“From now on, it’s drones, baby, drones” - Robert Gates, former U.S. Defense Secretary Three writers. Two plays. One vital tale of power, sex and infighting at the top of the Washington establishment, and its far-reaching repercussions. As Barack Obama prepares to leave office, this world premiere double bill probes behind the scenes of America’s controversial drone wars, and asks what they will mean for our future. This Tuesday It’s 5a.m. A CIA director learns her daughter has been injured in a car crash, a White House security adviser is sleeping with an intern, a Pentagon General is working out in the gym. This Tuesday, in an hour, they have a vital decision to make. The Kid Wednesday. A missile hits a wedding in Pakistan. 7000 miles away, two drone operators begin their celebration. Pushing the button was the start. If only it were the end...
Lemba Adula is the perfect 15-year-old--brilliant, hardworking and polite to his elders. He excels at flying drones and coaxing new tricks out of smartphones and computers. But murderous Congolese rebels kidnap Lemba and force him to kill. He also must train other child soldiers and even help hijack a giant container ship. Drone Child is a powerful thriller and adventure story recommended for mature readers aged 18 and above. Younger readers should receive guidance and engage in dialogue with parents, teachers or librarians due to the book's mature content. Sex traffickers kidnap Lemba's sister, a gifted rumba singer, highlighting a real-life crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Also, Drone Child contains elements of violence. The novel includes satirical passages that critically address the inhumanity of violence-loving individuals. Lemba is a crack shot both on the firing range and when hunting for food. At the same time, he's far from the typical action hero and empathizes with the families of the people he must kill. For authenticity and cultural sensitivity, author David H. Rothman enlisted the expertise of two Congolese fact-checkers. Junior Boweya is a translator, software localization expert, and businessman. Jean Felix Mwema Ngandu is a former Mandela Washington Fellow and prominent civic activist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Both experts endorse the book and hope for translations into Lingala and French. Rothman has long been interested in issues affecting developing countries, especially technological ones. Positive reviews have appeared in Kirkus, The Midwest Book Review, and the American Library Association's Booklist. "A hefty tapestry interwoven with the possibilities for change," says the African American Literature Book Club. "In the context of our current times, this is a hope worth having." The second edition includes a new cover and a discussion guide for book clubs, parents, teachers and librarians. Drone Child also offers an informative section that compares events in the book with real happenings in the Congo. Additionally, the war in Ukraine makes this thriller more relevant than ever due to the moral questions that arise regarding drones and war in general, including atrocities against civilians. Don't miss out! Read Drone Child and root for Lemba and the other Adulas.
Drones quite possibly represent the most transformative military innovation since jet engines and atomic weaponry. Through satellite imaging and remote technology, countries such as the United States can destroy small targets halfway around the world with pinpoint accuracy. Now civilian industries are acquiring drones for everything from monitoring crops to delivering packages. Kreps explains how they and the systems associated with them work, how they are being used today, and what will become of the technology in the future.
Follow a dad as he teaches his kids how to fly drones safely. Flying drones can be exciting and a lot of fun, and even young kids can do it - as long as they know the fundamental drone safety rules, like keeping away from airports, cars, roads, and people, or not flying at night. That's why one dad decides to teach drone safety rules to his children, and the drone adventure begins! This book is perfect for: Young kids who love to fly drones Kids interested in new emerging technology Ideal for a bedtime story, the classroom or library A gift to a young kid who is interested in drones Parents who own drones and want to teach their kids drone rules Families who love to fly drones as a family activity Some of the features of the book: Easy to read rhyming children's book Easy to understand safety rules Introduces young kids to drone safety rules and regulations Beautiful hand-drawn colour illustrations Word search puzzle to help with keywords Link to the Drone Safety Song A little surprise on each illustrated page For kids aged 5 to 10 and an excellent resource for schools, teachers and parents. Drones flying, excited kids laughing, and the best family time ever! "Drone Adventure" is a simple but effective book to help kids understand basic drone safety rules. Written by Chris Mather and published by Bendigo Aerial, a commercial drone operator on a mission to share their passion with young kids.
Explains what a drone is and how these vehicles are operated and offers facts about the size, speed, and uses of a wide range of military and civilian drones.
The fast and easy way to pick out, set up, and learn to fly your drone Ready to soar into the world of unmanned aircraft? Drones For Dummies introduces you to the fascinating world of UAVs. Written in plain English and brimming with friendly instruction, Drones For Dummies provides you with the information you need to find and purchase the right drone for your needs, examples of ways to use a drone, and even drone etiquette and the laws and regulations governing consumer drone usage. Plus, you'll discover the basics of flight, including how to use a drone to capture photos and video. Originally designed to assist in military and special operations applications, the use of drones has expanded into the public service sector and the consumer market for people looking to have a good time flying an aircraft remotely. Drones For Dummies covers everything you need to know to have fun with your UAV, and is packed with cool ways to expand your drone's use beyond simply flying. Pick the perfect drone to suit your needs Properly set up and fly a drone Use a drone to capture images and footage with a camera Tips for maintaining your drone If you're interested in the exciting new technology of unmanned aircraft vehicles, Drones For Dummies helps you take flight.
From drones the size of a fingertip to drones that can carry soldiers, from rotorcraft to submersible drones, this book expertly examines these complex autonomous vehicles.
In warzones, ordinary commercially-available drones are used for extraordinary reconnaissance and information gathering. They can also be used for bombings - a drone carrying an explosive charge is potentially a powerful weapon. At the same time asymmetric warfare has become the norm - with large states increasingly fighting marginal terrorist groups in the Middle East and elsewhere. Here, Nicholas Grossman shows how we are entering the age of the drone terrorist - groups such as Hezbollah are already using them in the Middle East. Grossman will analyse the ways in which the United States, Israel and other advanced militaries use aerial drones and ground-based robots to fight non-state actors (e.g. ISIS, al Qaeda, the Iraqi and Afghan insurgencies, Hezbollah, Hamas, etc.) and how these groups, as well as individual terrorists, are utilizing less advanced commercially-available drones to fight powerful state opponents. Robotics has huge implications for the future of security, terrorism and international relations and this will be essential reading on the subject of terrorism and drone warfare.
Over the last decade, the rapid pace of innovation with drone technology has led to dozens of new and innovative commercial and scientific applications, from Amazon drone deliveries to the patrolling of national parks with drones. But what is less understood is how the spread of unmanned technology will change the patterns of war and peace in the future. Will the use of drones produce a more stable world or will it lead to more conflict? Will drones gradually replace humans on the battlefield or will they empower soldiers to act more precisely, and humanely, in crisis situations? How will drones change surveillance around the world and at home? The Drone Age traces the rise of unmanned technology and how it is reshaping our world. The spread of drones is reordering geopolitical fault lines and providing new ways for states to test the nerves and strategic commitments of their rivals. Drones are also allowing terrorist groups like the Islamic State to take to the skies and to level the playing field against their enemies. Across the world, the low financial cost of drones and the reduced risks faced by pilots is making drone technology an essential tool for militaries, peacekeeping forces and even private companies. From large surveillance drones to insect-like micro-drones, unmanned technology is revolutionizing the way that states and non-state actors compete with each other and is providing game-changing benefits to those who can most rapidly adapt unmanned technology to their own purposes. Yet peacekeeping and humanitarian organizations are also utilizing drones too. An essential guide to a surprisingly complex disruptive force in world politics, The Drone Age shows how the mastery of drone technology will become central to the ways that governments and non-state actors seek power and influence in the coming decades.
A young computer genius is chased by sleek, high-tech drones into a land populated by Godzilla-size dragons, setting off a war that only he can stop. Part Eragon, part Transformers, with a magical beating heart at its center. Marcus Brimley was just four years old when his CIA analyst father went missing and the world branded him a traitor. Eight years later, searching for clues to find his father and prove his innocence, Marcus breaks a complex code that sends him shooting through a storm into an alternate realm . . . but he doesn't travel alone. When Marcus lands in this new world, Dracone, he finds that he has been followed by government drones. And they're out to destroy Marcus and all of Dracone. While fleeing the drones, Marcus meets Dree, a twelve-year-old Draconian girl who comes from a family of dragon riders. Dree explains to Marcus that while humans and dragons used to be friends, Dracone's new prime minister has turned them into enemies, with humans hunting dragons for sport and dragon-riding families like Dree's pushed to the poorer outskirts of the city. But the drones are firing on both the dragons and the people of Dracone. Soon, Marcus and Dree discover that they must get help from the dragons if they want to stop an all-out war that will leave the incredible realm of Dracone decimated.
