Hello to less privacy

Cellphone cameras continue to haunt both celebs and ordinary Joes. Can morals keep pace with technology? USA today doesn't think so.

"We no longer have to worry only of Big Brother government watching us. Now we have Little Brother to contend with, too — and he's got a camera phone.

"The days when something happens in front of a crowd and it's not captured on camera are over," says Josh Calder, a trend tracker at Social Technologies. "We have to assume anything we do in public is potentially going into the public record."

... Here's one possible peek at the future: More camera phones, more camera phone images, more people watching camera phone images — and little control over any of it.

"We do get pleasure and pain from other people's embarrassment — it makes us feel better about ourselves," says Cal State's Wehr. "We see people's failings and we're relieved: Thank God I didn't get drunk and take off my clothes."

Picture above left from Gawker Stalker, which tracks celebrity sightings around Manhattan called in by ordinary citizens and publishes them online. This one is of Sandra Bullocks spotted at a Starbucks in Soho yesterday.

RFID tags embedded into staples - to track important documents

This is wild. RFID tags could be embedded into staples, according to a post in Gizmodo.

"A company called Swingline plans on embedding RFID tags onto staples so that when an important (stapled) document goes missing, it'll be able to radio its location (most likely from underneath your desk) to a nearby tracking device."

Phone snappers put squeeze on paparazzi

The Guardian writes that a top paparazzo has said business for celebrity photographers is under serious threat from an army of amateurs and opportunists snapping stars on their mobile phones.

"German Hans Paul who says he once earned $120,000 for a picture of a then-pregnant Julia Roberts, said fees for paparazzi had been driven to new lows as even fans and autograph hunters now know how to market their pictures.

He said: "There is no doubt that we paparazzi are suffering from this. There is hardly any money to be made in the everyday business."

But Mr Paul added that the only business paparazzi could now rely on was exclusive photos taken using stealth tactics such as following A-list stars using light aircraft or pretending to be postmen or decorators".

[via Moco News]

center to analyze surveillance videos from crimes, disasters

The world's first center for analyzing surveillance camera footage collected during disasters or crimes has opened at the University of Indianapolis . The Indy Star reports.

"Administrators at the Digital Multimedia Evidence Processing Lab demonstrated Monday how state-of-the-art software can help solve crimes by making otherwise unusable images valuable.

The lab also will serve as a unique command center during terrorist attacks or national emergencies, allowing officials to analyze images from sources such as surveillance cameras and cell phones. With the proliferation of technology, demand is rising for a central location to analyze and interpret digital image".

Canadian Deal a Blueprint for U.S. Actors?

According to Backstage, a tentative agreement between ACTRA and the Canadian Film and Television Producers Assn, would give Canadian actors a 10% wage increase over three years and landmark compensation terms for performances used in content distributed over the Internet, mobile or other new-media platforms.

... Back in the U.S., actors and others seeking additional compensation for performances showing up on the Internet, cell phones or elsewhere continue to face a frustratingly mixed patchwork quilt of compensation scenarios."

How Hollywood studio execs actually view terms of the Canadian actors' deal is still unclear.

Neochroma enlarges tiny mobile phone displays to desktop monitor size

Neochroma is an inexpensive mobile phone attachment that enlarges tiny mobile phone displays to desktop monitor size.

A prototype of the viewer has been built, and the technology should be on the market within two years.

[Press release]

The Institute of Contemporary Arts and Sony Ericsson Launch " All Tomorro's Pictures

The Institute of Contemporary Arts is collaborating with Sony Ericsson to launch an initiative called ‘All Tomorrow’s Pictures’ to help celebrate its 60th anniversary. Members of the public are being invited to take part via a cameraphone competitio. [via Mobile Marketing]

"59 high profile names spanning the artistic and cultural spectrum from film, design, art and architecture to literature, music, fashion, dance, science and politics, have committed to produce a single image or series of images inspired by the theme of ‘Tomorrow’ - using the state-of-the-art cybershot mobile phone Sony Ericsson K800i. Names confirmed include Bloc Party, Peter Blake, Chapman Brothers, Alison Goldfrapp, Helena Christensen and Nathalie Press.

These interpretations of the future, borne from this project by eminent creative icons of our time, will be assembled into a beautifully-produced hardback book.

The 60th contributor will be chosen via a public competition in February.

Watermark Patent for YouTube

Wonderful Barry Fox for New Scientist has uncovered a patent for watermarking videos posted on YouTube, to discourage illegal downloads.

"Now, US company Digimarc, which specialises in image recognition and watermarking, has been granted a patent for a novel way of tackling the problem. Instead of preventing copyright infringement altogether, it would turn it into a commercial advantage.

... When the clip then reappears on the web, its owner can automatically be identified and viewers can be targeted with adverts that generate revenue for the original copyright owner." Read more

NASA Sends RFID Tags to Outer Space

NASA has announced that it is testing the RFID technology to find out whether RFID tags can survive in outer space, reports RFID blog. The test will commence this summer.

... "NASA says that if the test proves successful then RFID technology would be immensely used to monitor and manage inventory on a spacecraft."

[via we-make-money-not-art.com]

Citizen Image

Citizen Image is a brokerage house for citizen cameraphone reporters, but takes this now familiar concept one step further, by offering would be reporters specific missions, by checking out their assignment board, where editorial buyers have posted their photographic needs.

A recent assignment: People using mobility technologies:

Hey all you camera phone photographers out there (or photographers with any camera, really) we're looking for images of people using the latest/hottest trends in mobility technology (examples of yesterday's trends include iPods, camera phones, PDA phones, text messaging/IM, etc.). Take pictures of people using what you think are hot new mobile technologies or part of new trends in mobility.

[Press release]

New hot properties: YouTube celebrities

The most popular YouTubers, who have generated millions of visits and tens of thousands of subscribers, say they have received overtures from multiple sites. And YouTube, meanwhile, appears ready to respond to the challenge. The New York Times reports.

... Few performers will divulge what kind of money is being thrown around. But Metacafe pays $5 for every 1,000 views, with their most popular acts netting tens of thousands of dollars, figures that the site will mention when trying to persuade YouTube stars to defect."

... YouTube is by far the most popular video site on the Web, with about 26 million visitors in December, according to comScore Media Metrix, an Internet statistics firm. Yahoo Video had 22 million, while the closest independent site, Heavy.com, had about 6.5 million visitors."

End of newspaper photographers?

Alan Mutter questions the future of newspaper photographers, pointing out how amateurs are already producing work nearly as good and as fast in some cases. [via Cyberjournalist]

"Because citizen shooters vastly outnumber professional journalists – and they're increasingly aware of how to get their work published – it stands to reason that they will begin scooping the pros on more and more breaking news, thus rendering staff photographers substantially superfluous.

Case in point, a coverage at Flikr.Com with on the largest ship ever to enter San Francsico Bay, compared to the San Francisco Chronicle' coverage.

French businessman in Singapore gets 3 weeks in jail for filming up a womans skirt

A French businessman caught filming up a woman's skirt on a Singapore shopping centre escalator was jailed for three weeks, reports the Bangkok Post.

"He could have been jailed for up to one year and fined.

Since 2005, at least 11 other men have been convicted of similar offences, including engineers, teachers and a doctor, the report said. "

Adult star Tera Patrick to host mobile porn blog called "moistmob"

Adult star Tera Patrick has signed up to host a mobile portal called, Moistmob, launched by Spanish adult firm Cherrysauce. (You can't make that up!)

"Tera will have a personal blog on Moistmob to introduce the site to users, and give news on new content, launches and videos. “It is really exciting to be part of the meeting of the minds of adult, mainstream, celebrity and converging technologies,” says Tera.

[TechDigestTV via Pocket Picks]

Student TV from Cellphones

Radiowood reports that on Thursday and Friday three students in southern Sweden will be broadcasting TV programs from their cellphones.

"The broadcasts will go via the Internet to around 100,000 households via cable television and the local open access TV channel TV Malmö. Called Bambuser the effort is a joint project between the private N3P two year college and the Kaospiloterna project at Malmö University.

Through the site Bambuser.com the participants hope to encourage others to send images from other locations from their cellphones. One of the three students, Alexander Fölsch, said “It will be like Youtube, only live.”

Software aids in sending larger files from mobile phones

FotoNation, an embedded imaging and connectivity solutions company for the digital photography industry, has anounced the launch of FotoNation MTP-IP for mobile phones, which allows users to transfer large photos, movies, and audio files from mobile phones at speeds of up to 10 times faster than Bluetooth.

For example, with FotoNation MTP-IP for mobile phones, a 3 Megapixel mobile phone photo can be transferred to another mobile phone, a computer using Windows Vista, or other device at speeds of 0.3 seconds or less.

Press release via ThomasNet.

Telus suspends porn downloads to cellphones after flood of complaints

Telus is suspending the adult-content service following a flood of complaints from customers, shareholders and religious leaders. The service was first introduced in January, making Telus the first wireless provider in Canada to offer pornographic photos and videos.

Related:

-- Canadian Company Offers Nude Photos via Cellphone

-- Porn on Telus phones upsets the archbishop of Vancouver

Netintelligence Mobile gives parents control over what pics and videos their kids download

Netintelligence Mobile, new software for mobile phones, gives parents control over what photographs and videos their children can download to their handset is currently completing final testing but it is expected that it will be commercially available in spring 2007". [via Slashphone]

Netintelligence Mobile is installed on the handset via GPRS or PC download, and parents are then able to specify which content is allowed.

The software would also benefit from the Netintelligence database of more than 30 million internet files flagged as inappropriate, immediately blocking access to these files.

Man wins £20,000 playing poker on his mobile phone

I'm not sure I want my son to hear about this, as Poker is all the rage amongst teenagers here - both online where as friends they get together at virtual tables, or IRL in our living room.

Video Poker game Wild Jack Mobile Casino has apparently just paid out £20,000 to a player – ‘Colin B.’ – who bet the maximum stake.

[via Pocket Picks]

Next-generation of phones shoot Web-ready video

Cell phones could once again revolutionize how journalists work, according to Kansan.com.

"Students in the School of Journalism at the University of Kansas are working with both design and business students to evaluate two new Nokia cell phones (N93, N73) that are capable of shooting, editing and uploading high-quality video on the fly.

The project will help define and advance the role of citizen journalism, the concept that any citizen can report news events... and identify ways to communicate the emerging trend of citizen journalism among college students.

Singapore traffic wardens find internet infamy

Two Singapore traffic wardens got a taste of their own medicine when they were photographed having breakfast - with their motorbikes parked illegally nearby - after "busting" a rush hour motorist. The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"The unidentified motorist used his camera phone to film the pair after being annoyed when he spotted them taking pictures of his car in a bus lane, the Straits Times reported on Saturday.

He posted the video clip on the internet's popular video-sharing website, YouTube the paper said."

Full Length Movie Streaming to Mobile Phones

Bell Canada has launched a service in Canada which delivers full-length, pay-per-view movies directly to video-capable mobile phones. Mobile Movies are streamed directly to client phones using the Bell wireless high speed network. Cellular News reports.

"The interactive movie software application can be quickly downloaded directly from the phone's menu, and clients can use it to browse movie information, including trailers and plot summaries, before they choose a title."

Canadian Company Offers Nude Photos via Cellphone

With no publicity, Telus included a new “adults only” section last month on a list of items its five million wireless customers could download from it. After passing a credit card check for proof of age, users can buy photos of naked men and women or buy one- to two-minute video clips. The New YorkTimes reports.

"Jim Johannsson, a Telus spokesman in Edmonton, Alberta, said the company decided to offer the new service after reviewing its customers’ mobile Web browsing habits. The company found, he said, that 13 of the 25 most-popular sites were what he called “adult content".

The service makes Telus the first wireless carrier in North America to sell sex-related content, and it has already been condemned by the archbishop of Vancouver, British Columbia, the company’s hometown."

Hiding messages in plain sight

The BBC writes that steganography, a technology that can "hide" information in plain sight on printed images, has begun to see the first commercial applications - including in a cameraphone.

"Japanese firm Fujitsu is pushing a technology that can encode data into a picture that is invisible to the human eye but can be decoded by a mobile phone with a camera.

Fujitsu's technique works by taking advantage of the sensitivities of the human eye, which struggles to see the colour yellow.

The company believes the technology will have spin off implications for the publishing industry.

"The concept is to be able to link the printed page into the digital domain," said Mike Nelson, general manager for sales operations at Fujitsu Europe. "

[via 21talks]

Imaginarium shows kids' phone with camera, music

Spotted on Electronista, a 2-megapixel - MP3 camerapone for kids by Spanish toymaker Imaginarium, showcased at Barcelona's 3GSM.

"Parents can have strong a control over the phone's features. The pre-determined contact list can be changed through a web-based interface, and calls in both directions as well as SMS texts can be limited to a pre-approved list.

Parents can even locate the phone itself through GPRS triangulation that finds the Cam1's owner without relying on a GPS receiver."

More pictures here.

Gang rape of 11-year-old girl taped on cell phone

A 11-year-old girl was raped last June in the basement of an Eastpointe home by 5 five teenagers who took turns having sex her, reports Detroit News. "A 10-second cell phone video clip was passed around the girl's neighborhood until her mother heard about it and reported it to police.

"The 10-second clip was deleted and police have been unable to recover the footage, but there is no doubt of it's existence.

The five suspects, ages 15-19, are charged as adults and face up to life in prison if convicted."

[via boingboing]

Turn your cameraphone into a webcam

Bangalore based Motvik, is alpha testing their software WWIGO (pronounced 'vigo'), which means "Webcam Where I Go", which enables a cameraphone to stream live video to a laptop computer.

Watch video demo here.

SA news site embraces citizen journalism

South Africa's Mail & Guardian Online, launched The News in Photos earlier this week, a new service which leverages what Web 2.0 technologies. Allowing readers to submit their own photographs and comment and interact with each other, the website organises news photographs into galleries accessible via a multimedia interface.

“This is our most visible step so far to embracing audience participation in the news,” says Vincent Maher, the newly appointed digital media strategist at the Mail & Guardian Online.

“As the power to crystallise reality shifts away from traditional media towards social construction by users of the Web, our role as a media company is shifting from one as a provider to one as a facilitator,” continues Maher.

... To help their readers understand the Web 2.0 phenomenon and how it is being embraced, they offer a feature called “The Swarm”, which shows how readers swarm around photos in real-time."

[via BizCommunity]

Mobile TV requires higher, costly frequencies

The European telecoms industry is looking for new, higher frequencies to make up for a shortage of airwaves that can be used to enable consumers to watch television on the go, reports Reuters.

"This is likely to lead to rising costs for mobile handset vendors and possibly also for telecoms operators, which will in turn mean higher prices for consumers, hampering the fledgling mobile TV business before it has started to take off."

Hello, World! A visual code for Google Earth

Hello World! is a giant semacode, the artwork of Brian Kernighan, measuring 160 x 160 meters and mown into a wheat field near the town of Ilmenau in the Land Thuringia (Germany), designed for the virtual world of the software Google Earth:

The code consists of 18 x 18 bright and dark squares producing decoded the phrase “Hello, world!”.

[via networked performance]