Gizmodo: Black Box

Roadscan Drive Recorder: Like a Black Box For Your Car

Sean Fallon — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EDT

There are few things in this world that are more infuriating than getting into a car accident—but one of those things would definitely be getting into an accident where the blame is being disputed. For the innocent party, a Roadscan Drive Recorder could be indispensable. The device mounts easily on your windshield or rearview mirror, and will continuously record graphical 3D-G accelerations data. If you happen to get into an accident, it will save the digital video starting 14 seconds before the incident and 6 seconds after—so you would be armed with all of the data you need to dispute a ticket. Or totally incriminate yourself.

On the other hand, owning a Roadscan could easily backfire if you are the one to blame—so if you are an accident prone driver it is probably best to steer clear of a device like this. Roadscan is currently available for $299, which is a reasonable price to pay for something that could potentially save you thousands in an accident. [Autocamcorder]

Black Box Case Mod Scoffs at Server Crashes

Mark Wilson — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:45:00 EDT

While most of us wonder why planes aren't built of the crash-proof "black box" flight recorder material, one modder has requisitioned a black box of his own to use as a PC case. While the package itself is quite large (and disappointingly red), the interior is so cramped that only a Mini-ITX motherboard could fit inside, running Slackware Linux on a 800MHz Via C3. But have you ever seen the inside of a black box before?

That padding? It's not fluffy down. From the modder:

To clear out the storage half, I used a large auger bit and a drill. I also occasionally soaked the asbestos to help keep it from finding its way into my lungs. I started to question whether this mod was worth lung cancer, then decided it was.

(Ed note: we'd make a joke about death here, but were the modder to actually die of lung cancer, we'd feel like douches for the rest of our lives. So pardon our restraint.) [brettsprojects via technabob]

Personal Pocket Safe USB Drive So Secure It Has Its Own PIN Pad

Wilson Rothman — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:43:35 EDT

There are plenty of secure USB drives, but the Personal Pocket Safe has to be the paranoid PC users' best friend. Its inventor CHDT Corp. calls it the first "encrypted, epoxy coated, pin-protected smart drive." It comes with the expected security features, such as military-grade encryption, safekeeping of passwords and other sensitive info and a track-covering feature that makes sure no one can trace its presence once it's removed from a system. To top it all off, though, the drive has its own rubber-key PIN-pad, so that you can key in your own 4-to-10 passcode. No passcode, and the thing goes into full lock down.

The Key to Staying Organized and Secure Lies Within Consumers' Pockets Deerfield Beach, FL - March 24, 2008 - From bank statements and insurance policies to birth certificates and contracts, today's consumers face confusion and frustration when it comes to organization and protecting critical data and documents. This month, Black Box Innovations, as part of its new Tâke line of portable technology, unveils the solution with the launch of the Personal Pocket Safe™, the world's first encrypted, epoxy coated, pin-protected smart drive offering powerful organization and portable digital protection for consumers. Formatted to fit any standard USB port found in PCs and notebooks, the Personal Pocket Safe™ will be available through select retail channels starting in spring 2008. "To shred or not to shred, to file or keep a paper copy, and where to store them safely are questions we all struggle with on a regular basis," said Stewart Wallach, visionary behind the Personal Pocket Safe™ and CEO of its parent company, CHDT, Corporation. "The Personal Pocket Safe™ eliminates the tedious and labor-intensive obstacles that prevent today's consumers from gaining control over organization by combining easy-to-manage technology, portable efficiency and digital security in an affordable way that's never been done before." The Personal Pocket Safe™ is powered by proprietary software embedded within a pin protected pocket safe that features a host of security-rich options that lock in all of the confidential and critical information that powers the lives of today's consumers. Measuring less than 3 inches, the Personal Pocket Safe™ is convenient for travel and easy to store from plain view. Robust functionality and security features include: • A pin (4 to 10 digits) that prevents unauthorized users from accessing stored data. • Military grade encryption and storage of confidential documents, from insurance policies and contracts to heirloom photos and other irreplaceable items • Archiving of sensitive credentials such as social security numbers, financial account information and passwords • Digital compartmentalization of up to 70 years of bills and bank statements*, health records, and scanned copies of important documents such as licenses, permits, birth certificates, etc. • Customizable reminders for everything from warranty and policy renewals to scheduled maintenance back ups • Digital security features that make the device untraceable when removed from a host computer or laptop • Automatic "lock out" technology that shuts down the device to deter hackers "As we designed the Personal Pocket Safe, we began to discover that it's not simply hardware or software. This innovation is a new breed of technology we've coined 'anyware,' said John Tate, President of Black Box Innovations, the developers and marketers of the Personal Pocket Safe. "As a digital safe, it organizes and protects the user, any time, any place in simple ways that can save consumers around the world a lot of time, money and heartache; in short - it makes users lives easier." In addition to its menu of organization features, the Personal Pocket Safe™ also helps protect consumers' identities. With nearly 10 million Americans victimized by some form of identity theft in 2007, the Personal Pocket Safe™ offers peace of mind in knowing that once critical documents are organized and secure, the risk of someone accessing that data is a non-issue. On top of proactive protection, the Personal Pocket Safe™ also offers consumers help with one of the most overlooked but necessary functions in today's digital age - backup. Data that might normally be lost in the event of theft, computer disk crash or other unforeseen disasters is held securely within the Pocket Safe. "According to recent reports we've collected, close to 90 percent of adults today know they should backup the information they store on a laptop or personal computer, but more than 75 percent admit they do not take action," said Tate. "The reality is, 100 percent of computer drives will fail at some point if in use long enough, and proper backup is critical." With an increasing population of consumers who try to "live green", the Personal Pocket Safe™ provides an easy and convenient way for individuals to achieve their eco-friendly goals by digitally archiving monthly statements to save paper. Other features include a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, packaging made from recycled materials, as well as a storage case crafted from bamboo. About Personal Pocket Safe With patents pending in the United States and overseas, the Personal Pocket Safe™, developed and marketed by Black Box Innovations, marks the first product within the company's Tâke line, based on licensed technology from ClevX, LLC and ExamSoft Worldwide Inc. Black Box Innovations is a wholly owned subsidiary of CHDT Corp., based in Florida. Available through select retail channels starting in spring 2008, the Personal Pocket Safe™ helps consumers organize and safeguard their most critical documents and information through the world's first encrypted, epoxy coated, pin-protected USB device. For more information, visit takeanyware.com.

Note: The CHDT website was easy to find, but the takeanywhere.com and Black Box Innovations were not yet visible on the net. We trust that this is a product that the company does intend to bring to market, though it is clearly in the early stages of marketing, at least in the US.

Telepresence Frame: A Black Box for Life Support Patients

Benny Goldman — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:55:03 EST

Someone finally found a good use for a digital picture frame. The Telepresence Frame by Revital Cohen displays a live-feed of a patient's vital stats for his or her entire family to see. Cohen, an artist studying the increasing relationship between humans and machines, shows through the frame that a patient on life support is made up of more than flesh and bones, and has become one with the gadgets surrounding them. That's nice and all, but what happens when the life support ends is downright freaky.

When the machines can no longer keep the patient alive, the stats on the frame flatline, just like you see on TV. However, the death of the patient does not bring with it the death of the frame; everything has been recorded on a black box, which rewinds to the beginning and plays the patient's life, on a loop. Now your family can sit around the fireplace, stare at the frame, and recount the good old days. "Oh look! That's when Timmy's blood pressure was 120 over 80! And he was still breathing! I miss that day."

Cohen has made a video of some of these patients describing what their machine-assisted life is like, and you can see a clip below. Just remember, before you complain that a minute of your time was wasted, these people are on freakin' life support.[Interactions via WMMNA]

Drive Recorder Is Honda's Car Black Box

Kit Eaton — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:30:02 EST

Honda's Drive Recorder will detect impacts and save information for the 12 seconds before and 8 seconds afterwards, aircraft black-box-style: forward-view imagery, along with sound and data on speed and deceleration rates all get stored on an SD card in its main unit, ready to be uploaded to a PC.

Its 135-degree field of view camera gets hung on your windscreen, with all the accelerometry going on inside the 4.5 x 3 x 0.8-inch black box itself. Honda hopes this system will turn you into a safer driver, though we imagine it might also make insurance claims a little more straightforward. You can also switch on recording just for the hell of it, and amuse your friends with a show later: "Hey, check out that braking after I missed the red light." Available in Japan for ¥54,600 (around $500), and, sadly, only if you have an Honda car or your name is Jenny or Debra.

Hey, it's Friday. [Honda via Gizmodo Japan]

Clarion DriveEye Records Your Next Car Accident

Charlie White — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:33:21 EDT

The cops won't be the only ones with those wild car wreck videos any more, because now you can clamp this Clarion DriveEye recorder onto your car's windshield and record some really rad video as soon as you get into your next accident. But wait, who would buy this? Someone who's planning to have an accident later today?

Created to document unfortunate situations for the accident prone, this little device has a G-force sensor hooked up to a solid-state camera that's always recording, and if it senses a sudden stop, it saves the 15 seconds of video before and five seconds afterward, perfect to play back in court when you're trying to explain to the judge why it's not your fault.

Clarion has constructed the DriveEye out of tough magnesium alloy, hoping that it will be able to survive all but the most horrific accidents. We're thinking it might be bad luck is to tack one of these suckers on your windshield, as if you're expecting—or maybe even hoping—to get into a really bad wreck. Well, if you get overly eager to use the thing, it also has a manual recording function.

They must have a lot more accidents in Japan, because that's where this DriveEye will first be available for $412. Reminds us of a similar device marketed in Korea, the Black Eagle GPS that works the same way. Maybe these systems are coming soon to an accident scene near you. [Technabob]

KangaRoom Power Strip Organizer Hides Your Shame

Jason Chen — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 15:00:41 EDT

The area under our desk is a prime fire zone seeing since the wires and power strips are all tied in the biggest knot this side of Gordium. That's fine hidden under a desk, but awful in the living room or somewhere that actual people can see. Voila, the Black Box Cord organizer from KangaRooM. It's a ~~plastic~~ heat resistant acrylic box with sliding doors and five ventilation strips that goes over your power strip, both neatly arranging your plugs and suspending stuff like AC bricks and small routers so they don't get tangled up.

The Black Box is a bit pricey at $60, so unless you're really anal, it's probably better just to handle your cord situation yourself. – Jason Chen

Black Box Cord Organizer [Kangaroom Storage]

BenQ-Siemens Black Box Concept Phone

Travis Hudson — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 15:07:20 EDT

Unlike previously mentioned, BenQ is still making phones in Asia, just no longer in the German market. This is one of the concept phones being worked on—the Black Box. No keypads, no buttons, just a big ass touchscreen. From the initial pictures it looks like the interface changes on the fly. I'm digging the black minimalist design overall. It will probably never see the light of day as an actual product, but it is still cool to look at, nonetheless. – Travis Hudson

Black Box concept handset [uberphones]