As anyone who's been to Japan knows, there are vending machines all over the place there, especially in the cities. They're on every block and ever corner, offering up hot coffee in a can and cigarettes whenever you need them. The next generation of vending machines, as first released on Friday, will also include a security camera, an emergency phone and an alarm.

The camera will be a CCTV camera accessed by the police department. When the door to the emergency phone is opened, an alarm on the top of the machine starts going off, alerting those around you that you're in trouble.

With only the first machine being installed a few days ago, there's already been a backlash against it, with someone tearing off the camera and spraypainting "Surveillance Society" on the machine.

Will these machines catch on, slowly replacing the thousands of vending machine already spread across Japan, or will the people there stand up against becoming another country where privacy takes a backseat to security? Time will tell. [JapanProbe]

Nobody's arguing that it's not easier and more efficient to track a criminal with a GPS tag than by trailing him with a man in a car, Herc and Carv style (even though they like GPS tags, too). What is being questioned, though, is whether this practice can be put into place to track anyone, without having prior consent for a warrant. Currently the answer is an unofficial (ie: a largely unchallenged) yes, as long as the vehicle is tagged on public property and not, say, in the garage. What privacy advocates are arguing, however, is that GPS tracking without a warrant is now approaching invasive, 24-hour surveillance state levels as the gear gets cheaper and more widespread by the day.

A recent ruling by the Washington State Supreme Court is among the first to swing the balance toward requiring warrants for tracking. But until a more definitive ruling, you'll have to stick with dubious GPS bug detectors if you're paranoid. [Washington Post via Slashdot]

The GPS-equipped devices also allow for remote disabling by "cutting off the oil or electric supply," effectively shutting down the engine and keeping it from being restarted. Yikes.

Beijing police tow the general "it's for the driver's safety" line:

Whether these microphones are used to spy on riders is unclear. Asked if police could listen in on conversations in taxis, a Beijing police official declined to comment, saying that such matters were "confidential" and that they were "not supposed to release such details to the public."

As the State Department has warned, you can expect to be monitored in just about every other place, public or private. It's doubtful that every cab is being recorded at all times, but the tech is there if necessary. Comforting.

Several Beijing taxi companies declined to comment on the security aspect but said that the GPS helps track taxis and that the microphones will be used for translating services. About a dozen taxi drivers said the microphones were installed about three years ago, when newer cabs were built without protective metal cages around the drivers. Cabbies can turn on the system and alert their dispatch centers by touching a discreet button near the steering wheel.

Activists say they are concerned about the ability to listen to conversations with the devices, which appear unique to China. "This seems to suggest an effort by the police or other security forces to eavesdrop on conversations of passengers, rather than for the immediate safety and security of the taxi driver," said Phelim Kine of Human Rights Watch.

Read more pan-Gawker coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games.

[WSJ]

[DelFly via IEEE Spectrum Blog] Thanks, Erico!

The algorithms the team develops will allow hovering 'bots like STARMAC to navigate, deal with collisions or avoidance and even to work as a team, sharing info on their environment and navigating around each other.

That has all sorts of cool implications for things like future automated search and rescue drones, able to search large areas efficiently and quickly. But it also means spy 'bots. And when you've watched the video, you'll have to agree that the way the things move reminds you of the flying cameras in (insert name of sci-fi movie of your choice). [Danger Room]

The Pennycam is powered by a 12V adapter and is fairly inexpensive at only $199. [StealthVue via Gizmag via SlipperyBrick]

3VR is tweaking their software to automatically blur the faces of individuals that do not pique the cameras' interest, thereby protecting the privacy of innocent individuals. The footage could still be unencrypted by authorized parties, but any changes would be trackable, so there would be a record to follow in the event that that the footage is misused. So, in effect, the software watches the people watching you. [Danger Room]

I guess this means no more security guards numbing their arses as they sit, bored, behind banks of monitors. [Lextech via Nowhere Else 2.0]

The camera is called the T5000, and it sees objects based on the Terahertz, or T-rays, that they emit. The camera works because all people and objects emit low-level electromagnetic radiation. Every material emits a different signature of Terahertz wave, which lies between infrared and microwaves on the electromagnetic spectrum. That means it can tell the difference between cocaine and flour but won't show the distinct outline of your danglers.

It's all well and good, but with the camera working from over 80 feet away you've got to wonder how long it'll be before a city starts installing these cameras on the street and arresting anybody walking around with drugs in their pockets. Where is the privacy line drawn? Will that make people safer or just make it feel like we're living in a totalitarian police state? It's tricky. Boy, I can't wait. The future is now, and it's unsettling! [Reuters]

As with most lofty goals, there are major obstacles to contend with. First and foremost, the designers are going to have to figure out how to power such an aircraft over the course of these long missions. Oh, and it will have to do it while carrying a 1000 pound payload in the fearsome winds at a 60,000—90,000 feet. No problem right? As for the design, the Vulture will most likely draw on NASA designs like the one pictured above, but there is no definitive time table on when we might actually see a working craft. [Flight Global via CNET via DVICE]

You can either go through these steps to have yourself this cut-rate spy device, or you could just use a stethoscope to listen through walls directly. Or how about this: You could just stop being such a nosy muthafucka and mind your own beeswax. [Instructables]

Following a couple of years of research, the ELASTIC program (Expendable Local Area Sensors in a Tactically Interconnected Cluster) is now showing off its designs. "One thing we briefly looked at was delivering an image sensor by bullet," said said Bob Cormack, principal investigator on the ELASTIC work performed by CDM Optics. "The bullet would be designed to decelerate the sensor on impact [by crushing], and leave the camera stuck to a wall, say, by a spike. It's kind of mind-boggling to imagine setting up a sensor net by machine gun."

All this, however, will be old news to the Israeli military, which has already experimented with launching grenade-sized cameras from weapons. [Wired]

With a beam of just over four feet, the Sentry stands three feet above the waterline, and its remote control uses a PC-based console. On board is a camera for day or night use, microwave data-link communications gear, and a lighting rig that meets international maritime standards, according to Qinetiq.

Suggested missions include harbor patrol, battlefield reconnaissance and damage assessment. Not a swimming pool toy, then. [Crave]

Perhaps a hearing aid might do the same thing...? Maybe so, but it won't cost any $79.95 like this does. Anyway, both the earpiece and base unit are rechargeable, able to give you hours of snooping hijinks. Just don't be disappointed when you discover those people across the room aren't talking about you. – Charlie White

Rechargeable M-7 Secret Agent Spy Ear [Gadget Universe]

The second use is to connect a compatible camera to the device, which will then stream home security video to you over the IP network. It's similar to how the TV channels get streamed, but instead of watching Oprah, you're watching an old, overweight babysitter you hired because your wife made you get rid of Sarah, the previous college-aged one. So, pretty much the same thing really, except less new car winning and more spanking. – Jason Chen

Product Site [Honestech via CNET]

But wait, it gets better. The company has also implemented facial recognition software into the system, so it can not only keep track of where people are, but who they are, too. The surveillance system hasn't been implemented anywhere yet, but if this is actually practical and not just some pipe dream, let's just hope it's used for good rather than ill. – Charlie White

Product Page [Panoptic Systems, via Sci Fi Tech]

Pinhole Camera [Darkcreek]

Some cameras won't work below certain temperatures, and any camera lens that's iced over is not going to be much good, either. This one solves those problems with an on-board heater, allowing it to bring you crispy-clean pictures at temperatures down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The 768x494 camera is NTSC and PAL compatible, and has a 1/3" Sony CCD picking up all the action (or lack thereof) through a 3.5mm - 8mm zoom lens. With its removable sunshade to protect against the hot weather, the 520TVL has all the bases covered for $400. – Charlie White

Product Page [Smarthome, via CrunchGear]

The company previously introduced a camera like this for surveillance purposes, but this one has a puny 0.35-megapixel sensor, making us think that its video would be hardly usable for anything beyond webcam applications. But imagine the interesting possibilities if this thing had a high-definition sensor inside instead. No pricing or availability was announced. – Charlie White

SOIOS 360, the 360 degrees WebCam [Akihabara News]

Still, no thanks. Sure, Levi's says it has no plans to use RFID in any of its stores, and these tags can only be read from 1 to 3 feet away, but this idea creates a slippery slope that would be all too easy for our ever-more-intrusive government to slide down, keeping tabs on our every move.

Levi's New Style: RFID [eweek, via MobileMagazine]

We once knew this girl whose boyfriend was such a controlling creep that he insisted on reading through her email and checking her cellphone call and sms logs to see if she'd been in contact with anyone he didn't approve of. Instead of dumping him like any sensible person would, she decided to create a super sekrit email account and to delete calls and sms he wouldn't like from her phone as soon as they were done. Had it existed at the time, we're sure the creep would've just loved the Deleted Text Message Reader. £149 and all he would've had to do to read her last 20 sms was insert her phone's SIM card into the device, plug it into a Windows 2K or XP machine and run the included software. Dear readers: don't be a creep.

Deleted Text Message Reader [via The Red Ferret]

If some IT guy comes around telling you he's going to give you a brand new mouse just because he likes you, well, you've been warned. But then, on the product's site, it tells you "exterior look may change without warning." Great, so now any mouse is suspect. Big Brother is listening.

Product page

Sony Intelligent IP-Based Surveillance Camera [BIOS]

The camera network - using software from 3VR Security Inc., a San Francisco company that makes surveillance technology - already knew what the houseman looked like; facial recognition algorithms had built a profile of him over time. With a couple of mouse clicks, managers combed through hours of videotape taken that night by the hotel's 16 cameras, and found every place he had been - including the back entrance he slipped out of, three hours into his shift. He became 1 of 10 employees dismissed from the hotel since 3VR's surveillance package was installed last June.

These Cameras Don't Forget a Face [DefenseTech]

Counter-Surveillance Headdress [we make money not art]

Airport security keeps eye on left luggage [We Make Money]

Iran's Arsenal For Sale [Defense Tech]

Axis Communications 207 Network Camera [Trusted Reviews]