Soob

I was drifting through technorati procrastinating as I do and I came across this post by rangeragainstwar on the topic of mobile phones in warfare. I'm assuming it is a response to this excellent blog post by Kip of Abu Muqawama. Rangeragainstwar generally makes some good points about the over reliance on technology in war. This is a conclusion I wholeheartedly agree with. However, to say that mobile phones are just another tool amongst terrorists or insurgents toolbox underestimates the power of the tool. Convergence has changed mobile phones from just a tool of communication into something very powerful indeed. With a mobile phone and Internet access a person has the world's information at their fingertips. With a mobile phone and video/imagery capture I can capture and send real time information over the battlespace in seconds. With a mobile phone I have GPS and mapping software that allows me to see where others are, or what is up ahead. All these convergent ideas within one tool that can fit in my pocket.