"The P'gaackan Discombobulator''
by Kaden
"Welcome to Eccentric Genius...I'm Kaden;
I'm responsible.
More or less.
I build antiques from ...er ...somewhere else. A parallel universe where Leonardo Da Vinci, John Cleese and Jimmy Neutron spend every Tuesday night playing poker with Sherlock Holmes, and the Victorian era 'gentleman inventor' still toils diligently in his potting shed laboratory."
He builds other cool stuff, too.
It was the best of cats, and the worst of cats...
It's no great shock that cat lovers can get a little excessive when it comes to their feline friends. But one company, banking on the fact there are more than a few prospective pet owners willing to part with some serious ka-ching for a kitten, is selling a designer breed of cat that costs $22,000.
The Ashera, bred by Los Angeles-based Lifestyle Pets, "is a new ultra-exotic breed of domestic cat that already has wealthy animal devotees paying to get on the waiting list," the company press release claims. (more)
Cat breeders say descriptions of the Ashera bear a striking resemblance to an already recognized breed, dubbed the Savannah, which is a cross between a domestic cat and a wild African serval. (more)
We won't pussy-foot around on this one. This smells of either espionage, scam or blatant rip-off. Remember the Portuguese Water Dog v. Charlie Dog affair? Perhaps $22,000. is reasonable for a big kitty-cat? If so, we will name ours Audry III. "The guy sure looks like cat food to me."
Privacy killing pens - audio & video - are out there, in force.
Know your enemy...
Sample features...
• 2-18 hours of recording time.• Some record and store. Some transmit wirelessly.• Automatic sensitivity - equalizes volume of near and far speakers.
• USB connection to computers for sound downloading and recharging.
• Easy to use.
• Good quality sound. Acceptable quality video.
Some look clunky, have strange buttons and are generally easy to detect visually.
Some are quite elegant and are difficult to detect visually.
Audio Models (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)
Video Models (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)
Cheap Imports (1)(2)(3)(4)
Once you are familiar with the Killer Pens it is time to check out the Killer Watches.
At some point in the not-too-distant future, a moth may take flight in the hills of northern Pakistan, and flap towards a suspected terrorist training camp.
But this will be no ordinary moth.
Inside it will be a computer chip that was implanted when the creature was still a pupa, in the cocoon, meaning that the moth's entire nervous system can be controlled remotely. The moth will thus be capable of landing in the camp without arousing suspicion, all the while beaming video and other information back to its masters via what its developers refer to as a "reliable tissue-machine interface."
The creation of insects whose flesh grows around computer parts — known from science fiction as cyborgs — has been described as one of the most ambitious robotics projects ever conceived by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the research and development arm of the U.S. Department of Defense. (more)
New Zealand - The Alliance says the use of spies and private investigators on political groups by Solid Energy would end under full public and democratic control of electricity and other state owned assets.The use of young people to infiltrate political groups by private investigators, who are linked to Solid Energy and other corporates, has been revealed by an investigative report in today's Sunday Star Times. (more)
The man who spied for state-owned company Solid Energy has faced up to one of the greenie friends he betrayed.
The 25-year-old Christchurch university student, Ryan Paterson, infiltrated an environmental group, Save Happy Valley, and for months passed information to a private eye about opposition to the company's planned West Coast coal mine.
"I mean I'm on the front page of the paper as a spy who would sell his soul to screw greenies and help big business," he says.
So what causes a man to rat on his friends and comrades? Love? Politics? "Money," he says. All up he received $2,000 to join the Save Happy Valley Coalition.
He says he feels terrible now because he came to believe in the cause. (more)
SC - Judy Johnson filed suit against Ambling Management Company, the company that oversees Pendleton Garden Apartments, for illegally recording private conversations on the apartment property.The class action lawsuit challenges the legality of the installation of “listening, eavesdropping and/or bugging devises and/or video surveillance devices in and around the residential apartment complex” and benefits Ms. Johnson and anyone else “similarly situated, “ the lawsuit said.Charles R. Griffin, attorney for Ms. Johnson, said the bugging was not only a violation of federal laws, but also a violation of Ms. Johnson’s right to privacy.“She’s kind of upset about it. She contacted the housing authority about it and wasn’t able to get relief,” he said. “She is still living there. She’s very uncomfortable right now.”According to the lawsuit, Ms. Johnson moved into an apartment at 210 Kirk Lane in Pendleton in March 2006. About a year later, she said she learned that “electronic, mechanical and/or other video and audio listening” equipment had been installed “in and around apartments” to “surreptitiously listen to tenants’, residents’ and guests’” conversations.”Later, on March 31, 2007, the lawsuit said, an employee of Ambling admitted to the surveillance devices at a Crimestoppers meeting at the apartment complex. (more)
Just seconds into the interview, Shiner catcher Maci Schaefer had to chase away one of her teammates who had cracked open the door to eavesdrop on the conversation."Get out!" Schaefer exclaimed. "She's trying to listen to me. Get out!"
It's all part of being the "big sister" on the Lady Comanches' softball team. (more)
A science enthusiast from Yorkshire is making waves in Scotland after capturing video footage of what he believes could be the Loch Ness Monster.
Gordon Holmes, from Shipley, travelled to the Scottish Highlands to use new hydrophone equipment in an attempt to eavesdrop on Nessie in the water. But after spending a day trying to get a sound recording of the monster, the 55-year-old believes he has gone one step further by capturing the creature on camera.
He said: "I was sat in a lay-by about 70ft above the loch – it was 10pm but the sun was still shining on the mountains on the other side. "I was minutes from going home and I had only..." (more)
(from a press release) "CPFilms Inc., a unit of Solutia Inc., announced today that it is introducing LLumar® Signal Defense Security Film, a high-tech clear window film for businesses and high net-worth individuals looking to secure and protect the confidentiality of their wireless and other “free-space” electronic communications. The film is ideally suited for industries where securing confidential information and protecting data is paramount – such as retail, healthcare, and the financial services industry.
Patented technology built into LLumar Signal Defense film reduces electronic signal leakage through windows, a building’s point of least resistance, by serving as a transparent barrier that allows light to pass through, while minimizing transmission of wireless (WiFi), radio frequency (RF), and other electronic signals." (press release)(patent)
Think about it...
Do radio waves only travel through windows?
Does "reduced" signal leakage prevent interception?
"Tested and Proven" ???... Got proof?
What are the attenuation measurements?
Perhaps this would be effective if it were presented as part of a larger architectural shielding effort. In our opinion, the inventors worked hard and developed a clever and potentially useful product. But, to promote this film as a simple paste-on eavesdropping solution is neither credible, nor honest.
The electronic spying program instituted at the NHL Players’ Association targeted 45 players, was referred to as “Big Brother” and extended to ex-union chief Ted Saskin examining how individual players voted in the secret ballot to ratify the NHL labor deal, according to sources familiar with a report on the matter. Among other details from the report, according to sources: Saskin systematically read the personal e-mails of players and union staff members for more than a year, but stopped briefly because he was concerned about legal implications in the wake of the Hewlett-Packard corporate surveillance scandal. Saskin resumed reading the messages when he learned of an effort by NHL players to authorize an investigation into his hiring and other activities. (more)
"Would you rather have an iPhone or a Wristphone?"
SMS - a quad-band cell wristphone.
It includes a 1.5-inch color touch screen display with stylus, Bluetooth 2.0, audio (MP2/AAC) and video (MP4) player, 128MB of storage and about 200 minutes of talk or 80 hours standby before a USB recharge is required (deep breath) Time / Date, Last Number Redial, Recent Calls, Missed Calls, File Manager, 199 Contacts, SMS Messages, Multi Languages, Flight Mode and Email.
The manufacturer says delivery of the SMS M500 Phonewatch is within 45 days of ordering. Cost ≈$822.USD
Hewlett-Packard says former VP Karl Kamb betrayed the company. He claims HP got his private phone records and spied on Dell. ...
Once again HP is accused of using shady and aggressive investigative tactics, including a high-pressure interrogation that reduced one of its own executives to tears. There's even an allegation - or more than an allegation, as we'll soon see - of corporate espionage.
How did it unfold? (more)
The Hand &Flowers restaurant / pub is located in the beautiful Georgian town of Marlow, UK. There you will find award winning cuisine by Michelin chefs, in warm and welcoming surroundings. Their Fish & Chips dish (awarded Best in the UK - 2005) is delicious and well worth the journey. An Abbot Ale makes the meal complete.
While in the area, visit The Hellfire Caves in West Wycombe. They consist of almost a mile of underground passages with various figures depicting the life and times of the the members of the infamous Hellfire Club.
Pictured is the entrance to the cave.
"Hell-Fire clubs were notorious, thought to be the home of sexual rites, orgies, abuse of alcohol, hedonism, satanism, freemasonry, and the worst of all: free thought! All in all, much of it is probably true, but Satanic goings-on and Black Masses are most likely the product of imaginative fantasy. From todays point of view, where swinger clubs, rave parties and hard rock concerts are rather common, the 18th century bigotry seems rather naive.
Probably to be safe from witnesses or because of the strange atmosphere, Sir Francis Dashwood used the former chalk quarries of West Wycombe for meetings of his club. He enlarged them, which gave work to numerous men and produced enough chalk to build a road. The Monks of Medmenham doubtlessly held wild parties here, but it's doubtful that they ever did any more than that. The caves are cold, dank and damp and not very comfortable for orgies."
Hellfire is a perfect off-site corporate meeting location—the ultimate in privacy. I know someone who can make your event happen there. Call me when you are ready. ~Kevin
(more) (more photos)
It's no great shock that cat lovers can get a little excessive when it comes to their feline friends. But one company, banking on the fact there are more than a few prospective pet owners willing to part with some serious ka-ching for a kitten, is selling a designer breed of cat that costs $22,000.
We won't pussy-foot around on this one. This smells of either espionage, scam or blatant rip-off. Remember the Portuguese Water Dog v. Charlie Dog affair? Perhaps $22,000. is reasonable for a big kitty-cat? If so, we will name ours Audry III. "The guy sure looks like cat food to me."
At some point in the not-too-distant future, a moth may take flight in the hills of northern Pakistan, and flap towards a suspected terrorist training camp. 
A science enthusiast from Yorkshire is making waves in Scotland after capturing video footage of what he believes could be the Loch Ness Monster.
(from a press release) "CPFilms Inc., a unit of Solutia Inc., announced today that it is introducing LLumar® Signal Defense Security Film, a high-tech clear window film for businesses and high net-worth individuals looking to secure and protect the confidentiality of their wireless and other “free-space” electronic communications. The film is ideally suited for industries where securing confidential information and protecting data is paramount – such as retail, healthcare, and the financial services industry. 
Examples of espionage, successful competitive intelligence, cloning, and outright counterfeiting continue to rain down on the cell phone marketplace. (note: the wallpaper, Apple logo on rear, Apple power-up/down screen) 
(Kevin's refrain) 
While in the area, visit The Hellfire Caves in West Wycombe. They consist of almost a mile of underground passages with various figures depicting the life and times of the the members of the infamous Hellfire Club.
