03Nov06

Too much information?

In Western Civilization, one of our cultural mantras is, "The more information, the better." We steadfastly believe that more inform ation is always better than less, and that all information, no matter how banal, is importa nt. That philosophy has surely penetrated the Pentagon. We know this is true, because the Army wants, among other dubious "features," an electronic "round counter" to be integral with the next generation of infantry rifles . Presumably, this will take the form of an LED display somewhere on the rifl e that will let the shooter know how many rounds remain in his current magazine.

However, effective fighters are successful, not just because they have lots

of information, but because they are able to identify, separate out, and concentrate on the few pieces of really important information, while brushin g aside the rest. They thus move smoothly through the fight, unfailingly set ting the agenda, and always thinking ahead of, and thus outmaneuvering, their opponent(s).

Among fighters, believing that all information is of equal value is a fatal

error. In fact, when fighting, most information is of no value at all, and

much of it is of negative value. Being able to quickly separate the significant from the insignificant is an art, and true fighting is more art than science!

Filling young fighters' heads with all manner of chaffy information while the fight is still in progress is counterproductive, indeed delay-inducing.

While fighting, one can manage only so much, and only the few most important things need concern the fighter. The rest can be considered "clutter," and t he less of it vying for his attention, the better.

The Air Force discovered this when fighter pilots complained that their heads-up displays contained way too much information, most of it of such sca nt concern during actual fighting, it could be considered trivial. During a fig ht, pilots need to know only a few things, and non-critical trivia need not be constantly flashing in front of them, competing for their attention!

I hope the Army is not trying to turn infantry rifles into "miniature fligh t decks!"

/John

03Nov06

"Challenge by Choice," from a friend and instructor in SA:

"Our ultimate goal for our students is, of course, Unconscious, Comp etence, where no witting thought must be expended in order to figure out the next action. The master simply performs, with smooth, seamless coordination, doin g what needs to be done at the exact, right moment, whilst assimilating input in order to seamlessly flow into the next required action.

To the uninitiated, it will seem that this process is destined to take quit e some time. However, I have personally witnessed students, within two days,

achieving a surprising level of competence, and I honestly believe the only

reason these students can perform to this level in such a short period of t ime is the fact that they earnestly, yes, even selfishly, lust after this capability and desperately want it for themselves. This viewpoint has now ju st been confirmed for me.

I ran a course for a group who had each been designated an 'instruct or' by their local departments. Everyone passed at the legislated minimum competency level (any chimpanzee could do this!), but many were unable to do much better. This same group returned to the range today in order to have anothe r go at qualifying. It's been only a week, but the instant shooting sta rted, it became excruciatingly clear that much of what had been taught, had already been lost. Stances, grips, and trigger manipulation had all badly deteriorated.

The bright spot was that those few who showed a genuine, personal interest and a strong will to learn (the same ones who arrived early to help with ra nge set-up and who stayed late to help with clean-up) had retained much more of

what had been taught than had the average student.

Students who come to us because they want to will always vastly outperform those who come because they have to. They comprise the priesthood where th is priceless body of knowledge resides and flourishes. This is why a uniform is no guarantee of personal competence.

In the coming, world conflagration, once technology has been blown to bits,

and all the machines have died, it may well be the committed, civilian shooting community that determines the next course of world history!=80

Comment: Goethe puts it: "Until one is personally invested, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all

initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of whi ch kills countless grand ideas and splendid plans:

THE MOMENT ONE IRREVERSIBLY COMMITS HIMSELF, PROVIDENCE TURNS!

Helpful things come to pass, that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all

manner of incidents, meetings, and material assistance, which no one could h ave dreamed would have come his way.

Whatever you do, or dare, begin it. IN AUDACITY THERE IS GENIUS, POWER, AN D MAGIC. Begin now!"

/John

03Nov06

Excellent comments on electronic, rifle round counters, from a friend in th e System:

"The intent here has little to do with a soldier's need for informa tion. It is a matter of 'round accountability' and the individual so ldier's responsibility for every bullet expended. It has nothing to with the welfar e of the soldier, and everything to do with efficiently manufacturing scapegoats and

assigning blame. The real effect is to provide erstwhile unemployed bean-counters with yet something else to count!

A more pernicious result is to make young soldiers leery of ever using thei r weapons, because of the extreme likelihood of them being thrown to the wolves during inevitable post-shooting recriminations.

In short, the Army isn't trying to turn infantry rifles into 'miniat ure flight-decks,' but rather into 'miniature flight-recorders ' for the benefit, and entertainment, of post-combat, armchair analysts!"

Comment: Ogden Nash:

"Justice has been rerouted From present to future tense; The law is so in love with the law It's forgotten common sense!"

/John