Lone Iguana

At some time in the early morning yesterday, under cover of darkness, a team of U.S. Special Forces soldiers and CIA operators executed a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, with the goal of eliminating notorious al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The mission was a success; U.S. President Barack Obama announced last night that bin Laden was killed in a firefight between U.S. forces and Taliban fighters. The 54 year old bin Laden had managed to evade capture for nearly 10 years while gracing the top of the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list with a $25 million reward for information leading to his capture, but was finally brought to justice yesterday at the hands of those U.S. forces. The following links provide an in-depth look at the operation itself, the months of careful intelligence gathering, planning, and preparation that made it possible, and the aftermath.

1.  Department of Defense images

These images were released in a DoD news briefing today, containing satellite imagery and an illustration of Osama’s compound.

2.  Getting Osama bin Laden: How the mission went down

Politico provides a detailed description of the raid.

3.  CSI bin Laden

Wired investigates the combat forensics techniques used to identify bin Laden and other terrorists.

4.  Intelligence, Secrecy, Drove bin Laden Operation

Armed Forces Press Service news report on the operation.

5.  The Big Picture – Osama bin Laden Killed

A collection of photos concerning bin Laden’s death.

6.  The White House Blog – Osama bin Laden Dead

Official White House blog post on the event.

7.  Gizmodo – The Hunt for Osama

A number of Gizmodo posts that explore the news stories, technology, special forces groups, and equipment behind the operation.

8.  New York Times – Bin Laden is Dead, Obama Says

More information is sure to unfold within the coming days, so stay tuned and keep your eyes on these and other news sources.

Bonuses:

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• Zen Tracker allows you to track the location of up to 6 GPS-enabled phones for free.
• Instructables: Build Your Own Laser Tripwire with Webcam Capture
• Learn about the growth of competitive lock picking, or “Locksport”.
• The Hawkeye RC Chopper is capable of taking photos and recording video. “Your $65 personal spy drone”.
• A White House proposal would make it easier for the FBI to access records of your online communication.
• Chris Paget has created a $1,500 system capable of intercepting cell phone calls.
• How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion.
• Have a look at this Neatorama post, ‘Ancient Ninja: Separating the Men from the Myth’.
• ‘Grand Central’s Multimillion-Dollar Secrets’.

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Holy crap. After reading this Lifehacker article, I realized how easy it would be to break into a hotel room solely guarded by one of those sliding locks. Check out the video below for a shock.

Blogger and lock-picker extraordinaire Barry Wels demonstrates how to unlock a sliding chain lock with a rubber band in the video above. In short, it’s a matter of attaching the rubber band to the lock and the door handle (it looks like a handle rather than a knob is important). Before you go asking why he doesn’t just slide the lock open with his hand (which I wondered briefly myself), remember: Chain locks work because you can’t slide it open with your hand. As you start sliding the lock toward open, the tension between the wall and the door will pull the door closed before you can slide it all the way open.

Whether you’re picking a lock, cracking a padlock, or hacking a Wi-Fi password, the goal is often less about knowing how to “break in” to something and more about understanding the security limitations a tool provides. The same holds true here. Also, who knows? It could come in handy next time little Timmy locks himself in the hotel room and won’t come out.

Unlock a Sliding Chain Lock with a Rubber Band

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• Scam School
• Erasing David
• Wilderness Survival Lessons from Hatchet
• The Best TED Talks [Learn From Others]
• ExiTool: A More Practical Approach To Escaping Your Automobile – Exittool – Gizmodo
• How blast-proof suits work – Boing Boing
• How Grenades Work
• Rules of Thumb – STUNT FLYING

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• Best Buy Missing 20 Laptops, Police on Lookout For Tom Cruise Wannabes – Mission impossible best buy robbery – Gizmodo
• Do A Total Background Check On Yourself – The Consumerist
• Skeptic » Reading Room » Learn to be a Psychic in 10 Easy Lessons
• The Boy Who Heard Too Much : Rolling Stone
• How to Get People to Change
• makezine.com: Lee D. Zlotoff
  
• How to Fake Your Own Death – Neatorama
• The Man Behind MacGyver: Swiss Army Knife or Duct Tape? – MacGyver – Lifehacker Math Shows Some Crime
• Hot Spots Can Be Cooled, Others Only Relocated | Wired Science | Wired.com
• The Craziest CIA Plots to Kill Castro – Neatorama
• Stryde Hax: The Spy at Harriton High
• In the Cubicle Trenches – Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction Boing Boing
• Convict Digs Out of Prison With a Spoon – Neatorama
• Na-na Na-na Na-na Na-na Batplane! – Northrop Grumman bat uas – Gizmodo
• BBC Exposing Psychic Frauds documentary
• n-TERTAIN: January 2007: This Is My Job: Stuntman – A look at the life of a ‘Matrix’ stuntman

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I’ve been collecting a bunch of links for a while, and rather than have a post on each one, I thought I’d just let you enjoy them all.

Live Police, Fire, and EMS Scanners
A Pocket Detective for Daters
TRAKR RC Car Lets You Spy With the Power of Apps
Crack a Wi-Fi Network’s WEP Password with BackTrack, the Fancy Video Version
How Does the Body Defend Against Diseases?
Remote-Start Your Car with a $10 Cellphone
What Makes a Great Teacher?
Top 10 Mind Hacks for Making Your Resolutions Stick
How to Open a Locked Interior Door When You’ve Lost the Key
Electronic Key Impressioner Could Make Car Thieves Very Happy
What To Do if Your Vehicle’s Accelerator is Stuck
Disaster Preparation & Survival
Pilot Recalls Daring Turnpike Landing
This ‘Tactical’ Wallet Does a Lot More Than Hold Credit Cards

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