"City signs have a unique way of greeting people. In Issaquah, for instance, motorists are told they're entering 'a special place where people care.' For years, Bothell invited people to stay 'for a day or a lifetime.'
In Medina, a new sign bears this warning: 'You Are Entering a 24 Hour Video Surveillance Area.'
Cameras have recently been installed at intersections to monitor every vehicle coming into the city.
Under the 'automatic license plate recognition' project, once a car enters Medina, a camera captures its license-plate number. Within seconds, the number is run through a database.
If a hit comes up for a felony — say, the vehicle was reported stolen or is being driven by a homicide suspect — the information is transmitted instantaneously to police, who can 'leap into action,' said Police Chief Jeffrey Chen.
"The technology alerts unskilled workers when routine tasks need to be performed, and also enables managers to confirm they've been completed properly."
By Mark Roberti
Sept. 7, 2009—Anyone who has run a retail store, factory or warehouse knows that it's often very difficult to get workers to do exactly what they're supposed to do—and it's even harder to confirm that they've done it. Managers can train low-wage employees who often work part time all they want, but with no way to monitor them, it's difficult to get them to comply. Radio frequency identification has the potential to change that in a powerful way.
Right now, most companies aren't thinking about using RFID in this way. They are stuck on the idea that it's simply a tool to track goods and assets. One firm that has deployed RFID to improve workers' productivity is the Australian tomato grower, d'Vineripe. The company is employing RFID technology to ensure workers perform a variety of tasks each day, including pruning, pollinating, de-leafing, pest and disease control, and picking (see RFID Helps Improve Agricultural Worker Productivity).
As each worker is given his or her daily assignment, the greenhouse's station manager reads an RFID tag specifically identified for the task using a handheld interrogator. The manager then reads another tag designated for the row or rows in which the laborer will work, linking that individual to that task and row. At the conclusion of the employee's task or shift, his or her tag is scanned to indicate that individual is finished working. The data is downloaded into the company's back-end system, where it can be compared against best practices for each task. This enables the managers to address particular problems, such as training or other issues related to a specific employee not working efficiently."...more return to rampartproductions.com
"VeriChip Corporation (NASDAQ: CHIP) and Steel Vault Corporation (OTCBB: SVUL) announced today that VeriChip has agreed to acquire Steel Vault and form PositiveID Corporation to offer identification tools and technologies for consumers and businesses. In conjunction with the merger, VeriChip plans to change its name to PositiveID and continue to trade on the NASDAQ. PositiveID intends to change its ticker symbol to 'PSID' upon closing of the transaction.
The formation of PositiveID represents the convergence of a pioneer in personal health records, VeriChip, with a leader in the identity security space, Steel Vault, focused on access and security of a consumer's critical data. The companies believe that joining personal health records and identity security solutions provides a solid foundation for organic growth and a strong, flexible platform for future offers.
Under terms of the agreement, Steel Vault stockholders will receive 0.5 shares of VeriChip common stock for every share of Steel Vault common stock held. The outstanding stock options and warrants of Steel Vault will also be converted at the same ratio. This merger is a stock-for-stock transaction, is expected to be a tax free exchange, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2009. Regulatory approvals and affirmative stockholder votes are required from VeriChip and Steel Vault.
