How Drone Technology is Changing Farming, Surveying, Police Work and Search and Rescue Missions
Drone technology is synonymous with two things: war and photography. Yes, the word “drone” came into mainstream use after the US military started weaponizing their large military units. With the advent of multirotor camera drones, the most common real-world use most people see drones used for is as a flying camera. Most recently, delivery services […]
Are you being spied on? 3 reasons why motorists should care
After Edward Snowden leaked NSA documents in 2013, a majority of the public suddenly became aware of how far governments were willing to go in a bid to spy on their citizens in the name of national security. Seven years down the line, nothing much has changed. If anything, modes and methods of spying have […]
FAA’s “Integration Pilot UAS Program” is really a national police surveillance drone program
From guest writer Joe Cadillic of the MassPrivatel.com Blog This year was full of many disturbing stories, like the one about Bloomberg’s role-playing workshops being used to convince the public to accept police drones equipped with microphones. And another about politicians claiming police drones will help revitalize a downtown and create community connections. None of that could […]
Covert Facial Recognition Street Lights—Coming Soon to a Neighborhood near You?: NMA Weekly E-Newsletter #514
From guest writer Joe Cadillic of the MassPrivtel Blog A recent Reuter’s article revealed that ST Engineering has been awarded $5.5 million to install facial recognition street lights in Singapore. ST’s smart street lights come equipped with sensors, LED screens and covert cameras already installed. Incredibly, ST claims their spying street lights can bring “healthcare benefits to residents.” […]
No more Policymaking by Procurement
Privacy Groups and Cities fight back against Pervasive Surveillance This article first appeared in the NMA Foundation quarterly magazine Driving Freedoms Summer 2018. With no checks and balances, local law enforcement should not be spying on citizens. A number of cities, with the help of privacy groups and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), are […]
Top 5 Smartest Futuristic Cars
From James Bond to Back to the Future, the movie world has always pushed the boundaries in the functionality and practicalities of cars. But what about in real life? Recent technological advancements are seeing some equally innovative concepts come to life. In this article we explore some of the newest technologies on the market and […]
What to do about Tailgaters
I don’t like tailgaters and I seem to encounter them at least three times a week on my daily commute. But what can a driver do about them really? Even though I can’t prove it myself, I think tailgating might just be one of the biggest issues for road rage. I admit, it certainly can […]
The Future of Delivery
More of us now buy goods online and have them delivered directly to our homes or workplace. Experts claim that retail is slowly dying and that consumers will rely more and more on same day delivery. This not only includes ground service but also the idea of a drone dropping that package off where and […]
Drones, drones everywhere!
Many enthusiasts young and old enjoy operating small drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). At the end of 2017, Bard College Center for the Study of the Drone estimated that there were over 836,000 hobbyist users in the US. Recreational drones are now everywhere and probably not going away anytime soon. Any UAV between 0.55lbs […]
On the Road to Ten: Canned Cameras: NMA E-Newsletter #495
As we continue the march toward the publication of the 520th consecutive weekly issue of the NMA e-newsletter later this year, we will on occasion highlight reader favorites over these past ten years. The first installment, NMA E-Newsletter #486, focused on discussions of speed limits. Here we take on the second-most covered newsletter topic through […]