Thanks for the virus Fisher-Price

Steven Hodson — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:25:00 +0000

According to a report surfacing on CBS news station WBZ children’s toy maker Fisher-Price decided to send along some extra goodies with one of their cameras for children. The FP Kid-Tough digital camera is infecting the computers that connect to it via the USB cable supplied with the toy.

Anna Tapper couldn’t wait to tear open and try out her favorite present.

"I take pictures of lots of things," Anna said.

Her father, Jeff Tapper, said she had a big smile on her face the minute she knew what it was.
"She was glad to have her own camera and she didn’t have to ask mom and dad for theirs and she could take as many pictures as she wanted," Tapper said.

When Tapper went to download her work, he found her camera had two viruses. Luckily, his anti-virus software spotted them before he downloaded them onto his computer. Without an up-to-date virus-fighter, his laptop could’ve been infected.

"Especially since it’s a kid’s digital camera it’s the last thing you’d expect to have a virus on it," Tapper said.

Source: WBZTV

Google is already showing a number of hits on the Fisher-Price camera virus

[hat tip to the Consumerist]

[graphic courtesy of CBS]

The economy makes a joke of the ‘most watched country’

Steven Hodson — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 04:00:39 +0000

England has for the longest time been held up as the beacon of police action through CCTV even though more than one study has proven the benefits to be doubtful. In a move to make England the most watched over society they have spent over £500 million in the last decade but that may all be for naught since they can’t find the money to man the watch stations.

Worcester City is one of the one’s that it can no longer afford the £140,000 a year that is need to pay people to watch for crimes to happen. As a result entire networks of cameras are being put on auto-pilot with the police examining the video after the crime has occurred on the off chance something useful might turn up.

Simon Geraghty, leader of Worcester City Council, said: ‘There has been an agreement between the city council and West Mercia Police that we fund the operatives and we have to give them at least 12 months notice.

‘They (West Mercia Police) have said they do not want to fund this but it is a burden we can no longer support.’

But the move has angered police who say that it will be more difficult to detect and convict criminals without the support of the CCTV operators.

Chief Supt Reynolds, south Worcestershire’s head of policing, said: ‘It’s like having an automatic car without a driver.

- source: Daily Mail

Not to mention the police would actually have to do proper police work. Except the problem there is that because of the investment in Big Bother the police don’t have the same manpower.

The Inquisitr » cameras

Thanks for the virus Fisher-Price

The economy makes a joke of the ‘most watched country’