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Holograms Help Protect Super Bowl

Apache4857 writes to tell us CNet is reporting that Homeland Security agents monitoring the Superbowl will be doing so in 3D. Using streams from two cameras, the LifeVision 3D system is able to project images onto a 20-inch screen that is equipped with a depth tube. This depth tube makes images appear to rise 30 inches off the screen and sink 30 inches into the screen allowing real world volumes and distances to be displayed accurately. Using this system security officials will be able to search sidewalks, monitor faces, and even peer under vehicles.

287 comments

  1. Problem. by Teresh · · Score: 1, Interesting

    If there's a terrorist attack like the Bush Administration expects, how will it get reported? Last I checked the news was still in HDTV and not Holovision.

    --
    Do you Gentoo?
    1. Re:Problem. by ZachPruckowski · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Persumably anything not equipped to do "holograms" can just use one camera feed or the other or both. That, of course, assumes that we are allowed to see the footage from the security tapes if there's an attack. Really the news'll prolly be limited to whatever cell phone cameras get, unless they catch it on their cameras.

    2. Re:Problem. by Melfina · · Score: 0, Flamebait
      Why the hell is this Flamebait? Do you guys even read the posts?

      It's a legitimate question; "What if a normal TV needs to display the enhanced image?", it's not insulting anyone, nor is it taking away from the topic.

      Someone mod this up please, what a joke...

      --
      :3 rawr.
    3. Re:Problem. by DrMrLordX · · Score: 1

      Agreed, grandparent post is not flamebait.

  2. And in related news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Jem and the Holograms will perform at the half-time show.

    1. Re:And in related news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Jem is truly outrageous. Truly, truly, truly outrageous.

    2. Re:And in related news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (golf clap)

      Oh, nicely done!

  3. Finally by crass25 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    We've all been waiting for this for a long time. I've heard of speakers like kurzeil using similiar technology to give speeches across the world. Now how long till this replaces standard tv?

    1. Re:Finally by Directrix1 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Exactly how will this miracle of 3d vision, enable anybody to see anything they couldn't see in 2D. Additionally, what aspect of this 3d viewing device makes a camera capture video "underneath cars" and crap like that. What a bunch of bullshit. I don't like my money going to shit like this. I don't care how good it makes those sheep feel.

      --
      Occam's razor is the blind faith in the natural selection of least resistance and in universal oversimplification. -- EF
    2. Re:Finally by Yahweh+Doesn't+Exist · · Score: 1

      >Additionally, what aspect of this 3d viewing device makes a camera capture video "underneath cars" and crap like that.

      yeah, it's like the moment in Enemy of the State where the government types woth their fancy computers are able to take the CCTV footage of someone and rotate the image to look from the other side.

    3. Re:Finally by citizenr · · Score: 0

      >yeah, it's like the moment in Enemy of the State where the government
      >types woth their fancy computers are able to take the CCTV footage of
      >someone and rotate the image to look from the other side.

      perfectly feasible, the software builds 3D model of things on the screen and is able to emulate different viewing angles from that data

      --
      Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
    4. Re:Finally by Schraegstrichpunkt · · Score: 1
      Exactly how will this miracle of 3d vision, enable anybody to see anything they couldn't see in 2D

      It won't. It'll help them *notice* and *recognize* things they wouldn't in 2D.

    5. Re:Finally by Directrix1 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, like cup size.

      --
      Occam's razor is the blind faith in the natural selection of least resistance and in universal oversimplification. -- EF
    6. Re:Finally by Lakebeach · · Score: 0

      I for one can't wait to change my unimpressive and space saving plasma TV to a real depth tube based TV.

    7. Re:Finally by cloudmaster · · Score: 1

      I think I know a Florida cop who would buy it for that reason alone.

  4. But still... by imsabbel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    this isnt a hologram.
    (i know hologram sounds cool, but you cannot call any crap that has some stereoscopic view that way)

    --
    HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
    1. Re:But still... by dkleinsc · · Score: 1

      You're right. They should have used Arnold Rimmer instead.

      --
      I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
  5. 3-D viewing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe the agents just want to view the wardrobe malfunctions in 3-D.

  6. Dozens of 20" screens..? by ds_job · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'd still prefer it if they had a couple of battalions of actual human beings out there. I doubt that the cost / benefit analysis has been done for this. Probably just makes people think they are being watched which will either make them feel secure or vindicated about their Orwellian nightmares. They'll all be checking out womens cleavages anyway...

    1. Re:Dozens of 20" screens..? by Mortirer · · Score: 1, Funny

      "They'll all be checking out womens cleavages anyway..." In 3D!

      --
      Curiosity killed the cat, but cats have 9 lives.
    2. Re:Dozens of 20" screens..? by paulthomas · · Score: 1

      I somewhat agree. If the DHS has to even be there in the first place, plain-clothes officers would make much more sense.

      I think that you're right, too that this is how an Orwellian nightmare begins at least. It begins when it makes people feel secure. And cozy. And it ends when... well, I don't know if it ends.

    3. Re:Dozens of 20" screens..? by Fishstick · · Score: 1

      >I'd still prefer it if they had a couple of battalions of actual human beings out there

      oh, I'm sure this isn't being used in place of human security assets.

      I'm sure the main benefit of doing something like this is being able to say

      The U.S. government will deploy a new "Star Wars-like" hologram technology to help safeguard the Super Bowl on Sunday.

      I bet the majority of non-technical citizens who hear that kind of statement are impressed. "Star Wars holograms! I feel safer already! Sweeet!!"

      --

      There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
      Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

    4. Re:Dozens of 20" screens..? by inter+alias · · Score: 1

      plain-clothes officers...

      Did someone say there wouldn't be? And if someone did, would you trust them?

      Seriously, they won't be taking care of security in only one way.

    5. Re:Dozens of 20" screens..? by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1
      I'd still prefer it if they had a couple of battalions of actual human beings out there.

      There are.

      " "Including private security guards, we'll have upwards of 10,000 people involved," said William Kowalski, the assistant special agent in charge of the Detroit FBI. "

    6. Re:Dozens of 20" screens..? by omeomi · · Score: 1

      I think that you're right, too that this is how an Orwellian nightmare begins at least. It begins when it makes people feel secure. And cozy. And it ends when... well, I don't know if it ends.

      I just checked, and it ends with: "He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother. The End".

    7. Re:Dozens of 20" screens..? by TomRC · · Score: 1

      Yeah - I heard that too - my response was "what a waste!" - 10000 people to protect 65000 of the super-elite. And there wasn't even a "credible threat".

      Homeland security only cares about one thing - making sure that if there is a terrorist attack, no one be able to say they should have anticipated it and done more. Which is NOT the same thing as providing the best possible security - it's just bureaucratic CYA.

    8. Re:Dozens of 20" screens..? by scheming+daemons · · Score: 1
      I was at the game. I can guarantee you that myself, and most of the other 50,000+ members of Steeler Nation that were there are nowhere near "elite".

      My wife and I cancelled our vacation cruise in May so we could go to the Super Bowl. Most of the other members of Steeler Nation did something similar.

      There were a lot of "elite" there, to be sure. But the overwhelming majority of them were normal people that simply have a passion for their Steelers.

      --
      "I have as much authority as the pope, I just
      don't have as many people who believe it" - George Carlin

    9. Re:Dozens of 20" screens..? by Flendon · · Score: 1

      Cleavage? Have you no imagination?

      Cop1: Hey Johnson, if these things can look under cars then what else can they look under?
      Cop2: I don't know, what... Oh you're awful! Upskirts again Bob?
      Cop1: Upskirts in 3D!

      --
      chown -R us ./base
  7. What a profitable use of funds... by paulthomas · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think this is a really good use of funds. Well, at least I would if I too were feeding at the trough.

    Best,
    Paul

    1. Re:What a profitable use of funds... by Hal_Porter · · Score: 2, Funny

      Narc out your roomate. I did, and I bought a Gateway FPD2185W with the reward. It has a native resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels, an aspect Ratio: 16:10, triple video inputs: 2xComponent and one S-Video. PC Magazine described it as "a stylish 21-inch widescreen LCD that delivers better-than-average performance and lots of features". I also bought a 60GB iPod with a 2.5" 320 x 240 color TFT screen which I store all my Huey Lewis and the News mp3s on. Rolling Stone Magazine described Huey as the "misunderstood genius of American Rock".

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    2. Re:What a profitable use of funds... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go take your advertisements and shove them up your ass.

    3. Re:What a profitable use of funds... by SkyFire360 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I'm guessing the parent an example of Guerilla Marketing. The when the Penny Arcade guys expounded that the marketers hung out in various popular forums, I instantly thought there might be some on /.

    4. Re:What a profitable use of funds... by Overloadplanetunreal · · Score: 1

      It's unfortunate that this method of advertising is so effective. There really is no way to weed out the "fake" posts from the real ones. I recently posted about my impressions of a product I tried out at E3, and was a bit offended when the reply I got was that I was "obviously" an employee of the company. But what can I say to make someone believe me? Anyone can type anything behind this anonymity...

    5. Re:What a profitable use of funds... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Somehow, that doesn't exactly seem like an advertisement. Despite all the name-dropping, he's still suggesting that you get all sorts of "desirable items" for selling someone out...that sounds pretty tongue in cheek, if you ask me.

    6. Re:What a profitable use of funds... by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      Actually it's a reference to American Psycho.

      I liked the way the pychopathic anti hero, Patrick Bateman, is completely souless and amoral and actually _thinks_ in advert speak - lists of features and so on.

      Penthouse called it "a sexy satire on the 1980's".

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  8. 2D works for Big Ben by cwebb1977 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The two-dimensional thing called offensive line protects Roethlisberger well enough. Who needs 3D?

    --
    www.weberseite.at
    1. Re:2D works for Big Ben by nighthawk127127 · · Score: 0

      Roethlis who?

      --
      10100111001
    2. Re:2D works for Big Ben by wed128 · · Score: 1

      Ben Rothlisberger, the Quarterback for the Pittsburg Steelers.

  9. I don't get it by g253 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is massively cool and all, but how is it helpful to peer under vehicles? You don't need 3D for that, and 3D won't help if the cameras are too high above ground... Anyway, they'll just use it to peer under skirts, like we would.

    1. Re:I don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      oh, please. You make us all out to be so immature.

      OT, but, has anyone been able to find a good Natalie Portman nudie pic? Been looking everywhere and all I can find is some grainy thing. Torrent would be great.

    2. Re:I don't get it by slavemowgli · · Score: 1

      Support civil liberties, wear a kilt to the next SuperBowl!

      (If you're wondering how this would help civil liberties. well, let's just say it will probably cause naughty camera operators to go blind. Or at least wish they had.)

      --
      quidquid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
    3. Re:I don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyway, they'll just use it to peer under skirts

      Or kilts if their women security officers

    4. Re:I don't get it by whoda · · Score: 1

      The linked article doesn't say anything about peering under cars. It's either submitter or /. editor daydreaming and recalling bad Will Smith movies.

    5. Re:I don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Sure it does:
      Holograms help authorities see images more clearly, Fischbach said.
      LifeVision will be used to search sidewalks, monitor faces in the enormous Super Bowl crowd and peer under vehicles.
  10. Cool tech, but.... by Vengeance_au · · Score: 5, Funny

    What the hell is this technology doing being deployed in a security role? The rule is : ALL COOL TECH IS DEVELOPED FOR PORN! It then trickles down into other mundane uses, like saving our lives.

    1. Re:Cool tech, but.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't worry, it's been used for peeking up skirts already, so it's on to the lifesaving phase of its development.

    2. Re:Cool tech, but.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      No, seriously, where's all the stereo-scopic, dual video-camera, porn a-la the technique used in "Dial 'M' for murder?" Is looking with slighly crossed eyes *that* hard? I'm sick of all the www.anaglyphchixxx.com and www.hotdepthcuesluts.com wannabes.

      Okay, triple-check the "Post Anonymously" box ....

    3. Re:Cool tech, but.... by forkazoo · · Score: 4, Funny

      They are hoping for another nipple exposure.

    4. Re:Cool tech, but.... by hikerhat · · Score: 1

      Well, if they can look under cars, they can look under the door to the cheer leaders' locker room I guess.

  11. Thank God! by RyatNrrd · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nothing is too elaborate to protect us from Janet's Terror-Boobs!

    1. Re:Thank God! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nothing is too elaborate to protect us from Janet's Terror-Boobs!

      Those boobs were a terror, many a nerd cried out in fear!

    2. Re:Thank God! by mordors9 · · Score: 1

      Yes, but imagine.... her boobs popping out 30 inches at you...yikes.

    3. Re:Thank God! by pjt48108 · · Score: 1

      It ain't her boob, but the star-shaped stud she has in it that will get ya.

      --
      Mmmmmm... Bold, yet refreshing!
    4. Re:Thank God! by minus_273 · · Score: 1

      "Nothing is too elaborate to protect us from Janet's Terror-Boobs!"

      you have no idea how accurate that statement is. Shudder.

      --
      The war with islam is a war on the beast
      The war on terror is a war for peace
  12. Cost by CosmeticLobotamy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I only skimmed the article, so maybe I missed it, but what are taxpayers paying for this system that still will not stop someone from strapping a ring of explosives under their coat?

    1. Re:Cost by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      Hmm.. could it be because they have pat-downs for those?

      Or because they're concerned about the threat associated with a vehicle strapped with enough explosives to take out and/or destabilize a large part of a stadium?

      I give up, which is it?

    2. Re:Cost by east+coast · · Score: 1

      Yeah, God forbid your tax money is being spent on a project that won't end world hunger, cure cancer, rid us of the need of foreign oil and wipe our collective asses all at the same time. You know, it's the slashdot way, if a tax funded project doesn't stop every potential vulnerability in a system it is a complete waste of cash and time. Outraegous I say! I won't put up with it!

      Instead I'll sit around slashdot and talk up how cool a case mod is that uses old pizza boxes as a cooling system or about how someone reinventing the wheel is a noble pursuit.

      --
      Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
    3. Re:Cost by hackstraw · · Score: 1

      I only skimmed the article, so maybe I missed it, but what are taxpayers paying for this system that still will not stop someone from strapping a ring of explosives under their coat?

      Its not mentioned how much this costs. But I would imagine that they are not looking for a pipe bomb kinda guy like the one that showed up at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. They are looking under cars and through the crowd for the guy that just got a job from Budweiser that will deliver all of the poisoned beer. Or they might be looking for the Cessna plane that will shower the crowd with antrax. Or the handicapped guy in a wheelchair with the assemble and shoot machine gun.

      With all points of possible destruction taken care of with the new "Star Wars" holograms, everybody is assured that the game will be a happy and safe time.

      Oh, and the best part is if another bobbie gets revealed, the Homeland Security People will see it in 3d with a depth of +-30"

      More importantly, when is this technology going to be consumer affordable? 3d porn with no glasses. Yeah!

    4. Re:Cost by CosmeticLobotamy · · Score: 1

      They are looking under cars

      A 3-D camera improves this how?

      and through the crowd for the guy that just got a job from Budweiser that will deliver all of the poisoned beer.

      A 3-D camera improves this how?

      Or they might be looking for the Cessna plane that will shower the crowd with antrax.

      I'm going to go ahead and roll my eyes first, then ask how a 3-D camera would be better for this than cheap-ass radar, which I'm sure is also employed.

      Or the handicapped guy in a wheelchair with the assemble and shoot machine gun.

      This is the only feasible one you've listed, but you'd think he'd either build the thing in a bathroom stall, where the cameras don't reach, or be tackled by one of the thousands of people within twenty feet of him.

    5. Re:Cost by CosmeticLobotamy · · Score: 1

      God forbid your tax money is being spent on a project that won't end world hunger, cure cancer, rid us of the need of foreign oil and wipe our collective asses all at the same time.

      I'm okay if we don't do that, as long as we don't waste what we have on a false sense of security.

      You know, it's the slashdot way, if a tax funded project doesn't stop every potential vulnerability in a system it is a complete waste of cash and time.

      Since you know the slashdot way so well, I'll explain this in slashdot terms: This is the equivalent of spending millions of dollars on physical security for your customers' credit card data but leaving the computer it's stored on on an unpatched Windows machine connected to the internet.

      If we know this, then they know this, and if they're dedicated, they're not going to stop just because we've made one of the dozens of trivial attack methods harder.

    6. Re:Cost by hackstraw · · Score: 1


      Sorry, I thought my sarcasm was more clear.

    7. Re:Cost by east+coast · · Score: 1

      If we know this, then they know this, and if they're dedicated, they're not going to stop

      Uh, but if you can find the threat you can stop it. This is a step in finding the threat but it's being underplayed as nothing more than a waste of money. The grandparent post doesn't even acknowledge that this has any value, it's much more of the attitude "I can defeat their measure, it's a waste".

      --
      Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
    8. Re:Cost by CosmeticLobotamy · · Score: 1

      Ah, sorry, man. My bad. You were clear, I was overly defensive.

    9. Re:Cost by hackstraw · · Score: 1

      I was overly defensive.

      Scary, coming from a person with a cosmetic lobotomy :)

    10. Re:Cost by CosmeticLobotamy · · Score: 1

      Don't worry. I asked for an '-omy', but they gave me an '-amy', which is like an '-omy', but it only affects your ability to spell. My defensiveness was unaffected.

    11. Re:Cost by uradu · · Score: 1

      > and wipe our collective asses

      Jesus, you don't even get to have your own ass in the US anymore? Not even the Soviets went that far...

    12. Re:Cost by epee1221 · · Score: 1

      And is this system more likely to detect that?

      --
      "The use-mention distinction" is not "enforced here."
    13. Re:Cost by epee1221 · · Score: 1

      How many more threats can be found this way than would be found by older (cheaper) methods? And the "I can defeat their measure, it's a waste" is really something to consider. If I, with what little relevant ability I have could assassinate some politician, then that politician is not well protected.

      --
      "The use-mention distinction" is not "enforced here."
    14. Re:Cost by Lord+Flipper · · Score: 1
      This is the only feasible one you've listed, but you'd think he'd either build the thing in a bathroom stall, where the cameras don't reach, or be tackled by one of the thousands of people within twenty feet of him.

      I agree with your points/questions, BUT, as a longtime-ago taxi driver who was robbed twice at gunpoint, let me explain something to you:

      At the first sight of a .38 or a Mac-10, one's first impulse is NOT to 'rush' the guy.

      Anyone who disagrees is either lying, talking self-deluded bullshit, speaking from beyond the grave, or [in the longest of odds imaginable] probably in possession of a valid Purple Heart.

      Individual members of 'crowds' are not exactly renowned for thinking rationally 'as a group', either.

      The 'right' guy can assemble an AK in seconds, under a lap blanket, but there's a lot of more-easily concealed deadly force that wouldn't make itself known until loud noises, bodies droppping, etc. I wouldn't want to be around.

    15. Re:Cost by east+coast · · Score: 1

      How many more threats can be found this way than would be found by older (cheaper) methods?...If I, with what little relevant ability I have could assassinate some politician, then that politician is not well protected.

      We're not talking about assassinating a politician, let's stick to the subject. The people who put together this tool must have some reason why they feel it's useful. Since I'm not an expert in this field I'd take a guess that my not knowing what that reason is is no reason for me to doubt that there is one that is valid. If you are, on the other hand, an expert perhaps you can point out the pros and cons of traditional methods versus this new employment. Perhaps it's not a matter of finding more threats but processing subjects faster to find known threats.... After all, how many Americans pissed and moaned about lines at the airport even a few months after the 9/11 attacks?

      This isn't to say that there isn't government waste but this certainly doesn't seem as bad as say Ketchup Viscosity Testing.

      --
      Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
    16. Re:Cost by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1
      I only skimmed the article, so maybe I missed it, but what are taxpayers paying for this system that still will not stop someone from strapping a ring of explosives under their coat?

      It's quite simple really. The company that makes it has connections to the right people and had these people made the request. The politicians then get a nice kick-back called a "campaign donation" that is all legal and 100% above board. Everyone benefits, except the taxpayers, but hey, when was the last time they donated money to your campaign?

    17. Re:Cost by epee1221 · · Score: 1

      You still have yet to give an example of how this is security measure is more effective than just using monocular cameras. If you close one eye, it doesn't really get appreciably harder to tell whether or not a person has a weapon. If you can't see it with one eye, you probably can't see it with two either.

      We're not talking about assassinating a politician, let's stick to the subject
      That was a response to a statement you made. It's not off topic unless your statement (that the "I could break through easily, so it's not secure" argument is invalid) is also off topic.

      Since I'm not an expert in this field I'd take a guess that my not knowing what that reason is is no reason for me to doubt that there is one that is valid.
      Having been on both sides of a security camera, I'll let you in on a little secret. The only thing you can detect with two cameras that you can't detect with one is whatever is in the second camera's field of vision but not in the first camera's field of vision. And I'll tell you something else too. You don't need to be an expert to be able to recognize some really stupid stuff.

      The people who put together this tool must have some reason why they feel it's useful.
      The people who bought it did so because it looks cool. Image is worth a lot in most markets. Ever heard of "feel-good" policies?
      The people who sold it did so because they'd profit from the sale. Money, not quality, is what matters most to corporations.

      Perhaps it's not a matter of finding more threats but processing subjects faster to find known threats
      Yes, that's an important possibility to consider, but it wouldn't speed things up either.

      this certainly doesn't seem as bad as say Ketchup Viscosity Testing
      ... Yeah, that's about as bad as it gets.

      --
      "The use-mention distinction" is not "enforced here."
    18. Re:Cost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll take an "amy" if she's cute.

    19. Re:Cost by WolfZombie · · Score: 1

      Well, duh. It's so that the taxpayers money stays out of the hands of those schools that keep bitching about their budget cuts!

      The Bush Administration's spending on "Homeland Security" is getting absolutely rediculous and out of control. It's going to take and incident that shows a huge hole in the entire plan for any changes to be made. That or a completely new administration needs to be put in place.

    20. Re:Cost by CosmeticLobotamy · · Score: 1

      She's got a great personality. :-/

  13. Under vehicles, ya right by Stalke · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Even if they can "pear under vehicles", they won't have any additional information that is available on the video screen. The advantage with a 3D environment is have a better perception of what the 2D image is recording. It doesn't provide any additional information (unless one of those cameras is infrared or better yet, baggage scanner from an airport).

    --
    -?-
    1. Re:Under vehicles, ya right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No additional information, eh? So you have no problem driving to work tomorrow with one of your eyes taped shut, right?

    2. Re:Under vehicles, ya right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, no problem.

      When I'm driving really blotto drunk, I have to shut one eye anyway, so I'm not seeing double.

    3. Re:Under vehicles, ya right by whoda · · Score: 1

      The linked article doesn't say anything about peering under cars. It's either submitter or /. editor daydreaming and recalling bad Will Smith movies and adding it in.

    4. Re:Under vehicles, ya right by epee1221 · · Score: 1

      In that situation, depth perception is used to avoid hitting things. These camera operators don't need to know if the threat is ten feet away or thirty feet away; they just need to know if there's a threat. Even so, size-based judging allows one to establish some degree of depth perception with monocular vision. A sober camera operator could tell the difference between ten and thirty feet.

      --
      "The use-mention distinction" is not "enforced here."
    5. Re:Under vehicles, ya right by Frank+T.+Lofaro+Jr. · · Score: 1

      In Nevada, you can get a driver's license if you only have one eye.

      (You can't get a CDL though).

      --
      Just because it CAN be done, doesn't mean it should!
    6. Re:Under vehicles, ya right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You didn't even read the first two paragraphs of the article....

      "LifeVision will be used to search sidewalks, monitor faces in the enormous Super Bowl crowd and peer under vehicles."

  14. Gosh, how terribly impressive! by imipak · · Score: 5, Insightful
    but, astonishing as it sounds, terrorists watch TV, too. No doubt the people physically at the Superbowl are a little bit safer (and probably feel a bit safer, as well) for all this techno. Sadly, however, the hypothetical station-wagon full of stereotypical evil bearded Muslim fundamentalists (possibly with swords between their teeth and eyepatches? Who dares imagine what shapes the great American subconscious dreams...) - anyway, they're going to screech to a halt in a cloud of rubber. "Mustapha, you son of an infidel! The place is swarming with cops. Curses!!!!!!" *twirls moustache furiously for a moment* "I know, we'll do it next Saturday, at the Denver Earthworms vs. Seattle Turnipfarmers game, instead. Bwaa,hahahahaha!"

    Net result in security: nil.

    Bruce Schneier has some excellent things to say about "security" measures that defend against movie-plot threats. If you don't read Crypto-Gram yet, go sign yourself up, and learn how counter-intuitive reality can be.

    (You might also think about how little you should trust your own intuition, and then deduce things about people who boast of theirs... but I don't want to interfere with domestic political matters :)

    1. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 1

      God I wish I had mod points. I can't believe some idiot actually modded you as a troll for pointing out the obvious. I honestly have nothing to add to your statement. You said it better than I could, and have voiced something that did a little more than cross my mind every time this whole "superbowl terrorist" topic comes up. I'm sure that there's something more worthwhile to be doing than to spend a few million dollars to carefully observe every event that comes along. I mean, it's just leading to the stage where the average American is deathly afraid to take the dog for a walk, as there could be terrorists hiding in the bushes. I just can't believe how easy it is to perpetuate mass hysteria.

    2. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by Onuma · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't confuse mass hysteria and mass paranoia. Hysteria would be when the shit already happens and people have no idea what to do out of sheer panic.

      --
      What else can happen when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object?
    3. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by saifatlast · · Score: 1
      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't regist
    4. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by StikyPad · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Right. As you may have heard, there was a little incident about, oh, 4 and a half years ago, and ever since it's been mass hysteria. That's probably why he chose to use the word "perpetuate" rather than "instigate," although it could also just be a happy coincidence.

    5. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by KevinIsOwn · · Score: 1

      And the grandparent poster's argument hits a gigantic brick wall. Good post.

    6. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He said "No doubt the people physically at the Superbowl are a little bit safer". The point is that for doing this to have any meaning at all, you have to do it at all other events aswell.

    7. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by StikyPad · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sort of like "I know burgalars are just going to come in through the windows, so I don't lock my doors." Other sentiments along those lines include:

      "There's no point patching XP; any real hacker will just discover a new exploit."
      "Why bathe? I'm just going to get dirty again!"
      "No point saving this money when I'm just going to spend it eventually anyway!"

      I mean really, when you get down to it, the only thing police do is clean up after crimes; they almost never prevent them. We could save tons of money if we just abolished law enforcement.

      It's impossible to prevent every eventuality, but if you can reasonably implement measures to stop or deter most of the obvious ones, there's no reason not to. Conversely, it doesn't make sense to pour resources into preventing unlikely attacks. Should we set up a grid underground to prevent someone from tunneling in? Equip the stadium with rotary blades in case it needs to make a quick getaway? With finite resources, you have to apply them toward preventing the most obvious scenarios, and then work your way toward less the less likely/feasible options. And unless security is priceless to you, you quickly reach the point of diminishing returns. The whole reason people are upset about the PATRIOT Act, NSA spying, etc. is because they believe it's too high of a price to pay for security. But apparently you disagree.

    8. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      Actually, he implied that terrorists aren't just going to give up because there's security there. Either that, or he presented his terrorists in the wrong (satirical/comical) context, rather than conveying their plan as a legitimate option.

    9. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by Jeremi · · Score: 1
      when you get down to it, the only thing police do is clean up after crimes; they almost never prevent them.


      To the extent the criminals get put in jail, any crimes they commit thereafter will be confined to the inside of the jail.

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
    10. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by pcgabe · · Score: 1

      Bruce Schneier has some excellent things to say about "security" measures that defend against movie-plot threats. If you don't read Crypto-Gram yet, go sign yourself up, and learn how counter-intuitive reality can be.

      Here's a link.

      --
      Don't put advice in your sig.
    11. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by imipak · · Score: 1
      Sort of like "I know burgalars are just going to come in through the windows, so I don't lock my doors."
      Well, that's a completely different situation; but as it happens, yeah, that works for me, too. I'm going out tomorrow morning about 8am, I'll be back some time after 7pm, and there'll be (counts on fingers) one, two, three, _four_ open, unlocked doors into the house I live in. Unlikely to be many people around during the day, too.

      Nice village, this. I love the Forest :)

    12. Re:Gosh, how terribly impressive! by NitsujTPU · · Score: 1

      Ever been in a casino?

      The casino might succeed in taking your money, but the reason that you can't get theirs is security. You could definitely prevent crimes with security in a number of scenarios.

  15. Corporate Welfare by PingXao · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The Super Bowl is a game played by privately owned teams. It brings in hundreds of millions in revenue for the NFL from advertising.

    Tell me again... why do taxpayer dollars have to pay for security at this game? Let the NFL pay for their own damn security. Or is the NFL technically a "foreign country"?

    1. Re:Corporate Welfare by green+pizza · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Tell me again... why do taxpayer dollars have to pay for security at this game? Let the NFL pay for their own damn security.

      Because tax-paying Americans are the vast majority of those attending the Super Bowl, which is held here on our homeland, in the United States of America.

      Put another way, if there is an emergency at your local shopping mall, it's the local taxpayer-supported police and fire departments that will come to help. The mall rent-a-cops are only there as first responders and as a first line of defense. The local taxpayer-supported agencies do all of the real work, including booking/charging teenage petty theft.

    2. Re:Corporate Welfare by IAAP · · Score: 1
      Tell me again... why do taxpayer dollars have to pay for security at this game

      Well, it's not like taxpayer money is used to build the stadiums, the infrastructure to support the stadium, the ...oh wait...

      Nevermind.

    3. Re:Corporate Welfare by TubeSteak · · Score: 1

      The way security gets paid for, is usually laid out as part of the haggling when a stadium is first built.

      Part of it security costs are normally paid by the National Football League and part by the City the stadium is in.

      So, to answer your question directly, the reason "taxpayer dollars have to pay for security at this game" is because when the stadium was built in Chicago, it was probably part of the agreement.

      I bet Chicago is also getting State and Federal funds earmarked for anti-terrorism efforts too.

      Last, but not least, the insurance companies get a big say in how much and what type of security is put in place.

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
    4. Re:Corporate Welfare by mblase · · Score: 1

      Tell me again... why do taxpayer dollars have to pay for security at this game?

      Because the players, coaches and fans are still American citizens?

      I dunno, that's just a guess.

    5. Re:Corporate Welfare by karnal · · Score: 1

      Chicago is kinda near Michigan, but it isn't Detroit :)

      --
      Karnal
    6. Re:Corporate Welfare by Fishstick · · Score: 1

      >the stadium was built in Chicago

      boy, I missed they day when they uprooted Soldier Field, moved it to Detroit and renamed it Ford Field. ;-)

      --

      There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
      Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

    7. Re:Corporate Welfare by chicagotypewriter · · Score: 1
      So, to answer your question directly, the reason "taxpayer dollars have to pay for security at this game" is because when the stadium was built in Chicago, it was probably part of the agreement.

      I bet Chicago is also getting State and Federal funds earmarked for anti-terrorism efforts too.


      I would venture to say the answer here is yes, because Chicago's Soldier Field is owned by the Chicago Park District.

      The Super Bowl is being held in Detroit though, and I don't really know who specifically owns that stadium.
    8. Re:Corporate Welfare by ruiner13 · · Score: 1

      Detroit is similar in many ways to Beirut... gunfire, explosions, and slums. So I guess yeah, it is kinda like a foreign country. Can we give Detroit to Canada?

      --

      today is spelling optional day.

    9. Re:Corporate Welfare by JourneyExpertApe · · Score: 1

      And the NFL pays millions in taxes for those millions of dollars that it earns. Are you saying that the police should only protect you if you are on public property and are not currently earning any money? I really don't see your point.

      --
      If you can read this sig, you're too close.
    10. Re:Corporate Welfare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hell no, you can keep it as well as quebec :)

    11. Re:Corporate Welfare by dominion · · Score: 1

      Because tax-paying Americans are the vast majority of those attending the Super Bowl, which is held here on our homeland

      It sickens me to see the word 'homeland' enter into the vernacular of north america. We never used this word before Bush's administration created it in the frenzy of false nationalism that followed 9/11.

      Fatherland? Motherland? Homeland.

      Thank you, but I'd rather not have my political discourse include the kind of rhetoric that was used to justify conquest and genocide.

    12. Re:Corporate Welfare by kabocox · · Score: 1

      Tell me again... why do taxpayer dollars have to pay for security at this game? Let the NFL pay for their own damn security.

      Because tax-paying Americans are the vast majority of those attending the Super Bowl, which is held here on our homeland, in the United States of America.

      Put another way, if there is an emergency at your local shopping mall, it's the local taxpayer-supported police and fire departments that will come to help. The mall rent-a-cops are only there as first responders and as a first line of defense. The local taxpayer-supported agencies do all of the real work, including booking/charging teenage petty theft.


      You missed the point. The States or the Feds shouldn't have to pay for security for a private entity. Any private entity that has a gathering of 30,000K civilians for a 1-3 day event should have to pay the host city, states, or feds for security coverage or not be allowed to hold the event. It's that simple.

    13. Re:Corporate Welfare by casechopper · · Score: 1

      You do realize all of the taxes paid by the venue, it's owners, and vendors could be paying for this... right? If the alarm goes off at my office the police come and check it out. They will only charge if there are repeated false alarms and that charge is to cut down on false alarms, not pay for the services of the police. This is not free though. One of the basic services we buy as tax payers is a police force and protection. How much does the state receive in tax revenue due to the superbowl? It should be a considerable amount with all of the added visitors in hotels, eating at resteraunts, etc... If their are terrorist problems at the event then the next superbowl might not do so well, resulting in less spent.

    14. Re:Corporate Welfare by PingXao · · Score: 1

      The NFL pays no taxes. It's a non-profit entity under current tax law. The individual teams use every loophole in the book to just about avoid paying any taxes either. Not to mention the fact that over the last 10 years 21 NFL teams have suckered $4.5 billion from local taxpayers in various cities to build themselves nice new stadiums. There ain't no flow from the NFL or its franchises into puclic coffers by way of taxes. That's my point, jackass.

    15. Re:Corporate Welfare by JourneyExpertApe · · Score: 1

      You might want to switch to another brand of crack. The NFL is not a not-for-profit. It is a corporation that pays taxes. Guess what, every company in the country uses "every loophole in the book to just about avoid paying any taxes". I think you just made that all up because a dozen people made you look like an idiot with your stupid knee-jerk post about "corporate welfare".

      --
      If you can read this sig, you're too close.
  16. Scant on details by paulthomas · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The article makes this technology look like some otherwordly system for perception; they specifically cite Star Wars. My first question was how effective this could be. The article was very scant on technical details: When you're constructing 3D images from multiple view points, you aren't probably doing too much to improve the overall resolution of the image. And, unless you are starting with very high resolution cameras to begin with (and ones with coordinated zoom capabilities), I suspect that what you get is a very expensive and cool looking toy without enough detail to actually be of any help.

    Best
    Paul

  17. No lasers mentioned. by IAAP · · Score: 1

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you need LASERs to make a Hologram? IIRC, you need a laser or two for making the Hologram and another to show it.

    1. Re:No lasers mentioned. by JohnFluxx · · Score: 4, Informative

      I am a holographic engineer.

      This is not a hologram because it is not creating an interference pattern. No phase information is stored.

      To make a real hologram, you do need a monochromatic light source. Before lasers they used various lamps (mercury lamp etc) that illuminate at specific wavelengths. This does kinda work, but has a very short coherence length so is bad for making analogue holograms (a hologram of an actual object). Quite possibly a lamp could be used for copying holograms or for digital holography.

    2. Re:No lasers mentioned. by TubeSteak · · Score: 1

      What about those tags they put on NFL merchandise?

      Are those holographs?

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
    3. Re:No lasers mentioned. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      If you really are a holographic engineer we don't need to listen to your opinion, you're just a hologram.

      Like that doctor from Star Trek:Voyager

    4. Re:No lasers mentioned. by kaveh+Bazargan · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Here we go. Another 3D trick, probably stereo, wrongly labeled as hologram. Fischbach who is quoted, should know what holograms are. Several years ago he was heading the ridiculously named "American Propylaea" and promising real time holograms. Looks like he's resurfaced! Please, do not call any 3D trick a hologram.

    5. Re:No lasers mentioned. by kaveh+Bazargan · · Score: 1

      Yes, those are all real holograms. They are for security, in that they are difficult to replicate, that's all. The first one, the master, is made in a lab with lasers, then the rest are stamped off rather like vinyl records.

    6. Re:No lasers mentioned. by dr_dank · · Score: 5, Funny

      I am a holographic engineer.

      Awesome! Just like the holographic doctor from Voyager.

      Do you work if you get removed from engineering?

      --
      Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
    7. Re:No lasers mentioned. by imsabbel · · Score: 1

      I really wonder if a holographic display would be possible with todays technology...
      We have 65nm structures producable, 45nm in prototypes... thats not far from the needed resolution to create somewhat usable holograms, if one would build some kind of LCOS display with coherent illumination.

      But of course the yields shouldnt allow it...

      --
      HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
    8. Re:No lasers mentioned. by alien236 · · Score: 1

      I am a holographic engineer.

      aaah yes, the 3rd most exported profession, I hear.
      To China, no less.

      --
      I reject your reality and substitute my own.
    9. Re:No lasers mentioned. by woolio · · Score: 3, Funny

      Do you work if you get removed from engineering?

      Well, if you take the engineering out of the engineer, what's left?

      A manager!

    10. Re:No lasers mentioned. by halltk1983 · · Score: 1

      So the answer is no, then...

      --
      Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
    11. Re:No lasers mentioned. by JohnFluxx · · Score: 1

      We do have the technology to create a realtime 3D hologram, it would just require a seriously high number of machines though.

    12. Re:No lasers mentioned. by JohnFluxx · · Score: 1

      It is totally doable. In fact I have done it on a 1024x768 LCOS which measured 2cm x1cm. Works fine. Trying to scale it up to do a large hologram would be very expensive though, especially computationally.

    13. Re:No lasers mentioned. by JohnFluxx · · Score: 1

      grr, I hated that doctor. He had some screwed up value systems. (Like the one where he gets kidnapped, then pretty much destroys the society just so he feels good).

    14. Re:No lasers mentioned. by AnonymousKev · · Score: 1
      >He had some screwed up value systems. (Like the one where he gets kidnapped, then pretty much destroys the society just so he feels good).

      I think they opened a trouble ticket on that. See Borgzilla item LCARS 48151623.42 "Holodoctor ethics subroutine -- off by one error" for more details.

      --
      Anonymous Kev
      Proudly posting as AC since 1997
      (Finally got a dang account in 2004)
    15. Re:No lasers mentioned. by lkeagle · · Score: 1

      Yes, they're holograms. Just like on your Visa card.

      Any hologram that you can see in visible light is likely a 'rainbow' hologram. Notice that as you tilt the hologram vertically, its color moves through the spectrum of visible light. If you were to try and view a regular hologram with wide-spectrum light, you'd get all of those different colored images smeared together vertically.

      TFA on ther other hand, refers to a stereogram, created from two images. IFor comparison purposes only, a hologram would essentially be created from a continuum of images.

    16. Re:No lasers mentioned. by LanMan04 · · Score: 1

      Awesome! Just like the holographic doctor from Voyager.

      And do you know the name of the actor who played him?

      Robert PICARDO!

      Coincidence? I THINK NOT!

      --
      With the first link, the chain is forged.
    17. Re:No lasers mentioned. by networkBoy · · Score: 1

      s/seriously/absurdly/

      that and the need for 1.21 gigawatts to run the imaging system.
      ;)
      -nB

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
    18. Re:No lasers mentioned. by LilGuy · · Score: 1

      hahahaha... good god you nerds... i never knew browsing slashdot at 0 with no comment moderations visible could be so much fun

      --

      You're nothing; like me.
    19. Re:No lasers mentioned. by cbchase · · Score: 1

      We are getting closer. There is a special holographic processing engine developed by Light Blue Optics which converts a standard composite video signal into high-quality 2D holographic video, in real time. Apparently the technology is prime for being cheap. It is not yet powerful enough to run 3D but is a huge step in that direction.

    20. Re:No lasers mentioned. by JohnFluxx · · Score: 1

      This is nothing special at all. I have made a projector like this, and use it all the time. After all, printing a hologram is just projecting an image. I use a pulsed laser, so it updates 30 times a second. The mathematics for this were calculated over 30 years ago by collier et al, before we even had lasers or a recognisable computer! There was even a book called something like computer generated holograms that theorised about using one of mainframes for this *grin*.

    21. Re:No lasers mentioned. by cbchase · · Score: 1

      The article that I have linked talks about high resolution full color two dimensional hologram projected on a flat surface. The purpose is to miniaturize video projectors, 2D holographic projection can be contained a much smaller package than conventional projectors. If it were so easy to do such a thing then I think we would see commercial products already.

    22. Re:No lasers mentioned. by Neurobots · · Score: 1

      For what its worth, there is a comparison of Light Blue Optics and other products/research toward holographic animation at http://www.holovisions.com/ ... talks about difference between true holographic technology and "colloquial" holographics (not true holotech). The SuperBowl security system was not true holographic technology.

    23. Re:No lasers mentioned. by JohnFluxx · · Score: 1

      I understand the purpose of it, but disagree with your last statement. To make a small high resolution display suitable to create a diffraction pattern has traditionally not been possible. But that has changed since the introduction of LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon). I have three of them - one for each RGB. They have a diffraction efficiency of more 95% (compared to traditional transmissions LCDs of less 60%). This combined with high powered laser diodes of 10's of mW (compared to a normal laser pen of 1 or 2 mW) makes a simple projector. At the moment the LCOS's are too expensive - I paid $800 for each one - but they should drop in price fairly rapidly as they take off (I hope).

      I switched to LCOS because the higher diffraction efficiency means that I can switch from a long cavity, difficult to build, pulsed laser, to a short cavity laser that is so simple that even I can make it.

      The LCOS and laser are the difficult bits. Putting them together to make a projector is dead simple (although removing speckle, like they mention, is giving me a considerable headache. I've been reading books and books on it for a month now. Light is so damn annoying when it's coherent)

    24. Re:No lasers mentioned. by cbchase · · Score: 1

      Cost should come down with economies of scale e.g. someone commercializes a 2D holographic video projector.

  18. B*lls**t by scdeimos · · Score: 5, Interesting
    "For the military, it can offer much better facial recognition," Fischbach said. "Instead of looking at a two-dimensional photo, you're looking at an entire head."
    Anyone who's worked on stereoscopic vision (which is all that this is) will tell you this is crap. With a pair of cameras mounted like "eyes" (5-15cm apart) you're still only seeing one side of the object. The depth information is extremely helpful in feature extraction, but you're still only seeing one side of the object.
    1. Re:B*lls**t by slysithesuperspy · · Score: 1

      http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/cjayant/finalpr oject/0-paper.html maybe it works along these lines, because there is a bit of depth information, it can kinda-sorta of be reconstructed- but not to any extent where it would be useful (as far as i can see)

    2. Re:B*lls**t by Solder+Fumes · · Score: 1

      Not to mention the fact that people trying to recognize troublemakers probably have a couple of 2D mugshots to work with, at best. Seems that looking at someone in a vastly different perspective would make it harder to match up.

    3. Re:B*lls**t by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      Well, the end of the article suggests that they actually use four cameras:

      "If George Lucas had four cameras on her when he shot it, I could take them and present a real-world image of her right now," Fischbach said.

      They may only project the images from two at a time because it's probably harder to look at an object when you can see both sides of it, because it's harder than it sounds to make light opaque.

    4. Re:B*lls**t by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can get a three dimensional representation of a scene with a single camera.
      The demonstation I saw used a video projector, turning on a single pixel at a time to illuminate the scene, like baird's flying spot scanner.
      They took a frame every pixel, then did a kind of reverse raytracing to reconstruct the scene.
      They could actually move the virtual camera around the objects afterwards.

      This sounds a bit cumbersome, though they had managed to optimise it by using patterns of dots instead of single pixels.

      Now, if you scanned the scene with invisible lasers, and had enough dsp power to do the reverse raytracing quickly, it would make an interesting survailance camera.

  19. Protecting an obvious target by Shihar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is a fucking high porfile ball game with tens of thousands of people attending it and being watched by hundreds millions of people. If you want to kill a lot of people and have it seen live on TV around the world, the Super Bowl is the place to do it. You couldn't pick a better target in terms of mass death and live coverage. They are not protecting it because they love football. They are protecting it because it is a big gleeming target with a bulls eye on it.

    1. Re:Protecting an obvious target by nurb432 · · Score: 0, Troll

      Its a *total* waste of resources was my point. Using your analogy of 'its for the people': if we lost '10s of thousands' of idiots, no great loss.

      --
      ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    2. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who the *fuck* are you to place a value on thousands of peoples' lives, you sick fuck?

    3. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apparently he's the person arguing against someone without an understanding of sarcasm

    4. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Firehed · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Anywhere that there's an attack will be on TV pretty quick. I dunno about you, but I didn't know of the existance of a WTC-channel prior to the 9/11 attacks. And boy did that get media coverage. Why'd they choose there? Not only because that it stood for things they're against, but because you have an incredibly high density of civilians. They could just as easily blow up a concert where you also have a high density of people, and it'll get just as much coverage. The only reason they'd target the Super Bowl in the first place is because we're so fired up over security, and it would help thier cause to demonstrate our incompetence if they were to succeed. Remember that whacko at the Olympics a while back? There's a huge density of people there *because* it's so popular. Can you think of a more densely-populated thing to attack than a massive sporting event or a skyscraper office building?

      Attacks don't follow the media; the media follows the attacks. If they happen to be in the same place at the same time, it's just more convenient for both of them. If anything, this would be the day to go the capitol building or something, just because security's all scrabling over the game.

      --
      How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
    5. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You couldn't pick a better target in terms of mass death and live coverage.

      Are you sure about that? I seem to remember a little event called the FIFA (that stands for real football) World Cup final match which draws the attention of a sizable portion of the world's population, attracts fan from many different countries to stadium AND is covered live pretty much anywhere you can find a television.

    6. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Are you sure about that? I seem to remember a little event called the FIFA (that stands for real football) World Cup final match which draws the attention of a sizable portion of the world's population, attracts fan from many different countries to stadium AND is covered live pretty much anywhere you can find a television.

      If your goal is to kill Americans, get it viewed live by an American audience, and have Americans feel effected, FIFA is roughly the last thing I would target. I doubt the average American even knows what FIFA is, muchless watches it. Targeting an international event that almost all nations of the world except the US follows seems like a pretty stupid way to make a statement about American actions in the Middle East. That is like blowing up a hunk of the Great Wall in China to protest European colonialism in Africa. It is a really, really, really stupid idea.

    7. Re:Protecting an obvious target by drooling-dog · · Score: 1
      They are protecting it because it is a big gleeming target with a bulls eye on it.

      That may be true, but you're assuming that a target has to be big and gleaming to be effective. If you're a terrorist, you want to make ordinary people feel vulnerable and frightened, every day. You don't want anybody feeling safe just because they're not at the Super Bowl. So, you hit ordinary targets in ordinary kinds of places, and let the media do the rest.

      All of this "high profile" security is more about reminding Americans of the danger (thereby keeping them fearful and politically compliant), and showing them that their government is on the job. As an actual deterrent to terrorism - which can strike effectively anywhere - it's pretty much meaningless.

      Dang! I missed a touchdown.

    8. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Shihar · · Score: 1

      That may be true, but you're assuming that a target has to be big and gleaming to be effective. If you're a terrorist, you want to make ordinary people feel vulnerable and frightened, every day. You don't want anybody feeling safe just because they're not at the Super Bowl. So, you hit ordinary targets in ordinary kinds of places, and let the media do the rest.

      Someone should have explained this to the 9/11 terrorist, as I recall they went after the Twin Towers, Pentagon, and White House. Hrm, those would be the largest symbols of economic power, military power, and political power respectivly. They are going for impact. The best way to impact a population when you stand absolutely no hope of offering up any real threat to their lives is to go after grand symbolic targets that are worth more then the sum of the lives that are taken. In this regards, the Super Bowl is a prime target. If you want to effect Americans in a very shocking and profound way, have them watch the Super Bowl turn into a blood bath on live television is a damn good way to do it.

    9. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea, well, when you take group a's land, give it to group b, and then supply group b with economic and military aid for fifty years while group a and b engage in a bloody war, the people who make up group a might not think very highly of you.

    10. Re:Protecting an obvious target by drooling-dog · · Score: 1

      True enough, but they've already done that now. Don't underestimate the potential impact of the smaller hits, though, now that they have our full attention. Even if there were only a handful of attacks, the media attention would make it seem like it was happening all around us. This has been the pattern in Europe and the Middle East, where terrorists often choose targets like cafes and night clubs. One of the primary goals of terrorism is to destroy people's confidence that their government can protect them.

    11. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Shihar · · Score: 1

      I don't disagree, but that still doesn't change the fact that the Statue of Liberty of the Super Bowl are still high ranking targets. You can't possibly defend the local night club, but you certainly can make efforts to defend obvious targets.

      Obviously, there is a point of diminishing returns. Searching people as they come into some place like the Super Bowl and throwing around a few bomb sniffing dogs nets some big returns. You make it very hard to get through security with any confidence. For the price you pay, you get a pretty big reward. The same is said for cameras. Cameras are relatively cheap. True, the reward might be diminished, but so is the cost. Strip searching everyone on the other hand isn't worthwhile. Sure, you would make it almost impossible to smuggle a bomb in through the front gates, the price you would pay in time, personal, and good will would be astronomical. My point is that reasonable security measures should be taken.

      Now, as to your larger point, I actually agree with you. I am completely surprised that no terrorist group has smuggled in a dozen guys, bought some guns, then roamed the country side killing isolated families at random in the night. It certainly would do a fair amount to terrorize the population. The only good reason I can think of why they have failed to do this is because we have made it too damn hard for these people to travel across borders in this hemisphere. Getting a group of ex-Taliban or Iraqi Jihadist in country, then supply them a place to live and weapons without arousing suspicion must simply be damn hard. I honestly can't think of any other reason why this has not happened. Clearly there are people out there willing to merrily blow themselves up in a group of children or at a Mosque simply because they are Shiites and not Sunni. If they are willing to go that far, I can't imagine them having any issues with killing a bunch of random Americans in a similar fashion.

    12. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Troglodyt · · Score: 1

      I hate to break it to you, but it's not like we are watching the super bowl all over the world. We don't care much for your silly sports.

    13. Re:Protecting an obvious target by jafac · · Score: 1

      Don't kid yourself.

      This whole setup has nothing to do with preventing terrorism.

      It has everything to do with preventing America from having to see a black woman's tit.

      --

      These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
    14. Re:Protecting an obvious target by fishbowl · · Score: 1

      "I hate to break it to you, but it's not like we are watching the super bowl all over the world. We don't care much for your silly sports."

      I wish that were true, because I would like to see the influence of American sports decline.

      But the fact is, millions of people *are* watching this game all over the world, and not all of them US expats either.

      YOU didn't watch it, but then, neither did I, and I'm in the US... To be honest, I did not even know today was the game day until late in the afternoon. I did read the news this morning, using Google News, and I suppose since I have "Sports" unchecked as a topic of interest, I wasn't reminded (thank you Google!)

      It's already Monday, and I still could not tell you what teams played, or who won. I did gather that it was cold wherever the game was held. The only thing I'm really interested in, though, is whether there were any interesting TV ads during the game, and I suppose I'd be interested in knowing whether someone set up them the bomb.

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    15. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, seriously, practically nobody in Europe even knows or cares whether the Soupa Bowl is Baseball or American football, and there're probably some Brits who think it's cricket. Probably the only sport that really does get world wide interest is what you folks would call "soccer".

    16. Re:Protecting an obvious target by meringuoid · · Score: 1
      I seem to remember a little event called the FIFA (that stands for real football) World Cup final match which draws the attention of a sizable portion of the world's population, attracts fan from many different countries to stadium AND is covered live pretty much anywhere you can find a television.

      A match which neither of the main infidel crusader nations are likely to get to. The USA hasn't a prayer, and England will go out in the quarter or semi-finals on penalties. Again. Not that I'm bitter about this or anything.

      Unless al-Qa'eda has some quarrel all of a sudden with Brazil, I doubt the World Cup final will be as large a target as the Superbowl.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    17. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're fooball fans, so I'd say he's a rational person.

      Let's see... Superbowl blows up, dead rednecks, net positive force in the universe.

    18. Re:Protecting an obvious target by chris+macura · · Score: 1

      I can think of a few reasons this hasn't happended.

      1. Convincing somebody to effectively sacrifice themselves to go around shooting people at random is hard. A lot harder than to tell them to fly into a building or blow up in public. Primarily because you're still around to see the result.
      2. Such a group wouldn't last very long. Let's assume they have their best-case scenario: they hit a shopping mall or something, kill maybe a hundred people, and manage to escape to their uber-secret hideout unscathed. People would a) start carrying weapons just out of fear, and b) there would be a really big witch hunt which it is unlikely the terrorists will survive.
      3. This would spark such a massive outrage that support for bombing the shit out of X, Y, and Z will be astronomical. public support will be sufficient that G.W. will be able to do whatever he damn well pleases. Which we all know is very much against what the Terries want. Granted, some people will call for an impeachment, blah, blah, but based on what happended after 9/11, really that's not going to be the majority.
      4. I supect Europe will side with us if that shit goes down. It will really be either with us or against us at that point, and they will also be targets, as they already are.
    19. Re:Protecting an obvious target by fishbowl · · Score: 1

      " No, seriously, practically nobody in Europe even knows or cares whether the Soupa Bowl is Baseball or American football"

      I'm not arguing with that, but the worldwide broadcast contracts for the televised game are huge and tend to disagree with your observations.

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    20. Re:Protecting an obvious target by drooling-dog · · Score: 1
      Convincing somebody to effectively sacrifice themselves to go around shooting people at random is hard.

      Yet suicide bombing is done all of the time, all over the world. Don't undersetimate the power of rage with no legitimate outlet.

      Such a group wouldn't last very long.

      They wouldn't have to last long, and neither would they expect to. How long did the 9/11 terrorists expect to last?

      This would spark such a massive outrage that support for bombing the shit out of X, Y, and Z will be astronomical. public support will be sufficient that G.W. will be able to do whatever he damn well pleases. Which we all know is very much against what the Terries want.

      Quite the contrary. Terrorists are not out to win hearts and minds, or win political support. They are out to terrorize the public and disrupt the political system. The latter can mean either weakening it or forcing it to overreact to the point where it destroys itself. A few dudes with boxcutters bringing an end to freedom and democracy in America, and saddling it with huge debt that may cripple it for generations? That's quite a return on a relatively puny investment! They would love to see GWB serving up more of the same.

    21. Re:Protecting an obvious target by Shihar · · Score: 1

      Quite the contrary. Terrorists are not out to win hearts and minds, or win political support. They are out to terrorize the public and disrupt the political system. The latter can mean either weakening it or forcing it to overreact to the point where it destroys itself. A few dudes with boxcutters bringing an end to freedom and democracy in America, and saddling it with huge debt that may cripple it for generations? That's quite a return on a relatively puny investment! They would love to see GWB serving up more of the same.

      I am not entirely sure that they would do another 9/11 if they could go back in time and change things. Recall that before 9/11 they had an entire state that supported them and was a model utopia (err, in their eyes). They also enjoyed a great deal of tolerance in many other states. Now, that state has been utterly conquered, their Islamic fundamentalist utopia has been dismantled, and you won't catch any nation openly supporting a terrorist organization that is committed to launching attacks against the US.

      Certainly they gained something, but you need to realize that they lost A LOT. I don't think what they got was the gamble they expected to take.

      The rules of the game are now a little more complex. While their State was destroyed, they have managed to stir up Islamic fundamentalist unrest in many other nations that otherwise did not have unified rallying calls. In doing so, they have directly entered into conflict with the more secular nationalist governments. Unfortunately for the US, the nationalist governments are all wildly unpopular and corrupt. Palestine voting out Fatah wasn't a vote to cut off funding to Palestine and start instituting religious law, it was a vote against corruption.

      Personally, I don't think anything went the way anyone planned it to. Attacking the US again will just change the nature of the game in even more unpredictable ways. An enraged US could be Islamic fundamentalisms best recruitment pitch or the beginning of the end as 1/5th of the worlds economy violently swings to crush a threat.

      You need to remember that Islamic fundamentalism has precedents. It is a movement that is remarkably similar to World War II style fascism. It is an extremely intolerant, exclusive, and violent way of operating. Once that form of ideology grew into power it was tolerated less then 20 years before being violently put down.

    22. Re:Protecting an obvious target by dzfoo · · Score: 1

      There was a 5 second delay on the broadcast of the game, so if a wardwrobe malfunction occured at precisely the same time the terrorists attack the Super Bowl, nobody would have seen it, and the purpose of the attack might have been thwarted!

      Lesson to be learned: let the boobs fly, ya know, for national security.

            -dZ.

      --
      Carol vs. Ghost
      ...Can you save Christmas?
  20. Re:and what the hell is super bolw ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No idea what the super bolw is, but I'm watching the puppy bowl on Animal Planet.

    TAB FOR MVP!!!

  21. holograms by thepotoo · · Score: 1

    Sort of.. You need a light source, and that can be a laser, but I don't believe it has to be.

    --
    Obligatory Soundbite Catchphrase
  22. Terrorists obviously want to attack the Superbowl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    because we think it is important. So we pour millions of dollars in taxpayer funded security when the terrorists might as well go to the basketball game next door (or a mall) to do their dirty work. Not only is it easier but we end up buying useless 3D remote cameras to look under cars. I swear the government has been watching too much TV about govt. super agents.

  23. Re:oh, the irony... by Shihar · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...that an icon of the engine of the mass entertainment and distraction that has rendered public discourse pureile is being monitored by the kinds of devices that public discourse, if it existed, would profoundly reject.

    You think if the average person knew that they were using hologram like TVs to moniter the Super Bowl they would reject its use? That is down right silly. The Super Bowl is a big and obvious target. It is a target being attended by thousands and watched by hundreds of millions. Any terrorist worth his salt would hit the Super Bowl if they had the ability.

    We accept cameras in banks because they are obvious targets for criminals. You honestly believe that people would not accept monitoring an even larger target with a significantly higher capacity for the loss of human life?

    Really people. Just think before you post something silly like this. I imagine that everyone walking into the Super Bowl realizes that they are going to be on a camera, and I imagine that a super majority of them are glad that police, cameras, and all other manner of monitoring devices are trying to pick through the crowd to find the one crazy nut job with a bomb and a need to get some air time. If you believe otherwise, you are deeply out of touch with reality.

  24. even peer under vehicles by future+assassin · · Score: 2, Funny

    or a new niche of Up Skirts.

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
    1. Re:even peer under vehicles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You guys are all sexist. Who says women camera operators can't up-kilt?

  25. Hologram? by nurb432 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Looking at the rather skimpy article, it doesnt appear to be a hologram, any more then the special effects were in the movie it references.

    holograms *require* interferrence patterns.. i dont see that happening with this product.

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    1. Re:Hologram? by jacksonj04 · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's a holographic projection of an image taken with stereoscopic cameras? The article was a bit short on details.

      --
      How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
  26. There goes my business plan. by IAAP · · Score: 1
    You couldn't pick a better target in terms of mass death and live coverage.

    I'll have to trash my business plan for a security firm that specializes in "Politics on Ice" shows.

  27. Speaking of irony by TubeSteak · · Score: 1
    I imagine that everyone walking into the Super Bowl realizes that they are going to be on a camera
    The security people working the Super Bowl aren't using facial recognition this year.

    So all those cameras are just there for the normal surveillance and not to actually compare faces to pictures of bad-guys.
    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  28. Terror defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Require everyone to eat a strip of bacon before they're allowed in

    1. Re:Terror defense by Andrew+Clegg · · Score: 1

      I don't recall Timothy McVeigh or the Birmingham Six being vegetarians.

      --
      Andrew.

      mailto:myfirstname.mylastname at Google's mail site
    2. Re:Terror defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But you have to admit, it would work. Most terrorists are Muslims. Isn't it worth it to exclude maybe 0.5% of the people who would attend to save thousands of lives?

    3. Re:Terror defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Require everyone to eat a strip of bacon before they're allowed in
      This'll also help keep out all those pesky Jews!
    4. Re:Terror defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      omg why do all the posts with a good point get modded down??
      ffs give this guy a break

    5. Re:Terror defense by SilentOneNCW · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This wouldn't work. Remember, Muslim extremists have been known to do *anything* to blend in -- including, as it happens, eat bacon.

    6. Re:Terror defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or Jews.

    7. Re:Terror defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So making a racist comment gets a Funny, while pointing out that it is a racist comment gets modded down as a troll? I think I have seen all I need to here.

      Stick to tech. Get the hell out of politics. Tell your mods to do the same.

    8. Re:Terror defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But you have to admit, it would work. Most terrorists are Muslims.

      And most Muslims are not terrorists.

      Isn't it worth it to exclude maybe 0.5% of the people who would attend to save thousands of lives?

      If want to really save some lives, bring down the people in the US governmen. What was the civilian body count in Iraq and Afghanistan again?

    9. Re:Terror defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Require everyone to eat a strip of bacon before they're allowed in

      That would never work - I've got a better idea: Position a drum of oil at the entrance and detain any person that spots it and starts drooling.

    10. Re:Terror defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These mods are nothing but self-righteous bigots.

      But what do we expect from a website frequented by so many people? Most people are idiots, and idiots like idiots.

      Slashdot is now on my blacklist.

    11. Re:Terror defense by dzfoo · · Score: 1

      And what about our very own, home-grown, non-muslim, American-born terrorists? We seem to have plenty of those: The Unabomber, the anthrax mail guy, those kids in Columbine, and every one of those disgruntled freaks who grab a shotgun or machine gun and start killing random people at their local fast-food restaurant or post office?

            -dZ.

      --
      Carol vs. Ghost
      ...Can you save Christmas?
  29. Re:oh, the irony... by CosmeticLobotamy · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I imagine that everyone walking into the Super Bowl realizes that they are going to be on a camera, and I imagine that a super majority of them are glad that police, cameras, and all other manner of monitoring devices are trying to pick through the crowd to find the one crazy nut job with a bomb

    Then they're idiots, because that one crazy nut job with the bomb would be hiding in plain sight with a bomb in his jacket and looking indistinguishable to a camera because it's January. And even if someone finds him or stops him to look under his jacket, no matter where he goes, he's always surrounded by dozens of people. When the cop puts his hand on him, they're all gone.

    If you haven't caught him by the time he gets to the building, you lose.

    Obviously I'm not discouraging security, 'cause you need that there anyway, but if anyone feels that the security presence has any hope of actually saving a life, they're just being silly.

  30. Peering under anything doubtful. by paulthomas · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You bring up a good point. When they say peer under, I suspect they mean look straight through as if laying on the ground twenty feet away. Now, that's not exciting.

    You are not going to see the undercarriage of a car, or of a skirt-donning femme. As Stevie Wonder put it, you can't turn nothing into something... Without some vantage point from a camera actually on the ground looking up, you can infer nothing and cannot create the image of the underside of the target.

    This sounds like a severe case of security theater (or budding fascism depending on how you see it).

    1. Re:Peering under anything doubtful. by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      Why is this so doubtful? Security firms have used mirrors on sticks for peering under cars for as long as I have paid attention to such things. Why couldn't they use a webcam on a stick instead? If the computer receiving the data has an idea how fast the cam is being waved around under there, it should be able to put together a pretty good 3D image, even if the webcam's resolution is fairly low. Even better if you just put cameras on some sort of crawler cart you roll under the car. Sure you could mount the cameras and roll the car over them but this doesn't work real well when you have multiple cars waiting in line to use a fixed scanner. Better to be able to take the cameras to the car, wherever it may be.

      What would be more disturbing to most people -- three or four guys poring over their car with mirrors and/or cameras on sticks, or a little tray with skateboard wheels being rolled under the car for a couple seconds? (Never mind which one SHOULD disturb them more... which one actually WILL?)

      Mal-2

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
  31. Re:Terrorists obviously want to attack the Superbo by codegen · · Score: 1
    I swear the government has been watching too much TV about govt. super agents.

    Nahh, just reading too much Tom Clancy


    --
    Atlas stands on the earth and carries the celestial sphere on his shoulders.
  32. Re:Terrorists obviously want to attack the Superbo by KarmaMB84 · · Score: 1

    But there will be more wealthy people at the super bowl than at that basketball game or mall. Who else pays those ticket prices?

  33. Yes a cost benefit analysis was done. by IAAP · · Score: 3, Funny
    I doubt that the cost / benefit analysis has been done for this.

    A cost/benefit analysis was done and we found that this project is very wortwhile (to us)!

    James Fischbach,
    CEO of Intrepid Defense & Security Systems

  34. National Special Security Event by Brendor · · Score: 2, Informative
    Certain high profile events such as the Olympics, political conventions and the super-bowl are protected by the US secret service.

    "When an event is designated a National Special Security Event, the Secret Service assumes its mandated role as the lead agency for the design and implementation of the operational security plan."

    details here

  35. To all the technocrats by LordMyren · · Score: 1

    I believe this rote is called Virtual Holography.

  36. Re:oh, the irony... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Strongly agree with this parent.

    Twenty some years back, I was a deputy sheriff for Los Angeles County when Menachem Bagin, the Prime Minister of Israel made an appearance at the Forum, in Inglewood. The Inglewood PD requested well in advance for the assistance of the LASD to help with security and the sheriff responded with a call to all available deputies to respond. We had so many deputies and Inglewood officers there that evening that we were a crowd. Every person entering the forum that evening was given one-on-one time with a deputy or officer, not a cursory check, but a detailed search as would be given to an arrestee in the field. During that slow entry process no one, absolutely none, complained about the intrusion. Several commented about how happy they were to see this level of security.

    Obviously that crowd was nothing like the cross section of humanity something like the Super Bowl brings into an arena but it does imply that when conditions might reasonably warrant it, people tend to respect extra scrutany.

  37. Re:oh, the irony... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I dont accept cameras in banks, kmart, walmart, on the interstate, or any other place. Period.

    Which is why I don't patronize any of those places. And I sure as heck am not going to the superbowl.

  38. Re:and what the hell is super bolw ? by PenGun · · Score: 0

    The kitten half time show made it for me.

        PenGun
      Do What Now ??? ... Standards and Practices !

  39. Re:oh, the irony... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "We accept cameras in banks because they are obvious targets for criminals. You honestly believe that people would not accept monitoring an even larger target with a significantly higher capacity for the loss of human life?"

    Sadly Shihar, you have spectacularly failed to appreciate the point to which you reply, thus validating the OPs position. Discourse is not about the means, methods and mechanisms of surveillance, it is about the presumed necessity for it in the first place. Your description of the Superbowl as a 'target' belies the extent to which you have swallowed hook line and sinker the philosophy of defensive fear. If "terrorists" want to do the Superbowl then they will do the Superbowl, and it will happen by some hideously clever, unexpected and audacious method that no amount of vigillance could have prevented. You and I and every other intelligent man and woman alive know this to be a truth. At which point the "failure" of intelligence will be used as an excuse to heap on even greater degrees of surveillance until you have cameras in your house watching you take a piss, and still they will fail to stop terrorism. That (for those of you still waking up) is because "terrorists" have nothing to do with this. Go figure.

  40. Homeland Security Purchase Order by sabNetwork · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sir, uh, we need $150,000 for a holographic 3D TV to watch the Superbowl on. For uh, national security.

    Oh yeah, and... we need $1,000 for a large order of chicken wings. Those bad guys might try to poison those. We want to be the first to know.

    And some beer. No reason for that one, just thought I'd ask.

    --

    1. Re:Homeland Security Purchase Order by serutan · · Score: 1

      Keith Richards in a high-def 3D close-up is just too frightening to think about.

  41. Re:Terrorists obviously want to attack the Superbo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Exactly. When will someone (or a bunch of actors) take the next step and show up at the airport with all their baggage (which is really a bunch of package bombs, and they really don't have any plans to check it in anyways), in line say at El Al in La Guardia or Kennedy, and set off the bombs in the ticket line area? Even sicker would be entire family groups recruited to do the dirty deed (but only with one person in the family knowing of the plan).

    Or drive a truck bomb at the same time at any airport with a departure area above the arrival area (like SeaTac, PDX, et al), again, during a busy holiday period when the deck is crammed with cars (as well as people waiting to pick up below), and blow it up?

    So then we push the security fences even further out so that cars are examined before getting into the airport area per se. OK, so now the choke points are even further out and even more centralized, and a whole lot harder to check efficiently.

    All it would take is one instance of this at an airport to seriously screw up air travel within the US far more so than 9/11 did.

    Granted, it is hard to see that an airport has quite the "symbolism" as the WTC did, but if El Queso's intent is to seriously screw up the US into a logistical bundle of knots, this would be one serious way to do it. But I can see one of the fixes now. To drive to the terminal areas, you must show ID and your "reservations", so Mr Terrorist just has copies of old on-line boarding passes made that have been photoshopped sufficiently, because no one will be willing to tie in all the airlines' reservation systems to allow verification of these things, or at least nothing that wouldn't take some period of time, and will still be gameable.

    Not as glamorous as blowing up the Golden Gate bridge or caving in the Hudson & Lincoln tunnels, but far, FAR more effective. The Super Bowl happens once a year, and we can live without it. But seriously exposing the sham that airport security is in a big f'ing way, now, that will seriously cause some problems that we just are not prepared to handle.

  42. Re:oh, the irony... by Shihar · · Score: 1

    A security presence DOES have an effect on saving lives. If they just threw the doors open I would bet money some idiot with a bomb (domestic or foriegn) would go blow something up. Bomb sniffing dogs, security check points, bag searchers, all of these things absolutely decrease the risk of a bomb going off.

    As to cameras, they serve two roles. First, they do serve as an extra set of eyes. If someone drops a bag and a camera spots a bag just sitting there, they can send security over to investigate.

  43. General Welfare by lasindi · · Score: 1

    Tell me again... why do taxpayer dollars have to pay for security at this game? Let the NFL pay for their own damn security. Or is the NFL technically a "foreign country"?

    To the extent that the government shouldn't be involved in doing special favors for various private interests, I agree with you. However, the job of Homeland Security isn't just to protect public buildings (the White House, Capitol, etc.); it's to protect the *public*, no matter where the public is. The police provide security for political party conventions, for example, because some of the public is there, and they are definitely a target. The federal government provides security at airports because a lot of the public flies, even though everyone flies on private airlines. Today, the government provides security for lots of skyscrapers in cities, even though most of them house private, corporate offices (the World Trade Center did).

    The government will provide security, at least in theory (and the public should make sure it happens in practice), to whoever needs it, whether it's the NFL or anyone else. If you decide to have a large gathering of people that should be considered a terrorist target, Homeland Security is supposed to be there to protect you, even though your gathering may not be a public function, because A) terrorists do not only want to attack government targets (as 9/11 demonstrated) and B) it is good for society if large gatherings of people can happen without being completely vulnerable to attack.

    --
    I have discovered a truly remarkable proof of this theorem that this sig is too small to contain.
  44. Re:oh, the irony... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Twenty some years back, I was a deputy sheriff for Los Angeles County when Menachem Bagin, the Prime Minister of Israel made an appearance at the Forum, in Inglewood. ... [N]o one, absolutely none, complained about the intrusion. Several commented about how happy they were to see this level of security.

    That's kind of funny, given that Begin was responsible for the terrorist bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem back in 1946, in which 91 people died.

  45. What are they going to do about they real danger? by houghi · · Score: 1

    There is a real danger for people watching this, both in the dome as on TV. People will be dying from boredom.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  46. Terrorists strike military targets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Terrorists strike only military / government / industrial targets. Bombing civilians and civilian populations is solely the domain of state governments.

    Terrorists just don't have the kind of funds to waste bombs like that. They have to chose very carefully what to attack. Bombing some stupid football game would only turn public opinion against them, which is not tactical nor strategic.

    Flying a plane into the Pentagon, now that is something else entirely. That's a bonafide military target with a power they are formally at war with. I don't think Osama or any other terrorist has any bone to pick with any major league football team. For one, no football team has every invaded and bombed or exploited their country and killed their women and children and friends and family. No, those football players and their silly fans can beat themselves senseless and play in peace for as much as its worth.

    The superbowl is less about football and more about statistics and gambling anyway. In fact, I'd say its just about all about statistics and gambling now.

    Terroists want to strike at the centeres of hated oppressors, spiritual corrupters, exploiters, and criminal organizations. While I'm sure the Superbowl powers that pull the strings behind the show (the mafia?) fit all those bills, its not their target nor ever really will be.

    Unless theres some disenfranchised regiaonal American croquet league out there that has been run into the ground by the football leagues, its not going to happen. A total waste of resources and another example of American bumbling security ineptitude.

    I myself don't want your security. I am quite comfortable living in a rough and tumble world of chance, which no mater how many police you put on the streets or how many of my civil liberties you try to take away, its still going to be anyway. I don't need to feel "secure". Life inherently is not secure. Who's going to protect you from old age and death, or you children for that matter. No one. Its the nature of reality.

    Don't be fooled into giving away the farm (your liberties and privacy) for bag of worthless magic beans (false promises that you are more secure).

    1. Re:Terrorists strike military targets by TomHandy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Huh? There are plenty of examples of terrorists striking civilian targets; just last year, for example, you had the attack on the Sharm el-Sheik resort in Egypt. In 2002 there were also some notable attacks in Bali and Kenya, also at civilian resorts, etc.

    2. Re:Terrorists strike military targets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Terrorists strike only military / government / industrial targets.
       
      Sbarros and discotechs in Israel must be fronts for the government, then.

    3. Re:Terrorists strike military targets by fishbowl · · Score: 1

      Pundits (or trolls) like that are forgetting something simpler:

      As a cop, you don't want your last job to be the guy who didn't notice
      someone committing an act of mayhem at an event on your watch. Something like that will always be the last item on your resume.

      Never mind "Homeland Security" or "Patriotism." These guys are operating at a historically unprecedented level of "Cover Your Own Ass."

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    4. Re:Terrorists strike military targets by ostermei · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Terrorists strike only military / government / industrial targets. Bombing civilians and civilian populations is solely the domain of state governments.

      Because the WTC was OBVIOUSLY military/government/industrial. Oh yes. You'll probably try to say that you consider it "industrial," but that's not technically correct. A better way to categorize the companies located there would be "commercial." You see, "industrial" would refer to companies that provide infrastructure (Boeing, Northrop-Grumman, etc.) for the military and the government. However, from what I understand, the World Trade Center housed mostly financial institutions that in and of themselves were not causing great harm to the world at large, and have no real link to the government or military. Terrorists DO target civilians. They do it to cause terror (funny how that works, eh?).

      Bombing some stupid football game would only turn public opinion against them, which is not tactical nor strategic.

      So bombing military/government/industrial targets would turn public opinion their way? Hell, from what I've seen in other comments here, bombing a football game would turn (geek) public opinion towards them. That's neither here nor there, however. As I mentioned above, terrorists work by inciting terror. What do you think would happen if the millions of people worldwide who were watching this "stupid football game" suddenly saw the thousands of people in the stadium get blown sky high? I'm thinking there'd be more than a few terrorized souls out there... Sound like something that terrorists would like? If it doesn't, you're not paying attention.

      Flying a plane into the Pentagon, now that is something else entirely. That's a bonafide military target with a power they are formally at war with.

      Being formally at war would require them to be formally recognized as a nation/state. This is not the case. We are not "formally" at war until Osama declares himself the Grand High Poobah of Terrorstan in Exile and the U.S. acknowledges Terrorstan as a legitimate nation. Since the chances of this happening are nigh unto zero, we cannot claim that we are "formally at war." As author Gore Vidal put it (and I'm paraphrasing here, as I'm quoting from memory off of a comment made on the History Channel's recent special on Abraham Lincoln): "The war on terror is a metaphor. It's like saying you're waging a war on dandruff."

      Also (and more importantly), note that we were not at war (formally or otherwise) at the time of the 9/11 attacks.

      For one, no football team has every invaded and bombed or exploited their country and killed their women and children and friends and family.

      So that's why they attacked us? Because we invaded them, bombed them, etc? It's funny, but I don't recall that happening until after 9/11. Yes, I'll grant you that no football team has done any of that and our military/government has. I'm not defending the actions taken on our behalf, but the fact that the football teams in question are innocent has no bearing on whether or not the game gets attacked. The fact that thousands upon thousands of Americans are all gathered in one spot is key. And on top of that, millions more people are focused directly on that one spot. I'm sure the janitors in the WTC never invaded/bombed/exploited the terrorists, either, but the terrorists killed them right alongside everyone else. Think about it.

      The superbowl is less about football and more about statistics and gambling anyway. In fact, I'd say its just about all about statistics and gambling now.

      WTF? (Score: -1, Offtopic)

      Terroists want to strike at the centeres of hated oppressors, spiritual corrupters, exploiters, and criminal organizations. While I'm sure the Superbowl powers that pull the strings behind

      --
      "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." -- Groucho Marx
    5. Re:Terrorists strike military targets by i_am_not_a_bomba · · Score: 1

      They would actually be called saboteurs if they only attacked military targets and infrastructure, without casualties being the primary target.

      Or that's what they would have been called in more rational times, now maybe they wouldn't because the word doesn't end in 'ist', therefore doesn't fit the requirement to be an western government and mass media approved bogey man.

      Anarchist, communist, socialist, pacifist, terrorist, sabotist, hmm doesnt quite work.

    6. Re:Terrorists strike military targets by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1
      There are plenty of examples of terrorists striking civilian targets; just last year, for example, you had the attack on the Sharm el-Sheik resort in Egypt. In 2002 there were also some notable attacks in Bali and Kenya, also at civilian resorts, etc.

      Small issue with these viewpoints..."teh terrorists" aren't one globally aligned and centrally controlled force. Neither you or the parent can make such blanket statements about what they will target. Some groups might target military targets, some might go for ecconomic or infrastructure. Others go for nightclubs full of "infidels" or what have you.

      Banding them together like this is the creation of a force designed to scare and cajole you into being a good little citizen, kind-of like a modern edition of Duck & Cover. Be afraid and do what you are told! Or the terrorists will get ya!!

    7. Re:Terrorists strike military targets by glesga_kiss · · Score: 1
      The WTC was targeted as a symbol of Americas economic might. The 3,000 deaths were inconcequential, the target was the financial powerhouse of the USA. If you want to attack or terrorise civilians, there are far better ways, e.g. water supply, public transport. The buildings collapse was a fluke and if it wasn't for that the death toll would have been far less tragic. Either way NYC and the NYSE would still have been crippled.

      As I mentioned above, terrorists work by inciting terror.

      Gandi was once considered a terrorist. Several countries view the BBC news network as a terrorist organization. "One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter" - Regan. It's just a word.

    8. Re:Terrorists strike military targets by TomHandy · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry, I wasn't actually trying to make a blanket statement about what any terrorists will and won't target. I was merely trying to respond to the parent's assertion that terrorists do not strike civilian targets, and using a few concrete of examples where terrorists have in fact done so. I didn't think that in doing so I was actually lumping together all terrorists together (I certainly don't think I said anything to imply that I thought they were one globally aligned and centrally controlled force). I'm really not sure what there was about my post that warranted the condesending tone of your reply (if you actually knew more about me, you would know that I am actually pretty liberal and am not "scared into being a good little citizen").

  47. Free PR = They gave it to them to use for free by Jackie_Chan_Fan · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm sure the security team did not buy it. Instead this Press release was given out, using the NFL and Superbowl as some sort of legitimizing example of in the field use.

    I'm almost certain that it is sitting there, turned off... with 3 beers sitting on it.

  48. Re:oh, the irony... by Toby+The+Economist · · Score: 1

    > You think if the average person knew that they were using hologram like TVs to
    > moniter the Super Bowl they would reject its use? That is down right silly.

    You're taking my comment too literally.

    I'm thinking of centralised, computerized State survillience in general and the lack of meaningful public discourse caused by television.

  49. Bad Analogy by SauroNlord · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The analogy should read: "Why should police, technology, and the media focus on the safety of one stadium(say 25k+ people) versus another of the odd 100-1000's of other stadium(25k+ people)? " It seems like the superbowl is given a lot more public attention than other another 25k grouping of people. Could this be just a way to guarantee that the football game goes as planned-so all television commercial slots will be seen as planned. Imagine the horror of a scare/bomb going off and then losing all the commercial spots. There is a lot of money riding on those commercials. I might be crazy, but it can *almost* see there viewpoint. Do you think any of this 'works'?

    1. Re:Bad Analogy by Shihar · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The Super Bowl gets extra protection for the same reason why the Statue of Liberty gets more protection then the local diner. A suicide bomber probably could kill more people at the local diner when it is packed, but the Statue of Liberty is a far more likely target.

      You can't stop all attacks everywhere. You can make the most likely targets more of a pain in the ass to hit. The Super Bowl is a big obvious target. It is an iconic American event. It has nothing to do with the advertising space and everything to do with how many eyes are watching. If you wanted to get the attention of the American people, blowing up something during the live airing the Super Bowl is a damn good place to start.

      Terrorist are not after body count. Terrorist are after coverage and impact. Terrorist probably could have killed more people if they had simply plowed airplanes into the largest New York apartment complex at night time when everyone was at home. Instead, they went after symbolic targets; the twin towers, the Pentagon, and the Whitehouse. Body count was a side effect. Symbolism was what they were really aiming for.

      So yes, blowing up during any other random sporting event will probably net you roughly the same body count. However, taking out the Holy Grail of American sporting events, like nailing the Pentagon, Twin Towers, or White House, is far more shocking and symbolic. The Super Bowl is a likely target that is probably worth the extra security. All the other sports events on the other hand are much less likely targets and thus less worthy of spending the same amount of time an effort defending.

    2. Re:Bad Analogy by fafalone · · Score: 1

      Terrorist are after coverage and impact.

      They're going to get this if they pull off an attack, no matter what they hit. So they're free to go ahead and not really worry about that and start looking at other things like symbolism of target and body count.

      Terrorist probably could have killed more people if they had simply plowed airplanes into the largest New York apartment complex at night time when everyone was at home.

      I'd contend that the population density of WTC offices was alot higher than an apartment building during business hours, so this would be the best choice for body count. The pentagon is one of the largest office buildings in the world, so that has a fairly significant body count too.

      Symbolism was what they were really aiming for.

      Then why didn't they target the statue of liberty? It's a better symbol of the American values than any of the targets they hit, but would have had a much lower body count.

      So this would seem to suggest that they're taking both factors into account and looking for the most effective balance. Body count adds shock value and impact too, so to claim that it's just some side effect the terrorists don't care about seems a bit short sighted.

  50. Re:oh, the irony... by Shihar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Your description of the Superbowl as a 'target' belies the extent to which you have swallowed hook line and sinker the philosophy of defensive fear. If "terrorists" want to do the Superbowl then they will do the Superbowl, and it will happen by some hideously clever, unexpected and audacious method that no amount of vigillance could have prevented. You and I and every other intelligent man and woman alive know this to be a truth.

    Your description of the Superbowl as a 'target' belies the extent to which you have swallowed hook line and sinker the philosophy of defensive fear. If "terrorists" want to do the Superbowl then they will do the Superbowl, and it will happen by some hideously clever, unexpected and audacious method that no amount of vigillance could have prevented. You and I and every other intelligent man and woman alive know this to be a truth.

    This same argument could be used to point to all policing as being worthless. Why bother having police when you and I both know to be truth that the criminals will find some way to avoid the police?

    It is a bullshit argument.

    There is a will out there by someone to blow something up in the Super Bowl. If you think your average Iraq insurgent who is more then willing to blow himself up in a crowd of Iraqi Shiites praying in a Mosque wouldn't think twice about blowing himself up in the middle of the Super Bowl, you are delusional. This isn't paranoia, this is a simple reality. There are those out there that would inflict harm upon US civilians (rightly or wrongly) if they had the means. The point is that they don't have the means. Simply crossing from Iraq to the US undetected with explosives enough to do damage puts this well out of the capacity of most insurgents. If there was no security set up to prevent such things, they would simply send a crate of explosives, jump in an air plane, and fly over. It isn't good morality that keeps these people from doing so. They just simply don't have the means to cross between countries armed without raising red flags.

    In order to prevent such attacks, you need to make the means of attacking as difficult as possible. Certainly you can't stop everything, but you can set the bar so high as to turn off all but the most dedicated and will organized. The means of making such an attack improbable starts at monitering the people and material that enter the nation. The final obstacle of course is Super Bowl security.

    Now, that isn't to say that there is NO means of attack, simply that the means of attack has been made exponentially harder. Instead of shipping over explosive via freight and people via airplane, loading everyone up with a suicide vest, and simply walking in, they need to devise an increasingly more complex and risky plan. They need to some how illicitly get people and materials into the nation. Once inside the nation, they need to find a method of delivery to get it past security. At each barrier erected, they need to take more extreme actions to achieve their ends. In this case, they probably would not ship explosives in as the barrier to shipping in explosives is too high, to traceable, and too risky. They might try and make a homemade bomb. For that they would need to ship in a bomb expert and potentially raise red flags buying materials. They would then need a delivery method. Simply walking in is a near impossibility, especially if they want live television coverage. They might instead opt to rent a light plain to deliver the explosives. In doing this they need to forge identities, learn to fly, load the explosives, take off without arousing suspicion, and enter restricted air space. Finally, they need to devise some method of detonation that might or might not work. Further, this attack would be less effective because of the limited amount of explosives they could deliver. If they were simply allowed to ship people from wherever they wanted and enter into the stadium as they pleased, they could merrily bring over dozens of armed people.

  51. Outside Superbowl? by Jugalator · · Score: 1

    This is something I haven't been able to confirm myself, but I know someone who said among the best times to do something criminal would be during the Superbowl, outside the Superbowl. Eye witnesses at a minimum as so many is inside/there watching, and possibly even police forces being somewhat fewer, especially in the vicinity.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  52. Re:I must be wasting my time... by Amouth · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    i couldn't help but notice a few of your statements

    "Americans (and our allies...but they're not first priority). "

    and you wonder why people hate us

    "poorly funded and undermanned law enforcement/military of countries such as Iraq"

    which we bombed/killed/mamed on one mans whim - yea.. that seems right, now we half to do the policing our selves because there is no one left..

    "I suppose I shouldn't be deployed to Iraq right now"

    no you shouldn't

    " nor should all of my brothers in arms."

    no they shouldn't

    "You want something done right? You've gotta do it yourself."

    good you under stand this.. that means that you can read my post and realize that you have a closed mind and don't bother to take the time to understand what is going on.. and that is good for you becuase they don't want you to think about it.. just keep killing peole for no damn good reason.. it keeps everyone in work.. war is good for biz..

    next time to take a shot at some one or show force to solve a problem i want you to stop.. write down their name and everything they have done to desirve the punishment and all the evidence, and if you feel that you could take that and show your children and they would agree and understand then good.. becuase you know.. we used to care about people and we used to atleast do that for our "citizens" , and to an extent we do.. so if we really feel it is our place to police the rest of the world lets atleast give them the same damn respect.

    If some one hates you it is for a reason.. telling them to stop/killing them isn't going to fix the issue.. you must stop and figure out WHY they hate you.. correct that and then you can start moving in the direction..

    Don't get me wrong i am not anti military, i understand the need.. I am anti war without a need.. war should only be in self defence.. the same way it is when someone personaly attacks you.. because they have a gun doesn't give you the right to kill them.. remember you have a gun too and that would mean they would have the right to kill you.. in the end you both die and nothing has been solved....

    --
    '...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
  53. Nevermind ... by slightlyspacey · · Score: 1

    Did anyone else other than myself first read the title as "Hooligans Help Protect Super Bowl"? I could see DHS temporarily importing some hard core football fans from the U.K. to handle security. At the least sign of trouble, they would be all over the terrorists with beer bottles, hot dogs, stadium seating, and whatever else they could use as improvised weapons.

    Just an idea ...

  54. Re:Terrorists obviously want to attack the Superbo by StikyPad · · Score: 1

    Right, because TV never takes a cue from reality, and fact and fiction never overlap or coincide. It's impossible that the largest annually televised event in the world would be a target, because it's so obvious. We should be securing pee wee league games instead.

    Also, as I said in another post, it's doubtful the technology was developed exclusively for the Super Bowl, but rather it's a publicity opportunity for the companies/government to showcase new technology. Whether it's effective or not is another thing.

  55. Obligatory.... by kurzweilfreak · · Score: 1

    And of course.... a tank big enough for the two friggin' sharks.

    --

    kurzweil_freak

    5th Kyu Genbukan Ninpo/KJJR student

    Be the darkness that allows the light to shine.

  56. Re:and what the hell is super bolw ? by PenGun · · Score: 0

    Replying to myself, sick I know.

      I just got my SAT crap running and I now after many years of nothing have prolly 600 channels of SAT TV.

      Apart from NASA and maybe Cartoon Planet, The Puppy Bowl is the best thing on those 600 channels .................. you people PAY for this ... WOW.

          PenGun
        Do What Now ??? ... Standards and Practices !

  57. Re:I must be wasting my time... by Onuma · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I believe me I'd rather NOT be here. It's not a pretty place, I'm 6000 miles away from everything and everyone I love, and I've been within blast range of indirect fire on more than one occasion. Not cool. There is, however, a mission that needs to be completed and I'm going to do my job until my duties are over. Overall though, I feel we're doing the right things...just perhaps we do them in the wrong way. The start of the war in Iraq had it's reasons but we should've been out of here a long time ago.

    I am an open minded person and I do not start fights - I just finish them when I have to. It's not like we go around just pulling the trigger at a whim, there's a little thing called Rules Of Engagement we have to follow. The people who get killed by Americans are either considered hostiles (clearly defined in RoE) or very unfortunate collateral damage.

    Violence is not always the answer, but sometimes it is the only answer your adversaries will understand. How do you explain to a Jihadist who is willing to kill himself, because he believes unshakably that he will go to paradise, not to fight against you? "Oh we're sorry, we won't be a big mean antagonist anymore." ? You say that, he levels his AK-47 at your face, and you tell me...what is YOUR course of action? I agree with your point being anti-war when there is no need for war - but I will defend my family and friends tooth and nail. Thou Shalt Not Murder.

    One reason to hate us, we're the richest and we're the superpower. People hate the popular. Jealousy rears its ugly head. Sure America has its flaws, there is no question there.

    --
    What else can happen when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object?
  58. Peering under cars? by whoda · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Peering under cars from cameras that are above head level, and presumably much higher up than that? I must say, that is some pretty impressive technology there.

    Funny how the article linked says NOTHING AT ALL about peering under cars. So, is it a sensationalist submitted headline? Something the editor made up and added? A line from a different article? What?

    1. Re:Peering under cars? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Sure it does. Says so in the 3rd paragraph.

      It's a load of balony, of course. You can't peer under a car unless one of the cameras is, you know, peering under the car. Or you're using some crazy x-ray emitting cameras that will leave everyone in the parking lot sterile.

      Sounds to me like either the CEO of this company doesn't even know what his product is capable of, or CNET is just making up crap.

  59. Re:oh, the irony... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's funny is that you belive that.

    You sad, sick, demented, brained freak.

  60. I'm sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Equip the stadium with rotary blades in case it needs to make a quick getaway?

    I'm sorry but that's just too fucking cool to be said and not do anything about.

  61. Re:I must be wasting my time... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please do the USA, your family, and the world a favor, and desert.

    We don't want you there, the Iraqis don't want you there, you're not doing anybody any favors by being there. Leave. Run.

  62. John Belushi? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "hypothetical station-wagon full of stereotypical evil bearded Muslim fundamentalists (possibly with swords between their teeth and eyepatches?"

    hey -- wasn't that a scene in Animal House when they attacked the parade with a big cake?

  63. This thread is useless without pics by Digital+Vomit · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I love it how so many news sites talk about some interesting visual thing on the internet -- a visual medium -- yet fail to provide fscking pictures!

    "3D holographic imaging! Take our word for it: it looks cool!"

    --
    Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
    1. Re:This thread is useless without pics by mccoyspace · · Score: 1

      Some quick searching didn't turn up much.....
      Here is a PDF about medical imaging technology from 3 years ago that goes into some detail about the technology and gives one small, unimpressive picture.

    2. Re:This thread is useless without pics by gentoo1337 · · Score: 1

      You have to buy their technology. Then you can use it to peer under the text, where the pictures are!

  64. even peer under vehicles .... by future+assassin · · Score: 1

    Do I sell a whole new niche of 3D Up Skirts.

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  65. Re:oh, the irony... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm sure that those places are truly hurt by your lack of patronage.

    Certainly the 4-digit price tag for Super Bowl tickets doesn't factor into your decision to abstain.

    What you accept or don't is quite possibly the least important thing in life to anyone who's not you.

  66. Ignore this by future+assassin · · Score: 1

    Hmm looks like my first comment was posted earlier even though Slashdot said there was an error.

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  67. Depth tube? by ipsuid · · Score: 1

    Depth tube? How long does that take to warm up?

    --
    It appears Ockham lost his razor and grew a beard.
  68. Re:Collective asses... by True+Vox · · Score: 1

    J-Lo takes 3 shares...

    --
    "Gratuitous complexity is akin to chaos" - True Vox
  69. Re:Protecting a stupid ball game by kadathseeker · · Score: 1

    How about selling your computer and giving the money to charity? You don't really _need_ it to survive, not like the food all those poor Eithiopian kids don't have. Sure, if we all lived like Spartans and correctly appropriated resources, we could solve all the problems in the world. But no one is about to do that. Or, since everyone cares so much about money, save yourself the approximately $100000 it cost to raise a kid by not having them and give half to charity. Couple of bucks in condoms for a $50k return on inverstment, now that's money well spent. At the very least ADOPT one instead of ADDING TO THE PROBLEM. Ah, if only - outlaw babies and allow only adoptions from the third world! Or genetically engineer a biological weapon that makes people sterile instead of killing them, then release it evenly (though not too much) throughout the world - perhaps as an STD? What could be more fair and humane, but still effective? Certainly not any current population control methods.

    --
    The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it. - William Gibson
  70. Referees should have used it tonight... by JFMulder · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There were quite a few dodgy referee decisions in that game. I can't believe they gave Pittsburgh that first touchdown. The ball never even touched the line. And no, I'm not a Seattle fan, I'm not even from the States.

    1. Re:Referees should have used it tonight... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      there was no angle to see that the ball didn't touch the line (even though it looked like it probably didn't) and they had no evidence to support changing the call, so the call stayed the same

    2. Re:Referees should have used it tonight... by t0rkm3 · · Score: 1

      Not to get pedantic, but the ball does not have to touch the end zone. Currently the rule is that the below must break the vertical plane while in possession before the player is down.

      If you watch the replay the ball breaks the plane just before impact of the defensive player's helmet.

      The vertical plane rule is newish, I didn't realize it had changed until I saw Roethlisberger pass the ball through the air over the corner of the end zone in a short run where he slid out of bounds.
      Ruling? Touchdown.

    3. Re:Referees should have used it tonight... by JFMulder · · Score: 1

      Well, that's the problem. If you don't have a strong case that the touchdown was valid, then there is no touchdown. In the NHL, if the referees aren't sure the goal is valid, then it isn't.

    4. Re:Referees should have used it tonight... by TallMatthew · · Score: 1
      The nose of the ball broke the plane of the goal line. It doesn't matter where the ball actually ends up. The goal line extends invisibly upwards to infinity. Or at least to the roof.

      Touchdown! Woo Hoo!

      That holding call was a little bogus.

  71. If your not with the Steelers then your against em by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thank God the Departement of homeland Securty is there to keep the terrorists from coming in and rooting for the Seahawks.

  72. Can someone please explain wtf a "Depth Tube" is? by deviator · · Score: 1

    I searched around and came up with nothing useful. Can someone explain what a "Depth Tube" is and how it works? Call me skeptical, but a CRT capable of displaying 3D images without glasses sounds very novel to me.

    This company (LifeVision) does not seem to have an obvious web presence, either.

    Something seems pretty fishy here...

  73. need for realism by Hal9000_sn3 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I have had a little experience and agree with you and with the parent.

    Let me explain.

    I had a house that seemed to be a burglar magnet. It had lots of windows and outbuildings and was on a couple of acres, and there were open fields across the road and behind me, and on one side there was a church (on the corner). So there was relatively little chance any neighbors would see and report suspicious activity. Anyway, first most of the easily pawned tools and equipment was stolen out of the garage, and the back door into the house was busted, but nothing stolen from inside. Later a window frame and all was pried off the house, still there was not much worth stealing.

    I did get paranoid and considered alarm systems, survelliance, traps, beefing up all the doors and windows, etc. I did put some lights and a stereo on timers, and did make sure that the easiest ways in had locks and latches as much as possible. I had a couple of girls living with me at the time and they were somewhat scared that someone would break in while they were there and rape or kidnap them. I even missed some work trying to mix up the pattern of visible vehicles in the driveway.

    Realizing that the over reaction to the perceived threat was becoming worse than the actual risk I did go two weeks without locking the front door when I was at work. In my mind I had to imagine that the cost of replacing another door and frame was more than the value of anything left to steal. That two weeks was weird, but had the desired effect on me to get back into a more realistic mode of thinking, keeping me from getting into a pathologically paranoid pattern of behavior. End result there was no more burglaries, the burglars were either never coming back anyway, or came back without damaging or stealing anything.

    Another time I was working on a ragtop convertible for a friend of my mother. The guy that owned it was afraid someone would steal his radio and locked the doors, but that only resulted in the top being cut adding to the cost of replacing the radio. While I was working on it I had the radio out anyway, but left a couple of old junk 8-track tape players sitting inside, first one, then another when the first one disappeared. Nothing else was stolen, and no need to replace the top.

    Anyway, when analyzing the utility of a response to a percieved threat, one needs to rationally determine whether the obvious reaction, has any real benefit. Often enough what seems like the most apparent solution can easily become part of the problem.

    One more example that I have heard of, but not from personal experience. Wireless cameras. You know, the one X10 promotes, and similar, also baby monitors. Seems like if you can monitor the hallway, side of the house, other rooms, without getting up that you might somehow be more secure by being aware of something you ordinarily would not be able to see, right? No! Apparently there are lots of burglars that use portable receivers, and when they pick up a signal from one of those cameras they get first of all the information that here lives someone with something worth protecting. Second, they get at the least a camera to steal and take to the pawnshop. Third, they can monitor whether any one is home. And best of all, they know that if you have money to waste on cameras, then you probably have lots of other stuff that they can steal.

    Common sense often is only just common usually, and rarely is it really sensible.

  74. Re:Corporate Welfare - Condi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you watched the game, they had a shot of Condoleeza Rice there. While I appreciate the sentiment, that might be why.

  75. Re:Can someone please explain wtf a "Depth Tube" i by orange+haired+boy · · Score: 2, Informative

    A quick search on google for "lifevision3d" comes up with http://www.intrepiddefense.com./ There's even a picture: http://www.intrepiddefense.com/index_files/Page392 .html

    Of course the picture doesn't show anything interesting except a box labled "Patent Pending U.S. Government Security Prototype"

    The funniest thing is the url. Page392.html? Come on...don't tell me with all the money they're spending on this they have someone making a site in Microsoft Publisher. *view source* wow...

  76. Pictures please? by origamy · · Score: 1

    I read the article and could only see pictures when I clicked one of the links referred in the article.
    I'm disappointed to see that an article talking about some cool "viewing" device has no pictures of such device. The one of Chuck Close showed in the 2nd link was only a 8 1/2 x 11 picture of him (which was at the SF MoMa until recently) and does not portrait the large screen viewing devices mentioned in the article.

  77. What do you expect from govt paid couch potatos? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Getting paid big bucks to watch the big game. Where do I apply for this job?

  78. Attempts at total security will end in bankruptcy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -Dwight D. Eisenhower

    It's a principle of diminishing returns. Largely I agree with you. You may be a bit over the top with illistrating your statements, but there are some rather dense people out there.

    Cheers

  79. Re:No lasers mentioned; No lasers needed. by Edward+Kmett · · Score: 1

    You're not thinking far enough outside of the (eye) box. The interference pattern in the hologram isn't of the images being presented. The hologram just determines which image reaches which eye.

    See page 9-10 of: http://www.med-smart.org/publications2003/ITEC_200 2_Paper_Final.pdf which describes the basic process.

    Having worked for this company, I can attest to the fact that the technology does work. Gaylord Moss was their holographer when I was there.

    There really is a hologram involved. No lasers are mentioned, because no lasers are needed in this configuration.

    However, having left the company along with all of the technical personnel on the project at the time after they didn't pay me, I can also attest to the fact that they probably aren't going anywhere fast.

    I at least got to get it set up to play Quake 3 before I left. ;)

    This is not a troll.

    --
    Sanity is a sandbox. I prefer the swings.
  80. Actually... by Koim-Do · · Score: 1

    The parent poster may be a demented freak, but then again, the Israeli MFA site seems to support his facts:

    Menachem Begin was the commander of the Etzel (his relation to the bombing incident is on paragraph 3), and according to the Etzel museum, responsible to the King David hotel bombing
  81. Re:No lasers mentioned; No lasers needed. by JohnFluxx · · Score: 1

    I'm purely arguing about the definition. It does not matter whether it works or not, it only matters whether an interference pattern is created. Since one is not, therefore it's not a hologram by definition. It can still work using a different method :)

  82. Picked up and tortured and framed by the law by meringuoid · · Score: 1
    I don't recall Timothy McVeigh or the Birmingham Six being vegetarians.

    More to the point, I don't recall the Birmingham Six being terrorists.

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    1. Re:Picked up and tortured and framed by the law by Andrew+Clegg · · Score: 1

      Whoops, yeah, my bad. YKWIM though.

      --
      Andrew.

      mailto:myfirstname.mylastname at Google's mail site
  83. Re:Terrorists obviously want to attack the Superbo by instarx · · Score: 1

    So we pour millions of dollars in taxpayer funded security when the terrorists might as well go to the basketball game next door (or a mall) to do their dirty work. Not only is it easier but we end up buying useless 3D remote cameras to look under cars. I swear the government has been watching too much TV about govt. super agents.

    Exactly. It is far easier for the administration to do the gee-whiz technology stuff than to do the really hard stuff required to fix the problem at the root. Because terrorists could attack literally anywhere it is virtually impossible to defend against determined attackers. Rather than spending billions on 3D cameras, electronic data mining and domestic surveillance, which only give us a false sense of security, it would be much better to focus our resources on figuring our exactly why these extremists are being spawned in certain cultures in the first place, and then fixing THAT problem.

    America used to be incredibly ignorant and insensitive to Muslim religion (such as when we named military systems "Crusaders"). We know that there was no religious intent in those names, but many Muslims did not. Of course there are some policies we cannot and should not change, but there are also many policies which don't make one bit of diffrence to us that could be changed to improve the world's perception of America. There are even policy changes (no torture or rendition) that would be MORE in line with our American ideals AND reduce the creation of new terrorists. Changing bad policy is the way to stop terrorist attacks, not 3D cameras and predator drones. Unfortunately that takes a competent administration that actaully thinks about issues rather than just calling out the military, torturing suspects, and screaming "Security" every thirty seconds.

    I'm not soft on terrorists - hunt them down, try them in courts and put a bullet in their heads. Good riddance. But we also have to do whatever it takes to prevent more of them being created. If your basement is flooding, the first thing to do is turn off the water - not buy a million dollar 3D camera to spot the leaks.

  84. Giving by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    I bet i give more then the average person. And i do live a spartan life, as much as is practical in the 21st century and still provide an income to provide for my family, with adopted children.

    When was the last time you donated blood, plasma.. ( and didnt take the $ in return ) or just time? I didnt see you out helping out after the last natural disaster, did I?

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    1. Re:Giving by kadathseeker · · Score: 1

      Unless you live in Texas it is unlikely you saw me when I was helping out with Katrina relief, both physically aiding in sheltering (I served food, organized supplies and played with kids in the daycare) as well as in donating clothing and other things, and on top of that I have been donating blood every two months for free since I have been old enough. I'm a little short on money right now, and the little that I have left over usually goes to my computer, but I always drop my change in the charity jar. The point is, most people give something to charity, but they also treat themselves sometimes, and the Superbowl (as mindless and brutish as it is - btw, remember I'm a Texan) is to them what the release of x videogame or x version of FOSS or x invention is to us. And it's not like Americans don't give alot to charity, or even that if we all gave all we didn't need away it would really solve all of the social and cultural problems that chronically plague most of the third world. For instance, in the US, a cartoon making fun of Christ (like in South Park) would upset people, but not start riots, attacking of stores and embassies, or get people killed like in the Mohammed cartoons incident (BBC link not working now, sorry). It's pretty ironic that a cartoon about Muslims being violent extremists is responded to with violence. Don't ge me wrong, Islam can be just as good as any religion (I lived in Oman for a while), but to most cultures in the area, the tolerance of what you disagree with is not recognized as an essential aspect of society like it is in West, among other things. It's not like we are all actively preventing them from picking themselves up - Oman is a great example of a country that uses its resources to build infrastructure and industry rather than commit genocide. I never felt any danger at all there, I never saw a gun except 100 year old antique rifles, and have in all my time in America, Europe, and China never met as many friendly people. For more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qaboos_bin_Said_Al_Sa id. The Sultan is a great example of the kind of leadership that completely change a country for the better. The whole time I was there I saw roads, schools, desalinization plants, and other things being built and never felt or saw any oppression of any kind directed at me or anyone else. Although I'm sure they have their problems, they deal with them in a way that the rest of the region could learn from.

      --
      The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it. - William Gibson
  85. With apologies to MST3k by Takeel · · Score: 1

    With this new 3D technology, the incompetence really comes through with great clarity.

  86. Re:I must be wasting my time... by Amouth · · Score: 1

    the problem is not how your acting via ROE .. the problem is that it never should have gotten this far.. and the fact that the leaders of the US are still pushing this course of action saddens me.. my grandfather gave his life for us (he didn't die in combat instead he was paralized testing quick fall cutes) i never got to see him walk.. he laid in a bed and slowly died.. i can't think of anything worse... and i belive in what he belived in .. this is a great country and well worth defending.. but that violence is the ultimate last resort... the US had to make an effort to send you guys over there we went out of our way to do it.. that seems like putting violence in front of every other option..

    I feel that this whole mess is short sighted. And i feel sad that it seems that you guys are dieing for the crusade of one man.. that isn't how the US was intended to be..

    I can only hope that the people serving how will realize that this is wrong and whill remember and reflect that once they move up the ranks..

    --
    '...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
  87. I don't Understand by Madcowz · · Score: 1

    I still don't understand how this is going to improve security.

    Being able to see under cars... why don't they just use the old technique of "extended reflective imaging"? Ie a mirror on a stick.

    Also, at which point do these fake holograms help spot the the guy with a beard and a rather large jacket, or the two blokes with rucksacks?

    Sounds like a waste of money to me. Would have been better to spend the 100's of thusnads of dollars on more Icams, yup, that;s right, people walking around the stadium looking with their own eyes.

    And btw, when is the Superbowl. Must be soon as there is an awful lot of adverts on tv about it.


    /Mad

  88. So.... by m0rphm0nkey · · Score: 1

    Did they catch anybody?
    m

  89. Super Bowl Commercials by imuffin · · Score: 3, Informative

    The only good thing about the Super Bowl is the commercials.

    And you can download them from this site, too.

  90. Yes, the correct term is "Stereogram," but... by abb3w · · Score: 1

    ...the term Stereogram is so 19th century... and less likely to be understood as "3D pictures" by anyone under 60.

    --
    //Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
  91. Re:No lasers mentioned; No lasers needed. by Edward+Kmett · · Score: 1

    An interference pattern is present and utilized, just not changed.

    There is a nice little screen of good old silver halide with an interference pattern on it sitting in front of the user.

    --
    Sanity is a sandbox. I prefer the swings.
  92. Meanwhile, in a far-off busy shopping mall... by ArghBlarg · · Score: 1

    ... Joe Lunatic with his suitcase dirty bomb will blow himself and 100 people up, contaminating the entire city while Homeland Security jerks off with its new 3D scanner at the Superbowl.. thus proving that all this heightened 'security' is a joke.

    Seriously, what's the real likelihood that any terrorist will now try to ram a commercial airliner into a skyscraper? Pretty well zero. It's been done, and is just too obvious in hindsight. Terrorists would just be stupid to actually focus on the Superbowl, when it's obviously got such tight security. Makes for a great distraction, though, while they focus on some other highly-populated target. Sigh.

    --
    ERROR 144 - REBOOT ?
    1. Re:Meanwhile, in a far-off busy shopping mall... by dzfoo · · Score: 1

      >> ... Joe Lunatic with his suitcase dirty bomb will blow himself and 100 people up, contaminating the entire city while Homeland Security jerks off with its new 3D scanner at the Superbowl.. thus proving that all this heightened 'security' is a joke.

      Awww, man! You just gave away the plot to the 5th season of "24", and I was watching it! jeeeez, thanks a lot!

            -dZ.

      --
      Carol vs. Ghost
      ...Can you save Christmas?
  93. Death tubes by deckert_za · · Score: 1

    Junkie:Do you wanna buy some death tubes?
    Jedi master: You don't want to sell me death tubes.
    Junkie: I don't want to sell you death tubes.
    Jedi master: You want to go home and rethink your life.
    Junkie: I want to go home and rethink my life.

    Oh... you mean depth tubes....

  94. Re:Can someone please explain wtf a "Depth Tube" i by deviator · · Score: 1

    The website is hokey and loaded with marketing platitudes - and that's it. I think something is really fishy here. I don't believe this is even a real product - and I'm questioning whether or not it was used at the superbowl _at all_ and whether someone just fabricated all of this for the press.

    Why don't people get more skeptical about this stuff? Doesn't it seem weird to people that people have tried to make 3D displays that don't require glasses for ages, and the best people have come up with is lenticular lenses over a flat LCD screen? How could some company come out of nowhere with little fanfare and make a 3D CRT? Why would this type of company even deserve any press on slashdot, let alone the newswires of the world, without some PROOF of this concept?

  95. Nipples? by SchrodingersRoot · · Score: 1

    I certainly hope not, considering who the halftime show is!
    How disturbing...

  96. I knew it.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The biggest threat to america is not from attacks, but the things people, organisations and goverments do in response to those attacks.

    And this... well it scares the crap out of me. How long before they just throw in a few other things, compare your writing style to that of known murderers.

    Mabie I'm getting a bit too close to the tin-foil hat people here, but... this really would be the goverment spying on everyone, even if it is just public information. I'm sure the outcry would be higher if they started to use satelites to track everyones movement for 'terorist' like movements.