Seizure
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TikTok will add a flashing imagery filter to address epilepsy concerns
The move has been praised by epilepsy advocates.
Smart arm bracelet warns of nighttime epileptic seizures
Nighttime epileptic seizures can be genuinely dangerous. If you have therapy-resistant epilepsy or a mental condition, you may have a one-in-five chance of dying from them. Thankfully, researchers at TUe may have a viable way of detecting and responding to those seizures in time to save lives. They've developed a smart arm bracelet, Nightwatch, that both detects signs of severe seizures and contacts care staff. It combines both a heart rate sensor and a motion sensor to look for both an unusually high heart rate as well as the rhythmic jolting characteristic of a seizure.
iCloud led authorities to journalist's Twitter attacker
The man who triggered Newsweek journalist Kurt Eichenwald's epileptic seizure through Twitter used a prepaid phone with no identifying info. But a little digging revealed that the Tracfone prepaid SIM card he used was once connected to an iCloud account, which ultimately led to his arrest. According to the newly surfaced documents The Verge shared, authorities started by sending a court order to Twitter to ask for the details behind the @jew_goldstein account. If you'll recall, that user sent Eichenwald a "weaponized tweet" containing a strobing image with the words "You deserve a seizure for your posts." The recipient often talks about his condition, so the sender likely knows that the journalist is epileptic.
Twitter is helping to find a user who sent a seizure-inducing tweet
Lest we forget how horrible people can be, news broke last week that a Twitter user sent an auto-playing, seizure-inducing animation to Vanity Fair editor Kurt Eichenwald, who is epileptic. He saw the video and promptly had a seizure -- and then promptly vowed to track down the Twitter user who sent the animation and have them prosecuted for assault. Now, a court order released by Eichenwald reveals that Twitter will cooperate with his civil lawsuit and turn over all user data they have on the offender.
L.A. school district halts iPad contract as FBI seizes documents
The L.A. School District's plan to equip all students with $500 million worth of iPads and software has officially ended in a cloud of suspicion, according to the LA Times. Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines said it would terminate the original contract following a raid on district offices by the FBI, which seized 20 boxes of documents related to the matter. The project -- which originally used Apple's tablets and Pearson educational software exclusively -- quickly unraveled after ties between then-superintendent John Deasy, Pearson and Apple executives were revealed. The program also suffered from technical problems, as students easily found workarounds to the built-in security and hacked the iPads to play games and use social networks.
Cops using controversial database to identify search and seizure targets
The Washington Post has reported that a network called "Black Asphalt" is used by police officers as a (possibly illegal) aid in seizing drugs and cash during roadside stops. The site was created by a counterterrorism firm called Desert Snow, and has been tapped by as many as 25,000 police officers, DEA officials, customs agents and others to share information. Some of that data includes reports about US drivers never charged with a crime, including personal data like Social Security numbers. It is also frequently used to share "Be On the Lookout" or BOLO reports, which often target drivers based only on a cop's hunch. Officers using the site and various Desert Snow training methods reportedly seized $427 million in five years, drastically increasing the take in the Justice Department's contentious "asset forfeiture" fund.
FBI seizes black market website Silk Road, arrests its founder
Light just reached one of the darker corners of the web: the FBI has seized Silk Road, a site infamous for hosting anonymized, Bitcoin-based drug and gun sales. The move follows a sting operation that also led to the arrest of site founder Ross Ulbricht (aka Dread Pirate Roberts) for alleged hacking, money laundering and narcotics trafficking. While the seizure isn't likely to stop online contraband purchases, it's potentially a big blow. At current Bitcoin values, Silk Road generated $1.2 billion in revenue from just two years of operation -- the kind of cash that we'd expect from a large, legitimate e-commerce venture. The FBI's move also demonstrates that anonymizing technology like Tor won't always keep law enforcement at bay.
Hands-on with Smart Monitor's SmartWatch, the seizure sensing wristwatch
Millions of people suffer from epileptic seizures, and the threat of such episodes is a constant concern for those with the condition, their families and caretakers. Smart Monitor knows that the freedom of folks with epilepsy is curtailed by trepidation caused by the unpredictability of seizures, so it's created the SmartWatch. The device is a wristwatch, roughly the size of a WIMM One, that has a GPS module and a proprietary accelerometer/gyroscopic sensor inside to detect the excessive and repeated motions that occur during grand mal seizures. It then records the time, duration and location of the occurrences and sends that information via Bluetooth to the accompanying app on your Android smartphone (an iOS version is in the works). The app tracks and stores the info and automatically calls your designated caretakers to alert them of the seizure, thusly ensuring the safety of the watch wearer. The watch also has physical buttons on the side that allow users to cancel a false alert or manually send one out with a single press.Aside from the real-time safety net that comes with wearing the watch, it also provides valuable information to neurologists over the long term. When and where seizures take place is data that those who study and treat epilepsy find useful, and it can be quite difficult for folks to recall such info after a seizure. SmartWatch can give doctors an accurate long term look at a patient's episodic history that they wouldn't be able to obtain otherwise. Because it's a motion detection unit, the device is only for those who suffer from tonic clonic, or grand mal seizures, so it's not a universal seizure detector. However, the company's clinical trials with the device are ongoing, and Smart Monitor will submit it for FDA approval as a tonic clonic seizure sensor later this year.
Reports: Authorities removing iPads from stores in China, following trademark ruling
Government authorities and retailers have reportedly begun removing iPads from stores in China this morning, in apparent response to a ruling issued in December. According to China's Hebei Youth Daily, local representatives of the country's Administrations of Industry and Commerce (AIC) have started confiscating Apple's tablet from retail outlets, with some merchants voluntarily removing the device from their storefronts as a preemptive measure. The scope of this operation remains unclear, though China.com reports that as of 5:00 PM yesterday, authorities had seized some 45 iPad 2s. Retailers who voluntarily removed their iPads apparently did so to protect their stocks from confiscation, and are reportedly continuing to sell the tablet behind the counter. These reports come nearly two months after Apple lost a trademark lawsuit against Proview Technology, which successfully defended its ownership of the iPad name within China. We're still waiting to see whether this is part of a larger nationwide campaign and Apple has yet to comment, but we'll update this post as soon as we hear more. Update: China's iFeng is now reporting that these seizures took place in the city of Shijiazhuang, as part of what appears to be an isolated campaign. Update 2: Looks like the iPad is no longer on sale at Amazon China.
Federal domain seizure raises new concerns over online censorship
It's been a little more than a year since the US government began seizing domains of music blogs, torrent meta-trackers and sports streaming sites. The copyright infringement investigation, led by US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities, quickly raised eyebrows among many free speech and civil rights advocates, fueling a handful of legal challenges. Few are more compelling, or frightening than a case involving Dajaz1.com. As TechDirt reports, the popular hip-hop blog has been at the epicenter of a sinuous and seemingly dystopian dispute with the feds -- one that underscores the heightening controversy surrounding federal web regulation, and blurs the constitutional divide between free speech and intellectual property protection. Dajaz1 was initially seized under the 2008 Pro IP Act, on the strength of an affidavit that cited several published songs as evidence of copyright infringement. As it turns out, ,any of these songs were actually provided by their copyright holders themselves, but that didn't stop the government from seizing the URL anyway, and plastering a warning all over its homepage. Typically, this kind of action would be the first phase of a two-step process. Once a property is seized, US law dictates that the government has 60 days to notify its owner, who can then choose to file a request for its return. If the suspect chooses to file this request within a 35-day window, the feds must then undertake a so-called forfeiture process within 90 days. Failure to do so would require the government to return the property to its rightful owner. But that's not exactly how things played out in the case of Dajaz1. For more details on the saga, head past the break.
Texas judge says warrantless cellphone tracking violates Fourth Amendment, saga continues
Rev up the bureaucratic turbines, because a judge in Texas has determined that warrantless cellphone tracking is indeed unconstitutional. In a brief decision issued earlier this month, US District Judge Lynn N. Hughes of the Southern District of Texas argued that seizing cellphone records without a search warrant constitutes a violation of the Fourth Amendment. "The records would show the date, time, called number, and location of the telephone when the call was made," Judge Hughes wrote in the ruling, linked below. "These data are constitutionally protected from this intrusion." The decision comes in response to an earlier ruling issued last year by Magistrate Judge Stephen Smith, also of the Southern District of Texas. In that case, Judge Smith argued against unwarranted wiretapping on similarly constitutional grounds, pointing out that with today's tracking technology, every aspect of a suspect's life could be "imperceptibly captured, compiled, and retrieved from a digital dossier somewhere in a computer cloud." The federal government appealed Judge Smith's ruling on the grounds that the Fourth Amendment would not apply to cellphone tracking, because "a customer has no privacy interest in business records held by a cell phone provider, as they are not the customer's private papers." Judge Hughes' decision, however, effectively overrules this appeal. "When the government requests records from cellular services, data disclosing the location of the telephone at the time of particular calls may be acquired only by a warrant issued on probable cause," Judge Hughes wrote. "The standard under [today's law] is below that required by the Constitution." The law in question, of course, is the Stored Communications Act -- a law bundled under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, which allows investigators to obtain electronic records without a warrant. This month's decision implicitly calls for this law to be reconsidered or revised, though it's certainly not the only ruling to challenge it, and it likely won't be the last, either.
Apple cracks down on counterfeit products sold in NYC, files lawsuit against Queens vendors
There may be more than a few fake Apple Stores in China, but for the moment, Cupertino's anti-KIRF crusade seems focused squarely on New York City. According to Reuters, Apple has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against two stores in Queens, alleging that they sold unauthorized cases, headphones and other accessories for the iPhone, iPad and iPod. In the complaint, the company claims that the products in question were all emblazoned with its familiar fruit logo, along with the phrase, "Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China." The suit also demands that one of the stores, called Apple Story (seriously), change its name to avoid confusion with the real retail outlet and that both vendors disclose full lists of people who both supplied and purchased the goods. It all began when company representatives visited the Chinatown-area stores on "multiple occasions over several weeks," where they bought and examined the items, described in court records as "exact duplicates" of their authentic counterparts. On July 27th, Apple executed a few ex parte seizure warrants, which allowed authorities to seize any goods bearing its logo. US District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto has already granted an injunction to stop the stores from selling the alleged knockoffs, but hasn't yet decided whether Apple Story will have to change its name. The complaint also seeks undisclosed monetary damages and asks that all existing counterfeit goods be destroyed, though court documents suggest that both sides are close to reaching a deal. Neither Apple nor the defendants have commented on the accusations, but we'll let you know as soon as we learn more. In the meantime, check out this KIRF "iPhone 5" we found in Beijing -- a Java-powered handset that's slimmer than the Galaxy S II and a bit laggy, but boasts a multitouch capacitive screen. Asking price? ¥680, or about $106. %Gallery-131124%
Rumor: 'Seizure' caught on tape for Assassin's Creed: Revelations [update]
A lot of disturbing videos slither their way onto the Internet, and many can linger unnoticed in the bowels of YouTube for years -- but not this one. Hosted on Kazakh sharing site Kiwi, this video is not only gruesome, it's mysterious. Here's what we know: It's titled "Assassins creed revelations Seizure - Ubisoft." It is described by the uploader as "an internal project we did here at Ubisoft Cinematics. I animated the character on the table. No mocap whatsoever." It features a serene doctor performing barbaric head surgery on a living dead man, all in the name of "memory binding." It is absolutely gorgeous. You can watch it right here. We don't know what this is, but we have some theories. For one, the Animus had to start somewhere, and Subject 1 may as well have been a schizophrenic guy with a broken back. For two, we don't think this is part of any actual Assassin's Creed game -- but it could be a supplemental short film, perhaps part of the Assassin's Creed: Embers short. Or, of course, it could be a really clever fan work. We're running our ideas by Ubisoft for clarification, or perhaps an impromptu, company-wide lobotomy. Update: The audio and visual inspiration is most definitely ripped straight from Jacob's Ladder, meaning this piece probably wasn't made for public release. Even if it is only an internal animation test, this baby deserves to be in the public eye (and frontal lobes).
Court rules in Sony's favor against LG, PlayStation 3 free to enter Europe again
Well, it looks like there won't be a widespread PlayStation 3 shortage in Europe anytime soon -- the Hague's civil court of justice has just ruled in Sony's favor in its dispute with LG, and ordered that the 300,000 PS3s currently seized by customs be released to Sony for distribution across the continent. LG has also reportedly been ordered to pay €130,000 in legal fees -- and if it doesn't comply, it will face a fine of €200,000 per day until it does. That doesn't mean that the tussle between the two companies is over, however, as this ruling doesn't have anything to do with the patents at the heart of the dispute. [Thanks, Manit]
Fake iPhones seized from LA warehouse
Police in the port of Los Angeles have seized what they say is over $10 million worth of counterfeit Apple devices from a warehouse. The fake iPods, iPhones and iPod touches were reportedly brought in from Asia recently, and they were supposedly going to be sold around CES this past year, duping customers into thinking they were buying real Apple products for cheap. Not that cheap, though -- the cops also reportedly found receipts in the warehouse, along with other stolen and counterfeit merchandise, that pointed to the whole facility bringing in around $7 million in profit. Two brothers have been arrested, and the two of them face a total of four felony counts for the sale of counterfeit goods. The seizure was the result of an ongoing stolen cargo investigation that had the Port Police looking around warehouses in Los Angeles and Vernon, CA late last year.
UCLA / Caltech researchers help patients move mouse cursors with their brains
It's certainly not a revolutionary new concept -- whiz kids have been tinkering with brain-controlled interfaces for years on end -- but a collaboration between UCLA scientists and colleagues from the California Institute of Technology has taken the idea one leap closer to commercialization. Itzhak Fried, a professor of neurosurgery at UCLA, kept a close watch (via embedded electrodes) on how a dozen humans reacted to certain images, and eventually, Fried and co. were able to show that Earthlings can "regulate the activity of their neurons to intentionally alter the outcome of stimulation." In other words, they were able to move a mouse cursor with just their mind, and brighten a test image with a 70 percent success rate. By honing the process of controlling what actions occur when focused on a given subject (or input peripheral), it opens up the possibility for paralyzed individuals to not only check their email, but also control prosthetic limbs. It's hard to say when this stuff will be put to good use outside of a hospital, but the video after the break definitely makes us long for "sooner" rather than "later."
Mother's campaign to bring video game seizure concerns to British Parliament a success
By now, you've probably noticed the seizure warnings interjected into the start-up screens of many games, giving the .02 percent of the population that suffers from photosensitive epilepsy (PSE) a heads-up that the following game may not be entirely safe for them to play. However, Gaye Herford, a mother residing in England, has brought her concerns over game-related seizures to British Parliament after her 10-year-old son suffered a seizure following a round of Rayman: Raving Rabbids on the Nintendo DS.Parliament has agreed to debate whether or not rigorous testing for seizure-inducing material in video games should be required by their developers on a heretofore undecided date. Television and films are already tested in this manner, but no countries require similar checks for games. Ubisoft has independently agreed to begin performing these tests on all their future titles, though we find it difficult to imagine how one makes a mini-game compilation featuring hyperactive, mutant rabbits without using some PSE-sensitive material.
Mom wins her fight in Rayman Raving Rabbids epilepsy ordeal
Over the last year, UK mom ("mum" is the word over there, we believe) Gaye Herford has been fighting to change the way games are tested before they are sent to retail. Her 10-year-old son, while playing Rayman Raving Rabbids, went into an epileptic fit. She had no idea that games could send players into photo sensitive epileptic (PSE) seizures. We guess she hasn't seen the intro splash screen Nintendo has had around since the Pokémon incident.But, after a long year, she has won her battle. Ubisoft has volunteered to do the testing itself and will try to ensure such a thing does not happen again. Herford also managed to secure a debate in Parliament, for a future date that is yet to be determined. "As a parent myself, I was shocked that a single game could possibly trigger a sudden first-time seizure, with its life-long implications," says Weston-super-Mare MP John Penrose, who helped Herford in her battle. "Right now, most electronic game publishers simply issue written warnings about PSE on or inside their products - and that's on a voluntary basis. But that's no good for the thousands of people with dormant PSE because they don't know the warnings - if they even read them - apply to them." At the time of the article, no comment was made by Nintendo. Ubisoft did say, though, that testing of Rayman: Raving Rabbids on the DS "showed that no images posed a high risk for photosensitivity epilepsy. However, we made a corporate decision to pre-screen and pre-test all Ubisoft in-house developed games regardless of platform, prior to publication."
Seizure brought on by DS game leads to banning crusade
After a boy in the UK fell into an epileptic fit from playing Rayman Raving Rabbids on the DS, his mother, Gaye Herford, protested to Parliament that there should be more vigorous safety testing for video games. Should her campaign be successful, any games that could potentially cause seizures will be banned in the UK and game developers will have to adhere to stricter safety standards. Currently, thirty-five Members of Parliament stand behind the proposal. Ubisoft (the makers of Rabbids) responded by saying that the company already pre-screened Rabbids DS for the potential to cause epileptic fits, and the testing showed that the game was unlikely to do so. Managing director of Ubisoft UK Robert Cooper added, however, that the company has made the decision to now test all in-house games prior to release. [Via Pocket Gamer]
MIT using disco-style lighting to calm erratic brain activity
MIT's brainiacs aren't exactly new to the world of partying, and now scientists at the MIT Media Lab have invented a way to "reversibly silence brain cells using pulses of yellow light." The presumably rave-inspired pulsing design offers up the prospect of "controlling the haywire neuron activity that occurs in diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease," which could theoretically lead to the creation of "optical brain prosthetics to control neurons, eliminating the need for irreversible surgery." Aside from being thrilled that this stuff could help us avoid dodgy robot-led surgeries, it could also help gamers who tend to suffer from epileptic fits when dealing with those head-mounted displays. Additionally, the team is also looking at utilizing the new system to more effectively study neural circuits, but considering that this technology has the ability to "exert exquisite control" over individual neurons within you dome, we certainly hope Big Brother doesn't get ahold of this.[Via Slashdot]
