CCTV Surveilance

Cameras are everywhere, they watch us do everything, and they don't make up lies. Now yes it is arguable that with modern video editing software they may not be eligible for admission as evidence, but they make it pretty hard to say you didn't do something when it was caught on tape.

I used to work in Loss Prevention for a national retailer, and we had cameras everywhere, over cash registers, in the parking lot, in front of the doors to the store and everywhere in between with the exception of restrooms and changing rooms. I would sit in a room for 8 hours a day and watch people who had no idea they were being watched or were to dumb to care carefully look around to make sure no one was looking and slip merchandise in their pocket or purse. Somehow they always seemed surprised when I met them at the door to reward their efforts with a free pair of silver bracelets, and a ride to jail.

CCTV Cameras are a great tool for everything from Loss Prevention, to getting emergency help to traffic accidents on a clogged interstate highway, to dispatching store employees to assist a confused customer standing in a store aisle too long. They provide a valuable service from helping retailers keep prices low to saving lives. It is important to remember someone is almost always watching you, so next time you pick your nose or pull out that wedgie think of how embarrassed you would be if you knew someone was watching you.

Something for Nothing

     With the cost of everything going up it seems that people are looking for anything and everything that can save them a buck. This of course leads to scamers who take advantage of the less educated with things like magnets to improve fuel mileage and a vortex creating device to install in your car's intake to improve mileage.

     It seems that "hacking" everyday objects as internet videos often refer to it is on the rise. Now there are simple things you can do that don't really cause harm like the secret menu on the new Coca Cola Freestyle machines which allow you to view the remaining levels of syrup and machine diagnostics by going to the water menu and pressing a series of bubbles. Then there are others that could be potentially much more damaging like secret codes for gas pumps that allow users to get discounts or even free gas. Also the more troubling reprogramming ATM machines to dump all their cash at the push of a button.

     I would expect to see more of this if the economy doesn't come back around anytime soon but manufacturers need to better protect these devices against the MacGyver's among us who have the skill and patience to figure out that your "secret diagnostic menu" can be exploited to cost you product and or money. The technology has been around since the days of playing a recording of coins falling into a pay phone, but as long as a machine has a weakness you can be assured some one will find it. 

A.I.

I recently saw the trailer to an upcoming movie "The Prototype" which reminded me of an in class discussion which inspired me use the topic of the impending -- or not, it's not possible to know yet --  technological singularity.

Artificial Intelligence, and the technological singularity theory could very well be the near future for us. Every second that ticks by, our greatest creation or greatest nightmare grows closer to existence. With Intel having recently released the new 22nm processors and predicting the release of 5nm by 2022, microprocessors are getting smaller and faster and the technology that could allow computer intelligence to exceed human intelligence could happen at any time.

The real question is when this moment happens will computers assist us in growing smarter, or will they rebel against us like something out of a James Cameron movie. Though it is impossible for us to predict when this will happen or  what fork in the road our reality will take, it will be interesting to watch technology get smaller and faster until that moment arrives. Personally I see the future as somewhere between iRobot and the Terminator series. Computers will eventually have artificial intelligence and would posses the ability to become self aware. They would then be able to make the jump to anything from helping us be better than an unassisted human like we hope, all the way up to some Matrix like world where they enslave us and use our bodies to harvest heat energy. It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds... now go stock your doomsday shelter.