Defilade

According to this, Colonel Schoutter may be giving his students a poor representation of the meaning of the word "defilade." Basically, though, the concept that he's given us is one of launching a round vertically so that it can come down behind a fortification, instead of hitting it head on and being wasted. It's an artillery term.

The Sci Fi Channel's original production of Frank Herbert's "Dune" is on the telly right now. I finally read the entire book last Summer, and I have to say that I was sorely disappointed by it. The first half, maybe even the first two thirds, of the book are absolutely excellent, and had so much raw potential. The last third of the book was an absolute travesty, and in the end it didn't live up to the hype I'd been hearing for years and years.

Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" was fantastic, though. I'd recommend it to anyone. Beyond being an exciting story, it's got a lot of great military and political philosophy in there for the taking. It's really worth reading.