'Spy City: The History of Espionage in New York City' Interactive

Secret Passphrase: "Your shoe is untied."

“Upon Secrecy, Success Depends.”
– George Washington

From the Revolutionary War to the present day, covert ops have flourished in the five boroughs of New York City — after all, its myriad of parks, miles of subway, and millions of residents have long created the perfect environment for espionage activity. This is the story of Spy City, your mission begins now.

Join our special guest as we explore the history of espionage in New York City over four centuries of covert activity, from government spies to top-secret programs. more

Wed, Jun 17, 2020 at 1:00 PM
Click link for full info and to get tickets ($10, thanks for your support!):
https://bit.ly/SpyCityNYCJune

Spy vs. Spy - The Movie

The Spy vs. Spy comic strip has been a regular fixture in Mad magazine for almost sixty years. In that time, the two identical birdlike espionage agents — Black Spy and White Spy — have also featured in video games and cartoons, but a live-action big-screen adaptation has continually eluded the warring duo. However, that could all finally change, if new developments go according to plan.

According to Collider, Rawson Marshall Thurber is in talks to direct the movie for Warner Bros. and Imagine Entertainment. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are on board as producers, which makes sense as they’ve been attached to the project since its inception. It remains to be seen if Dwayne Johnson will star, but that wouldn’t be surprising as he’s Thurber’s go-to guy...

The movie, as silly as it will undoubtedly be, might also be very smart and biting. The original comics are rife with political satire, often taking aim at America’s involvement in wars. Given that there’s still plenty of real-life drama to comment on, don’t be surprised if the movie pokes fun at current affairs...

If the film lives up to its potential, Spy vs. Spy will be one entertaining, wacky ride. more

New Spy Podcast

Fresh from playing Peggy Carter in the Marvel Universe, and now preparing for Mission: Impossible 7, Hayley Atwell gets CIA, KGB & Mossad operatives to share their inside stories of real spy missions.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

10 Best Spy Comedy Films, Ranked (According To IMDb)

There are better things to do other than watch CNN (Covid-19 News) 24/7.
Here are some suggestions. ~Kevin

• Mr. & Mrs. Smith (6.5)
• Burn After Reading (7.0)
• Red (7.0)
• Spy (7.0)
• Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (7.0)
• Top Secret! (7.2) *****
• True Lies (7.2)
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (7.3)
• Despicable Me (7.6)
• Kingsman: The Secret Service (7.7)

***** (Personal favorite)

A Few Others

• Spies Like Us 
• The Man Who Knew Too Little 
• The Spy Who Dumped Me
• Despicable Me 2 / 3
• My Spy 
• Johnny English / Strikes Again / Reborn
• Keeping Up with the Joneses
• This Means War
• Central Intelligence
• Kingsmen: The Golden Circle
• The Spy Next Door
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me / Goldmember
• Get Smart 
• OSS 117 Cairo (subtitles)
• Casino Royale
• Spy Hard
• Knight and Day
• Agent Cody Banks / Destination London
• Spy Kids / 2 / All the time in the World (kids)
• Our Man Flint / In Like Flint
• Confessions of a Dangerous Mind 
• The Tailor Of Panama
• Undercover Blues  
• Undercover Brother
• The Man With One Red Shoe
• The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (subtitles)
  
• If Looks Could Kill
• Red 2
• The President's Analyst 
• Spies in Disguise (kids) 
• What’s Up, Tiger Lily?
• Gotcha! 
• Jumpin' Jack Flash
• My Favorite Spy 
• Real Men
• The Glass Bottom Boat
• The In-Laws
• Rio Rita
• A Southern Yankee
• The Tuxedo 
• One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing 
• Rendezvous
• The Fastest Guitar Alive (one star)

more (amazing, uh?)

AI News: The Farm Bots Are Here... finally

IL - In a research field off Highway 54 last autumn, corn stalks shimmered in rows 40-feet deep. Girish Chowdhary, an agricultural engineer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, bent to place a small white robot at the edge of a row marked 103. 

 The robot, named TerraSentia, resembled a souped up version of a lawn mower, with all-terrain wheels and a high-resolution camera on each side.

In much the same way that self-driving cars “see” their surroundings, TerraSentia navigates a field by sending out thousands of laser pulses to scan its environment. A few clicks on a tablet were all that were needed to orient the robot at the start of the row before it took off, squeaking slightly as it drove over ruts in the field. more

Farm Bots from 48 years ago,

in your weekend movie,

                      Silent Running...

Encryption Using Palindrome Number (Never odd or even.)

Posted in honor of this special day*

This paper provides a technique for message security in which palindrome number is used for encryption message. Colour is important in authentication process as it acts as a password. Using this technique message can be protected from on-line cyber crime and accessible to an authorized individual when required.  more

Who cares? The important thing is this historical date... 

02/02/2020 
*Palindrome Day... for the first time in 909 years! Wow, yet another palindrome!

Here in the U.S., it is also a trifecta: Palindrome Day, Groundhog Day and Superbowl Sunday.

‘Spy Games’ - 10 Civilians Vie for $100,000 Prize

One can’t deny that there is a certain charm and pull around the life of a spy - from going on undercover missions to just enjoying the finer things in life à la James Bond, and if you are keen on seeing how one goes about acquiring the skills needed to be a good spy, then Bravo’s latest offering ‘Spy Games’ might just be what you have been looking for...

One can’t deny that there is a certain charm and pull around the life of a spy - from going on undercover missions to just enjoying the finer things in life à la James Bond, and if you are keen on seeing how one goes about acquiring the skills needed to be a good spy, then Bravo’s latest offering ‘Spy Games’ might just be what you have been looking for.  more

Espionage Weekend Movie: "The Current War"

Don't let the fancy attire and the Gilded Age setting fool you, there is nasty business afoot in "The Current War."

It's a power struggle, both literal and societal, with Benedict Cumberbatch as inventor Thomas Edison on one side, Michael Shannon as industrialist George Westinghouse on the other, Nicholas Hoult as eccentric visionary Nikola Tesla in the middle and the future of electricity in America hanging in the balance.



In theaters Friday, Oct. 25, the film is a tale of innovation advanced via moral compromise. There are dead animals, corporate espionage, even the invention of the electric chair all deployed in the battle to determine whether Edison's direct current or Westinghouse's alternating current would light up the nation.

It's a story rife with tragedy and squandered potential. more

Japan Ninja Student - Writes Essay in Invisible Ink - Gets A+

Japanese student of ninja history who handed in a blank paper was given top marks - after her professor realised the essay was written in invisible ink.

Eimi Haga followed the ninja technique of "aburidashi", spending hours soaking and crushing soybeans to make the ink.

The words appeared when her professor heated the paper over his gas stove.

"It is something I learned through a book when I was little," Ms Haga told the BBC. more

A Golf Ball Right Out of Spy vs. Spy

Nissan Motor Co. has developed a golf ball that will help you make a putt with your eyes closed.

As a proof of concept, the carmaker unveiled a video on Tuesday, whereby a toddler taps a ball with his club and makes a putt that would make Tiger Woods’ jaw drop. Here’s how it works... more

The Peregrination of a Childhood Promise

Finally, another childhood fantasy becomes reality. Hard on the heals of wall screen TVs; Dick Tracy's wrist radio.

• The now iconic 2-way wrist radio premiered in 1946 and was replaced with a 2-way wrist TV in 1964.
• 1952 prototype wrist radio.
• 1960's wrist radio.
• Apple watch Walkie-Talkie.
• FutureWatch: A "Real" Dick Tracy wrist radio watch. (Bluetooth)
• Wrist radios on ebay.
• Wrist radios on Amazon.
• In June of 1954, the radio was upgraded to increase the range from 500 miles to 1,000 miles, then again in 1956 to 2,500 miles. 

Chester Gould’s idea of Tracy wearing something like this on his wrist in the comic strip was actually turned down by his employer because it was thought to be too much of a cheat, so-to-speak, an easy way out for the detective who had been written into a scene where he was held captive with no possible way of escaping from the criminals.

It was then that Gould decided to call an inventor he had met, Al Gross (pictured above).

Al Gross was a man way ahead of his time with inventions such as the walkie-talkie. When Gross was just 16 years old, he already had an amateur radio operator's license and had built a ham radio going on to invent the first telephone pager in 1949.

When Gould stopped by, Al Gross had just recently invented a two-way radio that people could wear on their wrists, just like a watch. Gould asked Gross if he could use his idea and that’s where Dick Tracy’s wrist watch radio came into being. Gould was so appreciative that as a Thank You, he gave Gross the first four panels of the cartoon where Tracy is seen wearing and using the soon-to-be infamous gadget. The device proved to be the exact answer for Dick Tracy to rescue himself from the seemingly impossible situation.

Still on my list...
  UPDATE - 8/27/19
Apple reportedly kills project to turn iPhone into 'walkie talkie'
Damn!

Spy Tip: How to Break Out of Automated Phone Trees

Tired of Talking to a Voice Robot?
Want to Talk with a Human?
Skip the cue.
Try...

1. Dial O, or try multiple zeros.
2. You can add the # key or the * key before and after a 0.
3. Dial multiples of other numbers 1111, 2222, 3333, 4444, etc.
4. Being silent sometimes works (believe it or not some people still have rotary phones).
5. Speak non-sensible phrases to confuse computer.
6. Try speaking and repeating "Operator" or "Customer Service".
7. If there is a company directory, press just one letter and then try to connect to that person and then may transfer you or give you an inside phone number.
8. Make sure once you get a human, ask for the direct line to call.

 More listings here.

FREE: "Top Secret: From Ciphers to Cyber Security" GCHQ Exhibit in London

Historic gadgets used by British spies will be revealed for the first time later this week, as one of the country's intelligence agencies steps out the shadows to mark its centenary -- and to educate people about the risks of cyber-attacks.

The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) will hold an unprecedented exhibition at London's Science Museum, taking visitors through 100 years of secret conversations and eavesdropping...

A prototype of the Enigma cipher machine used by the Germans will be on display. But the standout exhibit at this new exhibition is the 5-UCO machine developed in 1943 to send decrypted German messages to officers in the field...

"Top Secret: From Ciphers to Cyber Security" opens to the public on Wednesday and runs until February 2020. more

FREE but must book ahead: Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD  ~Kevin

The Spy Who Dumped Me

Looks like a fun spy movie.
In theaters August 3, 2018.

Sign Up - Hackers On Planet Earth (H.O.P.E.) - 3 Days & Nights in NYC

The Circle of HOPE will take place on July 20, 21, and 22, 2018 at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. H.O.P.E. stands for Hackers On Planet Earth, one of the most creative and diverse hacker events in the world. It's been happening since 1994.

Three full days and nights of activities, including more of the provocative and enlightening speakers that the HOPE conferences are known for. In addition, they will have access to a massive amount of space to put together all sorts of hacker projects and assorted fun stuff.

In the past they've had huge hackerspace villages, film festivals, Segway rides, lock picking villages, a wide variety of vendors, art installations, live video, vintage computers, robots, an amateur/ham radio station, electronics workshops, book signings, and the country's biggest supply of Club-Mate.

All of that happening right in the middle of New York City, across the street from Penn Station and down the block from the Empire State Building. more

Be sure to check out the amazing list of speakers and topics!

Spyscape Opens in New York City Today

Calling all spies: Announcing the opening of SPYSCAPE, a truly unique permanent destination that combines three distinct elements:
• a contemporary museum,
• an immersive experience,
• and a journey of personal discovery. 

SPYSCAPE opens at 10am ET on Friday, February 16.  (928 8th Avenue, New York, NY)
 
Students (with valid student ID) can reserve free admission online for the opening weekend (February 16-19).

The Experience:
Upon entry, visitors will receive a unique Identity Band, which uses RFID technology to personalize their experience. They then enter the Briefing, a high-tech theater which rises up through the building as it introduces the world of secret intelligence via an immersive film developed with the studio that creates VFX for films such as Avengers, Ex-Machina and Blade Runner 2049.

Their Spy Profiles are then analyzed in Debrief, where they discover which of the 10 archetypal Spy Roles they are best suited to. This authentic profiling system was developed with a former Head of Training at British Intelligence and top industrial psychologists. The Spy Roles are: Agent Handler, Cryptologist, Hacker, Intelligence Analyst, Intelligence Operative, Special Ops Officer, Spycatcher, Spymaster, Surveillance Officer, Technical Ops Officer. more

The Next Generation of Corporate Spies Begins Training in May

The trailer for a career in spying used to come from movies and TV shows. In May 2018, it will come from gaming. The new game is called Assault Spy.

"The self-proclaimed elite corporate spy Asaru and his deadweight partner Kanoko are hired for a new job in a dreary world dominated by corporations. Their mission? Infiltrate the mega corporation, Negabot. Dash, evade, and smash your way to the truth in this fast paced action game. No secret is safe from THIS bombastic spy duo!"

40 Second Spy Chase... commercial

Fun Spy Facts

Too much training.

The research team behind BBC2 quiz show QI have published a new book of facts and stats. Here are a few...

• The first editorial assistant to work on the Oxford English Dictionary was sacked for industrial espionage.

• Secret agents have to be trained to forget their advanced driving courses.

• The French air force have a squad of golden eagles, trained to hunt down drones.

The QI Christmas Special is on BBC1, Boxing Day, 10pm more

SPYSCAPE in NYC is Set to Open in December

A museum dedicated to spycraft is landing soon in possibly the least inconspicuous place on Earth: midtown Manhattan.

The project, known as SPYSCAPE, is set to open in New York City this December — but details are, fittingly, under wraps. Archimedia, the creative and investment company behind the project, has acquired a number of spy artifacts and archival materials, and will use immersive storytelling to explore history’s greatest spy affairs, from the Enigma code crackers to the teenage hacker behind a recent breach of the CIA website.

The museum's website hints at interactive interrogation rooms, laser tunnels, and more. At the end of the tour, visitors will learn what kind of spy work they’re destined for — allegedly based on a proprietary “profiling system” created by the Head of Training for British Intelligence.

The museum space was designed by Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye’s New York City-based firm, Adjaye Associates, whose many high-profile projects include Washington, D.C.’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture. more

Can't wait? Cuba's Spy Museum in Havana is open. (Optional, but recommended.) ~Kevin