Subaru
1-3-2-4
Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT
clubs: 
 ·Packet8
|  Charge?
Charge to use the internet???  |
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homeshark
join:2001-03-09
Saint Petersburg, FL | Yup
My bro has one of those  |
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Derch
Premium
join:2004-10-16
Tulsa, OK | Billions for Nothing
I think it's ridiculous that we spend Billions a month in Iraq and we can only provide 12 computers for every 1,000 troops. |
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Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY
 ·Qwest.net
| Way Cool
I always get a kick out of the names our GI's come up with for things and people they deal with. Hajjinets, how appropriate a name, taken from the Arabic word for pilgrimage and in a way this is what is happening a cyber world pilgrimage home.
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The older I get the more I prefer the company of my dogs over that of man kind. |
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N3OGH
Bear patrol must be working like a charm
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
 ·Verizon FIOS
·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | reply to Derch
Re: Billions for Nothing
Is there ANY WAY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH FOR THE LOVE OF PETE please please PRETTY PLEASE can we not go down the political route with this one?
Just once, people. ONCE is ALL I'M ASKING.
It's actually a very interesting story, and shows the ingenuity of people in the field..
Also, I think someone should be looking into just how these guys are setting all of this stuff up. It may be useful for bringing internet service to areas in the US hit by natural disasters.... |
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hopeflicker
Capitalism breeds greed
Premium
join:2003-04-03
Long Beach, CA
| said by N3OGH  :Is there ANY WAY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH FOR THE LOVE OF PETE please please PRETTY PLEASE can we not go down the political route with this one? Just once, people. ONCE is ALL I'M ASKING. It's actually a very interesting story, and shows the ingenuity of people in the field.. Also, I think someone should be looking into just how these guys are setting all of this stuff up. It may be useful for bringing internet service to areas in the US hit by natural disasters.... It's that GW Bush's fault!
Yeah, that's right. 
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Science will prove that "the creator" does not exist. |
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bamabrad
join:2006-01-27
Port Orange, FL
| reply to N3OGH
Really didn't see anything political about this particular comment, but I do understand your point about how the discussion often deteriorates to political mudslinging( I felt the same air about this comment but chose to give the poster the benefit of a doubt since they didn't get specific) I tend to agree that their (military personnel) needs to be more done for a person and their families if they choose to put their lives on the line for ALL of us in the free world to exercise freedom. |
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TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
 ·Comcast
|  Ingenuity at its best
Nice job by some people with the will to communicate with people back home and also to keep up with what is going on in the world. When my nephew was in Iraq, we could only get an occasional email from him because of limited access to the computer networks. Too bad he didn't have access to something like this while he was there.
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Join Red Room Forum
BLOG tkjunkmail.blogspot.com
My Web Page |
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Agent_haito
join:2002-09-20
Winston Salem, NC | Neccesity is
the mother of the invention |
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Folic
join:2004-10-03
Milwaukee, WI | Lol..
They have better internet penatration in Iraq then in the US w00t...lol jk |
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Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY
·Qwest.net
1 edit | reply to N3OGH
Re: Billions for Nothing, and your chicks for free
This would be a good area for the Dell, Gateway, HP, etc to help. They could give cut rate prices on new lap tops to troops overseas, there are also a large numbers of used laptops that are returned to these outfits from business leases, these could be offered at an even cheaper price. They could also offer a block price for X number of units an then encourage organizations such as the VFW, American Legion, etc to purchase these "blocks" to send to the troops. Looking at this with a long term view this would be a way of engendering brand loyalty. An example of this is would be WWII troops purchasing only Fords, or GM cars after the war because one of these outfits made the M4 Sherman tank, JEEP, trucks, etc, they fought through the war with.
Being a Navy Vet' it is worth noting sailors have much better access to the internet on board ship. I am of course biased but the Navy does take better care of its people then the Army does especially in the three hots and a cot department. 
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The older I get the more I prefer the company of my dogs over that of man kind. |
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Derch
Premium
join:2004-10-16
Tulsa, OK | reply to N3OGH
Re: Billions for Nothing
Hey, I'm not trying to get political (granted I should have worded me subject line better). I'm "concerned" that most troops don't have access to computers. |
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starbolin
join:2004-11-29
Redding, CA
| Apples and Oranges
I'm having a hard time reconciling the stats they give with my own, admittedly limited, experience. My brother-in-law is career navy. He has been all over. Bosnia, Korean DMZ, and now, occasionally, Qatar. He has had Internet access every where he's been. Sometimes it's been the only luxury he's had. The discrepancy may lie in that Iraq is a forward area. We can't expect the military to build a Googleplex in the middle of the f'en desert obviously.
The stat given is computers per 1000 troops but the quote then talks about internet access. Obviously different things. Here is my understanding. Generally the troops provide their own computers for off-time use. Email is free. ISP availability varies depending on where you are. If you are stationed on a large base you will probably have access to free broadband. If you are in a remote location you may only have dialup. In the case of Iraq you may be lucky to even have power. There are a lot of combat troops out there with little more than a cot and a tent. I think it is very misleading to lump all everything together and just call it 1% penetration. |
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HawkI911
join:2002-04-08
San Antonio, TX | reply to Transmaster
Re: Billions for Nothing, and your chicks for free
Hell, not cut rate prices, how about some refurbished ones or the ones people decided they didn't want. it's already taken a hit on the price, might as well put to a good cause. |
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utahluge
join:2004-10-14
Draper, UT
·Comcast
| reply to starbolin
Re: Apples and Oranges
Just a side note...
Maybe they dont want tons of lap tops over there. Sure it would be nice but think of what could go WRONG. It would be disaster if someone wrote some virus/trojan/worm/whatever that triangulated positions via people wireless cards in there laptops. |
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AzzKicker
Premium
join:2001-02-04
Edinburg, TX
clubs:
| Ya my cousin was in Iraq and he was pretty much able to email me every day except when they went out on missions for 2-3 days. I think this is a BS story. I've never had trouble contacting by email friends and relatives in Iraq. Also for safety and security purposes I can understand why they must monitor and limit their use. For example I couldnt send attachments or files to my cousins. |
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N3OGH
Bear patrol must be working like a charm
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
·Verizon FIOS
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Derch
Re: Billions for Nothing
Cool.
I guess after seeing it happen so often on BBR, it's an oddity when it doesn't happen.
I still hope it doesn't happen, but I have my doubts. Sooner or later, anything that can remotely tied to politics ends in something resembling the proverbial playground shoving match of politics around here... |
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RayW
Premium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
clubs:
·XMission
| Sorry to get political.
Why are not the big incumbents getting down on these guys? The guys in the field are creating their own nets and are not getting the big guys involved. Granted they are a few more miles away than most of the lawsuits currently taking place, but it may prove out that if a bunch of grunts in the field can do it than a city with many more resources should be able to do even better. And that might be bad for the incumbents' new car/vacation purchases this month.
Just a thought
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I am not lost, I find myself every time. |
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nixen
Rockin' the Boxen
Premium
join:2002-10-04
Alexandria, VA
·Cox HSI
·Speakeasy
| reply to N3OGH
Re: Billions for Nothing
said by N3OGH :It's actually a very interesting story, and shows the ingenuity of people in the field.. The crucible of war has often times caused a great deal of ingenuity in the ranks.
-tom |
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moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Derch
How about control?
I agree that soldiers need some downtime and should be able to email their families but being a soldier is not a 9 to 5 job. Don't think the Germans let the Americans call or write home during D-Day.
Now, if they do this ad-hoc connection on their own time while off-duty, then fine by me unless the commander has other ideas. |
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