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By Dave Lee BBC World Service
On CCTV, no-one can hear you scream.
But technology from a UK company now means cameras can tell if you're being aggressive or calling for help - and will alert security guards straight away.
Cambridge firm Audio Analytic has produced software which it said can analyse the pitch, tone and intonation of noises and work out if they pose a threat.
"A lot of incidents just can't be picked up by video only systems," said Chris Mitchell, Audio Analytic's boss, on BBC World Service's Digital Planet.
"For example in a hospital where somebody, or a nurse, is being threatened early hours in the morning - that's a very difficult thing for CCTV guards who monitor hundreds of channels worth of video signals on 20 screens or so to pick up."
More here
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Melamine found again in milk
Readiness is important, I grant you, but people who have grown up with food that has always been safe and healthy are not expecting it to be contaminated deliberately by anyone!
Our family looks forward to fresh milk every morning, as do millions of others. If someone contaminated it here, it would be headline news! The source would be found, the problem put right, and the bad product dealt with properly.
Thankfully most of us have not had to deal with such bad things done for what purpose?
What benefit is there in poisoning people with toxic chemicals? What is worse, the practice seems to be still going on!
What is it going to take to correct this?
What is melamine?
Our family looks forward to fresh milk every morning, as do millions of others. If someone contaminated it here, it would be headline news! The source would be found, the problem put right, and the bad product dealt with properly.
Thankfully most of us have not had to deal with such bad things done for what purpose?
What benefit is there in poisoning people with toxic chemicals? What is worse, the practice seems to be still going on!
What is it going to take to correct this?
What is melamine?
What is melamine?
What is melamine?
Melamine is an organic base chemical most commonly found in the form of white crystals rich in nitrogen
What is melamine generally used for?
Melamine is widely used in plastics, adhesives, countertops, dishware, whiteboards.
Why was melamine added into milk and powdered infant formula
In China, where adulteration has occurred, water has been added to raw milk to increase its volume. As a result of this dilution the milk has a lower protein concentration. Companies using the milk for further production (e.g. of powdered infant formula) normally check the protein level through a test measuring nitrogen content. The addition of melamine increases the nitrogen content of the milk and therefore its apparent protein content.
Addition of melamine into food is not approved by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius (food standard commission), or by any national authorities.
Has melamine been found in other food products?
In 2007, melamine was found in wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate exported from China and used in the manufacture of pet food in the United States. This caused the death of a large number of dogs and cats due to kidney failure.
In the present event, melamine contamination has been found in a number of different brands of powdered infant formula, in one brand of a frozen yogurt dessert and in one brand of canned coffee drink. All these products were most probably manufactured using ingredients made from melamine-contaminated milk. What is melamine?
Melamine is an organic base chemical most commonly found in the form of white crystals rich in nitrogen
Melamine is an organic base chemical most commonly found in the form of white crystals rich in nitrogen
What is melamine generally used for?
Melamine is widely used in plastics, adhesives, countertops, dishware, whiteboards.
Why was melamine added into milk and powdered infant formula
In China, where adulteration has occurred, water has been added to raw milk to increase its volume. As a result of this dilution the milk has a lower protein concentration. Companies using the milk for further production (e.g. of powdered infant formula) normally check the protein level through a test measuring nitrogen content. The addition of melamine increases the nitrogen content of the milk and therefore its apparent protein content.
Addition of melamine into food is not approved by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius (food standard commission), or by any national authorities.
Has melamine been found in other food products?
In 2007, melamine was found in wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate exported from China and used in the manufacture of pet food in the United States. This caused the death of a large number of dogs and cats due to kidney failure.
In the present event, melamine contamination has been found in a number of different brands of powdered infant formula, in one brand of a frozen yogurt dessert and in one brand of canned coffee drink. All these products were most probably manufactured using ingredients made from melamine-contaminated milk. What is melamine?
Melamine is an organic base chemical most commonly found in the form of white crystals rich in nitrogen
Thursday, October 28, 2010
News:BP oil disaster: Pre-spill tests 'showed cement flaw'
28 October 2010 Last updated at 20:45 GMT
The firms drilling a BP Gulf of Mexico oil well had tests showing cement used to seal it before it blew out was unstable, US investigators have found.
The findings conflict with statements by US oil contractor Halliburton, which supplied the cement and has said tests showed it was stable.
But a presidential panel on the disaster found that three tests prior to the blowout showed the opposite.
The 20 April rig explosion killed 11 workers and caused a massive oil leak.
more here
The firms drilling a BP Gulf of Mexico oil well had tests showing cement used to seal it before it blew out was unstable, US investigators have found.
The findings conflict with statements by US oil contractor Halliburton, which supplied the cement and has said tests showed it was stable.
But a presidential panel on the disaster found that three tests prior to the blowout showed the opposite.
The 20 April rig explosion killed 11 workers and caused a massive oil leak.
more here
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Fake email from Inland revenue
Have you received an email or letter similar to this?
Dear Sir/Madam
You qualify for a tax refund of $250 (or similar sum).
I took the precaution of contacting the real New Zealand tax department using their web site.
This is their response:
Thank you for your email received on 27 October 2010
I advise that this is a scam and that you should not follow the link or enter any personal information onto the site.
Inland Revenue is warning people not to respond to a hoax email claiming to offer a tax refund and has advised if someone has given their details to the people behind any sort of hoax, they should contact us on 0800 227 774.
So don't be tempted by the offer!
Dear Sir/Madam
You qualify for a tax refund of $250 (or similar sum).
I took the precaution of contacting the real New Zealand tax department using their web site.
This is their response:
Thank you for your email received on 27 October 2010
I advise that this is a scam and that you should not follow the link or enter any personal information onto the site.
Inland Revenue is warning people not to respond to a hoax email claiming to offer a tax refund and has advised if someone has given their details to the people behind any sort of hoax, they should contact us on 0800 227 774.
So don't be tempted by the offer!
Do you have comments to make or interesting stories?
Some interesting articles have been posted recently to give you more choice of material and a chance to take part by responding to what you read. Please feel free to read and comment on anything you would like to respond to.
In addition, see if you can track down useful informative information to help readers see things in better perspective. Your comments could raise thought for others, giving them reason to speak up.
This is your blog, your forum. Tell us your thoughts. Ask questions. Reply to what you find here. It may help us get a clearer view of things.
In addition, see if you can track down useful informative information to help readers see things in better perspective. Your comments could raise thought for others, giving them reason to speak up.
This is your blog, your forum. Tell us your thoughts. Ask questions. Reply to what you find here. It may help us get a clearer view of things.
News:Hobbit law change to be rushed through
Published: 5:18AM Thursday October 28, 2010 Source: NZPA
The government will put a bill through parliament under urgency today to seal the deal that has secured the $670 million Hobbit movies for New Zealand.
Prime Minister John Key announced the agreement with Warner Brothers last night after two days of negotiations with studio executives who had been worried about industrial disputes and wanted a bigger tax break than the standard 15% for big movies.
They got what they wanted with legislation that will clear up confusion about the legal status of contractors and employees, but the $20 million tax break was far short of what they argued for.
Key said that in financial terms there was no doubt Warner Brothers could have got a better deal from other countries, but the studio wanted to make the movies in New Zealand and so did director Sir Peter Jackson.
"They wanted a lot more, they argued for a lot more," he said.
"I made it clear we were at our limit, this is a better deal than we have had with other big movies made here in the past."
And the government has scored through an agreement that New Zealand will be promoted through all the marketing DVDs and other material that will be used to publicise the two Hobbit movies, as well as hosting one of the world premieres.
To get that it will offset $US10 million of Warner Brothers marketing costs.
Advertisement
"The strategic marketing opportunities for New Zealand from the movies will be worth tens of millions of dollars," Key said.
"In the financial sense, this is a good deal."
He said the labour law change was the most important issue for Warner Brothers, because the legal definitions of a contractor and an employee could have caused disputes and court cases that would have held up production and cost the studio many millions.
The change will cover only the movie industry.
"We're not taking rights away from workers," Key said.More here
The government will put a bill through parliament under urgency today to seal the deal that has secured the $670 million Hobbit movies for New Zealand.
Prime Minister John Key announced the agreement with Warner Brothers last night after two days of negotiations with studio executives who had been worried about industrial disputes and wanted a bigger tax break than the standard 15% for big movies.
They got what they wanted with legislation that will clear up confusion about the legal status of contractors and employees, but the $20 million tax break was far short of what they argued for.
Key said that in financial terms there was no doubt Warner Brothers could have got a better deal from other countries, but the studio wanted to make the movies in New Zealand and so did director Sir Peter Jackson.
"They wanted a lot more, they argued for a lot more," he said.
"I made it clear we were at our limit, this is a better deal than we have had with other big movies made here in the past."
And the government has scored through an agreement that New Zealand will be promoted through all the marketing DVDs and other material that will be used to publicise the two Hobbit movies, as well as hosting one of the world premieres.
To get that it will offset $US10 million of Warner Brothers marketing costs.
Advertisement
"The strategic marketing opportunities for New Zealand from the movies will be worth tens of millions of dollars," Key said.
"In the financial sense, this is a good deal."
He said the labour law change was the most important issue for Warner Brothers, because the legal definitions of a contractor and an employee could have caused disputes and court cases that would have held up production and cost the studio many millions.
The change will cover only the movie industry.
"We're not taking rights away from workers," Key said.More here
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