January 12, 2010
By CHRISTOPHER DREW Published: January 10, 2010
HAMPTON, Va. — As the military rushes to place more spy drones over Afghanistan, the remote-controlled planes are producing so much video intelligence that analysts are finding it more and more difficult to keep up.
Air Force drones collected nearly three times as much video over Afghanistan and Iraq last year as in 2007 — about 24 years’ worth if watched continuously. That volume is expected to multiply in the coming years as drones are added to the fleet and as some start using multiple cameras to shoot in many directions.
via Military Deluged in Drone Intelligence – NYTimes.com.
[Actually I'm surprised that the 24 multiplier is not higher, especially since some drones operate at night. On average, only 24 cameras are running.]
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How Much Information?, Semiconductor & electronics industries | 
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Posted by art2science
December 13, 2009
Most of my research right now is about the evolution of technologies. They go from crafts, requiring skilled experts, to “engineering science,” i.e. mostly automated and very precise. For example, firearms manufacturing took 200 years to undergo this shift. Flying took about 100 years to go from the Wright Brothers, to autonomous aircraft (not just unmanned, but self-directed). How does this happen? Is it a good thing?
Here is a talk I gave on this topic. (Caution: 5 MB PDF file) The subtitle is Why old tasks get easier, but everything gets more complex.
Bohn knowledge evolution 2007
I’m working on a book on this subject, which does side-by-side comparisons of:
- Flying
- Medical care – several kinds
- Firearms manufacturing (from Napoleon to 1980)
- Semiconductor manufacturing
Each of them has undergone major transformations, with similar patterns.
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Posted by art2science
