1stpulse writes "The Future of War: Aesthetics, Politics, Technologies

2-day conference at The New School, NYC: Friday and Saturday, May 2-3

Participants and schedule:


http://www.firstpulseprojects.net/bombproject/futu re_of_war.html

http://www.lmcc.net/futureofwar/main.html

The Future of War: Aesthetics, Politics, Technologies is a two-day
conference that examines the increasingly complex crosstalk between the military, the entertainment industry, the media, artists, and computer scientists. It looks at war, not simply as a utilitarian means to an end, or within the more familiar political and strategic accounts of it, but as a cultural process involving particular ways of seeing, picturing, narrating and imagining--from the architectural spaces of war and violence (both physical and virtual), to the cinematic language of combat films and reality-based military television; from first-person shooter Internet gaming and military simulations, to the computer and installation work of artists. Presented by Thundergulch, the new media initiative of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School; the World Policy Institute, New School University; and the Computer Instruction Center at The New School."

mobiustrip44 writes "the ap reports today that a group of israeli peace activists were distributing mystical literature to jews and palestinians on the jerusalem/ramallah border in hopes of triggering a spiritual resolution to the ongoing israeli/arab conflict. among the activists were jews and christians, but primarily they were members of a fringe islamic sect known as the druzes.

Louis Lingg writes:
"The National Defense University has posted on its website the text of Shock and Awe: Achieving Rapid Dominance, published in 1996 and written by Harlan K. Ullman and James P. Wade with L.A. "Bud" Edney, Fred M. Franks, Charles A. Horner, Jonathan T. Howe, and Keith Brendley.

An excerpt from the book's Prologue:


Since before Sun Tzu and the earliest chroniclers of war recorded their observations, strategists

and generals have been tantalized and confounded by the elusive goal of destroying the adversary's

will to resist before, during, and after battle. Today, we believe that an unusual opportunity exists to

determine whether or not this long-sought strategic goal of affecting the will, understanding, and

perception of an adversary can be brought closer to fruition. Even if this task cannot be

accomplished, we believe that, at the very minimum, such an effort will enhance and improve the

ability of our military forces to carry out their missions more successfully through identifying and

reinforcing particular points of leverage in the conflict and by identifying and creating additional

options and choices for employing our forces more effectively.