July 02, 2003

CHECK OUT THE BLONDE IN THE BMW!

Maybe they just like looking at cars:

The Pentagon is developing an urban surveillance system that would use computers and thousands of cameras to track, record and analyse the movement of every vehicle in a foreign city.

The project's centrepiece is groundbreaking computer software that is capable of automatically identifying vehicles by size, colour, shape and licence tag, or drivers and passengers by face.

And people laughed (and denied me funding) when I proposed surveillance-beating Vehicle Morphing Technology (VMT) -- capable of converting this into something like this. See you in Gitmo, fools!

Posted by Tim Blair at July 2, 2003 01:17 PM
Comments

But will VMT work on the Bunyipmobile?

Posted by: Cracker Barrel Philosopher at July 2, 2003 at 02:33 PM

They all look the same to me.

Posted by: Gabor at July 2, 2003 at 02:51 PM

yep. Same. Small red cars.

Posted by: wen at July 2, 2003 at 04:37 PM

A physicist friend of mine some years ago did some research based on the use of "Window" (strips of aluminium foil) by allied bombers during WW2, and concluded that a strip of aluminium foil 10 metres long attached to the aerial of a car would render it invisible to radar. Not much use on surveillance cameras, but anyone want to try it out in the Sydney Harbor tunnel?

Posted by: paul bickford at July 2, 2003 at 04:45 PM

Paul, it would be great to have your physicist friend demonstrate his research in a public display in front of you and your friends. I don't think it render the car invisible to the radar, but it will look pretty darn funny. My brother had the same notion but said a light bulb held in your hand on the front dashboard would deflect radar waves. How do you explain the bulb/aluminum strip when the policeman is writing the ticket?

Posted by: Bob Carter at July 3, 2003 at 01:13 AM

He based his theory on "Window", whereby pathfinder bombers would release stips of foil from their bomb-bays beore the main strike streams entered German radar space- the resultant clutter would make the actual bombers difficult (if not impossible) to pick out. I didn't say it would work- this bloke is as mad as a hatter (he also had a plan to assasinate Joh Bjelke Petersen by flying a remote controlled plane with a propellor made out of razor-sharpened steel into the back of his head, and had some other plot involving Federal Parliament and Japanese bombing balloons), but it would be a hoot to see someone try it out.

Posted by: paul bickford at July 3, 2003 at 11:28 AM

Check it out! Magic anti-surveillance spray!
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030703-120901-3612r.htm

Posted by: CGeib at July 4, 2003 at 11:35 AM

Check it out! Magic anti-surveillance spray!
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030703-120901-3612r.htm

Posted by: CGeib at July 4, 2003 at 11:35 AM

Check it out! Magic anti-surveillance spray!
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030703-120901-3612r.htm

Posted by: CGeib at July 4, 2003 at 11:36 AM