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  1. wtimothyholman

    UFOs, Extraterrestrials, Advanced Technology and Other Associated Weirdness

    The Travis Walton story is one of multitudes of similar tales, many corroborated by witnesses, of other-worldly (either angels or aliens) visitation with absolutely zero supporting evidence. I dismiss it as I would any tale like it with one simple question: "Why him?" Is there some logical...
  2. wtimothyholman

    UFOs, Extraterrestrials, Advanced Technology and Other Associated Weirdness

    "Dead pilots"? It's non-sequiturs like this that show just how disconnected these UFO claims are from reality. We are currently on the cusp of developing aircraft that will be autonomously piloted by artificial intelligence. In twenty to thirty years, we'll have aircraft and spacecraft...
  3. wtimothyholman

    An LPR success story

    I am still waiting to hear back from the D.A. concerning the Grand Jury hearing. As to the camera illumination, I think I will have some favorable results to show soon. I am still experimenting with lenses and LED power.
  4. wtimothyholman

    2nd Amendment thread

    The three students and three adults who died were out in the open and shot by Hale when she first entered the building. The remaining teachers locked down their respective classrooms and prevented her from entering any of them. Hale shot through some classroom doors but couldn't get into the...
  5. wtimothyholman

    2nd Amendment thread

    The police have indicated that Hale's writings showed that she considered attacking an alternate target, but dismissed it because of the on-site security measures. LPR records also showed that just before the shooting she drove through Belle Meade (an upscale community to the west of...
  6. wtimothyholman

    2nd Amendment thread

    It's the other way around. The media erroneously called her a "transgender woman" when they should have called her a "transgender man" to fit the standard definition. She was born Audrey Hale, and her own family called her by that name. She used Aiden and he/him pronouns on her own social...
  7. wtimothyholman

    2nd Amendment thread

    I wonder why schools don't at least have people armed with Byrna launchers. You can fire away with little fear of injuring innocent bystanders, and a face full of pepper spray or tear gas will seriously disorient any shooter in very short order.
  8. wtimothyholman

    2nd Amendment thread

    Realistically, what could the MNPD have done? Even if they had immediately dispatched a patrol car, where would it have gone? The interval between the text message and the shooting was 15 minutes, and absolutely no one knew where she was until she arrived at the school and began firing. As to...
  9. wtimothyholman

    2nd Amendment thread

    I have to wonder if she modified the shotgun herself, or had someone do it for her. I'm sure the MNPD are looking into that right now.
  10. wtimothyholman

    2nd Amendment thread

    That's for sure. The MNPD impressed everyone. At least the lessons of Uvalde have not been lost on other police departments. Get in quickly, find the shooter, take him out, and save lives. Those officers did not hesitate the moment they assembled their team.
  11. wtimothyholman

    2nd Amendment thread

    By every indication purchased legally, since she had no prior police record, nor any interactions with authorities. Whatever treatment she was receiving for depression or suicidal ideation was strictly known within the family. Apparently she never threatened anyone. Her parents told her to...
  12. wtimothyholman

    Bypassing Apple "Activation Lock"?

    Unless you have access to some very high-end expensive software and hardware (the kind purchased by law enforcement or governments), or have access to Apple's own internal tools, you're probably out of luck. Most thieves nowadays will throw away an iPhone. If you are mugged, they will steal it...
  13. wtimothyholman

    LPR In The News

    Sometimes I wonder if the people in the EFF really have any clue just how quickly camera technology is advancing. Within a decade some manufacturer will market a cloud-based LPR camera, and then all of this weeping and wailing about the potential abuses of LPR technology by big companies will...
  14. wtimothyholman

    LPR In The News

    I've had many conversations with people who learn about my LPR cameras, and who then describe in detail all the tricks they plan to use to obscure their license plates to keep from being tracked by some nebulous government or corporate entity. I just laugh, and say: "Go right ahead and do...
  15. wtimothyholman

    Could I end up with "too many" cameras? Consequences?

    I have 13 outdoor PoE cameras, and I'm about to add number 14. That doesn't include the Wyze cams that I play around with as a low-cost alternative to demonstrate to my neighbors on a budget. As @JNDATHP pointed out, most neighbors won't even notice them. I think many automatically dismiss...
  16. wtimothyholman

    UFOs, Extraterrestrials, Advanced Technology and Other Associated Weirdness

    The first integrated circuits were separately developed and announced by Bob Noyce at Fairchild Semiconductors and Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments in 1959. Kilby did it in germanium, and Noyce in silicon (using a more practical planar manufacturing process), but the concept went all the way...
  17. wtimothyholman

    UFOs, Extraterrestrials, Advanced Technology and Other Associated Weirdness

    There's nothing strange about it at all. Our modern understanding of electronics began in the late 19th century and early 20th century with the discovery of the Edison effect and the development of quantum physics. The concept of the field effect transistor (FET) was patented by Julius...
  18. wtimothyholman

    Rekor Scout Price Increase to $10/Cam

    Don't you know it. I have probably saved a few insurance companies tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars since my system caught those catalytic converter thieves and ended the spree of thefts in the midtown area. I'd be happy with 1% of the money saved. Instead I have to settle for...
  19. wtimothyholman

    Rekor Scout Price Increase to $10/Cam

    I'm sticking with Rekor for now, despite the price hike. Just last week I recorded the license plate of a vehicle driven by two guys who tried to break into a construction trailer parked next to my neighbor's house. The two would-be thieves drove through my alleyway to peek through my...
  20. wtimothyholman

    Rekor Scout Price Increase to $10/Cam

    The price hikes wouldn't be as much of an issue if Rekor was regularly updating the Scout (OpenALPR) client, but that hasn't happened since June 2021. I honestly have to wonder just how much effort they're putting into OpenALPR software development nowadays. It amazes me that Rekor seems to...
  21. wtimothyholman

    Using the Wyze Cam OG Telephoto as a low-cost daytime LPC camera

    Indeed. My wife constantly threatens to shoot that guy.
  22. wtimothyholman

    Using the Wyze Cam OG Telephoto as a low-cost daytime LPC camera

    Unfortunately, no RTSP support. Wyze has very little motivation to support it, as that would impact their revenue from their Cam Plus subscription service. But I agree about the application to parking. I did some night time testing, and found that the camera can read a stationary plate up to...
  23. wtimothyholman

    Using the Wyze Cam OG Telephoto as a low-cost daytime LPC camera

    There's no support for the OG with wz_mini_hacks yet, and it will probably be some time before any support appears (if ever). Wyze said they completely redesigned the internals of the OG to lower costs, so I expect a lot of reverse engineering will be needed. But the thing is this: if you're...
  24. wtimothyholman

    Using the Wyze Cam OG Telephoto as a low-cost daytime LPC camera

    I have been experimenting with the new Wyze OG Telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, and I have learned that it can capture license plates on moving vehicles from a distance of about 40 feet, where the vehicles are traveling between 25 and 30 mph. Here's the good: (1) The camera costs only...
  25. wtimothyholman

    Poor IR contrast in new Tennessee license plates

    A note to all: my workshop has just gotten put back together after the flooding damage was repaired. I should have some test results with my prototype white light illuminator within a couple of weeks. Also, I'm not sure if I'll need to pulse the LED light, but if I do it will be at a minimum...
  26. wtimothyholman

    An LPR success story

    If I worried about criminals coming after me because of what my cameras recorded, I wouldn't have them. Why install cameras and report crimes to the police if you're afraid of the criminals? You might as well huddle in your home and hope no one kicks down your door one day. I think you'll...
  27. wtimothyholman

    An LPR success story

    Latest update: a preliminary hearing was held today. Both defendants (surprisingly) showed up for court. I testified about my video, along with my neighbor (who was victimized) and the police who arrested the perps. The case was bound over to a grand jury by the judge. Now we wait some...
  28. wtimothyholman

    An LPR success story

    It was pretty clear that the assistant DA did not know the full context of the case. The two defendants probably stole dozens if not hundreds of catalytic converters, but he seemed to be thinking that they only stole the converter from my neighbor. I am writing an email to him to provide some...
  29. wtimothyholman

    An LPR success story

    I got back from court a few hours ago. The trial date was deferred to Jan. 4. Apparently one of the two never had an attorney, and the other one's court-appointed attorney had to withdraw from the case. So now they both have new court-appointed public defenders. I never saw the defendants...
  30. wtimothyholman

    Settings

    Okay, I'll put some images into a Google Drive file and PM the link later this weekend.
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