From the Off-Topic Files

The world's largest freely available fart recording dataset.
This dataset contains over 7500 fart recordings that were collected over a period of 37 months.

Suggested Uses

• Unsupervised signal classification - You can experiment with categorizing farts without any preexisting knowledge of defining characteristics and potentially apply these learnings to other signal types - speech, radar, tv, radio, light, EEG.

• Supervised signal recognition - This dataset could be used to experiment with developing deep learning models capable of recognizing whether a sound is a fart. An interesting property of farts is variable frequencies and inconsistent durations.

• Sound effects creation - This dataset could be used by sound designers or audio engineers as a basis to create new sound effects for movies, video games, or other media. You could also simply use it as a publicly available and free source of farts.

• Education and outreach - Educators and scientists can use this dataset as an approach to better engage their audiences in signal processing and deep learning.

License

• This data is publicly and freely available to use and modify however you would like. There is no license and no limitations for use. I would appreciate being notified of this data being used publicly, purely for my own entertainment. more

Dr. Seuss on Surveillance

Dr. Seuss wrote a story about a Hawtch-Hawtcher Bee-Watcher who had a rather peculiar job. He was tasked with keeping an eye on his town’s only lazy bee. 

The idea was that if a bee is watched, it’ll work harder, right? 

Well, guess what? That didn’t seem to work at all! So, they decided to assign another Hawtch-Hawtcher to watch the first one, and then another to watch the second… and so on. Before you know it, the entire town was watching each other watch a bee!

The Spy Cam Lunch Box

From our, "You can't make this shxt up," file...

The Last Thing I Wanted to See...

In the parking lot,
after completing a TSCM bug sweep...

Pakistani Journalist Finds his Car Bugged...

... mocks spy agency's old tech!
The relationship between journalists and state surveillance is as old as the profession itself, though surveillance methods have evolved with advancing technology. In Pakistan, however, veteran journalist Azaz Syed recently revealed that while the government may be keen on surveillance, the technology remains as outdated as the economic challenges facing the nation. 

In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Syed shared that his mechanic, while installing a new number plate, found a tracking device secretly attached to his vehicle...

Syed poked fun at Pakistan’s intelligence agency for using "old technology." He pointed out that while modern GPS devices are compact and lightweight, the device he encountered was large and cumbersome. Sarcastically, he remarked, “I expect Pakistan’s intelligence agencies to be smart enough so at least I don’t catch your spying devices.” more

Trump Aides Evacuated Offices - Bugging Fears

The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee offices in West Palm Beach, Fla., were abuzz with talk of listening devices and espionage, possibly by a foreign government. The police were called and the offices were closed for a forensic search. The reality was more Charlie Chaplin than John le Carré.

A plastic prank device that can be purchased on Amazon for $13.97 was the cause of the problem.

A police report from the West Palm Beach police department, obtained by The New York Times, detailed the incident. Devices were found on Thursday after people heard beeping under a staff member’s desk at the Trump campaign offices. When Trump officials searched, they found additional devices, for a total of three. more

Weird items that people think are bugs is an issue more common than you might think. 

Read, "Is This a Bug?"

China: ‘Secret’ Military Books Sold for Less Than US$1.

Chinese spy agency issues warning after ‘secret’ military books sold for less than US$1. 

China’s top spy agency has warned against the mishandling of confidential information as it tries to educate the public about its anti-espionage law, citing a case in which military-related materials were found to have been sold by a recycling station. 

On its official WeChat account on Thursday, the Ministry of State Security recounted the case of a man with the surname Zhang who bought four books from a waste recycling station. more

A Tom Lehrer Gift

Tom Lehrer (96) gifted the world his brilliant satirical music. In his own words...

I, Tom Lehrer, individually and as trustee of the Tom Lehrer Trust, hereby grant the following permissions: All copyrights to lyrics or music written or composed by me have been permanently and irrevocably relinquished, and therefore such songs are now in the public domain....In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs. So help yourselves, and don’t send me any money.  

NOTICE: THIS WEBSITE WILL BE SHUT DOWN AT SOME DATE IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, SO IF YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD ANYTHING, DON’T WAIT TOO LONG.
Tom Lehrer

You can download the recordings and lyrics here... https://tomlehrersongs.com/

or...

Q. OK, Kevin, so what does this have to do with spying?
A. Lehrer was drafted into the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1957, working at the National Security Agency (NSA). Lehrer has stated that he invented the Jello shot during this time, as a means of circumventing a naval base's ban on alcoholic beverages.

14 Hilarious Moments from Spy Spoofs and Comedies

There are few film genres as reliable in modern times as spy films, shows and even video games. 

James Bond led the way to Remington Steele to Ethan Hunt to Solid Snake to Austin Powers. But the somber seriousness of the espionage game makes it a prime target for comedians and comedy writers to mine some humor out of all the profession’s sternness, violence and ludicrous clandestine nature.

Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to enjoy these funniest moments from or about the spy genre in pop culture. more

White House Plumbers...

...A Delightfully Funny Retelling of the Watergate Scandal

The Watergate scandal is not exactly new territory for screenwriters. From the 1976 classic All the President’s Men to, just last year, the excellent Gaslit, the story of the bungled covert operations that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974 has been raked over time and time again.

So White House Plumbers, created by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck – two writers who have previously worked on Veep and David Letterman’s 90s Late Show – needed to be pretty good to justify its existence. Thankfully, it was.

The five-episode comedy drama focuses on E Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) and G Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux), ex CIA and FBI agents respectively, who were hired by Nixon’s White House to run a dirty tricks unit. more

Alleged Russian 'Spy' Whale Spotted in Sweden

An alleged former Russian spy whale has been spotted off the coast of Sweden... 

Having spent years travelling slowly southwards from Norway's far north, the whale has sped up his movements out of Norwegian waters in recent months. 

OneWhale said the reason behind his sudden hastiness was unclear... 

He was discovered wearing a harness fitted with a GoPro camera mount and clips bearing the inscription "Equipment of St Petersburg". more

Non-Disclosure Agreements That End Up in the Toilet

The need for a Non-Disclosure Agreement used to be a hard pill to swallow. Not anymore. NDA is an edible confidentiality agreement that protects all information exchanged within 30 minutes of ingestion.

Contract Summary
NDA is an edible non-disclosure agreement that protects in perpetuity all information exchanged within 30 minutes of ingestion. Every NDA is comprised of a size 00 gelatin capsule imprinted with a QR code leading to this website and filled with powder made from copies of this agreement printed onto rice paper with ingestible ink. NDA can be executed by any number of people at once. Simply provide every party with their own capsule before executing the agreement. Parties can extend the duration of effect by consuming additional NDA. more

Tin Foil Hats - When it is Not All in Your Mind

Tin Foil Hats - When it is Not All in Your Mind

How IBM Trolled East German Spies

In the late 1960's IBM knew its technology was being smuggled into Communist block countries. One designer decided to sent a message etched into one of the circuit boards of the IBM 360 computer. Written in Russian, the message loosely translates to, "When do you want to stop to swipe. Own design is better."

more

Thanks to one of our readers... Hi Kevin,
Your latest post incorrectly states the name of the U.S. company whose semiconductor engineers put a hidden message in their computers for GDR's Stasi semiconductor spies to see. I said "DEC" in my email because that was the name of Digital Equipment Corporation--not IBM.

Also, the message wasn't "etched into one of the circuit boards of the IBM 360 computer", as you stated--it was microscopically etched onto the silicon die of a DEC memory chip that was used in DEC (not IBM) computers, and could only be seen after someone used acid to dissolve the chip packaging to expose the die for reverse-engineering. I thought all that would be clear to you from the video, so I didn't belabor it.

You might want to correct that info on your website.

Cheers,

Israel Sending Spy Cows in Palestine

The official daily news publication of the Palestinian Authority, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida claims that a Palestinian villager came upon Israeli cattle and made up a story about how Israel has been covertly teaching the cattle to spy on Palestinians.

According to Palestinian villager Rushd Morrar, who spoke to the daily, “These are hired and trained cattle. They hang a medallion with an eavesdropping and recording device, occasionally with cameras, on the neck of each cow to keep an eye on every little thing that happens in Khirbet Yanun.

Additionally, he allegedly asserted that “the settlers release herds of wild boars” to obliterate all Palestinian crops. more

Best Opening Line of a Scam Email Ever (off topic)

Dear Friend, 

I am enchanted using this tremendous opportunity to converse with you in this medium of communication....

From, Mr. James Mensa, the accounting manager in the Bank of Africa Ltd., Ghana... offering me "US$4.6million us dollars." I declined the money, however the opening sentence is priceless. I'm stealing that for my own use. ~Kevin

Video Door Bells Get Their Own TV Show

Wanda Sykes is knocking on the door of syndication with a new series that features videos taken from Ring doorbells.

The comedian is to host Ring Nation, a new twist on the popular clip show genre, from MGM Television, Live PD producer Big Fish Entertainment and Ring.

The series, which will launch on September 26, will feature viral videos shared by people from their video doorbells and smart home cameras.

It’s a television take on a genre that has been increasingly going viral on social media.

The series will feature clips such as neighbors saving neighbors, marriage proposals, military reunions and silly animals. more

Shocking Security Discovery: Fake Surveillance Cameras Don't Deter Crime

TX - Mount Bonnell is known for its spectacular views of Austin, but it’s also getting a reputation as a hot spot for car break-ins... 

From Jan. 1 – March 7, there have been 100 car burglaries within 2,000 feet of the park according to the Austin Police Department’s Crime map... 

Austin Parks and Recreation told KXAN after a rash of incidents in July, August and September, it installed dummy cameras at Mount Bonnell as a theft deterrent... 

The department told us the fake cameras were later removed since crime did not decrease. more

'Leaked' Chinese Spy-Spoof Mocking US Draws Response From MI6

A British intelligence official has thanked China for "free publicity" after state media posted a James Bond spoof in a misguided attempt to mock western intelligence agencies. 

Beijing-backed Xinhua news posted a spoof video on Twitter with a tongue-in-cheek caption claiming to have found a "leaked video" of a "secret meeting" between MI6 - the organization that employs famous fictional spy James Bond - and CIA agents after British Chief of Secret Intelligence Service Richard Moore announced that the UK considered China its "single greatest priority." 

The video drew a rare response from Moore... more

A New "Mobile" Phone - Complete with No Apps

Ever wish you had a mobile phone that would really turn heads?
One where you could call your friends, real or imaginary?
One that would look at you with loving eyes? 

Your past is now your future...