WikiLeaks Founder May Have Blood On His Hands, Joint Chiefs Chairman Says
At a Pentagon press briefing yesterday, Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commented on the publication of some 91,000 classified documents by WikiLeaks, which was founded by Julian Assange: “Mr. Assange can say whatever he likes about the greater good he think he and his source are doing, but the truth is they might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier or that of an Afghan family,” he said. “Disagree with the war all you want, take issue with the policy, challenge me or our ground commanders on the decisions we make to accomplish the mission we’ve been given, but don’t put those who willingly go into harms way even further in harm’s way just to satisfy your need to make a point. Read the full NPR article here.

So, What is the Definition of a Leak?
A leak is a hole or other opening, usually unintended and therefore undesired, in a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship’s hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. The word “leak” is also used as a verb; matter going through the opening is said to leak. The entry, exit, or exchange of matter through the leak is called leakage, the subject of another disambiguation article. The matter leaking in or out can be gas, liquid, a highly viscous paste, or even a solid such as a powdered or granular solid or other solid particles. Read the full Wikipedia citation here.

Keeping Secrets: Experts Says It’s Best if You Let It All Out (Really??)
Please note that this story is a few years old, but we wanted to highlight it due to the ubiquitous WikiLeaks story. Therapists, counselors, even artists — keepers of conversations off the record, on the QT and very hush-hush — shared some of the secrets of their profession, but nothing that would break confidentiality. They seemed to agree, for the most part, that secrets shouldn’t be kept in intimate relationships, but that the fear of rejection and judgment can sometimes be so deep that people don’t want to risk revealing their true selves. “Friends and family members are notorious for giving all kinds of advice, and if you’re trying to say something when you’re very vulnerable people feel really exposed by people who mean to do well,” said Dana Kovalchick, who has been working in research or as a therapist for about 14 years. Okay, but what about keeping secret information with regards to our nation being at war?? Read more here.

American Leak Detection – The Original Leak Specialists
Perhaps we should call in American Leak Detection to help resolve the WikiLeaks issue? Welcome to American Leak Detection, the “Original Leak Specialists.” Since 1974, American Leak Detection, the “Original Leak Specialists,” has detected nearly 5 million leaks, saving home and business owners billions of dollars in costly repairs. Oh wait, these guys are experts in swimming pool and plumbing leaks — not the leaking of classified information. Anyhow, if you have a leaky swimming pool, we recommend checking them out.

Six Months in a Leaky Boat
First let us say that there are not many songs out there about leaks. However, the music video department of got geoint? dove deep and found a video clip of Split Enz’s “Six Months in a Leaky Boat,” that we thought would be a perfect fit for this week’s FFT post. Oh, and on a side note, Split Enz “split” in the mid-80s to form Crowded House.

Happy Friday!

How to Spy on Your Neighbor
Often times, you’ll find that something or someone in your neighborhood merits attention. More often, you’ll find that fulfilling that requirement is awkward or illegal. Here’s where the spying comes in. Here is an article from WikiHow that will teach you how to effectively spy on your neighbor.

Why Do My Neighbors Spy on Me?
Following is an actual entry on Yahoo! Answers. Pardon the typos – we took it verbatim. Im sitting in the living room and theres a whole directly ahead of me in my backyard where perverts could peek through. Not! I’ve actually seen this old lady peeking through however I do wish it was her daughter who I think is cute but I havent seen her without her sunglasses off. However this one time I was going to feed my chihuahas food and it was dark and I heard a young women’s voice say “turn off the lights” and they came off. Read the full posting here.

Catch Cheating Wife or Husband – Signs of Cheating
One often has to take on a spy-like approach to determine if a spouse is cheating. It’s often not easy to detect, but E-Spy Software, provider of software for spying on children, spouses and the like, has developed a list of tips to determine if you are officially a cuckhold. So, what are some of the signs you ask? Your spouse taking on a sudden interest in a different kind of music is one. So, if your husband or wife has suddenly started listening to Limp Bizkit, I would be worried (for many reasons). Read more here.

10 Good Questions to Ask to Get to Know Someone Really Well
What are good questions to ask to get to know someone really well? In a relationship there first needs to be love, encompassing this love are the strong holds of a relationship and they are trust and respect. Then this will evolve into a natural relationship of getting to know the person. We don’t need to chase or work hard at finding our mate, loves comes when we least expected. Read more from HubPages here.

Who Are You?
I really want to know…enough said. Happy Friday.

Satellite Photos of Haiti Before and After the Earthquake
While our faithful readers know that we extensively covered the Haiti earth quake earlier this year, we thought we would quickly highlight the role of satellite imagery and that devastating quake. While our lives move on and other things take over the news cycle, we should not forget that Haiti still needs our support and life has not improved for Haitians. As a reminder, here’s the Wired story from January that shows the before and after satellite images of the damage in Haiti.

What Causes an Earth Quake?
An earthquake is the shaking of the ground caused by an abrupt shift of rock along a fracture in the Earth, called a fault. Within seconds, an earthquake releases stress that has slowly accumulated within the rock, sometimes over hundreds of years. The size of an earthquake is indicated by a number called its magnitude. Magnitude is calculated from a measurement of either the amplitude or the duration of specific types of recorded seismic waves. Magnitude is determined from measurements made from seismograms and not on reports of shaking or interpretations of building damage. The intensity of and earthquake is a measure of the amount of ground shaking at a particular site, and it is determined from reports of human reaction to shaking, damage done to structures, and other effects. Read more here.

Check Out The Earth Quake Museum Blog
Yes, there is a blog called the Earth Quake Museum. The blog is billed as a place to learn everything you want to know about earthquakes. It also reports of major quakes around the world in the last few years. Though, they don’t have a post up yet about the DC earth quake. We imagine their editorial team is writing a post as we speak. Check out more here.

What Is the Biggest Earth Quake Every Recorded?
Thanks to the extensive records of the United States Geological Service (USGS), it is quite easy to learn about the biggest earthquake ever recorded, which occurred near the cities of Valdivia and Puerto Montt, Chile, in 1960. Known as the Great Chilean Earthquake, the quake measured an impressive 9.5 on the Richter scale. The death toll of the Great Chilean Earthquake is not known, although the USGS estimates about 1,655 people died, and the earthquake may have caused as much as $800 billion US Dollars (USD) in damage. Read more here.

I Feel The Earth Move Under My Feet
Yes, yes..we had to post a song about earth quakes…or at least about feeling the earth move under our feet when that someone special walks in the room. So, we hope you all enjoy this clip of Carole King singing here “I Feel The Earth Move” hit live. Despite her 1970s elementary school music teach style and mojo, it is a great song. Happy Friday.

Reminder to Check Out The GEOINT Community Career Fair
As our readers know, we have been doing a series of podcasts to promote the upcoming GEOINT Community Career Fair. Why? Because this is the first time that USGIF is setting the stage for job seekers and companies/government agencies to get together — matching talent with opportunities. This free event is ideal for everyone to attend from veterans who already have civilian work experience; men and women who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life; experienced program managers, engineers, programmers, and analysts; and recent graduates looking to break into the industry. Check out more here and see you all in Reston next week at the event!

Why Do We Work?
Why do we work? On the face of it, that’s a stupid question. We work to put food on the table and a roof over our heads, of course. We work toward the prospect of children in college and ourselves in rocking chairs. In other words: we work because we have to. Check out this three-part series from Time Magazine that dives into the universal question: why do we work?

Looking for a GEOINT Job? Have You Checked Out GEOREPS?
We all know that the GEOINT community is a very specialized world that offers very unique job opportunities. And, as you all will see at the GEOINT Community Career Fair next week, job opportunities are everywhere! So, we are excited to shine a light on a recruiting firm that specializes only in GEOINT. Called GEOREPS, it was founded by geospatial intelligence professionals who have developed a referral-based system for matching up the right talent with the right opportunities and organizations. GEOREPS can also serve as a full-service recruiting firm. So, looking for a job? do you have a GEOINT job that needs to be filled. Then, by all means, check out GEOREPS here.

Top 10 Dream Jobs
Remembering being a child and harboring dreams of being a professional baseball player, or becoming the President of the United States? Yes, many of these dreams are the whimsy of youth. As we got older, we found jobs that better suited our talents and abilities. But fret not if you still harbor dreams of scoring that “dream job.” CareerBuilder has pulled together the list of top 10 dream jobs, which include ice cream creator, concert promoter, video game developer and more. Check out the full list here.

Top Ten Worst Jobs in America
If you think your job is bad, think twice… unless you’ve got one of the “worst” jobs in America today. It isn’t much of a surprise that many of these low-rated jobs overlap with the most dangerous jobs What’s more, none have an annual salary above $40,000. JobsRated.com has released a comprehensive ranking of the worst occupations, based upon several key criteria, including salary, stress and physical demand. What are the ten worst jobs in the country? Check out this CNBC story here for more details.

GEOINT Video: “Working for a Living” by Huey Lewis and the News
Our reader are probably starting to think that the got geoint? staff are all huge fans of Huey Lewis and the News. Well, some consider Huey Lewis one of the greatest living artists who can effectively tap into and express the human condition. Well that may be an embellishment. But, he did write catchy tunes that were ubiquitous in the 1980s. And, what a perfect song for today’s theme: “Working for a Living.” We hope you enjoy!

Happy Friday!

Russian Spies: Top 5 Old-School Espionage Technologies That Still Work
While the alleged Russian spies arrested by the FBI earlier this week employed some technologically advanced spying techniques, much of their tradecraft had a distinctively old school feel to it. However, that’s the norm in the world of international spying, experts say, where any successful trick will stay in use until it stops working. In particular, five technologies that date back decades remain common in the world of cloak and dagger. Used by CIA, the suspected Russian infiltrators and every spook in between, these technologies have stood the tests of time and counterintelligence. Read the full Christian Science Monitor article here.

The Evolution Of Spy Tools
Real spies may tell you that their lives are nothing like what you’d see in a Hollywood movie, but don’t be fooled: They’ve still got some pretty cool gadgets. And aside from the relatively recent tools that monitor electronic correspondence, most of those gizmos have been around for a pretty long time. Spies claim that theirs is the second-oldest profession, and basic espionage needs haven’t changed: looking and listening, getting the information they need, and smuggling it back home. What has changed is the way those spy gadgets work. As technology advances and enemies get smarter, spies have had to constantly re-invent the tools of their trade. Read the full Forbes article here.

Learn How to Spy on eHow.com
If you long for a little more excitement in your daily routine, you may wonder what it’s like to be a spy. You think that you have what it takes to rub noses with the rich and famous and bust bad guys during lunch hour, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. If you want to be a spy, you have to know the rules of the game. Yes, eHow actually has a page about how to be a spy. Perhaps the Russian spies were consulting this valuable source of information? Read more here.

“Old School” Movie Trailer
As our readers know, we always like to find something funny and entertaining to wrap up this weekly post. What better video to show than the trailer from the 2003 classic comedy “Old School”? We hope you enjoy:

Happy Independence Day!!

Sun Mapping – It’s a Business
Google “Sun Mapping” and guess what comes up. That is right a company called Sun Mapping. Brilliant. Sun Mapping, LLC is a Certified MBE & DBE Business specializing in digital topographic mapping. Here’s some more from the web site: The owners and staff of Sun Mapping have vast knowledge and experience in the photogrammetric industry. Together the owners, James Ponce de Leon, Mona M. Stefanski & Antonio Leon III total over 69 years of experience in the mapping field. During that time they have obtained a full understanding of the photogrammetric process. So, wait. The owner of Sun Mapping is James Ponce de Leon? Did we get that correctly or is it just the heat getting to us?

So, What is a Heat Map?
Thankfully we have Wikipedia to answer that question. A heat map is a graphical representation of data where the values taken by a variable in a two-dimensional map are represented as colors. A very similar presentation form is a tree map. The term is also used to mean its thematic application as a choropleth map. Heat maps originated in 2D displays of the values in a data matrix. Larger values were represented by small dark gray or black squares (pixels) and smaller values by lighter squares. Sneath (1957) displayed the results of a cluster analysis by permuting the rows and the columns of a matrix to place similar values near each other according to the clustering. Jacques Bertin used a similar representation to display data that conformed to a Guttman scale. Did you get that? So, it does not map actual temperatures? Boy, we need to be reading more than the New Yorker these days.

Bad Hair Day
Okay. So, it wasn’t just the ladies complaining about the humidity this week and how it caused a string of bad hair days. We saw an increase in hair gel usage — thankfully not Jersey Shore level — from the guys. Bottom-line is a bad hair day can wreck everything for everybody. But, don’t get down. We have found the remedy for a bad hair day. How about the sweet sounds of the 80s metal cover band called “Bad Hair Day.” Formed in 1999, Bad Hair Day – The ULTIMATE Tribute to 80’s Hairbands – has performed all over the East Coast, bringing back the days of the Hairbands – Poison, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Warrant, Guns N Roses, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, and many many more. Yes!! Perhaps we can hire these guys to play GEOINT 2010!

Songs About The Heat
For some reason, songs that metaphorically talk about heat are very popular. Despite the havoc it can cause on our hair, we like the heat. And, we like to rock out to songs about hot temperatures. So, here you go. A special Friday’s Food for Thought video series on heat. Enjoy.

Glenn Frey – The Heat is On


Billy Idol – Hot in the City

Nelly – Hot in Herre

Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat

Violent Femmes – Blister in the Sun

The Cure – Hot, Hot, Hot

We hope you stay cool this weekend!

Summer GEOINT Event: NGA West Showcase in St. Louis
On June 23 and June 24, USGIF will offer an unparalleled opportunity to see the unique work of NGA St. Louis. A forum on acquisition is also planned in addition to the mission overviews and tours and demonstrations. And, on June 24, NGA St. Louis hosts a one-day acquisition forum for attendees to learn more about doing business with NGA West. To learn more about this opportunity, click here.

Summer GEOINT Event: GEOINT Community Career Fair
On July 15 at the Hyatt Regency Reston, USGIF will be pulling together GEOINT professionals from the Defense, Intelligence and Homeland Security Communities, industry, and recent graduates to make connections face to face with recruiters who make hiring decisions. This free event is advantageous for everyone to attend from veterans who already have civilian work experience; men and women who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life; experienced program managers, engineers, programmers, and analysts; and recent graduates looking to break into the industry. To learn more about this event, click here.

Summer GEOINT Event: ESRI International User Conference
From July 12-16 in San Diego, ESRI will be hosting its annual International User Conference, which is a key event for all ESRI technology users. Many of the attendees will include new users of ESRI’s GIS software to seasoned GIS professionals, to decision makers and business owners. Make sure you don’t miss out on this week-long event. Today, is the last day for registration.

London/Summer 2010 Mapping Parties
We certainly have plenty going on this summer here in the U.S., but did you know that is a series of mini mapping parties taking place on weekday evenings in various locations around London? Neither did we. These parties are always followed by a social meet-up in a pub afterwards. Man, we need to start using the term “pub” more often here in the states. To learn more about these events, click here.

Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues”
Okay. So we sometimes take the easy route when it comes to providing our entertaining videos. While the headline of this post is “there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues,” we hope you realize we were being ironic with that one! There are no “blues” happening this summer. No way. With all these awesome GEOINT events happening, we are pumped up. Anyhow, this song has been covered by everyone from Rush, The Who to Blue Cheer. But we prefer the 1958 original by Eddie Cochran. Enjoy.

Happy Friday!

Sports Mapping – GIS and Golf
Try to Google “mapping and sports” and you will find a site called SportsMapping. How perfect for this week’s FFT post! So, what is it? “SportsMapping a leading innovator of digital presentation technology offers an unmatched suite of solution services and products designed exclusively for the golf and destination resort industry. Our multifunctional imaging packages help maximize operational efficiency and optimize cost-control. Combining digital imaging wizardry with GIS software programs, we provide a one-stop mapping solutions center for superintendents, owners, developers, event organizers, construction, management companies and other-than-golf venues.” Did you get that? Man, they have to cut back on the corporate marketing-speak!

Using GIS to Study Sports
Sports are geographic activities. In which cities are specific teams located, and why? How do radio and television stations decide which teams to broadcast? Where do each home team’s fans live? How can team owners and business managers establish marketing campaigns for ticket sales based on customer characteristics? How and where can players be recruited from? In which cities and in which neighborhoods are sports facilities located? What particular businesses are located near a sports facility, and why? How can parking and security be managed at sporting events? How can weather and air pollution be monitored for upcoming events? How can bicycle, sailboat, and running routes be organized and tracked? Because they are geographic activities, GIS can be used in sports from the global scale, such as choosing a city for the next Olympics, to the local scale, such as tracking a soccer player’s location throughout a game. Read more from the ESRI GIS Education Community Blog here.

Dude, Check Out “Extreme Sports Maps”
Are you an X-games fan? Do you spend your weekend dropping in on half pipes (trust us, this is a skateboarding reference — it’s not what you think)? If so, be sure to check out “Extreme Sports Maps,” which is the definitive visual guide to Skateparks, Skateboarding Spots, Surf Breaks, Dirt Jumps, Mountain Bike Trails and almost every extreme sport spot you could “shake a stick at.” The aim of the site is to shocase spots from London to New York to Barcelona via Sydney, everywhere to be exact. So, dudes, check out Extreme Sports Maps here.

The Commoncensus Sports Map Project
Where do the fans for your sports team live? How far do they extend? Are there any surprises? The CommonCensus Sports Map Project needs you to help us answer these questions! It is producing maps that show exactly where the fans for each team are located, based on the geographic votes of Internet users. Pretty interesting. And from a NFL perspective, more than 30,000 have participated. Check out more here.

ABC’s Wide World of Sports — The Thrill of Victory and The Agony of Defeat
In sticking with our sports theme, we decided to stay away from posting a music video this week. Though, we did slip in the album cover of Huey Lewis and the News’s “Sports” at the top of the post. This week, we found the introductory clip of the ABC Wide World of Sports. That is correct — the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Ready for a sports flashback? Check out this clip:

Happy Friday!

The Origin of Memorial Day
Decoration Day commemorates U.S. men and women who have died while serving in the military. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War – celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War – it was expanded after World War I. Following the end of the Civil War, many communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the places creating early Decoration Day observances include Sharpsburg, Maryland, located near Antietam Battlefield; Charleston, South Carolina; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; Petersburg, Virginia; Carbondale, Illinois; Columbus, Mississippi; many communities in Vermont; and some two dozen other cities and towns across the United States. These observances coalesced around Decoration Day, honoring the Union dead, and the several Confederate Memorial Days. There are many stories as to the actual origin of Decoration Day, with more than two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Decoration Day, as it was originally called. There is evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead.” Read more from the Edwards Air Force Base web site here.

Memorable Memorial Day Quotes
Below is a series of quotes about Memorial Day that we find most compelling and truly capture the meaning of this holiday:

– Freedom of speech and freedom of action are meaningless without freedom to think. And there is no freedom of thought without doubt. -Bergen Evans

- Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. -William Pitt

- Chance has never yet satisfied the hope of a suffering people. Action, self-reliance, the vision of self and the future have been the only means by which the oppressed have seen and realized the light of their own freedom. -Marcus Garvey

- The cost of liberty is less than the cost of repression. -Web Dubois

- The purpose of all war is ultimately peace. -Saint Augustine

- And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free, and I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me and I’ll proudly stand next to him to defend her still today, ‘cuz there ain’t no doubt I love this land, god bless the USA. -Lee Greenwood

- Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. -John F. Kennedy

- The story of America’s quest for freedom is inscribed on her history in the blood of her patriots. -Randy Vader

- The dead soldier’s silence sings our national anthem. -Rev. Aaron Kilbourn

- Peace is more important than all justice; and peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace. -Martin Luther

The True Meaning of Memorial Day Video
Check out this most powerful video tribute to the true meaning of Memorial Day.

We hope you all have a great weekend, and got geoint? will be back online on Tuesday, June 1.

Definition of Motion Detection
Not that members of the GEOINT community need to know the definition of “motion detection,” but we wanted to point out the official Wikipedia definition. Motion can be detected by measuring change in speed or vector of an object or objects in the field of view. This can be achieved either by mechanical devices that physically interact with the field or by electronic devices that quantifies and measures changes in the given environment. You can check out the full definition here.

Newton’s Laws of Motion
When developing motion detection solutions, it is vital tap into the wisdom from a legendary physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian who is considered by many scholars and members of the general public to be one of the most influential people in human history. We are talking about Sir Isaac Newton and his laws of motion. Newton’s laws of motion are three physical laws that form the basis for classical mechanics. They are 1. In the absence of a net force, the center of mass of a body either is at rest or moves at a constant velocity; 2. A body experiencing a force F experiences an acceleration a related to F by F = ma, where m is the mass of the body. Alternatively, force is equal to the time derivative of momentum; and 3. Whenever a first body exerts a force F on a second body, the second body exerts a force −F on the first body. F and −F are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. Did you get that? Read more here.

Movement in Motion Artists and Activist Collective
So, we came across a site called Movement in Motion, which represents an artist and activist collective that disseminates information through cultural mediums. The group create rhymes, music, films and other forms of artwork to dialogue with our communities. This urban artistic movement was born and conceived in the south Bronx and Brooklyn. Seems like a pretty interesting concept. Although the last time they did something with the site was in 2008/2009. We hope that the Movement in Motion still has movement. Check out their site here.

The First Motion Picture
How could we do a FFT post about motion detection and not highlight the motion picture industry? Come on – it was a no brainer. However, rather than talking about the state of the motion picture industry today, we thought we would regale you with a clip of the very first motion picture. Created in 1878 by Eadweard Muybridge who photographed a horse named “Occident” in fast motion using a series of 12 stereoscopic cameras. Here’s the clip:

Do the Loco-Motion with Me
Did you all know that Grand Funk Railroad did a cover of the 1962 hit The Loco-Motion? Neither did we. We were soo inundated with the Kylie Minogue version back in the 1980s that we clearly missed something great. Also, check out their rockin outfits:

Happy Friday!