Israeli technology puts Dallas cowboys in their place
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, Crime, General, Technology
We all know that the long arms and eyes of Israeli security technology and know how reach well beyond our own borders. But just how far is demonstrated in this story from Dallas, Texas.
Evidently, some members of the cleaning crew at the ASIS 2010 security trade show earlier this month in Dallas, forgot that it was actually a security technology conference they were working at, and, apparently without a hint of irony, decided to steal some of the electronics from the floor overnight.
Several exhibitors arrived on the second morning of the show to discover parts of their display – the expensive parts – were missing.
“I realized the laptop that ran our radar surveillance system was gone,” said Trish Logue, the marketing manager for exhibitor Moog QuickSet.
She talked to some of her neighboring exhibitors to see if they were missing anything and when she got to the Milestone Systems, she discovered that they had surveillance cameras set up to demonstrate their XProtect IP video management software.
They immediately fired up the Milestone video from an Axis camera that was pointing at the Moog QuickSet booth all night, initiated the Israeli-developed video synopsis solutions called BriefCam, an award-winning search facility embedded in the Milestone XProtect Smart Client.
Milestone videos theft at ASIS 2010 from Fredrik Wallberg on Vimeo.
It enabled them to review 10 hours of video from the previous night in just minutes, and what did they see? Two individuals from the cleaning staff stealing the Moog laptop. The BriefCam presented a summary of the culprits’ entry and movements with exact time stamps. The video surveillance helped the Dallas police positively identify the culprits and the laptop was returned to its rightful owner.
To the surprise of the police, not only did the thieves produce the purloined laptop and an iPAD, but several bags full of stolen items from another trade show that had taken place weeks earlier! It turned out that several thieves had been carrying out this criminal activity for their own ‘fringe benefits’ to the normal night work.
In addition to its recognition by the Dallas police detectives, BriefCam has been awarded the Wall Street Journal 2010 Technology Innovation Award for Physical Security, the 2010 IFSEC Security Industry Award for Best CCTV System, and named to the Red Herring Top 100 Europe and CNBC Europe’s 25 Most Creative Companies lists.
We may not all be dumb enough to attempt to steal equipment from a security trade fair, but those of us who are should be forewarned that you never know when you’re going to collide with the long arm of Israeli technology.
Foto Friday – Face, Body at Bezalel
Filed under: Art, design, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Life
Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Art & Design will be holding a conference this coming Tuesday entitled “Face, Body”.
Bezalel is Israel’s oldest and most prestigious academy of art and design whose students in the arts, design and architecture become leaders in their fields in Israel and the world.
Photo by David Adika
The conference, hosted by Bezalel’s photography department, will deal with the ways in which the face and body is presented in the plastic arts, in poetry, film and video, as well as in philosophy and science.
Photos by Eyal Ben Dov
The long explanations put forth by the organizers: “The face and the body are material and likeness. The face and the body are both real and the presentation of the real or the similar that enables the existence of the self and the other (everyone is both self and other) in various spheres as well as in discourse about the matter. The face and the body can also be addressed in the context of space and time, power interactions, as concepts and perceptions, as a covering and as what is contained within the cover.”
In a word: verisimilitude.
Image by Reuven Kuperman
Speakers include some of Israel’s leading art photographers and videographers, including department head Micha Kirshner, Reuven Kuperman, Simcha Shirman, Miki Kratsman, David Adika, Eyal Ben Dov, and videographer Alona Friedberg.
Click on the links to learn more about some of Israel’s premiere photographers. More information about the conference can be found on the Bezalel website.
A video of Gilad
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, War
The news that Hamas is going to hand over a one-minute video tape of captive IDF soldier Gilad Schalit has been dominating the news today.
According to the Egyptian and German teams that helped broker the deal that will see 20 Palestinian female prisoners released from Israeli jails in exchange for the tape, it will provide enequivocal evidence that Schalit, who has been in captivity for more than three years, is alive and reasonably well.
It will be the first time that Schalit’s family will be seeing images of Gilad since he was captured in Gaza by Palestinian gunmen.
While it’s a far cry from seeing him released, I’m sure the family will be spending sleepless nights until they receive the tape on Friday. They issued a statement Wednesday night saying, “We wish to stress that although this is a first step in the right direction, the family will not rest until Gilad is freed after almost 1,200 days in which he has been held in a Hamas prison. Both sides must continue the determined process that has recently begun until the final result is quickly achieved.”
It’s bound to be quite a shock when they do finally see the video, as it’s certain that the Gilad Schalit who’s been held prisoner for so long will bear little resemblance to the 18-year-old boy that the country has come to know as their own in the ensuing three years.
The intensity with which the story was covered on Wednesday reflected the emotional baggage the entire country carries with it having lived with the burden of one of its soldiers held prisoner. In times like this, it’s almost safe to say that the cliche that we’re all one country is really true.
Let’s hope the release of the Gilad Schalit video is beginning of movement that will quickly see the release of Gilad Schalit, the human being.
ISRAEL21c takes CNN World Report on a trip to Lod
Filed under: General, Israeliness, Life, Politics
With so much of the media focused on the conflict, the ISRAEL21c feature stories airing on CNN — like this one by Molly Livingstone about a multi-ethnic, multi-religious effort to redevelop the city of Lod — are beacons of hope and progress from a place often seen only as a place of conflict.
More ISRAEL21c stories will likely be seen on CNN in the future – meanwhile, there are dozens of others to view and enjoy at the ISRAEL21c YouTube channel.
Hope for Israeli Startups
Filed under: Business, design, General, Medical Breakthroughs, Technology
Tivo, Skype, Java, and other technologies that we now wonder how we did without – all of them were first displayed and demonstrated at the world’s premier hi-tech show, DEMO. Being able to present at DEMO is a prestigious accomplishment, and in order to get in, you’ve got to have something special.
This year, there are ten slots for Israeli companies at DEMO ’09, and the lucky companies chosen to present this year – out of 300 applicants! – will be announced this Monday in Tel Aviv (yours truly has been invited to check it out). Those going on to the show (this year being held in Palm Springs, March 1-3) are practically guaranteed a shot at the big time (over the past four years, DEMO presenters have raised well over $2.5 billion dollars after the show). Previous Israeli entrants have included, among others, G.ho.st, which gives users a “personal computer” of their own from any terminal in the world, with it’s own operating system and software, and Vringo, which pioneered the business of video ringtones. Attending the show are dozens of computer businesses pros and journalists, as well as angels and VC’s.
Click to see video about DEMO \'09
Speaking of money: Is there any out there for startups anymore? Haven’t all the investors been scared off, after losing their shirts on the stock market and almost every other investment vehicle? Some have, sure. But in recent conversations with a whole raft of entrepreneurs, I’m hearing that there is money out there – and that because of the crisis, they may even have an easier time getting some. With stocks now considered suspect, investors are looking for places to put their money – and startups with good ideas and a good model are more attractive than ever, because they’re seen as a better bet than speculative stocks right now. Of course, that could just be the “happy face” talk they’re putting on to impress me (or reassure themselves) – but there’s a definite logic there. Besides, there’s this company, which just a couple of months ago netted $19 million in VC money. Not a bad take during a recession – or a boom, for that matter!
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