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Linux user forced to use Windows as part of home confinement
If you think doing five months of hard time in the slammer for uploading a feature film to the internet is tough, try using Windows for nearly half a year when your heart belongs to Linux. Unfortunately, this heartbreaking scenario is indeed true, as the "ex-administrator of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker" is now being forced to use an operating system in which the US government can install monitoring software on. According to Sk0t, who has served his jail time and is now sitting through five months of home confinement, he believes that the government "should have software that conforms to [him]," especially considering how expensive it would be to replace all of one's software... sans a job. Of course, his alternative seems to be just living out the sentence without using a PC at all, but c'mon, we all know that ain't happening.[Via Slashdot]
Bank robber tosses GPS tracker in sewer during getaway
Granted, crooks who aren't up to speed on their technology have paid dearly (and rightfully so) for their ignorance, but a comical case involving a witty bank robber proved that even master plans involving GPS can be subverted. Reportedly, a woman who made off with an undisclosed amount of cash from a People's Bank in Connecticut somehow realized that a tracking device was stuffed within one of the oh-so-valuable bags. Rather than panicking, however, she simply removed the chip, chucked it in the sewer, and went about her day. It wasn't noted whether the sly criminal was ever brought to justice, but if the fuzz eventually ran her down, it was most certainly done the old fashioned way.[Via TGDaily, image courtesy of NYJWJ]
Pirated Simpsons Movie footage snagged with mobile
A 21-year-old Aussie is looking at up to five years behind bars after being charged with "uploading a pirated copy of The Simpsons Movie on the internet." Interestingly enough, his weapon of choice was not an uber-small camcorder, rather, he chose to record the entire film with his mobile phone on its first day in cinemas. Merely hours after returning home, the footage was already making the rounds on the 'net, but he has since been arrested after having his home raided by Federal Police. Adrianne Pecotic, executive director of the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft, was quoted as saying that mobile phones had "advanced to the point where users could do a lot of damage" with its built-in video recording abilities, and also noted that pirates were "increasingly ditching handycams for smaller mobile phones."[Thanks, Geoff]
Kevlar-lined clothing a hot commodity in London
It's no secret that rashes of violent crime in London have been plaguing the city for some time now, but some parents are going to Kevlar-lined extremes in order to protect their offspring whilst away from home. Reportedly, orders for Kevlar-infused school uniforms and casual wear have skyrocketed of late, as school-aged stabbings seem to be on the rise. Notably, plenty of orders are coming in from the States as well, and while Deputy Asst. Commissioner Al Hitchcock claimed that merely "one-percent" of crimes around London involved a knife, mums and dads would seemingly rather be safe than sorry.[Via Wired]
Inventec Appliances execs fail to disclose iPod order cuts, could face prison
Earlier this year, Inventec Appliances (spun off from Inventec Electronics) was raided as prosecutors began looking for evidence to support charges of alleged insider trading, and now it looks like nine of the firm's employees could be headed to the slammer. Taiwan's Banciao District Prosecutors Office "alleged that nine executives and one lower level employee failed to publicly reveal a steep drop in iPod orders until after they had sold off nearly $22.4 million worth of stock," and although the employees knew of the order cuts as early as January 19th, nothing was publicly revealed until mid-March. Purportedly, prosecutors "are seeking the stiffest penalties against the two top executives," and if the evidence sticks, we have all ideas that Inventec will be huntin' a new Chairman (and President, too) in the not-too-distant future.[Via TUAW]
Avurt's IM-5 launcher provides serious personal security
Mace is so last century. These days, you're not really lookin' out unless you're packing a C2 stun gun, or now, an Avurt IM-5. This pistol-like device can reportedly launch "up to five PAVA filled projectiles at attackers up to 40-feet away," and will cause an assailant's "nose, throat, and eyes to burn." Notably, this non-lethal weapon has never been associated with a death, and comes in black, blue, red, or pink color schemes. The IM-5 is available for $299, which will buy you the weapon, ten "practice rounds," a carrying case and a training DVD, and any orders placed now should ship out by the month's end.[Via Gizmodiva]
Accused child killer's alibi busted thanks to GPS
GPS systems that end up helping the fuzz track down the baddies are nothing new, and a recent case involving a Piscataway man has an inconspicuous tracking system to thank for solving a gruesome mystery. Reportedly, the culprit had informed police that he had taken a 12-year old babysitter to view horses on their way back to her domicile, but "accidentally backed over her" during the outing. Closer inspection of the GPS system -- which was installed just days earlier by his suspicious wife -- revealed that the "horse stop" lasted three hours, which led police to believe that the girl was "ran down" after trying to escape. Needless to say, murder charges have since replaced the comparatively minor accusations of "reckless endangerment" that he had previously been dealt.
Foxy Brown allegedly assaults neighbor with BlackBerry
Joining the growing list of celebrities who can't quit using their cellphones to beat up on others is Foxy Brown, who was recently "charged with assault and possession of a weapon" after allegedly hitting a neighbor with her BlackBerry. Of course, this isn't the first time Foxy's temper has flared up, but when she was confronted over the volume of her stereo system, the handset came out (a few days later, mind you) for purposes other than texting, talking, or capturing the impending battle for future viewing. So, you may be wondering how much damage a flung BlackBerry can do, and if that's the case, here's your answer: the victim was left with a cut lip and a loose tooth.
Mod chip raid victim details the experience
While US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement are remaining tight-lipped about what exactly they have seized thus far, a certain modder has come forward to depict his story and explain the experience of getting raided by the fuzz. After agents woke up his grandmother and perused her domicile with a warrant in hand, they confiscated a number of consoles and spare parts around the house before heading out to find the man behind FallsInc. Once locating him at his girlfriend's dwelling, they persuaded him to hand over everything even remotely related to modding, and he was left with "nothing of worth" outside of a computer monitor and his vehicle. Unsurprisingly, the culprit (or victim, depending on perspective) feels that his "life was taken away by a ludicrous interpretation of the DCMA" as the "little guy" was taken down while mass piraters remain at large. To read his whole account, be sure and tag the read link.
Ex-inmate claims prisoners order 'feasts' with cellphones
It's no big secret that some clever inmates find a way to get a mobile phone whilst imprisoned, but rather than phoning for a getaway van, drugs, or a spare battery, the individuals at Hewell Grange apparently enjoy the finer things in life. According to a report from an ex-inmate, he witnessed a number of citizens placing "massive" orders for food, and thanks to equally cunning takeaway drivers, the prison claims to have "no record" of any disallowed exchanges taking place. Granted, the prison is one that affords certain freedoms to the well behaved inmates just before they are released back into the community, but to be frank, it sounds like some of the residents may be better off just hanging around.[Via Textually]
Parolee's crime wave foiled by GPS anklet
For most of us level-headed citizens, we'd probably straighten up our act if a GPS bracelet was strapped onto us by the boys in blue, but for a certain Southern California parolee, his skewed judgment recently got the best of him. Just months after a pilot program was instituted to hopefully deter ex-gang members from committing more crimes, police were able to easily track down and apprehend a 37-year old who was eventually arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and parole violations. San Bernardino police Lt. Scott Paterson was quoted as saying that "you'd think somebody with a bracelet wouldn't do anything," but apparently, there's more than a few individuals who just don't mind learning life's toughest lessons the hard way.[Via The Raw Feed]
Apple wants your iPod to stop charging for thieves
Hey, it's no shocker that Apple's iPod is a coveted item even for those who acquire their wares in less than legal manners, but a recent patent application from Apple shows that someone at Cupertino cares about you rightful owners out there. Essentially, the technology would invoke a "guardian" recharge circuit, which would disable any further charging if the computer (or "other recharger") it was paired with was of the unauthorized variety. According to Apple, this type of limitation would "serve as a deterrent to theft," and while we can only assume that it would be applied first to the iPhone and iPod, the application does insinuate that other handheld, rechargeable devices could eventually benefit from the invention.[Via Slashdot]
British teen imprisoned for texting-related death
It goes without saying that talking whilst driving (let alone texting) isn't exactly the safest practice, and unfortunately for a British teenager, she could have four solid years to think about it. Rachel Begg, who was found to have used her cellphone nine different times in the 15 minutes prior to crashing into a grandmother's vehicle and subsequently killing her, was recently found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison. To make matters worse, Begg was driving nearly 70 miles-per-hour on a dark, rainy night, and the judge reportedly emphasized how costly her lack of reason was. Better leave the texting 'til after the ride's over, eh?[Via Textually, image courtesy of BrockportStylus]
GPS-equipped spy squirrels 'arrested' by Iranians
Talk about getting into some hot water. Reportedly, some 14 implike squirrels were recently "arrested by Iranian authorities for espionage," as the critters were apparently found to have various amounts of "spy gear from foreign agencies" on (er, in) their bodies. Some reports even mention that the animals were sporting embedded GPS sensors, but due to the high level of secrecy surrounding the capture, things are still a bit foggy. Nevertheless, Iran has apparently claimed that the "rodents were being used by Western powers in an attempt to undermine the Islamic Republic," and while it doesn't seem that anyone is really aware of the squirrels' fates, it looks like sending in the animals to do a human's dirty work isn't as effective as it once was.[Via DailyWireless, image courtesy of UMT]
Discomfited German hurls PC from window, police sympathize
Trust us, there's been quite a few days in which a dysfunctional PC was kicked around at Engadget HQ for eating posts and intentionally inserting typos, but we've yet to become so flustered that we needed to launch one out of the building. Interestingly enough, a disgruntled 51-year-old German just couldn't resist, as he actually flung his PC out of a window during the middle of the night, which startled neighbors and garnered a visit from local police. Of course, the boys in blue did exactly as they should, and left the man with nary a warning after apparently sympathizing with his technical frustrations. Granted, the rattled PC hurler was forced to clean up the mess from the streets below, but we can safely assume he felt an awful lot better after showing that hunk of plastic who was really in charge.[Via TGDaily]
Mercedes-Benz 'ignores' court order to activate suspect's GPS
For all the tracking equipment that Mercedes-Benz crams in its motorcars, it's apparently mighty tough to get the company to tap into any of it if you're not the owner. Reportedly, the automaker has "refused to comply with a court order to activate a car's GPS" after authorities tried in vain to track down a hit-and-run suspect the easy way. Police were able to pinpoint the owner of a 2003 S430 as a "prime suspect" for striking and killing a 24-year old jaywalker in California, and while chasing him down the old fashioned way would seem a good bit more entertaining, Glendale police were looking M-B's way for a shortcut. Apparently, no comment has come from the firm, even as those involved with the case have continued to fume over the lack of assistance, and while we'd assume Mercedes-Benz is just looking out for the privacy of its customers, hasn't GPS tracking (much less the court ordered variety) been deemed legal anyway?[Via GPSTrackingSystems]
England's helmet camera initiative to go countrywide
As if the police and traffic wardens across the pond didn't have enough gadgetry to unwillingly tote around on the job, the Home Office is reportedly set to dole out £3 million ($6.1 million) "to equip police forces across the country with head camera technology." The decision has been made after earlier trials supposedly resulted in a reduction in violent crime, increase in arrests and convictions, and best of all, "less paperwork for the police." Notably, a set of guidelines will recommend that cops inform the culprits that they are indeed being taped, but that the footage won't end up on C.O.P.S. without their expressed written consent. Wait, we thought that human police in England were being phased out?[Via The Register]
Robotic crimelords could undermine police, society at large
We knew there was good reason in conjuring up guidelines for autonomous killbots, and Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty has all but confirmed that. According to him, "technology such as cloned part-robot humans used by organized crime gangs pose the greatest future challenge to police" (aside from Nigerian scam artists, of course), and he even suggested that police would need to start seeking help from private defense firms in order to quell the impending chaos. Eloquently dubbed "technology-enabled crime," this apparent epidemic could even lead to "cloned part-person, part-robot" machines that would be next to impossible to stop. Sheesh, and we though haphazard robotic surgeons were our worst nightmare.[Image courtesy of MicroCollection]
Reporter has mic stolen during iPhone interview, recovers ungracefully
We're quite aware of the mayhem that went on during the buildup to the iPhone launch, and while it may cross someone's mind to purloin the oh-so-coveted device just hours before it went on sale to the public, we can't imagine a Fox News microphone being an acceptable substitute. 'Course, we've no way of really reading the vigilante's mind, but a brief iPhone interview was cut even shorter by a random mic stealer. Click on through for the zaniness as it happened, and kudos to the reporter on not just bailing out while she had the chance.[Thanks, Matt]
Resolute Wal-Mart shopper attempts to self-checkout $5 plasma
While we've certainly seen more dramatic heists before, this particular run-in with the law melds cleverness and ignorance in perfect harmony. After conjuring up grandiose thoughts of subversion, a less-than-reasonable fellow managed to snag a 42-inch Sanyo plasma, replace the $984 pricetag with a slightly less burdensome $4.88 sticker, and carry it to the front where he utilized a self-checkout register to all but steal a brand new PDP. Presumably grinning from ear to ear just basking in the glory of his brilliance, we imagine the mood went south quite quickly after store officers approached the man and demanded a receipt. Of course, he attempted to sweet talk his way out of the predicament, but the end result landed him in handcuffs at the Ouachita Correctional Center. Can't blame a guy for tryin', eh?[Via BoyGeniusReport, image courtesy of NACOP]
