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When good toys go bad IV: explicit CD player triggered during mass
While we've seen quite a few toys pulling stunts that they should definitely be ashamed of, the latest edition ups the ante by doing its dirty deed in a Roman Catholic cathedral. Following the "if it blinks, obliterate it" mentality so well exemplified at various Boston transit arteries, a team of Santa Fe bomb squad experts were called onto the scene after three CD players were triggered to start blasting "sexually explicit language in the middle of an Ash Wednesday Mass" at the Roman Catholic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Reportedly, the players were "duct-taped to the bottoms of the pews," apparently causing the innocent church dwellers to assume the worse -- you know, like C4 explosives camouflaged as a mid-range driver. Nevertheless, the bomb squad removed the devices, took them outside, and probably had a thrilling experience whilst detonating two of the players as a safety measure. Once the crew realized the only explosive tendencies were captured in the inappropriate lyrics, they salvaged the third unit to comb for fingerprints and hopefully arrest the perpetrator(s). Now, which cop is going to cave in and post the fireworks on YouTube?[Via BoingBoing]
Crime fighting system converts lip motions into spoken word
If you think text-to-speech or video-texting is hot stuff, researchers at the University of East Anglia have something that just might cool your excitement. Kicking off a three-year project, the team is setting out to "collect data for lip-reading and use it to create machines that automatically convert videos of lip-motions into text." By building a vast database of lip movements that can be read and spat out in verbally, the gurus hope to fight crime by being able to pick out potentially threatening phrases that security cameras pick up. The university is teaming up with the Centre for Vision, Speech, and Signal Processing at Surrey University in order to get the technology wrapped into cameras just about everywhere, from mobile phones to vehicle dash boards. Admittedly, we're not exactly keen on yet another Big Brother agenda gaining traction, but if this stuff stays in the right hands, you loud-mouthed criminals better start crafting your own unique language over the next few years.
SETI@home claims its first major discovery: a stolen laptop
Although this case doesn't represent the first time a thief has been tracked down by the very item he / she swiped, it does mark the first time in the history of SETI@home that the number crunching actually discovered something substantial. In another tale of good things happening to diligent people, a Minnesota husband installed the Berkeley-created software onto his wife's laptop to run whilst sitting unused, but he probably never imagined that having it check in with the California-based servers every so often would help him track down a crook. The lappie, which just so happened to house numerous crucial documents from his wife's writing collection, was jacked from their possession on New Year's Day, but as any determined and intelligent being would do, James Melin monitored the SETI@home database until the missing machine logged back into the UC mainframe, where a subpoena was then used to unearth the physical location of the stolen property. As of now, no arrests have been made, and while no pertinent documents were deleted or tampered with, Mrs. Melin noted that the perpetrator (or the eventual underground buyer's) taste in music was among the worst she's ever heard of judging by the foreign tracks that were gifted to her when the laptop returned. But what we really have here is just another good reason to join Engadget's Folding@home team![Via Slashdot]
Citizens catch cop speeding with cameras / radars, face arrest
Three cheers for citizens arrest! Actually, the case might end up going in the opposite direction, as a Bartow County couple could be arrested and tried for "allegedly stalking a Kennesaw police officer by installing cameras to track neighborhood speeders." While it seems perfectly okay to mount radars and speed traps all over our bustling highways in order to fine citizens for their hasty ways, apparently it's not so cool to keep an eagle-eye on a police officer breaking the same law. The couple spent around $1,200 installing a trio of video cameras and a radar gun outside their home in an attempt to monitor neighborhood speedsters and convince residents to slow down for safety, but things got a bit hairy when the surveillance system tagged a cop scurrying by at 17 miles-per-hour over the posted speed limit. Oddly enough, it seems that the officer was able to generate an acceptable excuse to dodge the penalty for speeding, while simultaneously planning to press charges against the dutiful couple for "stalking." So, dear readers, how exactly does an immobile, stationary camera go about stalking someone, hmm?[Via Digg]
Judge limits New York police surveillance practices
Sure, we're all well aware that surveillance practices have been ratcheted up a notch or two since six or so years ago, but a judge in Manhattan has recently rebutted his own go-ahead from four years back to give the NYPD "greater authority to investigate political, social and religious groups." The most recent ruling states that by "videotaping people who were exercising their right to free speech and breaking no laws," the cops had ignored the milder limits he had imposed on it in 2003, seemingly squirming out from under his own misjudgments and placing the blame elsewhere. Nevertheless, he was clear that the voyeuristic limits only applied at events where people gather to exercise their rights under the First Amendment, while bridges, tunnels, airports, subways, and street traffic points could maintain their current level of surveillance -- and we thought this would mean those lamppost cameras couldn't pick us off whilst crossing the street with our iPod jamming.[Via BoingBoing]
Court rules that sly GPS tracking isn't unlawful
It's one thing to offload (illegally) a dozen or so GPS units from a storage facility and beg the police to nab you by leaving them turned on, but for the boys in blue to slide a tracking device into your ride to keep dibs on your doings, well that's another matter entirely. Earlier this month, the Seventh Circuit of the US Court of Appeals "ruled against a defendant who claimed that the surreptitious placement of a GPS tracking device amounted to an unconstitutional search," essentially giving the coppers the green light to add a GPS module to a suspicious ride sans a warrant. While we're sure the privacy advocates out there are screaming bloody murder, the district judge found that they had had a "reasonable suspicion that the defendant was engaged in criminal activity," and it seems that a well-placed hunch is all they need for lawful placement. Interestingly, the government argues that no warrant was needed since "there was no search or seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment," but did add that "wholesale surveillance of the entire population" was to be viewed differently. So while this may come as a shock to some folks out there, it's not like your vehicles have been entirely devoid of data capturing devices up until now anyway, so here's fair warning to be on your best behavior when rolling about.
SET CounterBomber spies hazardous humans from a distance
Here's one that's just begging for a profiling fit to be thrown over it. While the CounterBomber won't deem you guilty for creeping through a deserted street or texting your boy while waiting at a stop light, it just might inform everyone in an airport that you're the next suicide bomber waiting to blow. SET Corporation is unveiling a machine that best sport an accuracy level untouchable by mere human instincts, as it plans to sit at major public venues and sporting events to spot potential bomb-toting humans "from up to 50 yards away." The first iteration of the machine will utilize "radar-imaging technology" to somehow "analyze and reveal" concealed objects without actually peeking through folks' clothing, but future versions are slated to incorporate a "gait analysis" bit that could further substantiate if some awkward weight balance is going on underneath the hoodie. Still, we can just imagine the uproar from an innocent young lad with a stiff knee getting carted off due to this gizmo (incorrectly) deeming him suspicious, but considering the CounterBomber could be making its debut within 6 months or so, we'll be sure to find out just how inaccurate it is real soon.[Via CNET]
Louisiana sheriff adds camcorders to taser lineup
Sure, it'd be ideal if taser-equipped police bots could clean up our streets without any human interaction whatsoever, but since we're not quite there yet, a Louisiana sheriff is upgrading his staff's lineup of Taser X26 stun guns with integrated camcorders. All 681 of the branch's devices are receiving a diminutive camera installation, which starts rolling the moment an officer switches off the safety and gets ready for action. We've certainly heard the critics who proclaim that taser guns aren't as safe as we're led to believe, and in Jefferson Parish alone a number of individuals have died after getting jolted by one. The move is being made to help protect citizens from unnecessary enforcements and to safeguard the force from illegitimate "police brutality claims," and each camera is designed to record up to 1.5 hours of monochrome footage regardless of the lighting situation. While we hope you never have to encounter one of these tasercams yourself, we imagine that Cops is already offering up big bucks to get ahold of this up close and personal footage, so you've probably got a surefire way to grab your 15 minutes if you're really that desperate.
Thieves balk at 13-inch CRT television, refuse to steal
Although we've seen our fair share of zany criminals pulling off (or at least attempting to) incredible feats in order to snag a few good pieces of electronic kit, it seems that our era has all but eliminated the value previously associated with low-end, old fashioned electronics. Sure, there's a few folks out there shopping for bulky, cumbersome, and cheap 13-inch CRT televisions, but in numerous dodgy neighborhoods in and around Canada, researchers simply couldn't convince thieves to take one. In a ploy to track a thief from the moment the crime happened to where it ended up, the crafty schemers discretely installed a GPS device in the TV, and then proceeded to leave the functioning set in various unlocked cars around less-than-amicable boroughs for thieves to jump on. After nearly a month of trying to get a single thief in all of Canada to jack this thing, their attempts proved overwhelmingly futile. So while there's no exact moral to this story, we'll just assume that potential larcenists might be a tad more apt to pass on by your crib if you're caught watching snow-filled soaps on a 1982 RCA than say, a $10,000 plasma, but you already knew that, eh?[Thanks, Camperton]
When good toys go bad III: toy police belt drops the F-bomb
We have a certainly level of patience with run-of-the-mill toys that call you demeaning names and have speech impediments, but when an actual police toy, of all things, begins dropping the F-bomb at the press of a button, that's pushing it. Apparently using sound clips ripped directly from the unrated edition of Cops, Tek Nek's police belt -- which comes fully equipped with a speaker-loaded nightstick -- vocalizes certain words and phrases that stereotypically come out of a (filtered) cop's mouth. Of course, when contacting the manufacture, it insists that the word being pronounced is "stop," but according to Michelle Luciano, the vocabulary coming out of her son's new toy isn't so harmless. Interestingly, only "four customers" out of the 30,000 that purchased this gizmo have complained, leading Tek Nek to believe the mishap should be blamed on a malfunctioning speaker rather than ill intentions, but nevertheless, the company has vowed to replace the family's belt and restore order in the world by producing versions that lack the potentially misunderstood verb.[Via Fark]
Segways banned in the Netherlands due to a "lack of brakes"
It looks like those serious about motoring around on their Segway might have to start crossing international boundaries in order to do so legally, as the Netherlands have now joined Japan and Britain in the growing list of countries which have outlawed the oft ridiculed (and potentially dangerous) personal vehicles. Dutch police have officially enjoined Segways "on all public roads, sidewalks, and bike paths," claiming that the lack of an onboard braking system prevents it from being categorized as a "vehicle" by the Royal Traffic Agency, which bars it from receiving a license plate and becoming a street-legal ride. Although a spokesman from the RTA actually commented that the Segway was "a nice vehicle," using the machines on public property is no longer permissible, but it was said that it could take some time before regulations are actually passed down and "enforced." Segway Netherlands director Piet Kruijt was (unsurprisingly) upset by the ruling, and claimed that he was "working on all fronts to get things resolved," and for nothing more than our sincere concern for the Amsterdam Segway Tours (saywha?) employees that are hoping to have work come March, we hope he's successful.[Via The Raw Feed]
It's goin' nowhere
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/THIS_Wiimote_is_goin_nowhere'; We knew the straps were a little weak. This user decided to protect his loved ones and shiny TV set in the most authoritative way he knew how: chaining that wand to his wrist, nuclear-bomb-code-briefcase style. We ourselves have used thick shoelaces at parties to ensure ... ah ... inebriated members of the populace wouldn't deface and destroy; how about you guys? Come up with any creative solutions in the realm of protective measures?[via VG Cats]
Mom-of-the-year calls cops on son who opened "PlayStation GameBoy" pre-Xmas
As the PS3 crime spree chronicles continue to unfold, a zany mother in South Carolina apparently got a few wires crossed (and an incensed son, to boot) according to a recent police report. After claiming to purchase a "PlayStation GameBoy" for her mischievous 12-year old son to open at Christmas, the woman filed a petty larceny incident report to have the youngster arrested for opening it this past Sunday. Reportedly, the woman came home to a haphazardly opened box, and found the unit after the child claimed he "didn't know where it was," sending the mum into a fit which led to her son's arrest. While the boy was known to be a troublemaker in school, purportedly "attempted to assault a police officer" in the past, and has a thing for "stealing," the mother's soft heart still found it possible to purchase the coal-deserving brat an object that hasn't even been released (nor created). Whatever it really is, we hope it ends up on eBay so some deserving kiddo can give it a whirl.[Via Digg]
Arizona implements Lidar gun to nab tailgaters
While we can't say we're exactly fond of notorious tailgaters ourselves, we won't be the first to agree that fines in "the hundreds of dollars" are exactly fitting for those who like follow closely. Nevertheless, the Arizona Department of Public Safety is taking a note from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, and Oregon by implementing a radar-based tracking system to calculate just how far back a car is from another while cruising on the freeway. Laser Technology's Lidar (no known connection to Liger) works essentially like a speed gun, except it boasts a higher level of accuracy and the ability to calculate the distance between passing cars down to the tenth of a second. Arizona cops are reportedly loving the new machine, as it's "basically impossible" to argue with, and supposedly "educates the people who get pulled" because of it. So if you get a thrill from seeing just how close you can come to kissing that bumper ahead of you, or you just get a testosterone rush every time you get behind the wheel, you may want to put a few seconds (at least) between you and your closest roadmate when rolling through AZ.[Via Slashdot]
Dyslexic cops get iPod accommodation
Dyslexic police officers in Liverpool, England will soon be given iPods as training aids. Student police in training classes will use the iPods to view images of road signs and listen to 900+ hours of material from the police force's official training manual. 900+ hours!!?? According to my calculations, this should take the dyslexic police cadets 22 weeks or more to listen to. This assumes they do nothing else during their 8-hour shifts although I suppose you could continue listening to lectures during potty breaks. A police spokesman described the training-with-iPod scheme as "really worthwhile as it accommodates the needs of those officers with hidden disabilities such as dyslexia who would find it difficult to digest such a vast amount of information in written format." I may be way off base here, but I can't imagine listening to, let alone digesting, 900+ hours worth of training material, dyslexia or no.Special spell check thanks to Jon Grimshaw
FBI taps cellphone mics to eavesdrop on criminals
While we figured the NYPD could just install Magic Message Mirrors in every mafia hotspot in the Manhattan area, the Genovese family has proven quite the eagle-eyed bunch when it comes to spotting wiretaps, tailing, and other (failed) attempts of bugging their conversations. In order to tap into critical conversations by known mafioso and other, less glamorous criminals, police are utilizing a "roving bug" technique which remotely activates the microphone of a crime lord's cellie, giving the boys in blue convenient access to their secret agenda(s). The presumably controversial tapping was recently approved by top US DoJ officials "for use against members of a New York organized crime family who were wary of conventional surveillance techniques." Software hacks (and actual phones, too) have previously allowed such dodgy eavesdropping to occur, with "Nextel, Samsung, and Motorola" handsets proving particularly vulnerable, but this widespread approach in tracking down criminal conversations could hopefully pinpoint future targets where prior attempts failed. Of course, if mafia members hit the internet every now and then, they're probably removing those batteries right about now anyway.
PS3 crime spree, part III: Rise of the righteous
While selling a PS3 soon after launch day probably paid some hefty dividends for those lucky enough to secure one, pistol-whipping someone in order to make it happen probably isn't worth the trouble. Apparently a cash-strapped (or completely crazed) Massachusetts duo couldn't quite weigh the consequences before taking action, and are now under arrest for "attempted murder and robbery." One gunman, William J. Robertson, is already being held under a $1 million (or about 600 to 700 properly eBayed PlayStation 3s, whichever you prefer) bond, while his 17-year old partner in attempted larceny remains "on the loose." While we knew the PS3 launch would potentially bring out the worst in people, unloading ammunition to get your game (or profiteering) on is just taking things a bit too far -- so while camping out weeks in advance for a next generation console may surely pay off in the short-term, we'd say pulling a criminal stunt to get one probably won't.Update: Looks like the second fellow has now been apprehended and faces his own $1 million bond. Tsk tsk.
UK cops to trial public fingerprinting
If you just so happen to live across the pond, and have been staying out from behind bars thanks to your clever facade and charming manipulations, things are about to get a whole lot tougher. Over the next year, pilot projects in "Essex, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, North Wales, Northamptonshire, West Midlands, West Yorkshire," and other various locales will place portable biometric scanners in the hands of police. The backers hope that giving the boys in blue quick, handy access to "6.5 million fingerprints" will land more sly criminals in jail than are currently being sniffed out. According to reports, around "60 percent" of suspects are giving out entirely false identities while out and about, but considering how immensely difficult it is to alter that telltale print, British cops could be rolling quite a few more perpetrators than usual back to the precincts. Interestingly enough, suspects can only be scanned "after giving permission," which isn't likely to happen to any sane, sober, and halfway intelligent crook. Nevertheless, "project Lantern" should kick off in Beds real soon, arming contemporary cops with "PDA-like" scanners to patrol the streets and (hopefully) curb the frequency in which those oh-so-susceptible ATMs are being violated (and emptied).
Boston's mayor to bill Sony for mayhem at Copley Plaza
As if Sony wasn't losing enough coin on each PlayStation 3 sold fought over, now it'll probably be invoiced for the police services that were required to maintain peace at Copley Plaza. While criminal activities weren't hard to come by on the PS3's launch night, there was apparently a smart way to handle the mobs of unruly potential customers, and then there was Sony's way. Rather than planning for an organized flow of individuals, or better yet, turning away those who would end up empty handed anyway, nearly 500 eager (and likely delusional) individuals rushed the doors of Boston's Sony Style, creating chaos that required "12 police cruisers" in order to halt the riot. None too pleased, the mayor (Thomas Menino) plans on "billing the company for crowd control," although he failed to mention exactly how much those boys in blue charge per hour to fend off fanatical hopefuls.[Via Joystiq]
PS3 hopefuls shot with BB's at Kentucky Best Buy
If you thought shacking up outside of a Best Buy in near-freezing temperatures (say, Ann Arbor, Michigan) for nearly two weeks is hardcore, imagine how folks waiting in Lexington, Kentucky felt when a drive-by shooter let the pellets fly into a group of PS3 hopefuls. Apparently bitter and distraught from not getting their name on a (shaky) pre-order list, enraged suspects drove by a Best Buy on Nicholasville Road and "injured four people with BB pellets," including a news reporter who was conducting an interview with one of the campers. Although none of the folks were seriously injured, we can't help but wonder who pulls off a drive-by shooting with cameras rolling, and moreover, did the "mildly wounded" individuals waiting in line forfeit their position to visit a hospital? The soldier in us says negative.[Via digg]
