IM Goes To War

My sister lives in Texas, and I live just outside of Tokyo. In the rare times when our waking hours and time zones line up we can enjoy a chat using instant messaging (IM). We talk about the weather, Mom's medical status and attitude, how she is doing with her quilts, my dogs, .... In many ways it reminds me of twenty plus years ago when Citizens Band radio was all the rage.

Now it turns out that IM has turned into a real weapon for our military. Real time, truely 'instant' messages are enabling the Navy and other services to communicate at a level that no one ever imagined. Not only can they communicate, and coordinate with other US forces, but the Canadian, UK, Australian, and Germans are in the act as well.

Navy Floats IM with Allies
- posted by tempusmaster @ 5:22 PM