Zoom up ropes on silent electric drive

Luke, get that walker!

Anyone else think of the scene at the beginning of Empire Strikes Back where Luke uses a similar gizmo to disable an Imperial Walker. The only thing missing is the light saber. Sweet!

@ Mr. Broomfield

That's what we get when El Reg only sends some hack who can't avoid putting trendy-sounding anti-war hippie speak repeatedly into every story.."Kill-"this and "pork-" that and "murder-" elsewhere. You'd think this reporter was out of San Francisco or something.

Why didn't they send someone who actually appreciates or understands both the need for militaries and their hardware instead of someone who can barely contain their bias? Someone who can avoid simple mistakes of designation and provide more technical enthusiasm and less personal agenda?

'Course some "modern" folks seem to think that without militaries and weapons, the whole world would sit around, smoking pot and singing Kumbaya in an idyllic peace. They go about ignoring the truth of even their own cities and countrysides, where there is *always* someone who will enslave or kill their neighbor with physical ability, numbers of thugs, or even farming implements when there's no police or military authority to keep things civilized. Is there any fancy "Kill tech" in the tribal genocides of Africa over the centuries? Or in the tribal warfare of pre-Columbus Central and North America?

People start conflicts and wars they think they can win. High end hardware removes that surety. This is why criminals try to mug old pensioners instead of fit, possibly armed men (unless you're stupid and try a Karate dojo). Hitler rolled over Poland because he knew he could, and tried to roll over Russia because he thought he could. He never attempted landing on the British beaches because the RAF made him believe it couldn't be done as long as the Spitfires flew.

The best weapons are the ones you never have to fire. The next best are ones you only have to fire once. Many more lives are saved that way, by keeping the conflict from even starting. But that just never seems to get into the brains of the "peaceniks", does it?

No, it is Service not squardron

It was the Special Boat Squadron from 1977 to 1987, when it was renamed the Special Boat Service... Check your facts before posting...

Who is the military pleb??

It hasn't been the Special Boat Squadron since 1987, Broomfield, take the walk of shame and bow to the greater knowledge of El Reg!

Generic Title

It's not exactly Batman is it?

@Messrs Brasch & Broomfield

"Why didn't they send someone who actually appreciates or understands both the need for militaries and their hardware"

check this <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/09/my_last_wmd_swing_the_lantern/page1.html>

Pay particular attention to the baby-bio at the end of the article.

Well said rick...

Not many technology sites can boast a journo who can manage:

"I remember the last time I handled a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD). It was in 2003, not long after the invasion of Iraq. I was serving as a bomb-disposal officer in the British armed forces. I was dressed in a full protective suit and gas mask, and a boffin from Porton Down stood next to me, likewise clad."

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/09/my_last_wmd_swing_the_lantern/

Bonus points for 'boffin'.

It's refreshing to read good quality journalism in this area, especially given how important military technology is for r&d.

(Although i don't know what all this "pound" "foot" rubbish is. Boo!)

Piece of Poo....

I could build a smaller and probably lighter and more effective device in my shed, I'm really not kidding!

that is some lo-tech sh...........!!!!

Where's the active camo, and portable EMP devices?????

Spitfires or Hurricanes

Strictly speaking it was the Hawker Hurricanes and Spitfire combo that Hitler was afraid of, and also He didn't attack Russia because he thought he could, he attacked them because he needed the Oil from Baku without which his whole campaign was pushed on Synthetics. 14,000 Hurricanes fought in WW2 and they took down substantially more German planes than the Spitfire. By quite a margin (nearly twice as much!) 63% Hurricane 37% Spitfire.

Geeks who don't geek their facts

Why would you write something like this without cheking the facts. You know the first thing the rest of us geeks is going to do is google it.

The SBS was formerly known as the Special Boat Squadron, however it has been officially redesignated the Special Boat Service.

Doh! 2 more strikes and your out Broomfield

@Fraser

Not exactly Batman?

Getting a bit more like, though (just need the snazzy gun that fires the line and make it a bit smaller.)

Team it up with that individual flying wing in the other article and all we need is some black body armour with the cowl equipped with bat-ears...

Whizz

"Why didn't they send someone who actually appreciates or understands both the need for militaries and their hardware instead of someone who can barely contain their bias?"

This is nonsense, as pointed out above; Lewis Page has written an entire book about Britain's need for decent, economical military hardware, and he is a former military man. The constant references to killing and war-porn etc are a wry attempt to simultaneously acknowledge our fascination for lethal gadgets, whilst also acknowledging that some people might find this distasteful. It's a lot less po-faced and snobbish than the Guardian-style approach whereby the author affects disgust or astonishment at the subject of the story.

@Brasche

Try and be a cock on your own time please. The threat of police didn't stop anyone committing any crime, ever.

Stupidity to think that laws rather than morals constrain the individual, especially when the arrest rate in this country stinks.

You ideological bias blinds you to many things in life, reality seems one of them.

re: Geeks who don't geek their facts

I suggest you look at Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Boat_Service

Over the years, the SBS has been "the Special Boat Section", "the Special Boat Squadron", and currently "the Special Boat Service", and occasionally as "the Special Boat Section of His/Her Majesty's Royal Marines".

Referring to them as "the Specials" is generally not a good idea - it gives the impression that the speaker/writer has mistaken them for the mob from Hereford.

Mythbusters

Don't know if anyone has seen the latest Mythbusters (5x18 broardcast 5th Sept).

In it, Jamie builds a hand-held (well strapped to arm) winch to pull himself up a rope Batman style. It was so much smaller than this thing and he only spent a few days building it! He used a 30,000 rpm motor geared down to 750rpm and he had torque to spare.

Obesity in the SBS

Why don't we give our troops more stuff to stop them having to be fit? Then they'd be just like the US troops: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-07-03-heavy-troops_x.htm

I speak of course as a paradigm of health and vigour, and not at all an IT desk jockey on his third Krispy Kreme of the day. After all, since when has hypocrisy ever stopped people posting their comments on El Reg?

@anonymous@Brasche

Friend,

while I may (or may not) disagree with Mr. Brasche's comments he - at least - had the courage to put a name to them. He also articulated his argument in clear language and refrained from referencing body parts as an insult or impuning anyone's intelligence.

Unlike yourself.

@Mythbusters

Jamie's device was indeed ingenious, but hardly fit for field use. It was a lashup design, and not even remotely soldier-, environment-, or combat-resistant. In addition, your average soldier isn't just carrying himself, but also a lot of gear besides. Not that Jamie didn't have a good idea, just that comparing his lashup to a combat-ready rig is rather missing the point.