Video: Drug raid turns into 9 hour Wii bowl-a-thon
by Thomas Ricker 
posted Sep 23rd 2009 at 9:03AM
[Thanks, Maurice]
surveillance posts
[Thanks, Maurice]
England puts CCTVs in the homes of lousy parents
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 4th 2009 at 6:52PM
We love England, especially the way they use all these adorable names for things: "lorry," for truck, or "loo" for bathroom, or "sin bin" for an Orwellian program whereby "problem families" (currently numbering 2,000, but someday as many as 20,000) are placed under 24/7 CCTV surveillance in their own homes. Chris Grayling, something called the "Shadow Home Secretary," puts it thusly: "This Government has been in power for more than a decade during which time anti-social behavior, family breakdown and problems like alcohol abuse and truancy have just got worse and worse." Meaning, of course, that cameras must be moved from the streets of England into people's homes, where they'll be used to make sure that kids go to school, go to bed at a decent hour, and eat proper meals. If only they'd had programs like this when we were kids -- maybe things would have turned out differently.
All Weather Cellular Camera is an all weather cellular camera
by Donald Melanson posted Jul 27th 2009 at 9:06PM
Looking to bolster your home surveillance setup with something sure to survive power outages, harsh weather conditions and / or zombie invasions? Then you may want to accept no less than this new All Weather Cellular Camera now available from Brickhouse Security, which promises to provide just about everything you'd expect from a surveillance system in an entirely self-contained unit. That includes a PIR body heat-activated nightvision camera (just 1.3-megapixels, but you can't be too picky in these cases), 50 infrared flash bulbs, a built-in tactical laser to ensure it's pointing at just the right spot, a CompactFlash card slot to store images in case the cellular network goes down, and a 6V battery that promises to last for four to six weeks (which can be doubled with an optional second battery), to name but a few features. Naturally, none of that comes cheap and, at $599, you may want to consider a second camera to keep an eye on the first.
Etisalat BlackBerry update was indeed spyware, RIM provides a solution
by Darren Murph posted Jul 21st 2009 at 9:41AM
"Etisalat appears to have distributed a telecommunications surveillance application... independent sources have concluded that it is possible that the installed software could then enable unauthorized access to private or confidential information stored on the user's smartphone. Independent sources have concluded that the Etisalat update is not designed to improve performance of your BlackBerry Handheld, but rather to send received messages back to a central server."
Like we said, yikes. The zaniest part is that Etisalat isn't backing down, still assuring the world that the upgrades were "required for service enhancements." At any rate, RIM has made remarkably clear that the update wasn't one authorized by the company, and it's even providing an app remover for those who'd prefer their BlackBerry to be in working order and, you know, not forwarding all their email to some dude in an Etisalat supply closet. Good on you, RIM. Bad on you, Etisalat.
[Thanks, Gerald]
Read - Confirmation of spyware
Read - RIM app remover
BlackBerry update in UAE reportedly surveillance software in disguise
by Donald Melanson posted Jul 14th 2009 at 4:59PM
There's not much in the way of official statements on this one just yet, but itp.net is reporting that a recently pushed out update for all BlackBerry users on the UAE-based carrier Etisalat is not a "performance enhancement patch" as advertised, but rather some spyware that could potentially give Etisalat the ability to keep an eye on its customers' messages. The first suspicions about the update apparently arose when users noticed dramatically reduced battery life and slower than usual performance from their phones, which led to a bit of detective work from programmer Nigel Gourlay, who pegged the software down as coming from electronic surveillance company SS8. While it's not switched on by default, the software can reportedly let Etisalat flip the switch on phones one by one and monitor their emails and text messages -- or it could if it hadn't completely bogged down the network. Apparently, the software wasn't designed for such a large scale deployment, which resulted in the slowdown and battery drain as some 100,000 BlackBerrys constantly tried and failed to sign in to the one registration server for the software.
[Via The Register]
[Via The Register]
NC State gurus build remote control bats, freak out Dukies and Tar Holes
by Darren Murph posted Jul 7th 2009 at 9:27AM
DSS surveillance tech from Japan makes George Orwell upset
by Vladislav Savov posted Jul 5th 2009 at 1:31AM
Researchers use Bluetooth to track festival goers, make fun of their 'hippie dancing'
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 4th 2009 at 4:04AM
A team from the University of Ghent in Belgium is lacing the site of this year's Rock Werchter festival -- Brussel's equivalent of Woodstock '97 -- with Bluetooth scanners (36 total, they cover a range of 30 meters each). While you're rocking out to the likes of Bloc Party and Mastodon, the researchers will be tracking your every movement, whether it be to the mosh pit, the beer tent, or the Job Johnny. As you've probably assumed, the researchers are primarily looking for ways that retailers can monitor customer flow (read: sell you more crap) although there are certainly going to be results applicable to the world of law enforcement. Of course, this is Bluetooth: you always have the option of disabling it on your phone, and if you don't they'll only be able to discern your MAC address. Besides, if you're not doing anything illegal, you have nothing to fear from the surveillance state -- right? And if you are up to no good, well, that's why they invented the Dazer Lazer.
DARPA, Air Force develop hydrogen-powered spy blimp
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Mar 16th 2009 at 10:02PM
The Air Force has announced that it will do its part for economic stimulus by spending $400 million on a dirigible designed to float 65,000 feet above the Earth, where it will provide constant surveillance of an area (such as the Afghanistan-Pakistan border). ISIS (Integrated Sensor Is the Structure) is being billed as a cross between a satellite and a spy plane, kept aloft by helium and powered by hydrogen fuel cells that are recharged with solar panels. The thing will remain in place for up to ten years providing, as one Air Force scientist gushed, "constant surveillance, uninterrupted." If successful, the Air Force would like to see a whole fleet of these things. DARPA has signed on, agreeing to deliver a prototype by 2014.
Switched On: Connecting mobile, mantle and metal objects (Part 2)
by Ross Rubin posted Mar 6th 2009 at 3:06PM
Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
The last Switched On discussed Always Innovating's Touch Book, one of the new hardware products introduced at this month's DEMO conference and an entrant in the netbook category that trades compatibility for stamina by using an ARM processor instead of an Intel one.
Like the Touch Book, the Avaak Vue personal video network will be offered for $299 when it debuts later this year (in a kit that includes two cameras and a base station) and has no apparent service fees -- at least not yet. Also, like the Touch Book, the Vue boasts outstanding battery life – so impressive, in fact, that the company claims its battery-powered video cameras should last a year under "normal usage" – the cameras use power only when they are being accessed remotely. This on-demand power consumption combined with a low-power mesh network enable Vue video cameras to be mounted practically anywhere and, like the Touch Book, Vue cameras take advantage of magnets, which is how they are affixed to and positioned around their small domed mounts.
The result is a networked camera system that is almost completely wire-free save for the base station's connection to a home router and a power cable. However, unlike the Touch Book, which supports many open standards including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and an array of USB ports (including two internal ports), the proprietary mesh network that links the video cameras is Vue's secret sauce.
The last Switched On discussed Always Innovating's Touch Book, one of the new hardware products introduced at this month's DEMO conference and an entrant in the netbook category that trades compatibility for stamina by using an ARM processor instead of an Intel one.
Like the Touch Book, the Avaak Vue personal video network will be offered for $299 when it debuts later this year (in a kit that includes two cameras and a base station) and has no apparent service fees -- at least not yet. Also, like the Touch Book, the Vue boasts outstanding battery life – so impressive, in fact, that the company claims its battery-powered video cameras should last a year under "normal usage" – the cameras use power only when they are being accessed remotely. This on-demand power consumption combined with a low-power mesh network enable Vue video cameras to be mounted practically anywhere and, like the Touch Book, Vue cameras take advantage of magnets, which is how they are affixed to and positioned around their small domed mounts.
The result is a networked camera system that is almost completely wire-free save for the base station's connection to a home router and a power cable. However, unlike the Touch Book, which supports many open standards including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and an array of USB ports (including two internal ports), the proprietary mesh network that links the video cameras is Vue's secret sauce.
UK college begins testing facial recognition attendance system
by Darren Murph posted Mar 6th 2009 at 10:41AM
[Via Slashdot]
Darpa develops a 1.8 gigapixel digicam and no, you can't 'check it out'
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Feb 13th 2009 at 10:48AM
Yeah, I know you thought your Hello Kitty digicam was some hot stuff, but believe it or not the kids at Darpa have even got that one beat. Called ARGUS-IS (both named after the mythological eye guy and an acronym for Autonomous Real-time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance - Imaging System) this guy straps a 1.8 gigapixel camera to the bottom of an A-160T Hummingbird robot helicopter. The device is able to hover at high altitude (over 15,000 feet) for up to 20 hours -- keeping tabs of an area of over a hundred square miles. The frame rate is 15 fps and the "ground sample distance" is 15 centimeters -- each pixel represents about six inches. The sheer amount of data taken in by a camera like this is too large to be completely relayed to the ground, but users are able to define upwards of sixty-five independent video windows within the image and zoom in or out. Additionally, windows can be set to automatically track items such as moving vehicles, individuals, the books you get out of the library, and the items you pick up at 7-11 after a night out with the gang.
Scallop Imaging wide-angle security cams look to the sea for inspiration
by Darren Murph posted Dec 15th 2008 at 7:53AM
We're not too sure what's up with New England-based institutions and inspiration from the depths, but the two seem to have some kind of intrinsic connection. The latest company to prove such a wacky assertion true is Boston's own Scallop Imaging, a Tenebraex subsidiary that has developed a "low-cost" security camera that sees 180 degrees of view without fisheye distortion or the lag present in pan-and-tilt alternatives. Additionally, the multi-eyed cam automatically stitches and downsamples images, and can capture a new 7-megapixel still to transmit over Ethernet "every second or two." It's small enough to be placed into a light socket-sized hole, and it's powered by the same Ethernet cable that links it into a building's surveillance system. Of course, the fun won't stop there, as the outfit is already looking at automotive applications of the Digital Window, including "distortion-free backup cameras for the rear ends" of vehicles.Recon Scout gets new job at prison, isn't any fun to hang out with
by Laura June posted Oct 31st 2008 at 7:58AM
UK police to wield mobile fingerprint scanners, facial recognition up next
by Darren Murph posted Oct 27th 2008 at 11:03AM
[Via Pocket-lint, image courtesy of SpringCard]
