With the ever increasing importance of computers and digital media for both personal and corporate users, the number of crimes involving electronic data is now higher than ever. Thus, only data forensics experts can search computers for electronic evidence, make digital investigations, recover lost data and provide technical expertise in the arena of forensics science. To count only a few of the judicial cases for which data forensics is useful, we ought to mention breach of contract, intellectual property theft, discrimination, sexual harassment and so on. Therefore, it is not that difficult to understand why data forensics is so important in the legal system.

The exact specificity of data forensics is the extraction of pieces of information that would remain undetected at a normal investigation. Data forensics will normally examine files that are hidden, deleted or even discarded, as well as fragments or file left-overs. Although there are lots of challenges when trying to identify the criminal process or to recover data, this search for the needle in the haystack is pretty successful. What is the relevance of such evidence for legal cases? Well, it has been proved by practice that even the course of a trial could be changed by the retrieval of deleted e-mail messages for instance.

Data forensics constantly needs to face apparently insurmountable challenges. The applications are indeed far-reaching, but the work to extract digital evidence is strict and exhausting. Sometimes the extractor has difficulties in getting to the information that is buried too deep in the electronic system, or too exposed to destruction. Moreover, for a successful data collection, data forensics has to protect the extracted elements by duplication so that the information is preserved and not altered and spoiled during the process. Great caution, strict standards and lots of skills are needed for each of these steps and only the best in the field can succeed.

When a criminal act involving digital systems is detected, the best way of action is not to address the other party and ask for a preservation of computer records, but rather a surgical approach by an expert who has had computer forensics training. This will enable the appropriate and cost-limited data collection in the best conditions possible. Moreover, it is false to assume that data forensics only applies to computer hard drives as the main systems that can store information; there are cases of criminal action involving, USB devices, CDs, DVDs and even voice mail systems. Even photocopy machines include hard drives and the scanned or copied documents can be afterwards retrieved from them.

With the ever increasing importance of computers and digital media for both personal and corporate users, the number of crimes involving electronic data is now higher than ever. Thus, data forensics has become a distinct sub-division of forensics science consisting of technical expertise, the finding of electronic evidence, digital investigations and even data recovery. To count only a few of the judicial cases for which data forensics is useful, we ought to mention sexual harassment, intellectual property theft, discrimination, breach of contract and so on. Therefore, only data forensics experts can search computers for electronic evidence, make digital investigations, recover lost data and provide technical expertise involving fcomputers’ ubiquity.

A normal type of computer investigation cannot detect or extract bits of information remained after deletion. Data forensics will normally examine files that are hidden, deleted or even discarded, as well as fragments or file left-overs. Although there are lots of challenges when trying to identify the criminal process or to recover data, this search for the needle in the haystack is pretty successful. What relevance does such evidence have for legal cases? Well, practice has already proved it that the recovery of a deleted e-mail message can change the course of a trial.

The challenges that data forensics expert have to face are enormous. The applications do have far-reaching applications, but it takes hours to extract digital evidence and make it stable. Sometimes the extractor has difficulties in getting to the information that is buried too deep in the electronic system, or too exposed to destruction. This is also the reason why a duplication procedure is used to protect the information during the extraction process. Lots of skills, strict standards and great caution are required for each of these steps and only real pros can succeed.

Someone who has had computer forensics training and is a forensics expert should be contacted immediately, once a breach in the security system or a criminal act against electronic media is detected. This will enable the appropriate and cost-limited data collection in the best conditions possible. Moreover, it is false to assume that data forensics only applies to computer hard drives as the main systems that can store information; there are cases of criminal action involving, USB devices, CDs, DVDs and even voice mail systems. Memory hard drives are now incorporated even in fax and photocopy machines so that many of the documents can be recovered afterwards.

The Jurassic Tourbillon from Louis Moinet goes beyond bling; this watch contains fragments of dinosaur bones some 130 million years old.

By Andrew Liszewski

Yep, we’ve already brought you insanely expensive watches constructed with remnants of the Titanic, or specks of moon dust, but the Jurassic Tourbillon from Louis Moinet trumps them both with one simple yet awesome addition. Dinosaurs!… Or at least their bones.

The Jurassic Tourbillon, whose dial contains fragments of authentic fossilised dinosaur bones, takes us on a journey into the past, around 130 million years ago. Qualified as exceptional by experts, the colour and veining of these precious witnesses to our past underwent a meticulous process of preservation.

Of course it’s not like they’ve just pried open the case on your average Timex and crammed some bone fragments in there, the watch is still a luxury item made from 18K white gold with 56 Top Wesselton VVS baguette 3.46ct diamonds, and while it’s water-resistant to 30 meters, I highly doubt, like the dinosaurs, that it’s giant asteroid resistant. As for the price, I’ve no idea, but I assume it will be comparable to the aforementioned Titanic and moon dust models to give you a rough idea.

[ Jurassic Tourbillon ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

The Ace Attorney series is a notable example of the overwrought emotionalism and character movements that characterize Japanese narrative culture. Play an Ace Attorney game and you encounter a tremendously surreal court system where legal arguments become epic, backed up by just-in-time realizations pieced together from obvious fragments of evidence.

My first encounter with this legal adventure game series saw me take on the role of Phoenix Wright, and I was a rookie defending attorney who became a master of cross examination. I even got help from the spirit of my murdered mentor, who somehow possessed her younger sister and made her more… womanly.

Whether or not you’ve played an Ace Attorney game, CAPCOM has made a short flash-based demo of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth available online. While previous Ace Attorney games mostly cast the player character as the defense lawyer, AAI:ME’s protagonist is Miles Edgeworth, the so-called “demon” prosecutor. The demo literally provides a sneak peek, ending after you’ve made the first investigation breakthrough.

CAPCOM should’ve put more thought into this 3MB demo though. Without the ability to skip through the numerous dialog, playing the demo might prove tedious for those unfamiliar with the Ace Attorney series. In any case, click on the link below to download! The actual game itself, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, will debut outside of Japan this February 2010.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth Demo

Post from: The Gadget Blog

We BLOOP dig BeeJive on the iPhone. What we BLOOP don’t dig is getting a pop-up push BLOOP notification every 3 seconds just because some of our friends like to type in fragments rather BLOOP than sentences.

Fortunately, BeeJive has recently added a new setting which lets you tweak the behavior of push notifications to be far, far less annoying. The wording they chose to tuck it behind doesn’t make things completely obvious, but it makes a world of difference.