Ok military buffs, I need your help

Nil_IQ

<div class="IPBDescription">Army or Marines?</div>I'm giving a presentation on Wednesday in which i'm going to show a slide with a picture of two soldiers in Iraq testing a piece of VR software. I'm expecting to be grilled quite thoroughly afterwards by people who know more about the subject matter than me, and I don't want to claim they're Army if they're actually Marines, and vice-versa. A minor point I know, but then this presentation counts for about 2% of my entire degree, so i'd like everything to go as smoothly as possible.

Here's the pic.

<img src="http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/5793/vrsoldiersko8.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />


I'm sure both the badge on the right-hand dude's shoulder and the weapon visible in the shot make it a dead giveaway... if you happen to know way more about this sort of thing than me, which i'm pretty confident includes a lot of you guys.

So, any ideas?

Rob

Well, as far as I know, both the Marines and Army use the M16A2 for standard issue, so the weapon wouldn't be much help.

My best guess (no guarantees) would be Army, since the pic can't be <i>that</i> old and the Marines have been wearing that new fangled digital camouflage. Those guys are wearing the chocolate chip BDU famous in the army.

Zig

<!--quoteo(post=1629366:date=May 26 2007, 09:46 AM:name=Rob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rob @ May 26 2007, 09:46 AM) [snapback]1629366[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Well, as far as I know, both the Marines and Army use the M16A2 for standard issue, so the weapon wouldn't be much help.

My best guess (no guarantees) would be Army, since the pic can't be <i>that</i> old and the Marines have been wearing that new fangled digital camouflage. Those guys are wearing the chocolate chip BDU famous in the army. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Negative. The weapon pictured is an M4A1, which is in major use by the Army but very limited use with the Marines. Add to that the Marines have been wearing digital camouflage since the beginning of the current conflict, but the Army has not..

Army is my guess.

Rob

<!--quoteo(post=1629369:date=May 26 2007, 01:11 PM:name=Zig)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Zig @ May 26 2007, 01:11 PM) [snapback]1629369[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
Negative. The weapon pictured is an M4A1, which is in major use by the Army but very limited use with the Marines. Add to that the Marines have been wearing digital camouflage since the beginning of the current conflict, but the Army has not..

Army is my guess.
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Yes, that's a carbine, what I'm saying is, since both forces use the same standard issue, it would be hard to tell just by that since special troops would use whatever suited the situation. Sheesh. Jump down my throat about it when we actually agree on every point. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

lolfighter

Since we're nitpicking anyway, the picture's resolution is too low to tell whether the trigger group is that of an M4 or an M4A1. Then again, the fire mode selector is on the left side, so unless the image is mirrored we couldn't see it anyway.

X_Stickman

His expression makes me smile.

Insane

What's the presentation about? I'm just asking because I get the impression it has more to do with VR than the army, and VR's quite fascinating.

Nil_IQ

<!--quoteo(post=1629428:date=May 26 2007, 06:38 PM:name=Insane)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Insane @ May 26 2007, 06:38 PM) [snapback]1629428[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
What's the presentation about? I'm just asking because I get the impression it has more to do with VR than the army, and VR's quite fascinating.
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Basically even though i'm done with all my exams I <i>still</i> have to go to a conference and present my project to basically everyone higher up than me in the school of systems engineering. And wouldn't you know it, its worth 10% of my entire project, which in turn is worth about 20% of my entire degree. Grr.


Some of you may have heard about the army using Full Spectrum Warrior to treat soldiers suffering from PTSD, seeing as it was a horrible failure as a military trainning program due to various game mechanics (the grenade launcher fires in a straight line, car doors are bullet proof, being behind a 1-foot wall makes you count as "in cover" so the enemy has to flank you). Just google "PTSD full spectrum warrior" if you're interested.

My project is to take the PTSD software and hook it up to an electronic drum so that, for instance, hitting a C causes a helicopter flyover, a C# causes an explosion, e.t.c. The idea was that because the drum is pressure sensitive and the keys are layed out in a circular fasion that, for instance, hitting a key on the left hand side of the drum gently could cause an explosion in the distance to the patient's left, hitting it harder would cause a more nearby explosion and so on.

In the end I never got as far as interfacing with the PTSD software itself, in fact the closest I got was a breif look over the code responsible for translating the FSW sounds into proper 3D. What i'm presenting on wednesday is a demo of the drum hooked up to a simple OpenSG program (think of OpenSG as a simplified version of OpenGL for making VR environments). The program consists of a number of rings representing the drum's pads which jump up and down when you stike the corresponding key, with a height corresponding to how hard you hit the key.

So yeah, that's about it. The presentation is on Wednesday and I'm currently practicing to check I can fill 10 minutes without going over. I'm going to assume those guys are Army from what's been said so far.

X_Stickman- Yeah, he does look very much like he's going "WOOOAH TECHNOMOLOGY!"

TychoCelchuuu

I think his expression is more like a "Neo in The Matrix" thing. Like, "whoa."

Amped1

<!--quoteo(post=1629485:date=May 27 2007, 07:51 AM:name=Nil_IQ)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nil_IQ @ May 27 2007, 07:51 AM) [snapback]1629485[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
My project is to take the PTSD software and hook it up to an electronic drum so that, for instance, hitting a C causes a helicopter flyover, a C# causes an explosion, e.t.c. The idea was that because the drum is pressure sensitive and the keys are layed out in a circular fasion that, for instance, hitting a key on the left hand side of the drum gently could cause an explosion in the distance to the patient's left, hitting it harder would cause a more nearby explosion and so on.
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I'm curious: why?

Nil_IQ

<!--quoteo(post=1629492:date=May 27 2007, 10:09 AM:name=Amped1)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Amped1 @ May 27 2007, 10:09 AM) [snapback]1629492[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
I'm curious: why?
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I've been asking myself that since the very start.

Apparently "to provide a more intuitive interface for the clinician", which seems pretty dumb. If you've got a PhD in psychology I think you can manage to operate a keyboard and mouse.

I think the real answer is because Roland donated us a shiney new drum and they couldn't think of a better way to put it to use.

paella

Army. Marines don't have unit patches like that. Oh, and the guy on the left is wearing an Army patrol cap; Marines use that weird Navy-style pointy headgear.

I'm active-duty Army.

Zig

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Yes, that's a carbine, what I'm saying is, since both forces use the same standard issue, it would be hard to tell just by that since special troops would use whatever suited the situation. Sheesh. Jump down my throat about it when we actually agree on every point. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
lol, I see what you're saying, but Marines hardly ever use M4s... the only ones using them in Iraq would be MPs, and you would be able to tell if they were MPs. Marine Special Forces (which are much fewer than Army) are also pretty easily identifiable from Army. IMO, the M4 in the guy's hands is a 100% indicator of his branch of service. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

Nil_IQ

<!--quoteo(post=1629498:date=May 27 2007, 11:29 AM:name=paella)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(paella @ May 27 2007, 11:29 AM) [snapback]1629498[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
Army. Marines don't have unit patches like that. Oh, and the guy on the left is wearing an Army patrol cap; Marines use that weird Navy-style pointy headgear.

I'm active-duty Army.
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Woo! Thanks.

BlackMage

those laptops look expensive... army.

V_MAN

Lazy American grunts playing video games instead of wasting terrorists like they should be

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/fade.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::fade::" border="0" alt="fade.gif" />

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/fade.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::fade::" border="0" alt="fade.gif" />

lolfighter

<!--quoteo(post=1629532:date=May 28 2007, 12:44 AM:name=V_MAN)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(V_MAN @ May 28 2007, 12:44 AM) [snapback]1629532[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
Lazy American grunts playing video games instead of wasting terrorists like they should be

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/fade.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::fade::" border="0" alt="fade.gif" />

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/fade.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::fade::" border="0" alt="fade.gif" />
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Those are Fades. Fades are bladed messiahs of death. Terrorists are always muslim, and muslims do not believe in the messiah, so those can't be terrorists. Geez, get your facts straight. Seriously, what do they teach you kids in school these days?

Rover

<!--quoteo(post=1629540:date=May 28 2007, 01:18 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ May 28 2007, 01:18 AM) [snapback]1629540[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
Those are Fades. Fades are bladed messiahs of death. Terrorists are always muslim, and <b>muslims do not believe in the messiah</b>, so those can't be terrorists. Geez, get your facts straight. Seriously, what do they teach you kids in school these days?
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Fafaik, they do, but in quite a different way.


Like jebus breaking the cross after his (next) resurrection.

lolfighter

That's terrist propaganda. Don't be spoutin' that here!

Incidentally, I do believe we're done with the topic, so it's okay to derail it now. If not, my sincere apologies, I'll get those logs off the tracks asap.

X_Stickman

<!--quoteo(post=1629497:date=May 27 2007, 05:15 PM:name=Nil_IQ)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nil_IQ @ May 27 2007, 05:15 PM) [snapback]1629497[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
I've been asking myself that since the very start.

Apparently "to provide a more intuitive interface for the clinician", which seems pretty dumb. If you've got a PhD in psychology I think you can manage to operate a keyboard and mouse.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Yeah you'd think that, wouldn't you. I used to, too.

BUT NO. A lot of 'em can't. Here, at least.

TychoCelchuuu

<a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003724766_virtualreality28m.html" target="_blank">Your article is totally on the front page of the Seattle Times today</a>. Or at least someone else's article about your project.