US military wants more lethal drone strikes

Despite doubts about the effectiveness of US drone airstrikes in war-torn nations, the Pentagon wants to dramatically increase them. An unnamed official told the WSJ that military commanders intend to bump the number of daily flights by 50 percent. UAVs like the MQ-9 Reaper would not only aid with surveillance in regions like the Ukraine, Middle East and the South China Sea, but also perform more targeted missile strikes. The Pentagon says it needs the surge in drone activity — the first since 2011 — to deal with new conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere.

By 2019, the Army, Special Forces Command and contractors could be flying as many as 30 extra flights per day, on top of the 60 already flown by the Air Force. The Pentagon decided to include other military branches besides the Air Force, whose pilots are fatigued and overworked as it is. Though the emphasis of the expanded program is on surveillance, military commanders will reportedly increase strike capacities, too.

The strike program, which began with the Bush administration but accelerated under President Obama, is controversial. According to a report last year, 1,147 people were killed for 41 individuals targeted, a bystander casualty rate higher than previously thought. Despite that, military observers say they’re the least terrible option for fighting terrorist groups like al-Qaida. The plan still requires approval from Congress, but seems like a no-brainer given the low costs compared to other options.

[Image credit: Getty Images]

Filed under:
Transportation

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Source:
WSJ

Tags: Airstrikes, Drones, DroneStrikes, military, MQ-9, Pentagon, Reaper

(Deal) Become better at Project Management for only $79

Organizing your life, and becoming efficient in everything you do, can be a real task (pun intended). There are tons of guidelines everywhere, but what works for me, may not work for you. So in turn you have to be able to learn as much as you can about your work habits, and develop a plan tailored to yourself. It doesn’t matter whether this is in your personal life or work, it’s best to have some type of guidelines to follow.

Project Management can be a real pain, if you don’t really have an idea of what’s going on, or what you’re doing. If you’re running a team, this entails having everything coordinated and assigned to the correct people, while still meeting time constraints and anything else that may pop-up. Today’s deal aims to help teach you the ways of Project Management and become a better manager.

The deal we have for you today is actually a Project Management Certification Bundle. Within the bundle, there are six different courses, that are geared towards helping you become the best you can be at handling projects. The first course goes over the basics, and goes all the way up to taking a lesson that will give you the Project Management Professional certifications.

• Project Management Basics
• Project Management for Team Members
• Project Management for Business Professionals
• Project Management for Engineers
• Project Management for Experts
• Project Management Professional Prep

The best part about this deal is that you can get all six courses for only $79. If priced separately, these courses would run you almost $3,200, so at a savings of 97% you really can’t go wrong. This is just a minuscule price to pay to become certified in Project Management, and would go a long way at just about any job that you may come across in your career.

You can find this, and many other great tech bargains through our Deals Page. Backed by StackCommerce, there are daily promos, giveaways, freebies, and much more!

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Motorola’s next smartwatch might come in small and large sizes

The Moto 360 is one of the more stylish Android Wear timepieces, but it does have a couple of drawbacks — one being that its circular 1.56-inch display can look a little large on some people’s wrists. Our own Nicole Lee levied this criticism in Engadget’s review, but it seems Motorola has been taking notes for its successor. Regulatory documents filed with Brazil’s Anatel telecommunications agency have revealed two new devices sporting the model numbers “360S” and “360L.” It would make sense if the extra letters indicated two different sizes, as the pair are reportedly listed with 270mAh and 375mAh batteries respectively. (For comparison, the original Moto 360 offers 320mAh of power.) The obvious parallel here is the Apple Watch, which has been available since launch in a 38mm and 42mm design. Given we’ve just had a fresh batch of Moto phones, we suspect it won’t be too long before Motorola unwraps its seemingly inevitable new Moto 360 too.

Filed under:
Wearables

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Via:
The Verge, 9to5Google

Source:
360S, 360L

Tags: 360l, 360s, androidwear, moto360, moto3602, motorola, SmartWatch

Engadget UK giveaway: win a new Moto G courtesy of Mobilefun.co.uk

Motorola’s been on a roll these past few years, launching smartphone after smartphone that set a new benchmark for value for money. This year’s Moto G is no different, with an improved camera and the kind of performance that makes you question our obsession with high-priced flagships. And thanks to our friends at Mobilefun.co.uk, we’ve got three new Moto Gs (8GB) to give away to readers this week. Mobilefun.co.uk has all kinds of covers, cases and other accessories to kit your third-gen Moto G out with, of course; and to get you started, each winner will also receive an Olixar pocket-size selfie stick and an Olixar Bluetooth tag that keeps track of important possessions and doubles as a remote camera shutter for mobile devices. As always, you can enter the competition using the Rafflecopter widget below, but we’d ask you give the rules a quick scan before you do.

• Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
• Contest is open to all residents of the UK, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winners will be chosen randomly. Three (3) winners will receive one (1) Moto G, one (1) Olixar selfie stick and one (1) Olixar Bluetooth tag.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
• This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Motorola, Mobilefun.co.uk and Engadget / AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
• The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
• Entries can be submitted until August 21st at 11:59PM BST. Good luck!

Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile

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Source:
Mobilefun.co.uk

Tags: engadgetgiveaway, engadgetukgiveaway, giveaway, mobilefun, mobilepostcross, motog, motorolamotog, uk-feature