US Army Officer is Sikh

U.S. Army Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, center wearing turban, stands with other graduates during a U.S. Army officer basic training graduation ceremony at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio on Monday, March 22, 2010. Capt. Rattan is the first Sikh allowed to complete officer basic training while wearing the traditional turban and full beard since the Army altered the dress code, which had made exceptions for Sikh soldiers, in 1984.

Excellent.

To any who complain about his beard and turban, I say "Wake up." Many of the soldiers standing next to him have been granted equally broad leniency with the old haircut policy - women's hair is allowed to be long under certain restrictions just as his is. The army hasn't come to a screeching halt as a result of allowing women into its ranks and the lifting of the restrictions on Sikhs won't harm it either. I remember when the Army made those changes back in '84 and I can't honestly say I totally disagreed with the decision then, but it kinda nagged at me, you know? At the time, I understood the "clean-shaven" decision to be intended to shape up the force, but the improvements didn't seem linked to the shaving.  It was obviously above my pay grade so I stopped thinking about it, but I am glad it's showing signs of change. (I also think the Navy should allow beards again.)

Times, however, have changed.  The armed forces have morphed into a new form, with radically new and improved tactics, weaponry and manpower.  The addition of soldiers like Capt. Rattan will only strengthen the army.  (And ask the history majors in your faculty about the Sikhs as warriors -- I am glad they want to be on our side.)

So, to Capt Rattan, USArmy: Hoo-ah.

Google expands its reach

Sometimes Google needs to just chill. Other times, they are on the right track. This is one of the good times, I think.

Streetview now goes underwater.
Satellite mapping now includes aerial pictures from World War II and forward.
(sorry, jd. I should have mentioned: Google Earth.)

This is seriously cool. They got permission to include War Department images and they've put them in the correct places on the current-day maps - overlay form. Seriously. Visit Dresden, Germany and look in the corner of the screen for a "History" slider. If there's available images in your current view, you can set the date back to any time for which they have a picture.

Update, Screenshot:
I've gone to Dresden and clicked the little clock icon to show the historical slider. The little blue lines in the slider indicate what's available and I've chosen Dec 1943. The vague green area outside the city is off the image.You can then slide back to the present and compare the rebuilt city with the old image.

Isn't that awesome?

GOOGLE Earth mapping service is letting people use the Internet to dive into the world's oceans or see the ruin that World War II bombings rained on European cities. The Internet powerhouse on Thursday added an Ocean Showcase and WW II era aerial photographs to its free, interactive on-line atlas.
"The historical imagery feature gives people a unique perspective on the events of the past using today's latest mapping technology," Laura Scott of Google Europe said in a blog post. "We hope that this World War II imagery will enable all of us to understand our shared history in a new way and to learn more about the impact of the war on the development of our cities."
The feature includes images taken in 1943 of 35 European cities pictures and of war-battered Warsaw in 1935 and 1945. Google Earth users are able to do side-by-side comparisons of the cities then and now.

Trivia for Monday the 20th

Military Science
This plane holds several records, including New York to London in 1 hour 54 minutes and Los Angeles to Dulles International Airport, outside Washington, D.C., in 1 hour 4 minutes 20 seconds. Built for reconnaissance, it relied on speed instead of weapons for safety. Operational from 1964 to 1990, this spy plane could fly three times the speed of sound. Name the plane.

BONUS: If the distance is roughly 2600 miles, what was the average speed from LA to Dulles?

DOUBLE BONUS: If the speed of sound is 770 mph, what Mach Number did the plane average?