Sniping Could Be the Next Killer iPod App 461
An anonymous Coward writes "Knights Armament Corp. who supply sniper rifles to the US military have developed a iPod Touch mounting system and software for the US Army M110 sniper rifle system. The use of off the shelf hardware no doubt cut costs and allowed rapid development of this system." If it automatically played a theme song after every head shot, this would be the coolest rifle accessory ever.
More gear! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:More gear! (Score:4, Interesting)
Oblig (Score:4, Funny)
MMMONSTER KILL
And with new iLife 09 (Score:3, Funny)
Photo face recognition can help you identify who you just shot!
Killer App (Score:2, Funny)
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Re:Killer App (Score:5, Funny)
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So is this related to the "iPod killer" I keep hearing about? I keep hearing about the iPod killer being released-- I guess because our prison system is overflowing and they're paroling killers-- but I've been wondering why he's called the "iPod killer".
So he a sniper rifle with an iPod scope?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Is that Amplitude Modulators, or Frequency Modulators?
Or Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulators?
The Source from Knights Armaments (Score:5, Funny)
The Knights Armaments [knightarmco.com] page on both the software and the mounting system.
Really allows you to reach out and touch someone with your iphone.
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Out of line (Score:5, Insightful)
If it automatically played a theme song after every head shot, this would be the coolest rifle accessory ever.
Am I the only one who found this attempt at humor disturbing and objectionable?
(And yes, I know my comment will get me modded down, but I strongly doubt I'm alone in thinking a real life killing is quite different from killing in an FPS.)
Re:Out of line (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah, I also found it tasteless. Center-of-mass hits are much more reliable than head shots.
Re:Out of line (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, but a head shot with a "pink cloud" is a confirmed kill. If the target is worth sending a sniper and you only get one shot, go for the sure thing.
Cheers,
Dave
Perfect sniper shot (Score:3, Insightful)
For sniping regular run of the mill soldiers, the perfect sniping shot is thru both butt cheeks.
Requires 1-2 soldiers to carry guy off the field, and to provide more targets perhaps.
Requires medical care from limited medical staff like surgeons to remove the clothing,etc pushed into the wound.
Soldier will not be returning to the field anytime soon.
Best shot for depletion of enemy resources.
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Yeah, I also found it tasteless. Center-of-mass hits are much more reliable than head shots.
No, you have to remember that the only way to kill a zombie is by shooting it in the head [youtube.com]
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Re:Out of line (Score:5, Funny)
Somebody needs to do something about Samzenpus and the garbage he puts out.
Definitely. Someone should shoot him with an iPod-enabled sniper rifle.
Re:Out of line (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm firmly convinced that 90% of all offenses taken spring from a deep-seated human desire for martyrdom and it's accompanying ego-expansion. Somehow, in the state of having been offended, we believe we can attain the deeply satisfying, self-aggrandizing self-righteousness of an unjustly oppressed person.
IOW, you're just looking for stuff to piss you off because you like it. Suck it up, princess.
Re:Out of line (Score:5, Funny)
Well, that's because you're an asshole.
Re:Out of line (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course. That's why I said 90%, not 100%. But I'll tell you this: the things that offend me are all actions, not words.
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Personally, the only things that offend me are ignorance, bigotry and zealous hatred. Humour is the most powerful tool against fear; perhaps the only tool we all have. If you are offended by something someone says then you should ask yourself why you are offended. More often than not, it is because you see in yourself that which caused offence and belie
Re:Out of line (Score:4, Insightful)
The death of a human should not be treated so ... disgustingly.
Aside from your total misapplication of the word "disgustingly" I'm not really clear on what absolute metric you are using to determine what should or should not happen.
I'm glad that your moral compass is here to guide us all.
Somebody needs to do something about Samzenpus and the garbage he puts out.
Won't somebody think of the children?
Your comment sickens me. Literally, as in, made me nauseous.
"Somebody needs to do something" about your smug sense of moral superiority.
yeah (Score:5, Funny)
My eastern-european friends didn't like being sent cryptically named .wav files containing the Starcraft audio "WE REQUIRE MORE VESPENE GAS", either.
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Absolutely agree. The pun in the headline is a bad enough, but that "joke" is the most juvenile and disgusting editorial addition to a submission I've seen on Slashdot.
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Even though I'm just a lowly AC, I'll concur as well. I don't want to say killing is never necessary (although I don't want to say it sometimes is, either), but NO MATTER whether it is, it's always a serious thing, and the death of any person is a sad occurrence and should never be taken lightly.
Re:Out of line (Score:5, Insightful)
Life is not sacred. If you use yours to deny other people rights, livelihoods or even their own lives simply for existing, you deserve to lose yours.
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There's something to be said for the idea that everyone should be given the chance to redeem themselves. In support of this argument I present Bertrand Russell's short story, "Josef Stalin's Nightmare", which describes what can probably be said to be the ideal punishment for Stalin, or any dictator.
http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/stalin/stalin-nightmare.html [rjgeib.com]
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Re:Out of line (Score:5, Funny)
If it automatically played a theme song after every head shot, this would be the coolest rifle accessory ever.
Am I the only one who found this attempt at humor disturbing and objectionable?
Not only objectionable, but completely impractical. What kind of sniper would want to draw attention to his location by playing a theme song?
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The simple solution would be to put it on the m107 instead of the m110.
Subtlety is not one of its strong suits.
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I didn't find it disturbing and objectionable so much as humiliating for whoever thought it was funny.
There's no point in being offended by stupidity. Rather, we should pity the type of adult man-child that makes such jokes, even ironically, for they know not how much they embarrass themselves.
Re:Out of line (Score:5, Insightful)
Wow! An orgy of self-rightious political correctness. Can I play too?
Re:Out of line (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Out of line (Score:5, Insightful)
(And yes, I know my comment will get me modded down, but I strongly doubt I'm alone in thinking a real life killing is quite different from killing in an FPS.)
90% of people on this board have experience with making virtual headshots. Real headshots, >1%. It's just what we know.
Re:Out of line (Score:4, Funny)
It's hilarious.
(Sensitive people need a second, different internet.)
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By that logic, artillery fire or missile attacks are preferable to sniper attacks. Snipers are still direct fire, just from an extreme distance. You have to have line of sight in order to strike your target. Now artillery or missiles on the other hand, I don't need to see you to blow your ass away.
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When your name is 'RoFLKOPTr' it's probably pretty easy to think that everything is funny - especially when it isn't.
Keeps track of points (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Keeps track of points (Score:5, Funny)
...the DoD finally has a tool to automatically keep track of scores.
I believe the correct term is frags.
Re:Keeps track of points (Score:5, Informative)
I do believe sir, that you should use different terminology when marketing it to the military.
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"frags, literally speaking, refer to killings of superior officers.
I do believe sir, that you should use different terminology when marketing it to the military."
No, "fragging" does. "Frags" is the plural of "fragmentation grenades".
http://home.mweb.co.za/re/redcap/vietcrim.htm [mweb.co.za]
FWIW:
"Frag order" is a (WWII vintage at least) military for "Fragmentary Order" that is still in standard current daily use.
Military folks are proficient at dealing with many different acronyms.
One would not mistake a "frag order" for
Yay DRM (Score:5, Funny)
Now in the middle of a "situation", snipers will get a "you have already authorized this iPod on 5 sniper rifles" error...
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In response to this innovation by Apple, Microsoft will release the Zune Sniper Edition Basic and Zune Sniper Edition Ultimate. Both of these will come equipped with their exclusive ShootsForSure technology, which will prevent you from borrowing ammunition from other snipers.
Assassination FAIL!!! (Score:2)
Your iPhone was rebooting!
I can see it now, "Special Flops"... *lol*
Ballistics calculator on a rifle (Score:5, Informative)
This should help not just snipers but hunters and perhaps some day main force ground troops. At the listed link, the article's author states that the application software is available at the iTunes store. Contrary to some stories on the 'net, it is a general rifle ballistics application that allows someone to enter a different rifle and ammunition profile. So it's good for less specialized rifles, and not just the M110.
The article didn't mention the availability of the mounting hardware. It attaches an iPod Touch mounted in an Otterbox protective case to a side-mounted picatinny rail. That seems much more handy in combat situations than digging an iPod out of one's pocket. This is what makes it not just another ballistics app for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Mounting it on the rifle could be a big deal in certain situations, and lots of rifles can be fitted with picatinny rails on the side.
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Well, if it really is any good, you might be able to read about a review about it in the near future here: http://www.snipercentral.com/ [snipercentral.com]
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On first glance at the title.. (Score:5, Insightful)
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And I thought it was about sniping contact info from celebrities via BlueTooth.
Apple Military Equipment? (Score:5, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)
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Depends on the round they're using, and the rifle's setup/weight. A heavy rifle chambered in something smaller (like the 6.8 Remington SPC for example, which has been gaining some favor with the military brass, though it likely doesn't have quite the range for sniper duty) with a muzzle brake can be pretty light recoiling. Certainly light enough that it wouldn't damage anything that used solid state storage.
Problem is that the muzzle brake tends to make a rifle insanely loud. What the sniper gains in red
now last.fm (Score:2)
I guess it's time.... (Score:5, Funny)
.... To point out this YouTube Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXh3EfX_CqA&eurl=http://video.google.ca/videosearch?q=igun&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=&feature=player_embedded [youtube.com]
Illumination? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Illumination? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you are close enough for the enemy to see your face, you need neither the sniper rifle, nor complex distance calculations.
Re:Illumination? (Score:4, Insightful)
Depends on context.
Your target may not be the only person in the area hostile to you.
You may not know all of their locations.
You would probably prefer that none of them know your location.
Rockbox (Score:2)
You can install Rockbox on the Ipod but then you need the gun mounting for the BFG-9000.
Yeah, this is going to be cheap. (Score:4, Funny)
Oh no.... (Score:2)
What? (Score:2, Flamebait)
Are you playing too many video games mixing up reality with fiction?
What kind of reality do you have stored in your brain - playing music as result of destroying another human - howsoever you are trying to justify it?
Yes - this is a flame!
I can't believe this kind of crap is going on on /. - maybe it's time to move on or start filtering...
Yucc!
M-M-M-MONSTER KILL! (Score:2, Funny)
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http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/03/itunes_eula_pro.html
Legitimate, if disturbing to some (Score:5, Informative)
Computing ballistics in the field has been an ongoing issue for long-range shooters, as determining the required elevation & windage settings for precision shots depends heavily on a variety of factors (wind speed, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, bullet weight, ballistic coefficient, barrel length, powder burn rate, barrel twist, target angle, distance, and even latitude & direction). Until recently, sharpshooters/snipers addressed the problem by computing ballistics tables ahead of time, memorizing or taking paper copies into the field, developing a reliable "gut feel", and even using specialized slide rules (ex.: Mil-Dot Master); only recently have portable computers been adapted or built (Palm Pilot, Barrett BORS) to improve situational accuracy. Bringing the iPod Touch into the picture via a convenient mounting system allows tremendous improvement & flexibility in creating applications to solve ballistics problems, as there are already at least 3 apps available, and both professionals & hobbists can easily develop their own apps. That this mounting system is provided by Knights Armament, a well-respected name in high-quality small arms, helps as well.
Those with snide remarks should be aware that (A) this is legitimately needed by military and police to keep your life safe and comfortable, and (B) long-range target shooting is a legitimate and popular sport.
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This is a interesting modification of a consumer device but part of me feels that there would be bette
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They probably did the wise thing: Find the best software and then buy the hardware that runs it.
There's really good ballistics software for the Palm, so I'd guess the IPod app is superlative.
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Based on what assumptions? That a military with efficient snipers is required to keep me safe and comfortable? That a police force with efficient snipers is required for the same?
Do you really mean to suggest that we live in such a dangerous world that the *only* way to ensure general public safety is by using anonymous-kill-at-a-distance tools, that without improving
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(B) long-range target shooting is a legitimate and popular sport.
Is there a point the sport anymore if you let the computer do the work?
Oh why not?! Everyone else is doing it! (Score:2)
"Reach out and hit someone!"
(This works with iPhone too right?)
NEDM? (Score:2)
I find it hard to improve this as a creative idea. NEDM.
HO NOES (Score:2)
we killed the website. More deadly than a rattle-snake ... slashdot
Calibration (Score:5, Funny)
TF2 Taunts (Score:2)
Now if only it would say, "Thanks for standing still, wanker."
Some potential uses (Score:4, Informative)
So obviously there are some pretty funny comments on this, and some incredulous "why?" or "won't this give away a snipers position?" posts as well.
To address the latter: /. community can appreciate, projectile ballistics isn't as simple as a game; The hardest I've seen in a game is "move the crosshair around to simulate breathing" Obviously, its more difficult than this, or *everyone* at war would be sitting back at 1200 meters, sniping from safety.
As most of the
When you get into precision shooting, you need to take into account so many factors, it boggles the mind. Muzzle velocity, wind (and wind isn't constant at the point of your muzzle and where the target is, humidity, bullet mass and aerodynamics, barrel twist rate, etc. This ballistics computer helps you input that data, and will spit out how you need to adjust your crosshair to account for all this stuff.
A system like this would also make it easy to log past shot data, which is very important for precision shooters.
I've seen wrist-watch ballistics computers as well; beats the crap out of charts.
As for when it would be used:
In training.
In competitions.
By police snipers in some situations (where, perhaps, concealment isn't important, but getting that first cold-barrel shot exactly on target is.)
By a sniper's spotter, perhaps.
disclaimer: despite my username, I'm not military, nor am I a precision shooter; i've merely had experience shooting as a major hobby.
But what does it do... (Score:2)
Adds new meaning... (Score:2)
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No, you won't. Apple always gets a free pass, because they're "hip".
Re:haha!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Apple Branding Standards and Practices (Score:5, Interesting)
But I thought Apple was more protective of its branding to an extent of not allowing its computers to be depicted in movies as killing people for example. This application is available from the iTunes store for $11.99; I would have thought Apple would refuse to carry it and they'd have to use hacked devices to run it.
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No, I think that was just ESR making sure he gets his order in...
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I was thinking more like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMenB9Ywh2Q [youtube.com]
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Um..you are all wrong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TDgkOOlbwg [youtube.com]
Rage Against The Machine - Bullet In The Head
Re:Theme song (Score:4, Funny)
You've got the Touch! You've got the power! [youtube.com]
Re:anyone who has ever taken a human life (Score:4, Insightful)
I'd consider them blessed that they don't know how it feels afterward, or have the sleepless nights that come with it, or the hot ball of sour sickness that tightens in your gut every time you come under fire.
They may be ignorant, but it is not a failing, just the naivete of youth and living a privileged existence even if it is in very bad taste. In a better world, no one would have to know what it is like.
Re:anyone who has ever taken a human life (Score:5, Insightful)
There are some exceedingly grim jobs in the military.
Some folks never talk about it.
Some folks talk about it.
Some folks become very detached about what they do.
Some folks develop a grim/dark sense of humor.
Don't call someone a cretin or a sociopath because of their coping mechanism. It doesn't mean they enjoy it.
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I agree.
Soldiers and military contractors playing with (and joking about) new tech is perfectly reasonable.
"Our studies indicate that this type of weapon is totally useless in warfare."
"Well, it's not intended for use in your kind of warfare, Roy. It's the perfect peacetime weapon. That's why its secret."
"So it's both immoral and unethical."
"Yes."
[Laughter all around]
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Re:on the contrary (Score:5, Informative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coping_skill [wikipedia.org]
In a normal circumstances I will probably not be exposed to a situation where I will have to kill someone. However, if I'm the victim of a mugging gone bad and I have to kill him or he will kill me, believe that's what will happen. There is no sense of right or wrong, merely that I must survive. It will probably be stressful afterwards, and I will probably adapt dark humor to avoid thinking about it.
And thank you for showing you have no concept of how military chain of command and subordination works.
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Well you have two options.
Look at the ipod or fumble around with the range pad with all the numbers you calculated beforehand.
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Sorry, you'll have to be a bit more informative. The closest I've ever gotten to combat is paintball, and as far as I know all rifles have a simple "point and click" interface.
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maybe not the US military but I'm sure many of the poorer militaries around the world could use something like this. not to mention hunters everywhere, the majority of whom aren't wealthy.
And maybe some non-governmental enemy combatants?
Re:But can you flaunt it in public . . . ? (Score:5, Informative)
Well, for reliable sniping at 1000 yards you will want something ballistically superior to the 7.62x51 NATO (.308 Winchester) round/M110 package. .308 Win. bullet transitions from supersonic to subsonic around 625-700 yards, causing the bullet to become unstable and seriously degrading accuracy to unacceptable levels for a sniper/target shooter.
The
That's what the cartridge/rifle packages in the 7mm-8mm magnums (which includes the venerable .300 Winchester and Weatherby Magnums) are best suited for, which cover 1000 yards quite nicely. :-)
Over 1500-1600 yards is the realm of the BMG .50 caliber/rifle packages.
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Thanks for the update. .308/.30-06) since it fell in the 'dum-dum' expanding projectile category.
When I was in (US Army 1977-1980), we were restricted to either standard ball(used mostly for practice), and Lake City Match ammo(recommended). We could not use the Sierra Match King bullet(my personal favorite for the
Also at that time there were no 5.56 NATO (.223) cartridge/rifle packages that could stay supersonic to 1000 yards.
With the .223, the MEKR (Maximum Effective Killing Range) was 400 meters paired wi