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“Although red light cameras were sold to the public as a way to make dangerous intersections safer, it's become clear that municipalities are primarily interested in the revenues generated by the cameras through tickets and fines,” said Doherty. “There is little if any evidence that the use of red light cameras in New Jersey has reduced the number or severity of accidents at the intersections where they are used. When combined with serious questions regarding personal privacy and the process and constitutionality of being ticketed by a machine, I believe it's time that we put this ill-conceived red light camera experiment to a rest.”

The legislation prevents municipalities that do not currently use red light cameras from employing the systems, and would prohibit municipalities that already use the systems from renewing their contracts with the vendors that operate and maintain them. Additionally, the bill removes the provision from current law that provides law enforcement with a 90-day time frame to issue tickets for violations of traffic control devices, including those generated by red light camera systems.Doherty noted that at least nine states have banned the use of automated red light camera ticketing systems due to privacy and constitutional concerns. Additionally, a number of local governments across the county that have employed cameras and automated ticketing systems have scrapped the cameras due to their ineffectiveness.

“It's nearly impossible to challenge a ticket generated by a red light camera when it arrives in the mail weeks or even months after an alleged violation,” said Doherty. “When a police officer pulls you over, you have the opportunity to talk to the officer to explain why a ticket should not be issued or to make notes to challenge a ticket while the situation is still fresh in your mind. You don't have those options with a camera. Who really remembers the exact details of one specific instance of passing through an intersection when an automatically generated ticket arrives in the mail 90 days later?”

At least 20 people were victims of the same overenthusiastic Cary traffic camera system, and town officials are not happy. After an investigation revealed the repeated glitch, and amid a lawsuit regarding the camera network, two council members said Cary could make significant changes to its automated red-light ticketing program.The cameras at High House Road and Cary Parkway first malfunctioned last summer, and over the next year registered at least 31 false positives, many of which led to $50 tickets. The town of Cary is "very disappointed" that the glitch went unnoticed by Redflex, the contractor that administers Cary's automated traffic-ticketing system and keeps 88 percent of the money paid by violators.

"Redflex has a lot of issues," said Mayor Harold Weinbrecht. "I wouldn't be surprised if we changed the way we're using red-light cameras."Councilman Don Frantz echoed those sentiments, saying the town could significantly modify its traffic-control system."We did it with the intention of public safety. Since then, the town has made some improvements to a number of intersections," Frantz said. "A good question now is: Is the red-light camera system even needed anymore?"Microsoft Soundwave is like Kinect sans camera.

Asked about the fact that Redflex keeps the lion's share of ticketing revenue, Frantz said the program is a "racket" and a drain on town staff's time. Between April 2004 and last July, ticketed drivers paid $5.7 million to Redflex and $646,000 to the Wake County Public School System, which receives proceeds from the traffic cameras.The traffic camera system at High House Road and Cary Parkway likely issued its first bad ticket sometime last summer, after the town reconfigured the intersection. Over the next year, at least 30 drivers were ticketed after making legal left-hand turns on a blinking yellow arrow.

The SoundWave technology recently unveiled by Microsoft Research allows users to control the software on their computers with only the movement of their hands. However, unlike the company's Kinect, which uses cameras to achieve that functionality, SoundWave is able to pick up motion based on sound.

According to Microsoft, SoundWave relies on a speaker and microphone to work. The technology emits an inaudible tone from the speakers that is interrupted when people move their hands in front of the computer. Based on the change in the frequency of the tone, SoundWave is able to "infer various gestures."Since the technology is under the control of Microsoft Research, it's not ready for public use. However, in a video demonstrating SoundWave, it appears to work as described and responds quite quickly to movement.

Still, there are some questions for the PC-only technology. When using SoundWave, researchers in the video were quite close to their screen. What happens when a person is farther away? Also, the technology's requirement of both a microphone and speaker might make one wonder how the components need to be set and where they must be placed to get optimal service.

The Camera Stores industry struggling to compete with e-tailers, many of which offer a more convenient shopping experience at a lower cost. Additionally, says IBISWorld industry analyst Agata Kaczanowska, "A sharp drop in consumer spending and protracted high unemployment since 2008 led to fewer purchases from industry retailers." Businesses that invest in camera equipment, such as professional photographers, also stopped spending as demand for their services dried up as well. As a result of low demand for industry products during the past five years, revenue declined at an estimated average rate of 8.5% per year to $2.8 billion in 2012.

An increasing proliferation of smartphones and other devices with advanced camera features are diverting more demand away from the industry. Consumers increasingly use their smartphones or tablets as cameras, which can be more convenient because using one multipurpose device can be more comfortable than carrying a separate camera. Moreover, smartphones and tablets make uploading and sharing photos or videos easier. "Although consumer and business spending is beginning to pick up in 2012," says Kaczanowska, "Online camera sales and alternative devices are expected to dominate such purchases."

Not only are e-tailers undercutting industry prices - thereby diverting sales revenue away from the Camera Stores industry - but big-box stores are also vying to attract consumers. Retailers like Best Buy or Walmart are also more convenient for consumers who can purchase other items while shopping at such stores.A compact camera for serious photographers. Consequently, revenue in 2012 is expected to slide 2.4%. The industry remains very fragmented, with most firms employing fewer then five workers. The only major player, Ritz Camera & Image, is one of few companies in the Camera Stores industry able to operate nationwide.

Over the last few years, the evolution of compact, mirrorless cameras (so called because they lack the reflex mirror that distinguishes SLRs) has been progressing rather quickly. The demand for a device that's more capable than a point-and-shoot or phone camera yet less bulky than a DSLR created a minor explosion of designs and systems. Olympus has grasped the opportunity firmly, and its PEN series of cameras are among the most popular.First camera trap photos of rare leopard in China.

Having tested out many of them, I often find that they all make too many concessions to the consumer side of the equation. Even Panasonic's GX1, perhaps the most advanced mirrorless at the time of its release, felt more like an overpowered point-and-shoot than a "serious" camera. So it is a great pleasure to review a camera that seems in every way to cater to more advanced photographers.The OM-D EM-5 (an unfortunate naming scheme) is solid, well-designed and customizable. It's the first compact camera I've used that I felt could truly replace my Canon DSLR without serious sacrifices.

Olympus designed this with a retro aesthetic, having specifically in mind the OM system they sold in the 70s and 80s. The design is far from a carbon copy, and of course has to accommodate such things as an LCD and navigation buttons, but the general profile is similar. Everyone who saw it found it attractive, and the understated black and silver finishes project a serious but capable air.It's on the small side, but with enough grip and sculpting that it fit my medium-sized hands quite well. One-handed operation was easily effected. The rear buttons are safely distant from the thumb grip and there's a nice texture to the front.