The CIA is set to spend several million dollars to develop a video game aimed at helping its analysts think like terrorists, The Washington Times has learned.
The agency's Counter Terrorist Center, or CTC, is working with the Los Angeles-based Institute for Creative Technologies on a project designed to help its analysts, "think outside the box," a CIA spokesman said. The project is close to approval, but officials wouldn't comment on the exact cost of the program.
Disclosure of the CIA video game project follows the Pentagon's recent cancellation of a plan for an online gambling parlor designed to predict a Middle East terrorist attack. The Pentagon's gambling scheme led to the resignation of retired Navy Vice Adm. John Poindexter, head of the Total Information Awareness data-mining counterterrorism program.
A military official said the CIA video game is "a ridiculous and absurd scheme that makes Poindexter's project look good in comparison." A second critic of the program said: "These absurd ideas about countering terrorism suggest that the war on terrorism has been a failure, that terrorists are still ahead and that the CTC does not know what it is doing. The key issue here is the CTC misspending funds on silly, low-priority projects, exactly the kind of thing that forced Admiral Poindexter to resign."
CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield defended the video project and called it an "innovative approach" to counterterrorism. The game will select a scenario that could involve analysts playing terrorist-cell leaders or members, a terrorist "money mover" or a facilitator, he said.
"For out-of-the-box thinking, we are reaching out to academics, think tanks and external research institutes that are critical in the fight against terrorism," Mr. Mansfield said. "If it will help us to prevent terrorist attacks, it is worthwhile."
News source: The Washington Times
The agency's Counter Terrorist Center, or CTC, is working with the Los Angeles-based Institute for Creative Technologies on a project designed to help its analysts, "think outside the box," a CIA spokesman said. The project is close to approval, but officials wouldn't comment on the exact cost of the program.
Disclosure of the CIA video game project follows the Pentagon's recent cancellation of a plan for an online gambling parlor designed to predict a Middle East terrorist attack. The Pentagon's gambling scheme led to the resignation of retired Navy Vice Adm. John Poindexter, head of the Total Information Awareness data-mining counterterrorism program.
A military official said the CIA video game is "a ridiculous and absurd scheme that makes Poindexter's project look good in comparison." A second critic of the program said: "These absurd ideas about countering terrorism suggest that the war on terrorism has been a failure, that terrorists are still ahead and that the CTC does not know what it is doing. The key issue here is the CTC misspending funds on silly, low-priority projects, exactly the kind of thing that forced Admiral Poindexter to resign."
CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield defended the video project and called it an "innovative approach" to counterterrorism. The game will select a scenario that could involve analysts playing terrorist-cell leaders or members, a terrorist "money mover" or a facilitator, he said.
"For out-of-the-box thinking, we are reaching out to academics, think tanks and external research institutes that are critical in the fight against terrorism," Mr. Mansfield said. "If it will help us to prevent terrorist attacks, it is worthwhile."
News source: The Washington Times
"We think that wireless is clearly a big deal in mobile computing with 802.11," said Dell.
"In the enterprise market we are very much believers in the scale-out technologies with clusters or grids of servers; two-way and four-way servers.
"The market for larger servers - four-way and eight-way - is going down and the projections for two-way and four-way are going up. In the overall market for servers, about 99 per cent of the volume is for two-way and four-way."
The company is also branching out into new consumer areas, adding an online music service to rival Apple's iTunes, and building flat screen televisions, although there was no indication of whether this would be globally or just for the US market.
Like many of its rivals, Dell is pushing hard into the services sector, with the launch of Dell Managed Services and Dell Professional Services.
Unisys is providing the bulk of the services for Dell, and has to date signed deals with the likes of Axa and Cable & Wireless.
It is targeting those services that are becoming commoditised, such as desktop outsourcing and managing upgrades. Dell confirmed that the company would not be touching the more difficult custom application or development services.
Jon Collins, senior analyst at Quocirca, commented: "Dell has been missing out on this market because it sells direct, so it's an opportunity to have almost a reverse channel arrangement.
"It can use the systems integrators without saying that it is changing its business model."
Using third-party suppliers to provide the services gives Dell more chance of success, added Collins, because it does not have to go through a learning curve in this sector.
Why??? We already Have counterstrike!!!
All you need is a Halflife CD key @ 10$.
Glad i'm not an american tax payer..
The truth hurts, doesn't it.
But besides that this is a STUPID idea.
Millions of dollars going on a toy basically.
I don't see how they will benefit from this at all.
The "game" is not the end all, it is an iteractive tool that they are looking for that requires people to think and react to information provided to them. Much more effective than sitting in a classroom listening to some boring speaker, or doing "book-work" on a static problem.
As far as using it to get their operatives to think like terrorists, what is different in this than the Military using units as OPFOR (opposition forces) during military exercises. And, I for one would rather see people using a simulation as opposed to shutting down city streets/creating hassles for the general populace to conduct large scale exercises in major metropolitan areas like they did in Seattle late last year.
Why is it so many of you would have no problem with them making boring videos, or powerpoint slides shows for these operatives to sleep through (both of which would probably be more costly than the "game" especially the video idea), but when someone has the idea of making something that requires interaction and thinking we scream "WASTE OF MONEY!!"
As far as the game leaking, or being "fun" it will probably be neither leaked nor all that much "Fun" it will probably be quite text intesive and somewhat bland so commercial appeal shouldn't be hoped for or expected. There is no outcry about other industries or organizations using computer simulations to prepare for real world outcomes. And just because this simulation got tagged "game" by a reporter the world is against it.... hmmm.... Now I think I know why the word JERK is such a popular put-down after seeing this kind of KNEE-JERK reaction - even among gamers.
Last edited by 24513 on 30 Sep 2003 - 17:44
I totally agree with you.
(However I would still be interested in seeing/trying that thing out!)
( and if they have fun running the simulation ..hell then can call it a game )
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