Police Use Cell Phone and Nav Data to Spy on Drivers

OFF THE WIRE
Doug Newcomb
Brothers and Sisters...be aware of leaving your cell phone on while traveling long distances. Insurance and Police agencies are tracking your every movement while driving and talking. Even if just riding along with someone else will lessen the medical payout if in a accident? Brother Bikers....you're screwed if you speed from point A to point B and involve in a accident! Insurance company will seek out info how fast you were speeding along?!? Turn off that Damn Silly Fone if not needed!


In recent weeks we learned that Apple and Google are spying on people carrying the companies' smartphones. No big surprise there. But two other paranoia-inducing tech-tracking revelations that came out last week are perhaps more alarming for motorists: State police in Michigan have been collecting data from drivers' cell phones during routine traffic stops, and police in the Netherlands have used data from TomTom navigation systems to catch speeders and also determine the best places to install speed cameras.
It's enough to turn even the most tech-loving driver into a Luddite.

If you're stopped by a state cop in Michigan, you could be asked to hand over your mobile phone along with license and registration. And using a cell phone extraction device from a company called Cellebrite, the law could find out a lot more about you than you ever imagined.
The folks over at Translogic got their hands on a Cellebrite UFED that can grab data from over 1,800 different cell phones. They report that the information -- call history, contacts, text messages, photos and videos, whether they've been deleted or not -- can be downloaded to a USB drive within seconds. Translogic also used a software program called Lantern from Katana Forensics to analyze the data from an iPhone, including locations previously visited and recorded by Google Maps.
The American Civil Liberties Union has been on the case of the Michigan State Police (MSP) for using UFED devices during what the ACLU calls routine traffic stops, and claims that it violates the 4th Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure. The ACLU has asked for data from the MSP showing how the devices are used, when they are used and if they've been used without permission.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the MSP has in turn asked for over a half million dollars to cover the costs of retrieving and assembling the necessary documents to comply. Hey, times are tough in Michigan and the state needs the money. The MSP also claims that the UFED devices are used "only if a search warrant is obtained or if the person possessing the mobile device gives consent." What would you say if a cop asked you to hand over your phone?
Traffic cops in the Netherlands have taken a more proactive approach  to snaring speeders and other law breakers -- and left portable navigation device maker TomTom with some explaining to do to its customers. Some of the company's nav systems can send GPS info to TomTom, and the information is used to route drivers around traffic and provide more accurate arrival times.
TomTom also shares the info with the government in the Netherlands, which uses it to analyze traffic congestion and solve safety issues. But the Dutch press revealed that police also used the info to catch lead-footed drivers and as a basis for deciding the best places to install speed cameras.
The data used by the Dutch government didn't include information on individual drivers, and TomTom has barred its further use. The company also released a letter to its customers and the company's CEO made a video explaining the company's position on driver privacy. What he didn't mention is that some of his company's nav system also point out to users where speed cameras are installed.
Sort of makes you think twice about using certain tech behind the wheel. And the wisdom of downloading and installing, say, a smartphone app from an insurance company.

The Illusion Solution -- 27 tooth compensator kit

Tell Rusty & T-Rod You saw it here...
Philip

* Reduce your engine rpm's at cruise by 8% for under $200. Thats right, you don't need to upgrade to a 6 speed transmission with our 27 tooth compensator and primary chain kit.  Run season is here, take advantage of this great product at a very reasonable price.

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Dealer pricing available.
>> ask for Rusty or Trod

HD's new liquid-cooled motor?

OFF THE WIRE
There Are No Sacred Cows: Harley-Davidson Patents Cylinder Head Cooling System
by Jensen Beeler

The rumors that Harley-Davidson has been eying a liquid-cooled motor design have always been in abundance, and 10 years ago we saw the company test the waters of that pool with the Porsche-engineered lump that was found in the V-Rod. While the VRSC line may not have been as big of a success compared to the other models in Harley’s line-up, the water-cooled bastard child of Milwaukee still seems to sell in the tens of thousands each year, even after nearly a decade of only cosmetic revisions.
Faced with an aging demographic, an uninspired motorcycle line-up, and 21 takes on the same motorcycle design, there’s a push internally at Harley-Davidson to break-out and find a new way to engage riders, especially younger riders. The core ethos of change seems to start at the motor itself, and Harley-Davidson has already done the rounds at various electric motorcycle and drivetrain companies. There also exists amount of external and internal pressure over Harley’s pervasive use of air-cooled motors, and now whispers of a water-cooled v-twin power plant have gotten louder in Milwaukee. With those rumors now reaching a boiling point (see what I did there?), Harley-Davidson has patented a very clever way of adding liquid-cooling to its iconic v-twin motor design.
Creating an intricate cylinder head that has channels that liquid coolant can flow through, Harley-Davidson’s shown solution to its air-cooled problem is a very elegant, and clearly centers around hiding the radiators, pumps, and hoses that normally are an eye-sore with liquid-cooled motors. However, it would seem the USPTO has granted Harley a fairly broad patent, which on its face seems to cover any sort of cylinder head cooling system for v-twin motorcycles, which makes this a nice piece of intellectual property for the Bar & Shield.
Putting the radiators in the leg shields of the bike, Harley-Davidson’s solution is to have the piping follow the forward section of the frame, and finally drop down from the fuel tank and into the cylinder heads. Once inside the cylinder, liquid flows around the valve ports before heading back out to be cooled again. With each cylinder head getting its own line of coolant it will be interesting to see if Harley-Davidson implemented any sort of system to account for temperature differences between the forward and rear cylinders.
Of course the bigger part of this news is whether we’ll see a liquid-cooled bike in 2012. Some rumors suggest so, though recent CARB filings haven’t tipped off any such model…yet. Once thought to be an untouchable element in Harley-Davidson design, the fact that the American company has patented this technology suggest that there are no sacred cows in Milwaukee. It will be interesting to see what comes to fruition now from this process.

Source: USPTO via Moto-Infos & Cyril Huse

From my dear friend Cathy in FL~ Pillows for the troops

I've known "Cat" for 15 years, she's a good soul... I sent a check out last week. Passing this along to you all in case you feel so moved to contribute! :*)



Pillows for Troops Drive
Pillows forTroops Drive I am sure that most if not none of you are aware that our troops overseas are not allotted pillows. So I have decided to take up all the pillows I can get my hands on and send them to our troops. I need your help, pillows ...and shipping fees. I will open a Soldier Account at Southeastern Bank in Yulee, as they have so kindly offered to take some of the donations there. You can get a (2) pack of pillows at Wal Mart for $5.00. I know that times are hard for everyone right now, but, I would not want my son, father, brother or other family member to have to work in the desert all day then lay their head down in the sand at night too. I have heard that they have to wad their clothes up under their heads for pillows. So, I thought this would be a nice gesture. If they can put their lives on the line for us, then we can give them a pillow to lay their heads on at night. If you would like to contact me concerning this, please call Cathy @ 904-225-8720. In advance, thank you so much. Please NEW Pillows Only!! Donations can be made payable to:
Southeastern Bank, Yulee
PO Box 1438
Yulee, FL 32041
 Acct #1704228571
 I had to change the name because someone else is using pillows for soldier's, they only ship to soldiers based in the US.

By: Cathy Alligood

Slow Dance (don't delete, please read)

Come on everybody lets help this kid out... She has a battle to survive
Slow
Dance

This
is a poem
written by a teenager with cancer.

She wants to
see how many
people get her poem.

It is quite the poem
Please pass it 
on.











This
poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a
New York
Hospital.

It was sent
by
a medical doctor -
Make sure to read what is in the closing statement
AFTER THE
POEM.


SLOW DANCE

Have you ever
watched
kids

On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to
the
rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a
butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the
fading
night?

You better slow down.

Don't
dance so
fast.

Time is short.

The music
won't
last.

Do you run through each day

On
the
fly?

When you ask How are you?

Do you hear
the
reply?

When the day is done

Do you lie
in your
bed

With the next hundred chores


Running through
your head?

You'd better
slow down

Don't dance so
fast.

Time is
short.

The music won't
last.

Ever told your
child,

We'll do it
tomorrow?

And in your
haste,

Not see
his
sorrow?

Ever lost
touch,

Let a good
friendship die

Cause you
never had time

To call
and say,'Hi'

You'd
better slow down.

Don't dance
so fast.

Time
is short.

The music won't
last..

When you run
so fast to get somewhere

You
miss half the fun of getting
there.

When you worry and hurry
through your
day,

It is like an unopened
gift....

Thrown
away.

Life is not a
race.

Do take it
slower

Hear the
music

Before the song is
over.

------------
--------

FORWARDED
E-MAILS ARE TRACKED TO OBTAIN THE TOTAL
COUNT.

Dear All:
PLEASE pass this mail on to everyone you know -
even to those you don't
know! It is the request of a special girl who will soon
leave this world
due to cancer.

This young girl has 6 months left
to live,
and as her dying wish, she wanted to send a letter telling everyone to
live their life to the fullest, since she never will.


She'll
never make it to prom, graduate from high school,
or get married and have a
family of her own.

By you sending
this to as many people as
possible, you can give her and her family a
little hope, because with every name
that this is sent to, The American
Cancer Society will donate 3 cents per name
to her treatment and recovery
plan. One guy sent this to 500 people! So I know
that we can at least send
it to 5 or 6. It's
not even your money, just
your
time!

PLEASE PASS ON AS A LAST REQUEST.

Canada - Drug peddler faces bigger issues

OFF THE WIRE

The tattooist for the local chapter of the Hells Angels is facing sentencing for drug charges, but that’s the least of his worries.
While David LaChappelle pleaded guilty to one count of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, the 47-year-old single father of an 18-year-old daughter faces bigger issues.
He’s got to survive long enough to make it to his Oct. 7 sentencing date before Ontario Superior Court Justice Richard Lococo.
Defence counsel Kim Edward advised court Friday that her client has a three-centimetre aneurysm in the middle of his brain that will require a risky surgery this summer. As well, LaChappelle was also recently diagnosed as having an abdominal tumour.
Federal drug prosecutor Nicholas White told court that in the massive December 2009 biker bust known as Project Manchester, LaChappelle was found in his Harmony Avenue home with nearly 20 grams of cocaine.
Police seized guns, $215,000 worth of street drugs, vehicles, a home and three commercial buildings in the raids in Hamilton and other communities.
One of the seized buildings was 269 Lottridge St., the Hamilton clubhouse for the Hells Angels at the time.
LaChappelle was ordered to have a pre-sentence report prepared for his next court appearance. Both the Crown and defence are seeking a conditional sentence of two years less a day.
kpeters@thespec.com
905-526-3388
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/553222--drug-peddler-faces-bigger-issues

Feds oppose change to Michigan helmet law

OFF THE WIRE
http://www.detnews.com/article/20110624/AUTO01/106240345/1409/METRO/Feds-oppose-change-to-Michigan-helmet-law
Feds oppose change to Michigan helmet law

NTSB will lobby Gov. Snyder to not repeal requirement for motorcyclists 21 and older David Shepardson/ Detroit News Washington Bureau The National Transportation Safety Board urged the state of Michigan not to drop its mandatory helmet law for motorcyclists.
Board Vice Chairman Christopher Hart said in an interview Thursday that the state Legislature should not proceed with a proposal to repeal the state's helmet law. Hart noted that Louisiana reinstated its helmet law after it saw a spike in motorcycle deaths and injuries.
A bill to repeal Michigan's helmet law for riders 21 and older if they met certain conditions was approved by a Senate committee earlier this month and could be on the governor's desk later this summer. Riders would be eligible to ride bareheaded if they have been licensed to operate a motorcycle for at least two years or have passed a safety course.
NTSB spokesman Bill Gossard said board officials would meet with Gov. Rick Snyder's office today to discuss the issue. Snyder hasn't taken a position on the bill.
The Senate Fiscal Agency said in an analysis of the repeal bill that if it "led to more head injuries, Medicaid costs for the State could potentially increase."
And a widely quoted Office of Highway Safety Planning analysis concluded that a repeal of the law would result in at least 30 additional motorcycle fatalities each year, along with 127 more incapacitating injuries and $129 million in additional economic costs to citizens.
According to AAA, motorcycle crashes account for a disproportionate share of money paid out of the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association, a fund supported by a surcharge on every auto insurance policy in the state. While motorcyclists represent 2 percent of the assessment paid into the MCCA, they account for 5 percent of money paid.
Then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm twice vetoed efforts to overturn Michigan's helmet law — in 2006 and 2008.
This is the second year that the NTSB has made motorcycle safety one of its top 10 "Most Wanted" safety priorities.
From 1997-2009, annual motorcycle deaths doubled to 4,462. On average, 12 motorcyclists were killed daily