What is Digg?89 Comments
- StarManta, on 10/12/2007, -6/+32We might do some work.
- wookiekiller, on 10/12/2007, -2/+22Cool, Digg. What are the chances of that happening?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19"Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."
President George Bush aboard USS Abraham Lincoln:(interesting choice of ships being Lincoln was the first Republican president)
text of his whole speech here
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/01/iraq/main551946.shtml - bathroomninja, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16Not a battle, and not big. That's the size of a standard patrol doing vehicle checks. Hence the traffic. Still 'neat' but not a battle at all. Also, Marine, spent 8 months in Iraq doing patrols just like this one.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13If you really think about it, it probably isn't THAT unlikely. I would guess that the imaging satellites have been busy over Iraq since 2003 trying to document the changes that have occurred. And since there is fighting in many areas every single day it is bound to happen at some point. It wouldn't surprise me if there were more. Maybe even with the same unit in a different part of the country.
- rastan, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Looks more like a sewage treatment plant than a river. That would be normal, especially with the types of algae they use to convert it to effluent.
Or maybe it is the blood of the infidels. Either way I suppose. - mrASSMAN, on 10/12/2007, -10/+18the big banner behind him said that.. i'm not sure if he said it himself..
- frednofr, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10That's not a battle. Marked inaccurate.
- bobothn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I agree on the not a battle idea. looks more like a division just driving threw the city trying to find insugents.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7here is some oil fires in iraq..
eh just thought it was interesting a little more explosive than this post.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=iraq&ll=30.210199,47.393367&spn=0.008715,0.021436&t=k&om=1 - linuxrebel, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8@soogy
I think you misread what bojoes said. What was said was that the imaging satellites were very busy. Google doesn't own these Sat's. Most of the time they are government owned so images don't become available to Google until they are 'declassified' (if they ever where.) Yes Satellites have been very busy over Iraq. So I contend that bojoes original statement that they (The Gov) could be taking images every day in some areas is highly likely. - scottcbp, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7I will show this to someone who was on the ground for the 4 APR battle and post his comments here. Whatever your politics please respect the men who died during the battle.
- laserman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Agreed. Interesting images, but it's tough to tell what is going on. Not sure it's a battle.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7i wasnt trying to be partisan with my copy and paste and i am a conservative..Just not NEO
i was saving space.. if it was a tactic i wouldnt include a link.
Here is the line you are accusing me of leaving out purposely
"And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.
"
to be fair a better example would have been.
"We have difficult work to do in Iraq. We are bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous. We are pursuing and finding leaders of the old regime, who will be held to account for their crimes."
and lets keep this above name calling please. - dsterry, on 10/12/2007, -8/+12I beg to differ on the "big battle" in the title. Where's the smoke...nothing's burning?
- nailbunny, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5ha ha, bojoes is calling the centrists "ultra-left". i suppose in his fantasy world the democrats prance around in black shirts and jackboots singing the horst wessel song.
the president's 32% approval rating is a pretty clear indicater of where the center rests.
i'm willing to wager that bojoes wouldn't know real leftists if they rolled by in a T72 with red stars waving red books and AK's. talking about events that occurred isn't just an "ultra left" thing. leftists tend to favor beurocracy, big government, new agencies, a totalitarian surveillance society, heavy tariffs on imports, and the silencing of dissidents. you know. like the bush administration. - brandonhoth, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I am going to have to disagree...
While this certainly is an interesting set of images, the assumption that it is a battle may be a little, er..., optimistic. Those vehicles could very well be lined up on that side of the street to let the convoy pass through. This is frequently done in areas which IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) are suspected. This allows the convoy to pass through an intersection without having to worry about vehicles swarming it, possibly intent on detonating a bomb. - coolguy5, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8I feel that conclusion was drawn off really loose evidence...However, interesting assumption nonetheless
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5It's a dirty tactic, but considering the situation and tactics the Bush camp are using, it's warranted. Slight pun on that last word...
- demondog, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5You can zoom in this far because it's a newer image from last year. Generally the low-rez only locations are those for which google only has older satelite photos.
- Tyrel, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7What happened to the river? It's bright red!
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=shii.wordpress.com&t=k&om=1&ll=33.396049,44.487569&spn=0.010982,0.020127 - SpacemanSpiff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"soogy- the images clearly state 2006- digital globe"
That's the current copyright date, not the date the picture was taken. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Yup. I read the article. My point is that Iraq's images are fairly recent BECAUSE of the war. (Due to the fact that they have been wanting to document the new and the old) And since there have been battles going on every day in Iraq for over 3 years now, chances are this isn't as unlikely as it may first seem. Even based on the article. . So, it is 2004. There were battles every day in 2004. And it is not so much that there are satellites taking images of hte same area everyday. It is that the images used over the entire Iraq area have probably been taken during the last 3 years. (at least the populated areas of Iraq.) That is because unlike many areas in the US, Iraq's images have changed drastically since 2002. So they have been busy documenting these changes. And coincidneces like this are bound to happen with so many battles being fought.
- olliholliday, on 10/12/2007, -5/+8will wheaton rocks, sometimes i lie in bed wishing i was him :(
- sdcarter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'm not so sure about a battle taking place. My assumption is that the images are more likely of a convoy. I scanned around Baghdad and saw at least three other signs of congestion, which are probably accidents. However, I'll admit, it's pretty convenient that the accident happened at the exit point of the road the convoy is on. If I were a guerilla, that would be the perfect place to stage an ambush.
Take a look:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d178/neohalcyonv/Sat%20Imagery/iraq1.jpg
Here is an image of the intersection. At first glance, we see a number of armored vehicles moving up a street while a decent number of cars are congested at the end.
However, once we zoom in closer we can see that the tanks don't appear to be taking what could be considered an aggressive formation.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d178/neohalcyonv/Sat%20Imagery/iraq2.jpg
It is almost reminiscent of the police escorts I used to see in D.C. as officials moved through an intersection. First we have what appears to be an APC in the top right of the image. Next we see three M1A1's which could be viewed as taking defensive positioning. However, it's also possible that the two outer tanks are taking defensive positions while the rest of the armor moves through in single file formation. Further down we see three more M1A1's moving up the street. At first glance it's obvious that the far right tank is taking a defensive position at the mouth of what could either be an alley or small side street. However, if one looks more carefully, the tank's cannon isn't aimed down the alley. If they were actually under attack, that tank would have his main gun pointed off to the right, aiming down the alley, in preperation of any possible attempts to flank.
Honestly though, who flanks a convoy of tanks? The most obvious sign that this isn't a "battle" is the lack of obvious resistance. We're talking about f'ing tanks here, not Humvees with foot soldiers. Some insurgents with RPG's, who are supposedly hiding behind some cars, isn't nearly enough firepower to compete with what's coming down that road. A few shots from those lead tanks will undoubtedly clear the congestion, if in fact they didn't want to just drive over the cars, and the .50 cal on the top of that parked APC would easily sweep the streets of any remaining hostiles.
In short, it's an interesting sight to see. If I were in one of those cars, I would probably be crapping myself the second I saw half a dozen or more tanks barrelling down the street. But this is clearly not a battle in progress. This is a convoy probably crossing the street. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3even links to google maps
- bpapa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Battle or not it's interesting at least.
I think it'd be cool to see collections of images from different outdoor moments using Google maps. Maybe a big protest, the Pope giving an outdoor Mass, an outdoor concert, etc.. - dbre2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I suggest taking the dirt path instead
- GuyNextDoor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Pretty cool...as far as I know, we aren't using M1A1 tanks anymore...we use the M1A2, which is far harder to disable. Just a finer point I thought I would put out there.
- Deuterium, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have three tours in Iraq and was there for OP Provide Comfort as well. This is a convoy. Also in my last tour I was in the west Baghdad area and Google Earth definitely has pre-war imagery for that area.
- nailbunny, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2anyway, those fires are badass
- nailbunny, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2ok, i see four helictopers. am i missing anything else?
- shredswithpiks, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3same images
- bobothn, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4look up las vegas for some real close ups. i think it is even better on google earth.
- nailbunny, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7i saw that. he went all jane fonda on them.
seriously, no tact. this guy's hoping our soldiers die, calling them murderors. these are just poor ***** who ended up getting shot at because they needed college money, and now they're doing the best they can to follow orders. it is simplistic, rude, pointless, thoughtless, and crude to attack the hapless pawns of an administration. they don't get a choice. officers don't carry pistols for the enemy.
now, the old men who send these young men off to die, that's a whole other story. - asmodeus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I haven't found the exact blog post on it originally, but the red colour appears in many different places around the world, and is some form of kelp blooms. A quick search turned up these in North America.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=scarborough bluffs park, toronto, on&ll=43.701189,-79.240855&spn=0.007247,0.010050&t=k&hl=en
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=anaheim,ca&ll=33.395305,-117.611947&spn=0.031433,0.041259&t=k&hl=en
There are many other examples around.
However, Digg seems to have mangled the links. - mrASSMAN, on 10/12/2007, -8/+10http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/images/1030-02.jpg
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3the military thinks that would be cool to have some day too..
it isnt mission impossible yet.. no full real time video from sats - wrongbanana, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I agree that this is not exactly a, um, BIG BATTLE. Or even a showdown. the comments on his blog are pretty interesting tho.
- scottcbp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2After speaking with a SFC who was on the ground during the period of time he had the following things to say:
1- it is definitely NOT the 4 APR attack where 17 people were killed. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3723/is_200409/ai_n9451925 that incident took place in a "worse area of town" to the northeast. He also looked at his the state of his FOB and commented that a there was a new wall that was not there for during that time.
2- Something definitely was "going down" in the area and that they did not normally "roll with tanks in that area" they had to be called up. If you look at the position of the tanks you can see that they ALL have a clear view down streets. He said this would only happen if the tanks were stopped and the likelihood of the satellite picking up the vehicles in that position was extremely low.
3- During that time period they frequently would use overwhelming force in the form of tanks to put down disturbances, not by firing the main gun, but by using the coax and .50 cal. Sdcarter's comment that "[there] isn't nearly enough firepower to compete with what's coming down that road" is exactly correct, because we don't fight fair and we shouldn't. Overwhelming force works, and a tank not using its main gun is still very effective against a cotton shirt.
4- It is most likely an image of the end of something that "didn't go as planned" because the convoy should not have been broken up like it is in the image, and there are more tanks there than would normally be there.
5- for an explanation of the M1A1 vs M1A2 discussion here is a link that explains it- http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2004/oct/Abrams%20_Tank.htm both are still in service and it is not possible to distinguish the two from the images. - sdcarter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Thanks for confirming what I thought. And, politics aside, thanks for doing a job that few others could or would.
- phelonius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1actually it is highly unlikely. governmental organisations have much better satellites, with which you can zoom in much further. so they can zoom in on the naked people lying on rooftops.
and as someone before me said, google does not own these satellites - nailbunny, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2(:
whoops! wrong thread!
i thought it would be funny to toss in some red state god bless america support our troops etc. with a little crazy, to balance off cjurzak. it's a means of getting two schools of thought to meet halfway. a little attempt of redirection of misplaced rage, if you will.
and of course i'm not antimilitary, i obviously don't agree with this war. i assume that there is meaning to be found in the war for some who look for justification for their being there, it's a good way to keep sane, buuuut wheres the fun in saying that, when we can all resort to name calling, doo-doo-head. - cajunman4life, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2The copyrights are also on google maps if you use the satellite view. But who cares where he took the shots from?
- dbr_onix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1http://snipurl.com/q6g9
http://snipurl.com/q6g7
As for the story, it seems a bit exadurated.. It seems odd there is a "really big battle" going on with hundereds of civillian cars casualy driving up the road.. Maybe they were just driving up the road..?
- Ben - EmileVictor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I can't believe people don't know that yet.
- nunbot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2very interesting...
found this one too: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=baghdad&ll=33.305264,44.403434&spn=0.003614,0.010214&t=h&om=1 - nailbunny, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Passchendaele, now there was a battle you could see from the air.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passchendaele - mapkinase, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2People are missing the point of the parent. It is not Google maps that own satellites, but it is Google maps that make it available because of the sheer popularity of Google to many people. Lots of eyes looking at maps, not maps.
Got it now? - drizek, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3its just a bunch of american vehicles driving around and traffic. I dont see insuergents behind the "line of cars".
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