SIGNALScape

An experimental solid-state laser successfully passed a series of repeated test firings. Developed by the Boeing Company, the thin-disk laser is part of the company's effort to develop a weapons-capable solid-state laser as a tactical weapon. Relying on electricity rather than volatile chemicals for power, the weapon achieved power levels of more than 25 kilowatts in several-second durations. Company officials note that the successful tests demonstrate the laser's potential to scale up to 100 kilowatts, the U.S. Defense Department's threshold for a tactical energy weapon.

SIGNAL continues its webinar series on July 16, 2008, 12 noon ET, with Securing a Highly Available Infrastructure. The webinar will feature William F. Clark, VP, Technical Sales and Public Sector CTO, CA, Inc., discussing how you build and operate a secure, federated, authenticated, connected world and still have a life? DoD IT organizations face an increasingly complex set of challenges around information sharing, security, SLAs, industry standards and mandates.

This Webinar will address two important and intertwined concepts:

1. Enabling secure access to critical applications, information, and services across disparate enterprises.
2. Providing a solid foundation for reliable federation and information exchange.

You'll hear about best practices and real-world examples from a federation expert and IT specialist who has 30 years of experience across multiple government and business sectors.

For more information and to register, click here.

From June's SIGNAL Today, some interesting quotes from the June issue of SIGNAL Magazine.

"Going through one wall is not that bad, but a building is basically an RF hall of mirrors. You've got signals bouncing all over the place." - Dr. Edward J. Baranoski, Visibuilding program manager,
in Sensor Technology Opens New Horizons

"The Web is worse than the wild, wild West in terms of what's out there. At the rate things are going, we may lose the ability to have a networked world unless we develop tools for much better security."- Dave Bishop, chief technology officer and chief operating officer of LGS Innovations, in Innovators Imagine Communications Far Down the Road

"We truly see different types of attacks when we're doing our research. Sometimes we're really impressed with the sophistication that just indicates the talent on the other side."- Yuval Ben-Itzak, chief technology officer, Finjan Incorporated, in Web 2 the Danger Zone

Also from SIGNAL Today this month, our featured image of the month:

U.S. Marine Maj. John Naylor, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Joe Dibenepetto and U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Mark Cain work on sending data links of radar information to U.S. aircraft at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

CharityWorks, an organization in the Washington, D.C., area that fundraises for nonprofits, has partnered with Fisher House to raise money for the construction of the new Fisher House at the Washington, D.C., Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The house will have 16,000 square feet and 21 guest suites. The goal is to raise $2 million by the end of September. The selection of Fisher House as this year's charity marks the first time a partner was unanimously selected by the advisory board and membership of CharityWorks. The main fundraising event will be the CharityWorks Dream Ball on September 27 at the National Building Museum. Other funds come from personal and corporate donations. CharityWorks keeps administrative costs to a minimum, and 100 percent of all online donations go to the partner nonprofit. Computer Sciences Corporation is the host sponsor this year, and the chief executive officer of ManTech International and his wife are leading the fundraising campaign. Both organizations have made major contributions, have launched employee giving campaigns and are reaching out to industry peers. Other Honor Guard donors (those who pledge more than $100,000) include BAE Systems, Bearing Point, L-3 Communications, Fisher Brothers, Freddie Mac and Freddie Mac Foundation. CharityWorks also is hosting an invitation-only Housewarming Party for the new Fisher House at the Fisher Houses at Bethesda Naval Station Hospital in an effort to gather items needed for inside the facility. In addition, CharityWorks will have Booth 631 at the AFCEA Joint Warfighting Conference to raise awareness of the campaign for Fisher House and to invite participants to learn more about how they can support the effort.