“Ever step on ants and never give it another thought? That’s what you are made to think of the targets –- as just black blobs on a screen. You start to do these psychological gymnastics to make it easier to do what you have to do –- they deserved it, they chose their side. You had to kill part of your conscience to keep doing your job every day -– and ignore those voices telling you this wasn’t right.” Four U.S. Air Force whistleblowers are describing their experiences in the military drone program and calling on the administration to reconsider some policies that they say ultimately serve as recruitment tools for terrorists.

+ Drones are just the beginning of tech’s battlefield invasion. In the past, many technologies were innovated by the military before being released for commercial and consumer use. But times have changed. That’s why Department of Defense head Ashton Carter is spending a lot of time in Silicon Valley, where he’s making it clear to technologists that Uncle Sam really wants you (even with your coder attire and lifestyle). From Wired’s excellent Jessi Hempel: Ashton Carter Enlists Silicon Valley to Transform the Military.