Geekery

Real-life crime-solving technology that would make James Bond proud

Posted on 26. Oct, 2009 by Jake.

Based on the Majesty Geekiest Service post, I figured there’s a future for crime solving in SA. (no, duh!) Forget CSI. Truth is occasionally stranger than fiction, The Blotter, a criminal justice blog, mentions the following new criminal justice inventions that would make Q from the James Bond flicks very proud:

Sperm-free DNA Testing
Wow, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as sperm free semen. Apparently there is. Sometimes attempts to identify DNA in sexual assault cases are hampered by the lack of sperm in the semen samples – the rapists just ain’t virile enough. A new procedure overcomes that hurdle by gathering DNA from other types of cells in sperm-free semen, like skin or immune cells.

Fingerprinting Bullets
Apparently, these little babies, developed in England (the land of Bond, of course), apply an electrical charge to bullet casings to detect areas on which sweat from fingers has corroded the metal. Fingerprints can be found from a bullet in this way years after the bullet was fired, even if it’s been wiped off. Impressive.

Brain Fingerprinting
Ve have vays of making you talk. A new test, similar to a lie detector, makes hiding information on a crime a lot more difficult. This test works out whether a person has knowledge of a crime by recording the brain’s response to various words and/or pictures that flash on a computer screen in front of the subject. The test does not prove a person’s innocence or guilt, but only whether the person has information about the crime. Unlike lie detection, brain fingerprinting is admissible in court.

Touch DNA
Touch DNA hit the spotlight in America in 2008, when it was used to clear members of the Ramsey family in the 1996 murder of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey. The process collects DNA from skin cells deposited on an object coming in contact with human skin. So anything you touch, ever, could be used against you in a court of law. Remember that, criminals!

You have to love the United States of America. While down on the southernmost tip of Africa we are forced to spend our money on frivolities like poverty alleviation and employment creation, the yanks have a little extra money to burn. Well, actually, they are in massive amounts of debt (which doesn’t really phase them since they are used to bail-outs), and this article may help to explain why – developing the devices listed above must be costly.

All I know is that we could sure use some of these devices in crime-ridden Johannesburg!

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For your iPod only

Posted on 29. Apr, 2009 by Jake.

There are many keys to James Bond’s success as a defender of liberty and an international man of mystery. The freshly pressed tuxedoes, shaken martinis and villainous females with model looks all help, but it’s the gadgets that matter most. From an Aston with changeable number plates and grenade launchers to exploding watches, Bond is the gadget man’s gadget man.

Admit it, your space pen is cool, but don’t you wish you were actually using it from space, signing for a bottle of Bollinger (your credit’s always good at the intergalactic Norman Goodfellows) to share with Holly Goodhead shortly after defeating the dastardly Hugo Drax?

But Bond – from Connery and his humble Walther PPK to Craig and his computerised defibrillator – would scarcely last five minutes in the field without Secret Service gadget guru Q.

And to be realistic, while not too many of us have the moves for a career in global espionage, I have no doubt that plenty of you would be perfect to pick out the perfect kit for an elegant counter-terror mission abroad.

It just so happens that Britain’s MI5 spy agency is looking for a real life Q. So stop tinkering with your old mp3 player, and use those skills for fun, profit and world domination.

On the other hand, the UK job market is in a bit of a squeeze right now, so you might want to check out the South African Secret Service.

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