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Attack at Pearl Harbor a Bold, Desperate Gamble

December 7th, 2007 by iDunzo

December 7, 1941: Air raid, Pearl Harbor. The Japanese, concluding that war with the United States is inevitable, attempt to knock out the U.S. Pacific fleet based in the Hawaiian Islands at Pearl Harbor.

Japan knew it could not defeat the Americans in a conventional war, lacking as it did sufficient manpower and raw materials (notably oil) for such a sustained effort.

By destroying the U.S. fleet all at once as war began, the Japanese were gambling that they would be able to complete their Asian conquests before the Americans could recover.

A successful raid, the Japanese believed, would delay America’s entry into the war by months, if not years. Faced with the reality of an unassailable Pacific empire, the Americans might then choose negotiation over fighting.

Minoru Genda, one of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s most innovative officers, was the primary architect of the Pearl Harbor raid. Success, he knew, could only be achieved through total surprise.

Relying on carrier-based dive bombers, fighters and torpedo planes, his targets included not only the ships anchored at Pearl but the nearby airfields and oil storage facilities.

Observing strict radio silence, the Japanese task force put to sea November 26 and steamed undetected to within striking distance of the Hawaiian Islands.

The first wave of attackers left their carriers upon receipt of the signal “Climb Mount Niitake” and were guided in by picking up the signals from a Honolulu radio station.

Early on a Sunday morning, Pearl Harbor was not exactly on combat alert even though the Americans knew — from having broken the Japanese codes — that an attack somewhere was imminent.

They never dreamed an attack would come this far east, however. When a couple of radar operators working a test problem near Pearl reported a huge blip headed their way, they were essentially told to forget about it.

The attack unfolded almost exactly as Genda had drawn it up and might have succeeded strategically, too, if the American aircraft carriers had been in port on December 7.

As it was, the three carriers were at sea that day and escaped unscathed, a fact that would come back to haunt the Japanese seven months later at Midway.

The raid must be considered only a partial tactical success as well. Surprise was achieved, and the American fleet took a beating, particularly the battleships. The major airfields were put out of action, and most of the planes were destroyed on the ground.

However, the Japanese failed to get the carriers — which would prove to be the decisive weapon of the Pacific war — and also committed a major blunder by failing to destroy the oil reserves on Oahu, reserves that would have taken months to replenish from mainland refineries.

A third wave was to have attacked these tank farms, along with U.S. Navy machine shops, stores and administrative centers.

The commander of the Japanese task force, Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, canceled the third wave and withdrew, fearing that his own ships were vulnerable to an American counterattack.

Posted in Memories + Trivia | Comments Off on Attack at Pearl Harbor a Bold, Desperate Gamble

Apple: Making Of Think Different

November 26th, 2007 by iDunzo

Think Different was an advertising slogan created by the New York branch office of advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day for Apple Computer during the late 1990s.

It was used in a famous television commercial and several print advertisements. The slogan was used at the end of several product commercials, until the advent of Apple’s Switch ad campaign.

Apple currently does not use the slogan, and their commercials usually end with a silhouetted Apple logo and sometimes a pertinent website address.

Posted in Apple + Memories + Technology + Videos | 1 Comment »

Google Thanksgiving 2007

November 22nd, 2007 by iDunzo

As with most festive times of the year, Google has put up a tasty logo just in time for Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving Day in America is a time to offer thanks, of family gatherings and holiday meals. A time of turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. A time for Indian corn, holiday parades and giant balloons.

My mom loves the parades and balloons. As for me, it’s all about the turkey and pumpkin pie and of course spending time with friends and loved ones.

Once again, if you celebrate Thanksgiving, have a wonderful day.

Posted in Google + Memories + Search + Technology | 1 Comment »

Google and I remember Veterans Day 2007

November 11th, 2007 by iDunzo

Here in America it’s Veterans Day, the day we celebrate the tens of millions of people who gave their sweat and blood, and sometimes their lives to serve our country.

I’m a proud U.S. Marines Veteran and did my duty in active duty during Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. Today means a lot to me, my friends and family.

A little trivia, Desert Shield and Desert Storm Operations were the largest U.S. deployment of naval forces since World War II.

Today Google shows respect with a colorful home page logo:

You can read the complete History of Veterans Day on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs site.

On this Veterans Day 2007, we come together as a Nation to thank our veterans (the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard) for their service and to let them know that their service and sacrifices will never be taken for granted.

Posted in Geekipedia + Google + Memories + Technology | 1 Comment »