evasive maneuvers to get to safety.

Also a luxury cruise ship in 2005 found itself in the sites of pirates and under attack. The vessel used its sonic blaster and was able to get away.

Most people when they think of high seas weaponry they generally don’t think of sonic blasters so it leaves a lot to the imagination. AHN investigated the device and found that it is growing in popularity because despite unknown and unforeseen dangers on the waters of the world, getting guns and ammunition through customs in many of the world’s ports is not an easy feat.

American Technology Corporation (ATC), a firm which developed the device says the amplifier focuses and broadcasts sound over ranges of up to hundreds of yards. Additionally they say LRADs shoot out a concentrated blast of 150 decibels of “screeching” noise. The decibel level is well above the level of sound nightclub speakers give off. Even during land based attacks where the sound isn’t amplified by the water it sends opposing forces in the other direction.

Carl Gruenler, former vice president of military and government operations for American Technology Corporation (and who now runs a company making a competing device), says that being within 98 yards of the device is extremely painful, but its use should be limited to 300 yards to be effectively used.

Defense experts say the device is powerful enough to cause permanent auditory damage, but that it is only meant to be used for a few seconds at a time.

With its full range of arsenal at its disposal the U.S. Navy even employs 45 of the devices and reportedly is currently in the market for more.

The Army and Marine Corps in Iraq use it to disperse crowds and, in a mounted version, to protect convoys. Corrections and police departments armed with the blaster can put down riots without firing a shot. Currently the Army and Marine Corps in Iraq use it to disperse crowds.

The devices can also be mounted on military vehicles to protect convoys. Internationally and locally corrections and police departments used the sonic blaster to quell riots without firing a shot.

ATC goes on to say the device can also be used to record a message and broadcast to issue bulletins, or flood survivors and give directions for help.

Piracy down, streaming up in the UK

Kim LaCapria — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:23:34 +0000

Where are your lawsuits now, music industry?

Piracy was down by roughly a third in the UK in 2008, but streaming was way up in the same period. Savvy UK teenagers are using sites like Pandora, YouTube, Grooveshark and Spotify to stream content and music to their computers in lieu of filesharing. One former pirate and current streamer told the Guardian:

“I didn’t even realise it was illegal for a long time, until I heard that the government were trying to stop it. That did put me off, but one of the big reasons I stopped doing it was because I would get viruses, more pop ups on my computer. While I was at uni I started listening to streamed music using MySpace. Bands would be friends with other bands and it was a great way of discovering new music. I don’t really feel the need to own all that music, I know it’s always there.”

The shift seems largely inspired not by some moral obligation to maintain music industry profits, but rather, sheer convenience. As has been shouted at the music industry time and again, the business models that will flourish alongside technology are those that offer convenience and aren’t ripping consumers off left, right and center.

It seems that the music industry can accept that the entire revenue generating model has changed and change with it, using tangible merchandise like tour tickets, memorabilia and the like to boost profits alongside ad-supported streaming. Or they can continue to behave like litigious buggy-whip factories and keep trying to circumvent technologies that bring fans to music most efficiently. Which do you think it will be?

Whoops: turns out the Indian Navy didn’t sink a Pirate Ship last week, they sunk a hijacked vessel instead

Duncan Riley — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:12:27 +0000

The war on Somali Pirates celebrated its first victory last week when news went around the world that the Indian Navy had managed to sink “the mother pirateship” off Somalia. It was a good line, but it turns out the Indian Navy didn’t even come close.

What the Indian Navy sunk was a Thai fishing trawler that had been hijacked by pirates. Oh, and there was at least one innocent crew member on board the boat as well. Fourteen other crew are “missing.”

A Cambodian sailor was rescued four days later by passing fishermen and now recuperating in a hospital in Yemen confirmed the story.

Failing to accept responsibility, an Indian Navy spokesman claimed they were fired upon by the ship and reacted to that, after all its really difficult to spot the difference between a fishing boat and “pirate mothership.”

Ship loads of fail in this case, well one ship load of fail anyway.

Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Duncan Riley — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:15:29 +0000

`Tis international talk like a shipmate tide, an’ here`s how ye can join in th’ fun…or in non pirate, it’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and here’s how you can join in the fun!

The official International Talk Like a Pirate Day site is here, and while it’s archaic as a gentleman o’ fortune, it’s a reasonable place t’ start.

12seconds is celebrating the day by opening up the site to anyone wanting to leave a pirate message. It’s a great chance to get in on the closed alpha test. Details here.

Google is offering a pirate search engine here. Get your taste of Webbe, Engravin’s, Crews and Direct’ry, and if in doubt, you can always click the button labeled I be feelin’ lucky.

FriendFeed is in on the act, complete with a pirate logo, and many members joining in the fun with pirate names and pirate themes.

Arrrr, there be local pirate sites as well. A few include Aussie Pirate Day at Yaaarrr.com, the exceedingly dry (at least in the heading) British HQ for the event, and Talk Like a Pirate Day Queensland.

Look also for local parties. In Melbourne, there’s PirateTUB in place of the regular MTUB Twitter event.

If you want information on the hottest pirate ever to grace the screen, start here.