The Weekly Buzz 03.24.16

WHO’S IN TOWN?

There are humans behind all that computer code. Many bright minds working behind the scenes on cybersecurity solutions come to town this week for the Insider Threat Summit. Speakers cover lessons learned from the data breach at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and how to spot danger early: “The reality is that you cannot trust every insider to make the right decision 100 percent of the time,” the program reads. “As networks get bigger and more unpredictable, spotting the needle in a growing haystack gets harder.” In that session, Darktrace CEO Nicole Eagan explains how to identify abnormal individual behaviors on a big network.

Tuesday, March 29-Wednesday, March 30. Hyatt Regency, 1 Old Golf Course Road, Monterey. Free/government employees; $195/students; $595/general. 238-0870, www.insiderthreatevents.com.

WHAT’S UP WITH THAT

Residents asked about funky smells around Veterans Memorial Park and the Monterey Vista areas, among others. The city of Monterey was repairing storm drains last week with funds from a voter-approved 1-cent increase in sales tax. The odor is the chemical styrene, part of the resin liner inside the pipe. City officials say airborne styrene is not a human health risk. For more about Measure P, visit www.monterey.org/fixingstreets.

OVERHEARD

“Did anyone ever tell you that you look like Clint?”
– A woman speaking to Clint Eastwood at Whole Foods in Monterey.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD: It was a good week for hearing-impaired moviegoers, thanks to a new series at Maya Cinemas in Salinas. They launched March 19 with a captioned screening ofThe Divergent Series: Allegiant, no special devices required. While Maya has long offered closed-caption devices, giving viewers small handheld screens with captions – not just subtitles for dialogue, but descriptions of sounds like gunfire or splashing – offering the experience on the big screen is new. “We thought, maybe we can bring some people back,” says Vice President Larry Porricelli. “It’s just spectacular to see technology today and what we can do with it.” It’s an offshoot of the Maya Cares program, which started screening new movies one weekend a month with adjustments to accommodate autistic viewers. To avoid sensory overexcitement, Maya turns down the sound and raises the lights. The best part: Movies are free for guests with disabilities.

BAD: It was a bad week for people who don’t follow court orders. On March 16, the Salinas Police Department conducted a sting operation, where officers sat through court proceedings at the Monterey County Superior Courthouse. They pinpointed the defendants who were ordered off the road by judges for crimes like DUIs or reckless driving. During a four-hour period, most defendants who were ordered not to drive left court and arranged to be picked up. But eight walked to their cars and began to drive away. The undercover officers watched them do it, then gave a description of the vehicles to patrol officers, who then made traffic stops. Each of the eight drivers was cited for driving on a suspended license (a misdemeanor), and their vehicles were impounded for 30 days. Funding for this operation came from a California Office of Traffic Safety grant. The operation was also conducted last year.