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Submission + - Police Use Pacemaker Data To Charge Homeowner With Arson And Insurance Fraud

Submitted by JustAnotherOldGuy
JustAnotherOldGuy writes: If you're dependent upon an embedded medical device, the device that helps keep you alive may also be used to incriminate you in a crime. Ross Compton, a 59-year-old homeowner in Ohio called 911 in September 2016 to say that his house was on fire, however there were many irregularities to the blaze that investigators found suspicious, such as contradictory statements from Compton and the way that the fire had started. In the ensuing investigation, the police secured a warrant for the logs from his pacemaker, specifically, "Compton’s heart rate, pacer demand and cardiac rhythms before, during and after the fire." They subsequently filed charges of felony aggravated arson and insurance fraud. Middletown Police said this was the first time it had used data from a heart device to make an arrest, but the pacemaker data proved to be an “excellent investigative tool;” the data from the pacemaker didn’t correspond with Compton’s version of what happened. The retrieved data was used to help indict Compton. Lt. Jimmy Cunningham stated, “It was one of the key pieces of evidence that allowed us to charge him.”

Submission + - Study Finds Social Media Makes People Anti-Social, Jealous

Submitted by JustAnotherOldGuy
JustAnotherOldGuy writes: A recent global study conducted by Kasperksy Lab reveals that social media users are interacting less face-to-face than in the past because of this newfound ability to constantly communicate and stay in touch online. In the study, researchers found that about one-third of people communicate less with their parents (31%), partners (23%), children (33%) and friends (35%) because they can simply follow them on social media. This may be doing more harm than good, in a world where editing one’s life to make it appear perfect is more appealing than naturally existing. Many participants made it clear that social media made them jealous of others. Nearly 60% of the participants viewed a friend as having a better life than their own simply by seeing that friend’s social media activity, and almost half were upset after viewing photos from a friend’s happy holiday celebration.
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Research Suggests E-Readers Are "Too Easy" To Read 185

Posted by samzenpus from the your-brain-wants-a-challenge dept.
New research suggests that the clear screens and easily read fonts of e-readers makes your brain "lazy." According to Neuroscience blogger Jonah Lehrer, using electronic books like the Kindle and Sony Reader makes you less likely to remember what you have read because the devices are so easy on the eyes. From the article: "Rather than making things clearer, e-readers and computers prevent us from absorbing information because their crisp screens and fonts tell our subconscious that the words they convey are not important, it is claimed. In contrast, handwriting and fonts that are more challenging to read signal to the brain that the content of the message is important and worth remembering, experts say."

Comment Going to need to install the boxes. (Score 1) 539

by Calcon (#32843082) Attached to: Sidestepping A-to-D Convertors For Town Government's Cable TV?
I would find out who your Business Customer Service rep is and contact them about this issue. Bottom line is you will need to install some sort of decryption box to get the signal to the TV’s. This type of conversion has been going for the last 10 years. What they are asking you to do is not out of the ordinary for the industry. The Hotel solution is not going to work for you. That solution requires about 10K worth of gear to make 32 analog channels show up without a box at the TV. This would have to be replicated at every location you need service. They refer to that solution as a Mini-Headend. Some hotels have more advanced system that use special modules that plug into the back of the TV (A BOX) that has the decryption chip built in. So whenever there is a digital signal and it is encrypted, it needs something to unencrypt it, a box. I see some of the posters listed D to A devices and I think I saw a D to D clear QAM device. They cost more than the 32 channel Mini-Headend solution I mentioned earlier. There should be someone at Comcast that can help you work out the best possible solution for you departments needs. Are all these locations fed by direct fiber to mini-nodes or GPON? If so ask if they have a Hotel FTG (Free To Guest) channel package they could switch you to. That should be in the clear analog or digital. Also see this article that explains whats going on... http://www.multichannel.com/article/366818-Cable_Tec_Expo_2009_Comcast_s_Project_Cavalry_Priority_Do_It_Yourself_DTAs.php Good luck,

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