Free DME & DFIR Resources

Today I’d like to say Happy Anniversary to the 1,700+ verified members who continue to participate in our growing professional community. In honor of Veterans Day, I’d also like to share with you one of my favorite speeches regarding service to our country.

LEVA is conducting a one week hands-on forensic video analysis program in Cheshire, England, June 15 – 19, 2009. The event is hosted by Key Forensic Services, a leading provider of forensic solutions in the United Kingdom.

Digital Video Evidence: The Quest for Accuracy and Reliability is developed for the beginner to advanced level analyst. This unique program is designed to share scientific techniques and methodologies employed to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of video evidence and to maintain its credibility in the courtroom.  For complete details click here.

Believing there is a future for optical discs, Sony and Panasonic have said they will jointly develop a new next-generation standard capable of storing a minimum of 300GB on a single piece of media.

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Our all-new downloads area is LIVE and accepting uploads!  Registered members can upload files up to 100MB in size, and the new upload form will list all files the member has uploaded.  The files from our previous download library are still accessible via our Wiki and site search, but we've created all new sections and categories to make it easier to browse the new download library and did not import the old files into those listings.  When members log-in they'll also now find the 10 newest uploads listed on the community home page.

Speaking of the community home page, we've also added comments and "likes" to our community and user activity streams!  Now, similar to other social networking sites, you can comment on member wall posts, easily share URLs, and let members know you "like" their status or wall post.  Log in today to check out these and other new features.  -LC

I just returned from another great week of DME training at our office out on the east coast last week. One of the themes I've come to recognize through my travels teaching the fundamentals of DME Processing, is that even some of the most seasoned technicians and analysts don’t really understand the significance of hardware to accurate and proper processing of DME. It’s completely understandable why, given the marketing messages of some DME vendors, the fact that we're all constantly asked to do more with less, and the rate of related technological advancements.

It's been three years since we first heard about DARPA's ARGUS-IS, but thanks to a PBS Nova special entitled "Rise of the Drones," we finally have more information about the 1.8-gigapixel camera that is supposedly the highest-resolution surveillance system in the world.

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I posted a new page last week under our Professional Community menu called Free DME & FVA Tools. Hope you find it helpful.

Late nights, early mornings, and a couple of days with no sleep at all over the last few weeks makes Larry want to buy stock in Starbucks. The new site is progressing well, but I just can't let go of the IE6 issues as easily as I thought I could. They're really no big deal, just some minor cosmetic issues, but when you put all this effort into a project you want visitors to at least see it the way it was designed...even those who choose not to update their FREE browsers.

If you've been here recently, you'll notice I've already changed the new site's layout. The concept is to provide a clean, user-friendly interface; not a fancy, schmancy look. I think this new layout accomplishes that, so I'm sticking with it. Of course, I've had to re-do much of the layout work I'd done on the previous design, but I think it's worth it. Now I just need a MAC user willing to be a "guinea pig".

Ocean Systems will be providing a free 3-hour seminar entitled "From Acquisition to Prosecution: Understanding the Value & Challenges of Digital Video Evidence" on December 8th in Miami, FL. This free seminar provides helpful information for all of those involved in the digital video evidence chain, too include prosecutors, law enforcement command staff, first responders, support staff, as well as technicians and analysts.

I've been doing geeky stuff for some time, you see.  Mostly in rooms with no windows, very few other people and that sweet hum of high-performance workstations.  I digress.  Your business = Your Website.  It should be a logical, intuitive user experience that is Secure, Responsive (Good performance & adapts to all screen sizes, etc.), and of course Cross-Platform. 

I may be able to help with that. 

I'm considering taking on one or two more non-profit/not-for-profit web development projects.  In other words, I only have so much time, and I prefer helping non-profits.  I can't do it for free, but pricing is reasonable and I can provide reputable references.  If interested, let's chat. 😎

Progressive Web Applications (PWA)

There's a lot to like about PWAs.  Some of my favorite things are performance, security, caching, integration with host OS, and of course a standardized user experience across Win10, macOS, Android, and iOS.  Oh, there's also no need to compile apps for multiple platforms, nor rely on Apple or Googles app stores for distribution (or anything else).  Yeah, I like that too.

In any case, I may be able to help you with that too, of course.  We'll see.  Thanks for your time & consideration.  Have an awesome day, my friends!

LEVA recently announced that the New York State Police will be hosting their Photographic/Video Comparison course in Albany, NY April 4th through the 8th.

Photographic/Video Comparisons focuses on the science of comparing known objects, vehicles, clothing and humans with CCTV images of questioned objects, vehicles, clothing and humans. The process of cataloguing class characteristics and unique characteristics found in questioned evidence is examined in detail. Using Adobe Photoshop and other generally accepted scientific tools for imaging comparison work,analysts/examiners develop a scientific workflow involving the hands-on analysis of video evidence, criminal-case report writing and courtroom presentation.

Complete details and application forms are available via the LEVA website.

The combination of Ubuntu Linux's growing popularity with all the big changes coming up in the next version mean that Natty Narwhal, or Ubuntu 11.04, might just be the most widely and anxiously anticipated release of the open source operating system ever.

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The new Media-Geek site layout is more intuitive (I hope) and accessible, and it should also load faster in your browser.  Sure there are a few little scripting bugs to hunt down and squash, but for the most part the site seems to be functioning in all modern browsers.  I hope you find the new layout an improvement.

Did you know you can make your profile public? By default profiles are private and only accessible to members who are logged in to the site, but if you want you can make yours available to the general public.  Check out your profile privacy settings more (Click on Community to go to the Community main page, then select "Privacy" from the Profile menu option.