DoCoMo Labs USA :: Communications :: Interview 2

DoCoMo Labs USA :: Communications :: Interview 2: "Serendipity and Signal Processing............. .. ............ .............. .............. Aesthetic Scientist interview with Sean Ramprashad, Ph.D., Senior Research Engineer, Media Lab, DoCoMo USA Labs"

Wireless Meltdown - Government Technology

Wireless Meltdown - Government Technology: "When Philadelphia announced its ambitious 'Digital Inclusion' plan for a citywide municipal Wi-Fi program in 2005, cities across the country took notice. Philadelphia was planning to become the first metropolitan city with a citywide Wi-Fi network covering 135 square miles. It claimed the network would benefit citizens, business, schools and community organizations."

Westchester County, N.Y., Named One of World's Most Intelligent Communities - Government Technology

Westchester County, N.Y., Named One of World's Most Intelligent Communities - Government Technology: "Westchester County, N.Y., has been named one of the Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year by The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a non-profit international think tank that focuses on job creation and economic development in the broadband economy."

Columbia-based Islamic charity faces new terrorism charges

Columbia-based Islamic charity faces new terrorism charges: "A federal grand jury returned new terrorism-related charges today against members of a former Columbia-based Islamic charity, including a former U.S. congressman from Michigan."

More public cameras seen as way to focus on criminals -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

More public cameras seen as way to focus on criminals -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com: "Across South Florida, cities see high-tech surveillance cameras as the next big crime-fighting tool."

City of Cameras - WPTV NewsChannel 5

City of Cameras - WPTV NewsChannel 5: "Police surveillance cameras could be coming to your West Palm Beach neighborhood, that’s if you’d like to buy one. It’s part of a program called, “City-Cam.”"

DHS | Enforcement News

DHS Enforcement News: "Coast Guard Intercepts, Repatriates 30 Cuban, 34 Haitian Migrants
December 29, 2007 (Miami) - The crew of the Coast Guard CutterPea Island repatriated 30 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cubanãs, Cuba, and the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Venturous repatriated 34 Haitian migrants to Port au Prince, Haiti, subsequent to three separate at-sea interdictions. More at USCG.mil"

Welcome to Security Director News

Welcome to Security Director News: "BALTIMORE—Petards, a surveillance system developer, last week announced that its parent company, Petards Group plc, sold its U.K. Government and Commercial software business including the company’s Universal Video Management System to BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies for $5 million."

The Moment We Soar Like An Eagle

Dear Laurie,
The votes are in, and we are proud to congratulate you for your outstanding literary achievement. The editors of The International Library of Poetry were thrilled to inform you that your poem was honored with the prestigious Editor’s Choice Award because of your artistic accomplishments and unique perspective--characteristics found in the most noteworthy poetic works. http://www.poetry.com/
http://www.poetry.com/Publications/display.asp?ID=P5573478&BN=999&PN=1

Guantanamo Terror Convict to Be Set Free - washingtonpost.com

Guantanamo Terror Convict to Be Set Free - washingtonpost.com: "ADELAIDE, Australia -- Convicted terror supporter David Hicks was due to walk free Saturday after more than six years of captivity in Guantanamo Bay and Australia, but will face strict controls on his movements after a court found he was still a security risk."

Homeland Security Intelligence: Just the Beginning

Homeland Security Intelligence: Just the Beginning: "Since the 11 September 2001 attacks, the federal government has proposed and implemented numerous new domestic intelligence programs to bolster its counter-terrorism capabilities. These domestic intelligence programs run the gamut from increased aerial surveillance to increased wiretap authority to the creation of passive surveillance systems to detect the presence of nuclear, chemical, or biological agents. Additional controversial domestic intelligence programs include the Justice Department’s proposed Operation TIPS for public reporting of suspicious activity, the modification of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to increase the use of information acquired in court-approved wiretaps, and the creation of the Total Information Awareness program—since renamed the Terrorism Information Awareness program—to determine whether large-scale data mining could be a feasible way to track or catch terrorists."

DHS puts cybersecurity toward top of 2008 to-do list

DHS puts cybersecurity toward top of 2008 to-do list: "Cybersecurity, immigration and border security, secure identification, and continuing to “institutionalize the department's functions” are the four areas that the department’s agenda will focus on in 2008, said Chertoff, who will mark his third year as secretary of DHS in February 2008."

Cyber Security Threats To Pipelines and Refineries

"Cyber Security Threats To Pipelines And Refineries"Pipeline & Gas Journal (11/07) Vol. 234, No. 11, P. 56 ; Williams, Tyler
The cyber security threat to critical infrastructure systems continues to be a clear and present danger. Terrorists and hackers that want to paralyze the United States could deal a devastating blow by disabling key infrastructure systems such as power plants, oil and gas pipelines and refineries. Pipelines are especially vulnerable because they tend to be located in unpoliced and isolated areas. Although the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system offers a measure of protection, an entire pipeline could be taken out of commission if an attacker gained access to a physical Ethernet port at a field site. An combined cyber and physical attack also poses major implications, particularly if an attacker accesses critical servers in a SCADA control center. By infiltrating a server in the control center, the hacker could feed false information to the asset owner, making it appear as though an event was in the making at a far off site in a bid to distract emergency sources at the site so that it could target another critical site at a separate location. While such an attack seems far-fetched, several power companies in the U.S. routinely report instances of hackers trying to circumvent their security to tap into their computer networks. A similar event took place in Estonia this spring after hackers pummeled the government and other Website with cyber attacks as retribution for the removal of a beloved Russian war memorial there.

FBI Prepares Vast Database Of Biometrics - washingtonpost.com

FBI Prepares Vast Database Of Biometrics - washingtonpost.com: "CLARKSBURG, W. Va. -- The FBI is embarking on a $1 billion effort to build the world's largest computer database of peoples' physical characteristics, a project that would give the government unprecedented abilities to identify individuals in the United States and abroad."

City Is Doubling Police Program to Reduce Crime - New York Times

City Is Doubling Police Program to Reduce Crime - New York Times: "Every new police officer in New York City will be sent onto the streets of some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods as part of a broad anticrime operation that the authorities say has helped produce historic drops in crime, the city announced on Wednesday."

Silent Attack - Government Technology

Nov 21, 2007, By Jessica Jones
On April 25, skin-burning water flowed from the tap in Spencer, Mass., sending 100 people to the hospital and forcing everyone else to avoid their faucets and hoses.

One week after the incident, investigators discovered that two city workers accidentally released an excessive amount of sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, into the water system after they forgot to switch the feed system from manual to automatic.

Silent Attack - Government Technology

Ammonia pipeline incident paralyzes FL community

Ammonia pipeline incident paralyzes FL community: "It all started when a 16-year-old boy drilled into an ammonia pipeline at the river Monday night, unleashing a gas cloud that seriously burned him, caused emergency evacuations and closings and potentially harmed the environment. Damage to the pipeline itself, officials say, will be about $250,000. "

http://www.alliedaviation.com/locations/nyo/corpcontact.html

Jean Nouvel Tower Near MoMA - Architecture - New York Times

Jean Nouvel Tower Near MoMA - Architecture - New York Times: "Commissioned by Hines, an international real estate developer, the tower will house a hotel, luxury apartments and three floors that will be used by MoMA to expand its exhibition space. The melding of cultural and commercial worlds offers further proof, if any were needed, that Mr. Nouvel is a master at balancing conflicting urban forces."

Played for a Sucker - New York Times

Played for a Sucker - New York Times: .....
"But Mr. Obama’s Social Security mistake was, in fact, exactly what you’d expect from a candidate who promises to transcend partisanship in an age when that’s neither possible nor desirable."......
"As Peter Orszag, the director of the Congressional Budget Office, put it in a recent article co-authored with senior analyst Philip Ellis: “The long-term fiscal condition of the United States has been largely misdiagnosed. Despite all the attention paid to demographic challenges, such as the coming retirement of the baby-boom generation, our country’s financial health will in fact be determined primarily by the growth rate of per capita health care costs.”"

Texas Security Issues Survey Results

The survey found that while administrators consider video to be the single most important tool in securing school environments, budgets for investing in newer security technologies are tight, with only about a quarter of schools expecting a security budget increase in 2008. Distributed online to administrators from public K-12 schools across Texas, the survey asked participants to rank their most significant security issues and their level of preparedness in dealing with those issues. Results indicated that, while Texas schools are moving to address security in their schools, they are not yet adequately prepared to deal with the many types of threats they face in today's world. The high level findings of the survey revealed the following: * The majority of schools (62 percent) consider unauthorized and dangerous people entering the building to be an extremely important concern; however, 78 percent of schools reported being only "somewhat prepared" to deal with an armed intruder on campus. * Funding for security technologies is not currently met with school budgets: almost 75 percent of respondents expect their budgets for video surveillance technologies to either remain steady or decrease in 2008. * Eighty-four percent indicated that if they could select just one tool to help improve security on campus, they would invest in video surveillance; 81 percent of respondents said they are currently using some kind of video cameras in their schools. * Although the majority of schools (60 percent and 72 percent, respectively) feels "extremely prepared" to deal with student infractions such as fights and vandalism and major weather or fire events, only 13 percent feels extremely prepared to deal with an armed intruder on campus. Only 9 percent feels extremely prepared to deal with student abductions from campus. In their fight to protect students, 81 percent of survey respondents indicated they are currently using some kind of video, but only 42 percent are using video proactively to identify problems before they occur. When asked if they could invest in a single security tool, 84 percent of respondents said they would invest in video over intrusion alarms, metal detectors or identity badges. However, 72 percent said they expected security budgets to remain the same or decrease in 2008 and 69 percent said they would need to conduct fundraising to pay for new security equipment. According to the survey, 35 percent of Texas schools are still relying on VCRs and tapes -- a system known as legacy or analog, that is nearly impossible to use proactively. "This survey tells us that Texas schools recognize the power of video technologies to keep students safe on campus," says Andrew Wren, president of Wren. "However, a lot of education still needs to take place to help them learn not only how to use video surveillance in a more proactive manner, but also how to leverage their existing technologies when faced with budget limitations. Cost-effective network video solutions can help schools address both of these issues."