A controversial new web site, ratemycop.com, gives American citizens the opportunity to speak out and rate their experiences with law enforcement officers.

Ratemycop, a Los Angeles-based website that launched last Wednesday, March 5th, “allows registered users to leave written feedback about their interactions with police officers, and rank the officer’s service based on three criteria: Professionalism, Fairness and Satisfaction.  All feedback is anonymous” as claimed on the website.

In order to rate a cop, you must register as a user. Registered users are provided with the full names of 120,000 police officers from over 40 states obtained by request from departments around the country. Serial and badge numbers are included when available.

According to their website, the mission is to “compile information on cops’ performance and to provide a forum where users can freely share individual accounts. Good, bad or indifferent.”

Mike Tellef with the Peoria Police welcomes the feedback to better police service.

"We’d be crazy if we didn’t take advantage of this," explains Tellef. "We have an obligation to ensure that the services that we’re providing to the public are the utmost and the best that we can give them for their taxpayer dollar."

However, officer Hector Basurto, the Vice President of the Latino Police Officers Association, would like to see it gone.

"Having a website like this out there puts a lot of law enforcement in danger," asserts  Basurto. "It exposes us out there."

Kevin Martin, the Vice President of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, agrees. "Will they be able to access our home addresses, home phone numbers, marital status, whether or not we have children? That’s always a big concern for us," he said.

Ratemycop, however, insists no photos, addresses, or telephone numbers about the officers are shared with the public.

Vice President and Co-Founder, Rebecca Costell reveals that the site has already received about 100,000 page views, including about 20,000 unique visitors.

She describes ratemycop as an "online feedback forum," and not "anti-cop."

"We’re neutral," she said. "We’re not after anybody."

“The site is meant for both positive and negative feedback and has measures in place to prevent abuse, such as limiting the amount of posts a user can make each week,” Costell said.

Although the site was accessible earlier today, as we write this article interested users cannot register because the site is currently down for unknown reasons.

Kathleen Clark and Mathieu Ramage
L’Atelier

US Airlines are on the verge of enhancing your in-flight experience by offering access to the Internet, e-mail, and instant messenger.

 

Wi-Fi, which is deemed as safe in-flight technology, is now becoming an option for US carriers. Seen as another way for airlines to generate more revenue, it will also give airlines a competitive edge against each other and over trains, buses and automobiles. 

 

Back in 2005, German airline Lufthansa first offered in-flight Internet access through Boeing’s Connexion Internet service. Passengers paid $10 per hour or $27 for the duration of the flight to access the service, also known as FlyNet. Passengers enjoyed the service but not the fees forcing Boeing to cancel Connexion and ending Wi-Fi on Lufthansa flights at the close of 2006. 

 

In January Southwest Airlines announced it will be the first US carrier to test satellite-delivered broadband Internet access on multiple aircrafts by partnering with Row 44, “a fast, global, fleet-wide solution for in-flight broadband services — high-speed Internet, video entertainment, cell phone support, and airline operational services” according to the airline’s press release.

 

The same month, American Airlines, the nation’s largest carrier, began installing equipment for high-speed Internet service on jetliners used for cross-country trips. Aircell LLC is providing the equipment for both American and Virgin America carriers.

 

Last December, JetBlue Airways began testing Yahoo and Blackberry e-mail and instant messaging services on one flight and received mixed reviews - the biggest criticism being the lack of power outlets on the plane.

 

Though most US airlines at this point are still in the early stages of planning, in-flight Wi-Fi, like Internet access in most places, is inevitable.

 

Kathleen Clark

L’Atelier

 

China’s web portals are a major part of the country’s quickly expanding Internet.  Sites thrive on scandals and controversy in order to drive traffic to their sites.

 

Sites like Sohu.com, Netease.com, Sina Corp., and Tencent Holdings Ltd.  perpetuate such controversies as doctored photos, sometimes organizing debates with academic experts and government officials.

 

The most recent example, dubbed “Tigergate,” involved a farmer’s photograph of a South China tiger, a critically endangered subspecies believed to be extinct in the Shaanxi Province where the photo was allegedly taken. After exciting an Internet craze, the photo drove Netease.com to conduct a debate with the China Photographer Association, the Huxia Evidence Identification Centre, professors from Zhongshan University, the Forensic Science Association of China, a zoologist, and a detective.

 

Unlike American web portals like Yahoo.com and Google.com which rely on advertising revenue, China’s portals rely on an array of revenue, from messaging systems to online games. The lack of a defined revenue flow pushes these portals to jump on internet crazes and drive much needed traffic to their site. In contrast, Yahoo and Google are economically driven by advertising, freeing them to deliver more credible news and content.

 

Though currently small, business for China’s portals is growing quickly. According to the Data Centre of the China Internet, the portals’ total 2007 revenue reached 12.35 billion Yuan ($1.73 billion), up from 10 billion Yuan in 2006. The top four web portals accounted for a little over three-quarters of the 2007 revenue, a sum expected to reach over 16 billion Yuan this year and 21.33 billion Yuan next year.

 

Instead of taking a passive approach to internet scandals, China’s web portals fan the flames of controversy, pulling in traffic until the fire burns out.

 

By Danny Scuderi

L’Atelier

For those of you who don’t have a Facebook account, Craigslist.org offers an alternative for killing time on the Internet.

 

Every day, people in 450 cities worldwide check classified ads and interact on forums on the website, Craigslist.org – a community moderated website that started as a San Francisco e-mail list and hobby by Craig Newmark in early 1995.

 

Not only can you look for an apartment, a job, or concert tickets, but you can post and read rants and raves within the Personals section. These are posted anonymously; the content is raw and honest, sometimes offensive and often times funny. It’s a novel way for anyone to anonymously say what they’re really feeling about something or someone on the World Wide Web. Due to the popularity of rants and raves, Craigslist developed a way for readers to nominate their favorites and housed them under one name: best-of-craigslist. 

 

Entertaining posts include a love note from a man in Denver hit by a female driver who was too busy talking on her cell phone to notice “the unconscious speed bump that loves you.” One poster raves about a mother’s unconditional love at a busy Costco in Vancouver over Christmas time.  While another post is a sarcastic thank you letter to a “hipster record store clerk” who criticized the author’s music purchase.

 

Craigslist receives over 9 billion page views per month, ranking among the top 10 web sites who receive the highest English-language page views, according to Yahoo! Finance. The company currently has 25 employees in San Francisco and according to their website “supports operations by charging below-market fees for job ads in 10 cities, and for brokered apartment listings in NYC.”

 

By Kathleen Clark,
L’Atelier

Each week, Atelier reviews what is trendy on the web magazine of our great expert contributor. Ubergizmo.com is dedicated to consumer electronics news and reviews.

LTK-2000 Therapy Station

The LTK-2000 Therapy Station is one device where pressured executives would welcome, be it at home or at the office. This Korean gadget not only features 24 relaxing sounds for different categories (concentration, therapy for depression, etc), it also comes with a ring of bright blue LEDs that claim to provide your tired eyes with 5,000 lux of light therapy. Just in case the audio and visual combination aren’t effective enough, there is always the option to include a herbal aroma cartridge onto the top of the unit, letting your nose breathe in a soothing scent to relax those jangled nerves. An integrated anion generator rounds off the list of features. I don’t think the price tag is very relaxing though, as it retails for $395 each.

Biometric Vault Security Safe

Keeping your treasured possessions safe can be quite a challenge these days, but thankfully skillful thieves aren’t exactly that common. The Biometric Vault Security Safe helps keep your belongings secure by using fingerprints as the method of authentication. It can store up to 50 fingerprints in its integrated flash memory, and has the backup of internal batteries just in case the A/C power goes off. Other features include a soft spring-loaded door mechanism and LCD screen as well, retailing for $499 a pop. It takes less than a second to verify your identification, although I would have liked to see one that works in tandem with an iris scan.

Talking Caller ID Announce Station

The Talking Caller ID Announce Station is one interesting device that ensures you don’t have to rush over to your house phone from the kitchen each time it rings. After all, it actually reads out the actual name of the caller, making it the perfect device for the vision impaired. Powered by a trio of AA batteries, the Talking Caller ID Announce Station comes with volume control and a mute button, meeting both FCC and ETL requirements. It functions with both corded or cordless telephones, although you will need to ensure that subscription to name-and-number Caller ID services are offered by your local telephone company. That’s an additional fee, of course, but the Talking Caller ID Announce Station retails for $39.99 each.

Solar-powered Lawnmower

I guess it makes perfect sense that nobody would want to mow the lawn when it is raining, so the premise for a solar-powered lawnmower is a no-brainer. Husqvarna has rolled out its automatic electric solar-powered hybrid robotic lawn mower that claims to be the first of its kind in the world, offering a professionally cut lawn every time at a steep price - £2,000, to be exact. Well, I guess as long as the sun shines this piece of machinery will keep on going, but just how robust and tough are the insides? This lawnmower can clear 2,300 square meters of grass and is programmable to work only at certain times or days of the week. It has a battery life of approximately 40 minutes before a 40 minute charging time juices it up, but on a sunny day, its cutting time can be extended by another 50%.

Pleo Gets Update

The Pleo did not really take off as intended during the holiday season last year, but if you’re one of the few who picked it up, here’s some news for you. Its Life OS has just gotten an update, bringing the version number up to 1.0.2 that enables your robotic dinosaur to explore its surroundings even more, being more alert of its surroundings, and singing whenever it is in a presence of a group of people. You can download the Pleo 1.0.2 Life OS update here.

Coolgorilla London Travel Guide

For folks who are heading towards London for a holiday soon, Coolgorilla has a solution for tourists - the London Travel Guide that was specially designed to be used in iPods, iPhones and other cell phones. It is available as a free download and comes packed with information on London like stunning video footage, roving maps and colorful facts about each tourist attraction. Just make sure that you don’t forget to pack a universal adapter just in case your iPod runs out of juice, lest you need to disturb one of the Bobbies there in order to find your way around. Coolgorilla is currently working on similar travel guides in other cities like Paris, Barcelona, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, targeting a release date of sometime later this year.

USB Exercise Dog

Everyone remembers the USB Humping Dog that caused quite a fair bit of guffaws when it was released - we have something less obscene now in the form of the USB Exercise Dog. While it doesn’t do much just like its predecessor, at least this time our plastic pooch’s abs are getting some love. I can bet my bottom dollar that sooner or later, somebody with a fair bit of DIY skills will come up with a version that carries some sort of flash memory just like how the USB Humping Dog was modified before.

 

ShotSpotter Inc., a Mountain View based company established 10 years ago, developed technology that accurately locates gunfire through wired or wireless sensors (microphones) deployed throughout a city by geographically triangulating the sound.

Police are given real-time information about the number of shots fired, the number of shooters, the direction of travel in moving gun battles, and a reliable location to respond. A police dispatcher receives an audible alert within 10-15 seconds of the gunshot and can send officers to respond. It’s faster than waiting for 911 calls that usually come in 2-3 minutes after a gun shot is fired. 

Besides separating real from false alarms, the system also makes up for unreported gunfire. For example, 15 percent of gunshots go unreported in New Haven, Connecticut, meaning 85 percent of the time no one is reporting gunfire either out of fear or indifference. Since Boston installed ShotSpotter in 2007, police are now alerted to gunfire 80 percent of the time.

 

Still, police rely on 911 calls and ShotSpotter enhances their response to gunfire and verifies eyewitness accounts. Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan, for instance, credits ShotSpotter with disproving an alibi of a suspect involved in gang-related gunfire.

 

Police respond faster, make more arrests, and discover more evidence to prosecute suspects. In turn, the rate of gunfire decreases. Shotspotter confirms they have reduced gunfire “by up to 75 percent in cities in which it has been deployed for the past decade”.

Oakland, Calif. reported a nearly 50 percent drop in gunfire in the year after ShotSpotter was installed. 

 

ShotSpotter technology has also provided reliable information to authorities in some high-profile cases. 

In January 2008, the FBI revealed that ShotSpotter technology aided in the recovery of shell casings in the 2003 shootings near I-270 in Columbus, Ohio. Unable to find the location for the shooter, 90 miles of the Interstate were covered with sensors. Recovery of the shell casings tied several shootings to the rifle of the suspect.

 

According to their web site, “ShotSpotter has deployed more gunshot location systems, detected more gunfire, and saved more lives than products from any other company. Our systems are deployed in more than a dozen cities in the US, in addition to contracts with the US Army, the US Air Force and the US Joint Forces Command. With nearly a decade of experience deploying urban gunshot location systems, we have the experience with allows us to deliver consistently good results, excellent system uptime and unparalleled forensic assistance both to investigators and prosecutors.” 

 

ShotSpotter is a recognized leader in its industry. Their partners include Bishop Rock Software, ThinkGeo, Digital Surveillance Solutions, and Enforsys, among others.

 

Find out more information about ShotSpotter technology on their website.

 

Kathleen Clark

L’Atelier

From catching comets to catching pollution, aerogel is, well, catching the attention of environmentalists and businesses alike. The lightest solid known to man was invented in 1931, but its extremely high manufacturing costs has limited its use. Now, Malaysian scientist Halimaton Hamdan says she has found the economic cure for aerogel’s manufacturing sickness—corn husks.

 

The space-age solid was used by NASA to collect dust from a comet in 2006, but its commercial appeal lies in extraordinary insulating capabilities, pollution control, bomb-proofing abilities, and even making tennis rackets lighter. At 99.8% air, aerogel can barely be called a solid; nonetheless, it is able to withstand pressure 2,000 times its own weight. The secret ingredient is silica, the basic ingredient in sand, and Halimaton has discovered a revolutionary way to convert corn husks—which are 20% silica—into the strong, porous material.

 

Though years away from commercial use, Halimaton says she has cut the cost of producing aerogel by 80%, from $300 per 3.5 ounces to only $60. As an insulator, aerogel is 39 times more effective than fiberglass according to NASA, lessening the need for heating and air conditioning, and consequently reducing energy bills and pollution. Its light weight and incredible strength also make it suitable for bomb-proofing buildings, absorbing oil spills and air pollutants, and making lighter airplanes and athletic equipment.

 

Though mostly (and I mean mostly) air, it can support up to 4,000 times its own weight and is 1,000 times less dense than glass, which is also silica-based. This porous nature creates a cloudy appearance, like a hologram, giving aerogel its nickname—frozen smoke. Although its appearance is so, aerogel has a future anything but cloudy and may soon reduce the green in our energy bills and put it back into the planet.

 

By Danny Scuderi

L’Atelier

A recent online study on the US Online Population finds that there is no longer a surge in online population growth. In fact, a mere 3.1 percent increase in growth for this year is forecasted by eMarketer.com. The number of US Internet users in 2008 is projected to reach nearly 200 million, or about two-thirds of the total population. By 2012, 217 million Americans will be online.

 

Compared to the rest of the world, the US accounts for 71 percent of Internet penetration in North America and roughly 19 percent of the world’s average Internet usage, according to Miniwatts Marketing Group and listed on Internetworldstats.com. Not bad considering the world average for Internet penetration is 20 percent.

Though the online population may be slowing, Americans are noticeably spending more time on the Internet, according to the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future. US Internet users spent an average of 15.3 hours a week online in 2007, up from 8.9 hours in 2006. 

So, who’s spending all this time on the Internet?

 

Slightly more women than men are using the internet, a measurement that eMarketer asserts closely matches the general population.

 

“On the Internet, females consistently make up almost 52% of the population versus 48% males,” says Lisa Phillips, Senior Analyst at eMarketer. “And we foresee that ratio remaining constant at least through 2011.”

”On the other hand, the racial make-up of the US Internet population does differ slightly from the general population,” says Ms. Phillips.

While 72.4 percent of non-Hispanic whites account for the population of Internet users, they represent only 66 percent of the US population in 2008. Similarly, Asian Americans make up 4.5 percent of the US general population, but are 6 percent of all Internet users.  African Americans, on the other hand, account for 13 percent of the general population and only 11.2 percent of Internet users. 

Kathleen Clark

L’Atelier

The technological rivalry between Microsoft and Google Inc has entered a new forum—website publishing. While Microsoft has SharePoint, a hardware and software program businesses buy and maintain, Google is launching Google Sites as its free, user-friendly competitor. Companies and schools will be able to easily create, edit, and maintain personalized websites wherever there is an internet connection, an important feature SharePoint lacks, but the service is not as comprehensive as that of Microsoft.

 

Targeted at the business and educational market, Google Sites is a simplified version of SharePoint, scaled down in size and cost. It is designed for people in the same company or classroom to easily share digital information without the need for tech-savvy geniuses. Users are able to search and edit information on the website by invitation only, and the service is free or carries a small per-user fee depending on whether the organization has purchased a fuller version of Google Apps. It means that “IT (Information Technology) departments don’t have to do anything except enable users to serve themselves,” says Dave Girouard, general manager of Google’s Enterprise unit.

 

Google Sites is the newest product the company has employed to challenge Microsoft’s dominance in software sales. Over the last two years, Google Inc. has introduced free word processing, spreadsheet, and calendaring programs to rival those of Microsoft. Such programs have compelled Microsoft to bid on Yahoo Inc., Google’s biggest online search and advertising rival.

 

Though easy to use, Google Sites still lacks management features to control poorly maintained or out-of-date websites. Nonetheless, it is attractive to the average consumer or business looking to share information, pictures, or video within a closed network…and free is always a good thing.

 

Danny Scuderi

L’Atelier

IBM’s new expensive mainframe computer improves data-center energy costs and security protection, but it is debatable whether it is cost-effective. The $1 million System z10 has an all-in-one computing framework able to process large volumes of data for customers such as banks, insurers and retailers, making them 50% faster and improving computing capacity by 70%. IBM says they are also more energy efficient than a network of smaller computers and have improved security. Though they are large (refrigerator-sized), they have the computing power of 1,500 standard mainframe computers, making them 85% more energy efficient than such a computer cluster. Those seem like great numbers, but do they outweigh the $1 million price tag?

Its biggest competitors, HP, Dell, and Sun Micro offer smaller mainframe computers at a quarter of the price and perform many of the same functions as the cumbersome z10. It is no wonder, then, that IBM has shifted from their once-reliable source of revenue in mainframe computers to higher-profit technologies and software—I guess size does matter. If the size doesn’t intimidate companies out of buying it, the heavy price tag just might. With competitors’ prices at around $250,000,  IBM is relying on computing efficiency reducing the cost to companies over time to sell the metal beasts. With such a timetable and expected slow sales until the second quarter, it will be a while before we know whether the computers are worth it.

 

Detailed information on System z benefits and available resources on: http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/z/

 

By Danny Scuderi

L’Atelier North America