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States choose their own paths in regulating RFID
HID Global’s Kathleen Carroll takes on lawmakers in California, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire; Golden State legislators want to force full technical disclosure to consumers
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Oracle shows GRC suite to compete with SAP
The field of corporate governance, risk, and compliance is growing, and application giant Oracle wants a piece of the action; the company acquires Stellent, a contents management specialist, and is getting set to compete with market-domianting SAP
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IndigoVision cameras to protect new Canada light rail system
$2 billion effort to protect Vancouver’s Canada Line will deploy 400 analog cameras; signals will be converted into MPEG-4 format for transmission to an eighty screen command center
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Delta Scientific enters the secure mail sorting business
Company ships its first BioBooth to a U.S. embassy in Europe; prefabricated building offers ample space for storing and state of the art decontamination tools; if an attack occurs, booth can be quickly sealed and moved off premises
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RFID disputes prompts DHS investigation
Black Hat conference atwitter after HID prevents IOActive from disclosing its tags’s vulnerability; DHS’s Computer Emergency Response Team will take a closer look at the issue
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Reverse-hacker wins $4.3 million in suit against Sandia
Shawn Carpenter dismissed after discovering a Chinese gang accessing the lab’s computer; decision to share data with the FBI and Army upset superiors; verdict seen as a victory for whistleblowers
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Privacy Rights Clearinghouse names top data breaches of 2006
Veterans Affairs Department and Circuit City/Chase Card Services top the list; PRC hits the 100 million illegally accessed records mark; two dozen breaches in 2006 of more than 100,000
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NSA and StratCom build up hacking capabilities
Marine General John Davishe intends to operationalize net-centric warfare; in addition to developing policy and tactics, StratCom intends to make hacking a valid career path for the Army’s best and brightest
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UC Davis scientists use bacteria to fight earthquake liquification
Application of Bacillus pasteurii during or after construction creates a shell of calcium carbonate around sand grains; approach avoids use of dangerous chemicals; funding required for larger studies
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Sungard announces new virtualization product
System intended for those requiring a short-term boost in computing strength after a disaster; large companies continue to jump on the virtualization bandwagon
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Duke students invent "wisdom door"
System uses nine sensors to measure height, weight, and girth; passing through the door can activate any number of responses, including home entertainment preferences; tandem use with RFID envisioned
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DHS to offer $1-2 million in tunnel-sensing technology
Concerned about illegal immigration, government asks private sector for a solution; sensors, IT, and geospatial imaging to play a role; temperature differences between soil within the tunnel and without may be a key indicator
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Delta to install vehicle barriers at U.S. embassies worldwide
Shallow foundation system to be deployed to China, Austria, Saudia Arabia, and various cities in Germany, among others; more than 1,000 have already been sold; U.S. Air Force plans to use same to protect all of its bases around the world
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India dumps airport Backscatter machine
Revealing images upset socially conservative security guards; cultural values often underappreciated by security officials
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TSA finds most railroad security measures inadequate
$7 million study finds advanced explosives and screening methods suffer high false positive rates; yet traditional methods such as X-rays and canines suffer from poor economies of scale; study may upset congressional plans to boost railroad security spending
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The long view
Nuclear Has Changed. Will the U.S. Change with It?
Fueled by artificial intelligence, cloud service providers, and ambitious new climate regulations, U.S. demand for carbon-free electricity is on the rise. In response, analysts and lawmakers are taking a fresh look at a controversial energy source: nuclear power.
Water Is the Other U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis, and the Supply Crunch Is Getting Worse
The United States and Mexico are aware of the political and economic importance of the border region. But if water scarcity worsens, it could supplant other border priorities. The two countries should recognize that conditions are deteriorating and update the existing cross-border governance regime so that it reflects today’s new water realities.
Exploring the New Nuclear Energy Landscape
In the last few years, the U.S. has seen a resurgence of interest in nuclear energy and its potential for helping meet the nation’s growing demands for clean electricity and energy security. Meanwhile, nuclear energy technologies themselves have advanced, opening up new possibilities for their use.