And you thought my video was silly

I know I'm a little late to the party on this, but if you haven't seen the video that Hitachi is using to promote its "Dawn of the Tera Era" you need to check it out right now. It's the trippy-est thing I've seen since we threw on the original animated Lord of the Rings back in college.



Especially if you grew up on Schoolhouse Rock, as I did, this is just about the perfect mix of nostalgic schlock and simply mind-blowing silliness. But, hey, I guess you come away knowing just how big a terabyte is.

And, yes, Hitachi is using this video as part of its pitch for "surveillance optimized" storage.

Oh, and as a little early Christmas present from me to you, here's Hitachi's even better video, explaining perpendicular storage (it's from 2006, but it's got Spanish subtitles, so I just couldn't resist - not to mention that brilliant Bay City Rollers rip-off that comes in at about the 1:45 mark):

GPS'ing Jesus remains hot

Still kind of digging out from that ridiculous weekend storm up here (to top it off, I got a flat on Sunday morning on the way to the dump and had to change the tire on the side of the road in 15-degree weather - yes, I'm bitter), but wanted to let you know:

That tracking Jesus story has legs. Check the Good Morning America bit.

It's amazing what people will latch on to. Feel free to ride the bandwagon.

Tracking baby Jesus

Ah, a fine Christmas fable. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing.

While the TV news version of the story might be worthless (another mystery "security company") the full version put out by the AP is quite sweet and well reported. Just goes to show that there is, indeed, value in original reporting.

Just look at this lede (that's a journalism term):

When Baby Jesus disappeared last year from a Nativity scene on the lawn of the Wellington, Fla., community center, village officials didn't follow a star to locate him.

A GPS device mounted inside the life-size ceramic figurine led sheriff's deputies to a nearby apartment, where it was found face down on the carpet. An 18-year-old woman was arrested in the theft.

That's some good writing, that is. The story goes on to detail the frequent theft of the baby Jesus, and what churches are doing about it.

And then there's the security company (BrickHouse Security, an online straight-to-consumer distributor, to be exact), that had the smarts to make a great PR decision:

Sensing opportunity in that kind of success story, New York-based BrickHouse Security is offering up to 200 nonprofit religious institutions a free month's use of security cameras and LightningGPS products it distributes.

Chief executive officer Todd Morris said the idea was born after a few churches asked about one-month rentals instead of longer contracts that are the norm.

It doesn't look like they're using central station monitoring, just devices that can be accessed via web browser. Doesn't mean you can't steal their idea, though, and offer a more robust solution to holiday theft.

Did anybody get any footage?

People looking for a way to get on ssnTVnews need only search their recordings (or the recordings of their customers) for footage of that 10-ton meteorite that hit last Thursday night.



I would love to check out some of that.

Thousands of people in a 400-mile radius saw the fireball created as the object entered the atmosphere and exploded with the force of 300 tons of dynamite.

That's how you know it happened in Canada: "thousands of people in a 400-mile radius." Harkening back to 8th grade math class, that's, what, 500,000 square miles? And they didn't say "tens of thousands." So that's (tops) 10,000 people in 500,000 square miles, for a population density of, say, 1 per 50 square miles? Whooo, boy. They must have some parties there!

Anyway, scientists are asking for any footage they can get of the event:

Several people filmed the fireball on Thursday night and researchers are urgently attempting to track them down.

"We are now trying to get all the transient information about the fireball before it is lost," Mr Hildebrand said.

He added: "Many motels and gas stations only keep their security recordings for one week or less, so we urge everyone to check their systems to see if they recorded the fireball or the moving shadows that it cast."

I'm sure there are cameras at just about every gas station and motel in the area (all five of them), since the crime must be through the roof there on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

So, where (other than to me) do you send the footage if you got some? It's unclear. The "Small Bodies Discipline Working Group" doesn't appear to have a web site, so try the contact page at the Canadian Space Agency.

Election Day and security

Okay, people, today we can finally get this election behind us. Vote your conscience, vote your wallet, vote your industry, vote however. Just get out to the ballot box (if you haven't already - I voted absentee yesterday. Very satisfying).

And, in case you're thinking about playing dirty politics here on the last day, just see what happens when someone uses their noodle and sets up up a little security (okay, it's an electric pet fence - not sure if Honeywell makes one of those for the dealer program) to protect their John McCain lawn signs:



The poor kid learned a tough lesson about the rough-and-tumble world of presidential politics, that's for sure.

Thanks to reader Chelsie for the heads up!

Oh, and notice the other related videos that YouTube offers you. There's one about a kid getting shot for stealing a sign! That might be a little over the line...

Video surveillance: Totally a Halloween vandalism deterrent (or not)

It's halloween. If your office is anything like my office, there is a great deal of time-squandering going on with costume discussion and silliness, so you're not looking for anything particularly substantive, I'm sure.

So, here, are some fun Halloween stories.

First up, a solid police blotter from Minny-St. Paul:

OCT. 3

Theft. Halloween decorations were stolen from a deck of a home on the 1200 block of Trailwood N. The homeowner said she heard kids on her deck at approximately 10:30 p.m. She had posted a sign stating that there was video surveillance and heard the kids reading the sign aloud and then they left.

So, the kids read the sign out loud, then stole the decorations anyway? And was there actually video surveillance or not? And why would anyone want to steal Halloween decorations? I thought kids just generally stomped and ruined Halloween decorations.

This is a piece on "boneyards" (I wasn't the first to make the Halloween connection), which look like an interesting new market for video surveillance:

Each yard is 7,240 square feet. The yards will be secure from the outside, with walls topped with razor wire. Tenants will have the option of video surveillance as well. On the inside, yards will be separated by chain link fence, which can be removed if a tenant wants to lease two yards. There's a common employee parking area west of the yards.

Basically, it's a spot for contractors to store their stuff, out in the middle of the desert. Sounds like a good application for solar.

Here's a story on video cameras catching pumpkin stealers who wanted to be pumpkin rollers:

Three Chagrin Falls teens were arrested for allegedly stealing six pumpkins Oct. 14 from a home on Everton Avenue in Solon.

The teens -- an 18-year-old woman, a 17-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl -- said they planned on using the pumpkins in the annual Chagrin Falls pumpkin roll.

Solon police learned of the theft Oct. 20. That was when the homeowner, who caught the teens on a security video camera, palyed the video for Chagrin Falls school administrators, who then identified the teens.

Ironically, the same teens were also caught stealing pumpkins in Chagrin Falls and were arrested by Chagrin Falls officers.

The trio was charged with theft.

This pumpkin roll event sounds pretty fun, though I've got to agree with the commenter below the story that it's somewhat curious that the police are providing protection for the rollers. I'm torn here, really. On one hand, I can imagine myself being 17 and thinking that was a pretty damn fun event. On the other hand, I would never want my daughter to attend such a thing and wind up like the "18-year-old woman" who wound up in the clink thanks to pumpkin theft.

Also, please note the incorrect use of the word "ironically" in the above quote. A: Ironically is an adverb and should only be used to modify a verb in a construction such as "he curtsied ironically"; B: It would not be ironic that teens caught stealing pumpkins once would be caught again. Clearly, they are serial pumpkin stealers!

And, finally, a story on selecting the proper equipment for ghost hunting. Maybe some of your can make a buck or two selling IR illuminators to ghost hunters. Hey, you're always talking about finding additional revenue streams.

Happy Halloween.

Who are you calling a fairy?

I'm caught up with some work on our new vertical search engine and some other housekeeping today, so, of course, I'm squandering time blogging. In case you're looking for some way to kill time instead of do all of the things you're supposed to be doing, go over to YouTube and engage in one of my favorite new time-killing activities: Looking through all of the fairies, space aliens, and ghosts that have been "caught" on security cameras.

Here's my new favorite:



Isn't that so obviously a real fairy? I mean, it's purple, and it's got wings, and it looks like it's flying.

I'm also a big fan of this video, taken from some wacky TV show hosted by the guy who used to be the second in command on Star Trek: Next Generation:



I love it when the guy who just got abducted pukes and then staggers around. Because isn't that totally what would happen if you'd just been abducted by aliens? I think so.

There's also this one, purportedly showing a "ghost dog." For some reason, the poster has disabled embedding, so I can't show it to you here. But, seriously, if you can figure out where the ghost dog is, let me know. I've played it five times and can't even see the ghost. Which is sort of a bummer.

But for decent creepiness, check out this video of a ghost walking through a wall in a Japanese video. Make sure you have the sound on, because the Japanese narrator's voice and the synthesized strings at the end will give you chills.



Ok, back to work. Seriously. Don't even think about going over to YouTube to find more of these.

Update from Amsterdam

On my way to the Essen show, I noticed this store front display at Versace, in Amsterdam:



Gold-plated cameras all staring down the newest high-heeled boot? Who knew surveillance systems could be so hip? Now, if I could just discover who OEM'd those enclosures for Versace...

Have you seen my lawnmower?

It's been a while since I've blown up some local television station's "security" story, so I'm going to indulge myself today. It's Monday, I'm eating lunch, and I can't help myself.

Today's insanity is provided by NBC 12, out of Richmond, Va. It's titled "Break-in reminds homeowners of the risk of property crime."

I'm entertained by the premise alone of this story. Essentially, homeowners in tony neighborhoods need to be reminded that they can be victims, too. It's not just in the ghettos that crime happens, you know. I mean,

We did a search over the past three months, to see what other kinds are reported here. During that time, we saw three cases of theft, two cases of vandalism, and one report of burglary.

Holy smokes. So three times, the housekeeper stole Ma's jewelry; twice, a couple of brat kids egged someone's house; and once, there was a burglary. In three months. In all of Colonial Place, a large part of Richmond, Va., which is a pretty big city. I'm floored by that. I'm shocked the National Guard hasn't been called in.

Luckily, however, neighbor Todd Flowers is coming to the rescue:

A recent shed break-in prompted a Richmond man to make a quick fix to his home security.

And his ideas may help cut down on other area crimes.

Excellent. Can't wait to hear what those ideas are. I'm all ears.

This happened near Malvern and Stuart Avenues.

Sweet.

"The minute I saw the doors wide open I knew that they broke in," said homeowner Todd Flowers.

Flowers did everything you're supposed to do.

It just didn't matter.

"And I had it latched right here," he said. "They just came with bolt cutters and snapped the lock right off."

Everything you're supposed to do=put a lock on it. Good to know. Somewhere there's a book with a paragraph on what you're supposed to do to keep your gardening shed safe. That paragraph reads like this: Put a lock on the door.

But the lock turned out to be the least of his worries, on a recent morning.

The lawnmower was the first thing they grabbed.

It's unclear how they've established the chronology of the crime. I'm assuming CSI guys were brought in to establish the timeline.

"It was sitting right here," he said. "They stole the gas, but left me with the gas cans."

I find this incredibly entertaining. So the thieves stole a lawnmower (virtually worthless - what are they going to do, put it on eBay?), but didn't want to carry the gas cans, so transferred said gas into another container? That makes zero sense. But, whatever.

Not only that, but the thieves stole hundreds of dollars worth of other yard supplies, which all have to be replaced.

"My blood pressure shot up and it was disappointing to see all my lawn toys stolen," he said. "You just feel violated."

I know I feel violated.

Anyway, weren't there going to be some new ideas on home (gardening shed, really) security here. I haven't found them yet. I'll skip ahead and look for them.

Hmm.

This might be them:

"I think that people just need to be aware and do what they can to deter this kind of thing," he said. "Stay in communication with your neighbors, install lights."

New ideas="be aware"; "do what they can"; "stay in communication with your neighbors"; "install lights." Do you think Todd can patent those? I'm guessing those ideas would be valuable in this whole anti-crime campaign the nation has embarked upon. Maybe he could get some signs made up. Or a web site.

Todd's now taking his own advice.

"So it's not a whole lot of light but its enough so you can see if there's anyone back here," he said.

And hopes others do, too.

Light pollution comes to Colonial Place, as gardening sheds everywhere are bathed in light.

Odds are, those thieves won't be getting inside his shed again, anytime soon.

"They, essentially have to rip the doors off," he said.

Everything you're supposed to do now=get a bigger lock than you thought you needed. Also, this television station has no qualms about putting commas between subjects and their verbs. None whatsoever. They're grammar lawless, I tell you.

Unfortunately, you can't be 100% safe from anything.

So you do what you can to deter crime, but it happens all over the community so be aware.

I think I saw that on a coffee mug once. Or maybe it was a bumper sticker. It's just so true. There might have been more commas on the bumper sticker, though. It's hard to remember. I've seen so many.

I want an electric car

Sorry about the lack of posts this week. For one thing, everybody's holding onto their big news until ASIS, which means there's nothing coming across the wire. For another thing, I spent Wed. and Thurs. in Chicago checking out a new internal training program that Stanley's putting together to more aggressively tackle IP-based security systems and fire installations.

It's very progressive and I'll get into it with a story for the October paper, but suffice it to say that they're trying to get out ahead of the market and their employees are lapping up the free training and certification. They're seeing positive early sales returns from the investment, too, so the business case for it is solid.

But that's not what I'm here to blog about, people. I'm here to blog about green cars. They're hot in the security world nowadays.

Check out this story from California about a security guarding firm that's gone electric. Good for them. They're saving money and get to be proud of their environmental stance.

Plus, great press:

And as if saving money and helping the environment aren't enough reasons to have an electric car, Maxwell said the low-noise car enhances crime-fighting.

"It's quiet. You can sneak up on people," he said.

Still, there are some drawbacks:

Scruggs said the fuel costs for his two fuel-powered patrol cars have also gone down since they are only used during the day when it is too hot to drive the electric cars which don't have air conditioning.

Yeah, I'm guessing if you're driving around in Palm Springs, air conditioning might be a necessity. They may want to address that in the next line of electric cars. I, of course, drive around in a car with no air conditioning, but I live in Maine, where you need heat in July half the time, so it's not a problem.

I want one of these electric cars very badly, but I'm guessing they would suck more than a little in the snow, and that would definitely be a problem. Anyone know if they come with three-wheel drive and studded tires?

Worst ever reference to the DHS

Okay, maybe I'm feeling a little salty today, but for some reason I just couldn't let this article pass without comment.

Does it have anything to do with security? Um, not really. Actually, it's about protecting your lawn from pests. However, bear with me as far as reading the opening paragraph:

Most of us have heard of the Homeland Security Act. This legislation protects us from undercover plots to undermine security at home and abroad. Homeland Security agents watch for subversive influences and seek to stop them in their tracks.

Actually, no, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was largely a bureaucratic maneuvering to bring together a number of smaller agencies into one super agency, the newly created Department of Homeland Security. But, whatever. This is a bad lead for an article about protecting your lawn. It just is.

I guess I more dislike these next paragraphs:

Though not nearly as vital to public security, perhaps it would be nice to have a HomeYard Security Act. These agents would look for threats to the security and health of home yards. If there was a HomeYard Security Act, this might be one of their recent reports:

What on earth are "home yards?" In order for this excruciating metaphor to work, there has to be someone in the world who talks about things called home yards. Otherwise the simile Homeland Security is like HomeYard security doesn't really work, does it? I'm not sure why this bothers me so much, but it does.

Now let's read the report:

Recently, HomeYard Security Agents have uncovered an underground plot to destroy central Georgia lawns! This is a covert action, going on immediately under our feet, though few know about this planned invasion. As you read this communique, two major lawn enemies may be making plans now to destroy area turf in fall 2008 and spring 2009.

Investigators have identified two major threats: mole crickets and white grubs. These are recurring security threats. They typically begin their life cycle quietly in May through July with the major lawn damage occurring in the fall and spring. Once they are in major attack mode, they are hard to combat.

Ha, ha! That is so incredibly funny! I love it when people take a very serious situation, like people dying in horrible bombing attacks, and use it to waste space in an article about something utterly mundane, like your lawn, that they don't really have anything to say about. Because, of course, these mole crickets and white grubs are totally new things that have never existed before and this article is of vital importance to people everywhere who care about their lawns.

You know what would be an appropriate lede (that's journalism spelling) for this story?

Having trouble with patchy areas in your lawn? Maybe you've got mole crickets and white grubs. But don't worry, they're pretty easy to get rid of. Here's how.

But instead we get 200 words of garbage about HomeYard security. Why? I weep for the state of modern newspapers.

You may now return to whatever important thing you were doing.

Maybe the best press release ever

This came into my email box today. I'm pretty happy about it.

Dear Boss,
 
Please check our new product information and waiting for your reply.
Thank you, keep in touch and have a nice day.
 
Our products also have some advanced features:
Simultaneous MPEG-4 and Motion JPEG
Two-way Audio with Built-in Microphone
Mobile Phone Streaming Live Video through 3GPP/ISMA RTSP
Built-in Multi-window Motion Detection



James Sung

Okay, there are a bunch of product descriptions, too, that I cut out. Boring. I mean, "No way! Your camera has superior low-light performance?!? Wow. And a 1/3" Sony CCD?!? It's like I've been searching for you all my life, but no camera maker could ever fulfill my every dream the way you can. Let's get married."

Products don't matter. It's the form of address that counts. If you start out your email with "Dear Boss," it's just about a guarantee I'll read through it. Other greetings you might try: "Hey Champ"; "How's it hanging, Big Guy"; and, maybe if you're of the opposite sex, "Dear Sweet-Cheeks." Those are almost certain to get my attention.

On a serious note, how on God's green earth are integrators and end users supposed to make heads or tails of all these camera manufacturers? And how do all these camera manufacturers all turn a profit? The mark-up on those things must be amazing.

Wren and Tippy

It's pretty hard for me to read this very nice piece about Wren Solutions without giggling a little.

First off, Wren is run by a guy named "Tippy"? Like Wren and Tippy? Like Ren and Stimpy? How did I not know that? I've only met Andrew Wren, whom I'm guessing is Tippy's son. This is Tippy:



This is Ren and Stimpy:



Hmmm. I'm going to say there's a bit of a resemblance there. (Sorry, Tippy.) Is there a security-related inspiration for one of the most twisted cartoons ever produced? I think more investigation may be needed.

And you've got to love the caption they provide for Tippy:

Cliff “Tippy” Wren is the founder of Wren Solutions, located in St. Martins. He started working for his father in his pre-teen years and is celebrating 25 years at Wren Solutions.

Am I the only one that thinks that sounds like Tippy is only 40 or so? Is so, he hasn't aged all that well...

That's one way to get business

Sorry to have been away for a few days, loyal blog readers. I took a family vacation to Columbus, Ohio (don't ask why), and then got stuck in Columbus, thanks to US Air's typical crappiness. Seriously, is there a worse airline than US Air? I think not.

Further, I'm slightly distracted today thanks to the glorious Celtics victory that went down last night. I watched all 18 of their 18 straight losses last year, so feel extra deserving of some gloating this year. Also, I'm a typical Boston sports fan and am just generally a jerk about such things, so here's a nice photo for y'all (that's Celtic coach Doc Rivers, whom I've called lots of nasty names over the years, in front of long-time Celtics icon Red Auerbach):



Thus, my blog entry for the day is a whimsical tale from Scotland of "a security company enforcer who threatened people to get contracts for her firm." That's one way to drum up new recurring revenue.

But it gets better:

Heavily-built Marion Lang, 50, had earlier been found guilty on three counts of extortion after a nine-day trial.

I love how she's "heavily built." As though a small woman couldn't burn down your house or shoot your dog.

Can't say I'm overly sympathetic

Certain of us northeasterners won't exactly be crying for the New York Football Giants, now that they've had their Super Bowl rings stolen.

Ha, ha.

The thieves disabled the alarm system at E.A. Dion Inc., cut a hole in the roof and made off with a safe that weighed at least 1,000 pounds.

The loss was discovered Sunday by a Dion employee, who went to the business when she was unable to access her work e-mail from home, apparently because phone lines had been cut. The heist could have taken place at any time over the weekend, Sgt. Jim Keane said Wednesday.

Well, I don't think it was the phone lines that were carrying that employee's e-mail messages, but you get the idea. Maybe there should have been a radio back-up? How is it possible there wasn't one?

Unfortunately, only the Giant staffers got hit by this one. The players received their rings already. Bummer.

And you conspiracy theorists out there, go ahead and get started. The company is in Attleboro, Mass., which is quite possibly the single greatest concentration of Pats fans in the world. Can you say, "Inside job"?

First fireworks, now TV!

China hasn't banned TV, necessarily, but they're making it a pain for broadcasters to get us coverage of the Olympics, citing security concerns, yet again (scroll down a couple posts for the bit about the fireworks).

This is horrible. What if there's no coverage of the 30M springboard?!? The shotput? Is it too late to book a ticket to see this in person?

Alarm company robbed!

This is pretty classic: Alarm company robbed in Ohio.

Now, most people wouldn't figure an alarm company for a place with a lot of cash on hand, but maybe, I'm thinking, people who rob alarm companies probably aren't that bright.

Of course, it turns out they weren't looking for cash:

Officers said the two unknown subjects smashed out the glass of the front door, tripping the sensors.

They proceeded to steal cartons of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

An alarm company having a bunch of smokes and dip on hand? That I guess I could believe.

Surveillance is for the dogs

Sorry, just couldn't pass this story by. Have you thought about marketing your integration firm as an animal-cruelty prevention service? Maybe you should.

Anderson hired a security company to install surveillance cameras that allegedly caught the neighbor on tape, tossing two small objects [rat poison, it turns out] in the direction of Anderson's yard.

A couple of years ago, the same neighbor had filed enough noise complaints about Pete that the dog's owner had to defend himself in a DeKalb County court.

Last week, DeKalb County police arrested the neighbor, 46-year-old John Groover, and charged him with felony cruelty to animals.

"It's like that show, 'To Catch a Predator,' [but] doggy-style," Anderson said.

There seem to be a number of jokes I could make here, but none of them seems appropriate. One question: When will we stop using the phrase "caught on tape," when, in fact, nobody actually uses VCRs for surveillance anymore (at least not in new systems. I mean, right?)?

Caught with his thumb in the pie

Sorry to be away from the blog for a while, but here's a solid mid-afternoon pick-you-up.

Why do we need security systems in schools? To catch this kid. Apparently, he had a hankering for pie at 4:15 a.m. Who doesn't, really?

This seems like a bad idea

Does this company just not have a security director?

The plan is to put data centers on boats and then move them around to where they're needed, for disaster recovery situations and what not. Okay, for the temporary disaster recovery market, maybe I can see the need for this. But for a long-term data center solution? Aren't the risk factors a little too numerous? While every other data center does its best to remain anonymous, surrounds itself with bollards and two-foot-thick concrete walls, and talks about hot-redundancy, these guys float around on the ocean, open to the weather, with crazy people looking to pull a USS Cole, and talk about using the heat from the servers to warm their staff.

In an ideal world, this might be a great idea. In the risk-laden world in which real people do business, this strikes me as borderline insane.

Mission:Possible - Door to desktop (bear with me)

Okay, so I'm watching the original Tom Cruise remake of Mission:Impossible, and it gets to that very famous scene where Cruise is hanging from the air conditioning duct and can't make the temperature go up, or make a sound or touch the floor or the security system goes off and he's toast. As he's doing this (catching his sweat drop along the way), he's logging into the single most important CIA computer mainframe (do they still call them that? Mainframes?) with the password that he got from the guy who normally mans that ultra-secure room (who's in the bathroom because they poisoned him just a little).

This is all very exciting, but the whole time all I can think is: Jeez, how hard is it to link the security system to the computer network so that it knows that the network can't be accessed by a person who hasn't just keyed in the door? Of course, the movie was made in 1996, and Tom Cruise emails people through a little program that shows him a digitized post card with a digitized stamp, but it really doesn't seem like it should have been that difficult even back then.

It really blows my mind how late IP communication came to security.

Holiday fun

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas yesterday. My kids certainly enjoyed themselves, and I managed not to get too bitter and guilt-ridden by the ridiculous waste and opulence that is the American Christmas season. Sorry, but growing up in suburbia can make you all self-loathing and stuff - try to ignore it.

Anyhoo, since I'm the only one in the office today, I'm collecting some fun items mildly security related. If you find yourself with similar amounts of time on your hands, you may enjoy them. Guiltly pleasures are still pleasures, no?

• Like, what could be more fun than hip-hoppers getting nailed at airport security checkpoints? They're always good for a paragraph like this:

Police said they found a semiautomatic handgun and ammunition in Robinson's carry-on bag. He told them he didn't know the weapon was there, Stacho said.

Hey Yung Joc, maybe you should pack your own carry-on bag. Otherwise, you might find some grenades or plastic explosive in there next time. You never know when those sneaky weapons are going to weasel their way into to your luggage. Really, someone should come up with a weapon-repellant you can spray on your luggage or something.

Bonus points if any of my readers actually knew who Yung Joc was. Extra bonus points if you own one of his albums.

• Here's a holiday bonus for school children: "We're going to make you less safe!" Merry Christmas!

I went to school in Vermont, so I'd kind of like it if they didn't do dumb stuff like this. It makes my resume look worse.

• The shoplifting angle is very important to this story.

• Wired may make fun of it, but a biometric garage door opener is probably good for the security industry.

• Glad I don't live in Vietnam. Writing about security is probably subversive.

• Seems like this law should be universally applied, country-wide. I'm tired of this copper theft business. Still, it remains a good sales tool for integrators looking to secure job sites and municipal areas in general. For example, if the city of Portland had had decent municipal surveillance, maybe we'd still have the lights on. Seriously, read that Portland story. How on God's green earth does 21,000 feet of copper wiring get stolen without anyone noticing? It's insane. Security starts with people not being mindless unobservant automatons.

Now I'm in a bitter mood again, thinking about my fellow Mainers being such dupes. I better get back to work. This blog entry isn't turning out as fun as I thought it would.

Stanley Works to buy OSI Security Devices

In a deal that's been long rumored, Stanley Works announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to buy OSI Security Devices, make of Omnilock, for an unannounced sum. Things are very vague all around. According to a press release received at our offices, but posted nowhere else on the Web (otherwise I'd link to it), this was announced Sept. 25, and it was through one of Stanley's subsidiaries. Which one is unclear. Through Mullen PR, Stanley's agency, both parties have expressed zero desire to talk about the deal.

"The OSI Security Devices acquisition will enable Stanley to provide a complementary offering to customers and OEM partners," said Philip Bradney, VP of BD, in the release. "It will enable us to offer a full solution, from mechanical to online security."

Stanley Works couldn't do that before? Shows how much I know. I'm sure they'll both talk more after the deal goes final.

One thing I'll definitely be looking into: The press release quotes OSI CEO Dick Rasmussen, and the web site mentions a Rick Rasmussen, as VP of sales and marketing. Now, are they the same guy? Father/son? Or could they be brothers both named Richard, like in the Bob Newhart show, where Larry had a brother Darryl, and another brother Darryl?

One last thing about ASIS

Sorry, I wasn't going to post on ASIS again, but a friend sent me this photo and I just couldn't help myself. Seriously, who was the drone that a: thought L. would be the name by which I'd like to be addressed, and b: mis-spelled "Samual"? Really, Samual? I mean, the name is only about 2,500 years old. You'd think people might be acquainted with it. But that's neither here nor there - people make typos. The big, giant, overarching question is this: Were they retyping the information submitted electronically via the web site? Have they not heard of cut and paste, or, say, a SQL server? Isn't this supposed to be a high-tech industry?

Still, I shouldn't complain. It was quite the conversation starter: "So, L., are you having a good show?"

Party, party

Okay, so I experienced a little of the Las Vegas nightlife last night, but look how early I'm up blogging. It's like 7:45. I'm rather impressed with myself, especially since I'm normally such a tea-totaler (the web seems ambivalent on whether there's one or two ls in that).

Anyway, thanks to Cisco for a very nice dinner at Mix, the restaurant high atop THEhotel at Mandalay Bay. The shop talk was even keeled and the view and food were top notch. Congratulations to Security Technology and Design managing editor Paul Rothman, by the way, who's got his first child due in about three months. I'll kill the suspense: It's a boy.

Later, I hit up the ADT party held on the Brooklyn Bridge at New York, New York. Talk about in-demand. While the event never got oppressively crowded, ADT staffers were kept very busy by those who didn't have coveted entry chips (like, say, me, who left his chip in the hotel, because that's what generally happens to me). However, while the band did do a great "Hips Don't Lie" cover, they really couldn't compete with the roller coaster. I was glad I hit it before the party and not after.

Things finished up at they Wynn, about which I will only say: Their bartenders make great old fashioneds.

Meetings today include Tyco, Johnson Controls, Cernium, Orsus and a number of others, so maybe I'll have some real news later.

ASIS opens with a wake

As visitors crowded into the Las Vegas Convention center here for the opening of this year's ASIS International conference, they were greeted with the sounds of bagpipes as IP access control manufacturer Viscount held a "wake" for the control panel, which featured a procession through the red-carpeted aisles. There was even a coffin. And arm-bands with blinking Viscount lights. And booze. It was pretty funny, actually.