Hidden camera rule #17: try not to put them in things that people intently stare at as soon as they meet you.
That’s not a typo. You can celebrate the inauguration the old fashioned way, with a spycam/DVR belt buckle featuring a visage that in no way resembles our future President.
Like the Rovio, WowWee’s Spyball is a Wi-Fi-enabled spycam robot. But it transforms from sorta conspicuous ball to spycam for surreptitious shots. You can connect ad-hoc via Wi-Fi or over the internet.
I know spy tech is interesting stuff, but this ID-pass holder spycam from Brando has me pondering. I mean… it’s all very clever and such, able to record 1.2-megapixel photos, audio and CIF-resolution video onto its 4GB internal storage and is USB rechargeable. But its likely use is for genuine industrial espionage, which really isn’t very nice. Or am I being overly sensitive? Still, it’s a meaty $US174, so you’re going to have to really want to snoop on your office operations, and bore a hole in your genuine ID before you stick it on the top of this. [Brando via i4u]
Real-time videos that detect the most minute movements in enemy battle areas and advanced analytical systems that will efficiently sift through them are all in the works, according to DARPA documents. A $US6.7 million contract with software company Kitware revealed a DARPA project focused on rapidly indexing archived aerial surveillance. It also gave a taste of the technology our military already uses, and it sounds like something out of the Bourne Identity.
Spy-technology aficionados will know about Minox’s miniature camera and it’s genuine espionage heritage, and now the camera’s gone all modern with a digital face lift. A 5-megapixel sensor’s been plopped into the Digital SpyCam, which remains tiny at just 8.5 x 3 x 2 cm and weighing in at 59 grams: small enough to disappear into a leather-clad fist when it needs to be concealed. With a lithium battery, and 42mm equivalent lens, plus capability of saving onto 16GB memory cards, it’s no slouch either. Budding spys, and perhaps genuine ones (Mi6 take note) will be able to grab one now for $US199. [Minox]
As you probably already know, the NYPD has been planning to blanket lower Manhattan with over 3000 security cameras as a preventative measure against future terrorist attacks. Not surprisingly, the New York City Liberties Union (NYCLU) has a different opinion on the matter, saying that “A plan of this scope, expense [US$106 million]and intrusiveness demands robust public debate and legislative oversight. The public has a right to this information.” Therefore, they have decided to sue the NYPD and force them to disclose their plans. So, one day before the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I have to ask: which side are you on?
