iPod and iPhone Go to iRaq

[The_root_of_all_evil]

iPod and iPhone Go to iRaq

As Arthur Dent [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Dent] learned, when in a hostile area, there are few things more useful than a small yellow fish in your ear to understand the natives [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Races_and_species_in_The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#Babel_fish]. The American military, however, are making do with the iPhone.

As the New Zealand Herald [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10571623] reports, US soldiers in the Overseas Contingency Operation [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/03/25/report-obama-administration-backing-away-global-war-terror/] have taken to using the iPhone and iPod as part of their essential equipment.

Given that Arabic is one of the few languages that started off as a spoken language before it was written down, an Arabic to American [http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312710259&mt=8] translator will help. The Iraqi Constitution [http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303897752&mt=8] and a primer on Arabic Culture [http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=308029544&mt=8] will also help soldiers from showing their soles to others. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7782422.stm]

The American military has noticed this trend and is starting to develop its own apps. One that could be of great help is a face scanner that checks detainees against known terror suspects, or even missing children.

The only real problem with this development is with the iPhone's battery life; the souq [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souk] may become quite crowded with GIs looking for places to recharge.

Source: The Register [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/11/iphone_and_ipod_go_to_war/]

Permalink

 

[Tehpwnsauce]

In shocking news America education stresses too much on grades and creating a society of consumers rather than the study of foriegn language and science.

Need a cookie for stating the incredibly obvious?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

No I don't need a cookie but it just sickens me that we rely on technology like a crutch instead of using technology to streamline the process for any possible errors. I'm just tired of the educational system breeding consumers instead of creating intelligent people in america.

This idea has been going since '76 as far as I can remember. James Burke did an excellent series on how we have become so dependent on technology that without it, as in a real life apocalypse, Humanity would be dispatched far faster than any animals, simply because we don't have the ability to work without our tools.

The show is here [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcSxL8GUn-g&feature=related] but it does last for nearly an hour.

By the way, the disaster it's talking about is NOT what first comes to mind, although the similarities are quite scary.

 

[ffxfriek]

No I don't need a cookie but it just sickens me that we rely on technology like a crutch instead of using technology to streamline the process for any possible errors. I'm just tired of the educational system breeding consumers instead of creating intelligent people in america.

In the end of education it is switching grades for dollars and ask how many dollars can you make?

exactly. i have trouble with algebra 2 so when will i be finding quadratics whilst fighting zombies dinosaurs

 

[yeah_so_no]

Given that Arabic is one of the few languages that started off as a spoken language before it was written down

Wait, wait, wait--didn't most languages start out as spoken before they were written down, or did I majorly miss something? Writing systems usually come after...

And admittedly, this seems kind of old news to me--there's a cell phone service in Japan for Docomo phones where you can speak into your cell phone in Chinese, Japanese, or English, and it will translate what you've said into one of those three languages and then voice synthesize them, and it's been around for a while now.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Well, if the end result is fewer people with shrapnel holes in them, it can only be a good thing.

 

[cobrausn]

In shocking news America education stresses too much on grades and creating a society of consumers rather than the study of foriegn language and science.

Our opinion to date seems to have been to let the world learn english instead of teaching us other languages.

It seems to work, somewhat. English has become pretty much the defacto standard for business, anyhow.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Given that Arabic is one of the few languages that started off as a spoken language before it was written down

Wait, wait, wait--didn't most languages start out as spoken before they were written down, or did I majorly miss something? Writing systems usually come after...

Surprisingly no, Arabic is one of the few languages where written words were fitted to speech rather than the other way around. While Latin/Greek/Germanic/Scots have words built from letters, Arabic has words built from sounds. This means that the script had to be simplified to work with keyboards, as was Mandarin. Set "letters" are pronounced differently dependent on their length to other parts of the word.
While you're right that most writing systems come after the utterances, the trade language of Arabia had a greater need for numbers before concepts, and so their language was based off of their writing (mathematics).

 

[yeah_so_no]

Given that Arabic is one of the few languages that started off as a spoken language before it was written down

Wait, wait, wait--didn't most languages start out as spoken before they were written down, or did I majorly miss something? Writing systems usually come after...

Surprisingly no, Arabic is one of the few languages where written words were fitted to speech rather than the other way around. While Latin/Greek/Germanic/Scots have words built from letters, Arabic has words built from sounds. This means that the script had to be simplified to work with keyboards, as was Mandarin. Set "letters" are pronounced differently dependent on their length to other parts of the word.
While you're right that most writing systems come after the utterances, the trade language of Arabia had a greater need for numbers before concepts, and so their language was based off of their writing (mathematics).

Yes, but what you said originally was the opposite--you said it was one of the few languages that was spoken before it was written. Which is why I was like, "Wait, most languages are spoken before they're written, not a few."

It's one of the few written before spoken, then.

 

[Erana]

OK, so it will work better than the iRack [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw2nkoGLhrE] right?

Really, though, I'm glad that it'll have translators; most of our soldiers are well-intended, but clueless.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Am I the only one not wearing a diploma down my pants and shaking my head at the IMMINEINT FALL OF HUMANITY!!!

I think this is awesome. If anything though I think this should be a shot in the arm to the military to produce it's OWN equipment for the Soldiers, that isn't y'know, apple crap.. And you know Apple will be all over this like a fat kid on a cupcake.

 

[Vlane]

Well you sure as hell don't get a cookie for the pun in the title.

Now we see soldiers who play on their iPhones and make videos with it. Oh wait...

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

It's one of the few written before spoken, then.

The lexicon was derived from the vocalisation rather than the other way around. Happy?

 

[yeah_so_no]

It's one of the few written before spoken, then.

The lexicon was derived from the vocalisation rather than the other way around. Happy?

LOL, I'm just pointing out you phrased it the opposite way in the original post--you said it was spoken first, not written first.

 

[Simalacrum]

In shocking news America education stresses too much on grades and creating a society of consumers rather than the study of foriegn language and science.

Need a cookie for stating the incredibly obvious?

he doesn't but I would like a cookie! do I need to state the obvious first? ermmm......

this whole iPhone thing is a stupid idea, surely they could make their own devices for cheaper?

THERE! i did it! now GIMMI COOKIE!!!