-
BVS helps U.K. prisons detect cell phones
Berkeley Varitronics Systems (BVS) has made quite a splash in recent weeks announcing a new partnership to distribute its cell phone detection technology in the United Kingdom, adding several options to its line of multi-band transmitters, and teaming up with Los Angeles Laker Andrew Goudelock
-
-
Laser Energetics delivers Dazer Laser GUARDIAN
Mercerville, New Jersey-based Laser Energetics, Inc. has announced the delivery of their Dazer Laser GUARDIANS; the initial delivery was made yesterday
-
-
Border security market booming
The border security market will reach a value of $17 billion in 2011, as governments around the world continue to invest in a range of border security products
-
-
Doing business with DHS
The climate for small and mid-sized companies is extremely competitive in the current congressional budget environment, for both technology and services firms — yet there are many opportunities for companies that know where to look and how to develop their strategy
-
-
Large rare earth deposit discovered near California mine
Molycorp Minerals recently announced that it had discovered significant deposits of heavy rare earth minerals near its mine in Mountain Pass, California and production could begin in as little as two years
-
-
SITA helps Indonesia track 20 million biometric identities
SITA, an international supplier of technology solutions for air transportation, is in the midst of helping Indonesia implement a biometric scanning system for all visiting foreigners; SITA’s BioThenticate can match and manage up to twenty million biometric identities and will be used to screen travelers against a biometric watch list using face and fingerprints
-
-
USAID, Swiss Re Partnership Targets Hunger, Natural Disasters
USAID and Swiss Re a few days ago announced a 3-year partnership to help vulnerable communities fight hunger, build resilience to climate change, and reduce the costs of natural disasters in the Americas, Africa, and Asia
-
-
New cloud continuity solution for SMBs
Research by Contingency Planning, Strategic Research Corp., and DTI/PricewaterhouseCoopers found that the effect of downtime and data and application loss on small to medium enterprises caused 70 percent of small firms to go out of business within a year of the event; a new cloud-based continuity service addresses this problem
-
-
Formation of Senate and House rare Earth minerals caucuses urged
The Association for Rare Earth yesterday urged the creation of Senate and House caucuses to focus on the challenges of securing supplies of rare Earth elements for U.S. high technology, clean energy, and defense communities
-
-
80% of U.S. small businesses have no cyber security policies in place
The majority of small business owners believe Internet security is critical to their success and that their companies are safe from ever increasing cyber security threats even as many fail to take fundamental precautions, according to a new survey of U.S. small businesses
-
-
OmniTouch turns any surface into a touch screen

Researchers at Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon have created a shoulder-mounted device that can turn virtually any surface into an interactive touch screen; with OmniTouch users can now use walls or even the palm of their hands to control their smartphones
-
-
World's first 1080p/30fps video analytics solution on an FPGA announced
Altera Corporation said it was introducing what it described as the world’s first FPGA-based full-HD 1080p/(30 frames per second) 30fps video analytics on a Cyclone IV FPGA
-
-
TSA expands pilot screening program for pilots

Last week the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expanded its trial program that allows pilots to skip airport security checkpoint lines to Washington Dulles International Airport; Dulles is the sixth of seven test locations for the “Known Crewmember” program which offers pilots an expedited screening process in the hopes of minimizing wait times for passengers
-
-
Innovative surveillance solutions recognized
MicroObserver Unattended Ground Sensor from Textron Defense Systems was recognized as one of the 2011 Big 25 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) products; the solution detects and tracks vehicles and personnel for perimeter defense, border security, force protection, persistent surveillance, and critical infrastructure protection
-
-
Google making search more secure
Google is enhancing its default search service for signed-in users; over the next few weeks, many users will find themselves redirected to https://www.google.com (note the extra “s”) when they are signed in to their Google account; this change encrypts their search queries and Google’s results page
-
More headlines
The long view
U.S.-China Tech Rivalry: The Geopolitics of Semiconductors
The United States and China are locked in a high‑stakes contest for dominance in computing power. In response to US sanctions and export controls, China has ramped domestic chip design and manufacturing, aiming to create an all‑Chinese semiconductor supply chain that reduces dependence on foreign technologies.
The American TikTok Deal Doesn’t Address the Platform’s Potential for Manipulation, Only Who Profits
If we want to protect democratic information systems, we need to focus on reducing the vulnerabilities in our relationship with media platforms – platforms with surveillance power to know what we will like, the algorithmic power to curate our information diet and control of platform incentives, and rules and features that affect who gains influence. The biggest challenge is to make platforms less riggable, and thus less weaponizable, if only for the reason that motivated the TikTok ban: we don’t want our adversaries, foreign or domestic, to have power over us.
Underground Data Fortresses: The Nuclear Bunkers, Mines and Mountains Being Transformed to Protect Our “New Gold” from Attack
Bunker scholars have long noted that these buildings are as much about time as they are about space. Bunkers are designed to preserve and transport their contents through time, from an apocalyptic present into a safe future.
Funding Cuts, Policy Shifts, and the Erosion of U.S. Scientific and Public Health Capacity
The U.S. continues to face mounting threats to its health, scientific enterprise, and national security. A recent report warns that proposed FY 2026 budget cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) could reduce its funding by more than half – from $9 billion in FY 2025 to under $4 billion. If passed by Congress, these cuts would result in an estimated ~$11 billion in economic losses.
U.S. Energy Supply Chains Are Unlikely to Meet Anticipated Demand
The U.S. fast-growing energy demands for clean energy sources faces a problem: Under current supply chain conditions, the United States is on track to fall significantly short of surging demand for three clean energy sources: wind, solar, and battery. The shortage is due to the scarcity of critical raw materials such as nickel, aluminum, and silicon.
