| Batteries Tony Blair is a lame-duck, just like George Bush. But I have to say, Tony seems to be having more fun with it. He was doing a little saber-rattling with the Persians over their nuclear weapons program, and he was at his puckish best when they asked him about the fake rocks that the Russians claim his diplomats placed in Moscow . You would think that Russia would have plenty of rocks, just as they do gold and oil, but that is not true. These were special rocks. Hollow ones that can store data and burst it out over wireless communications up to sixty feet. The Russians are quite upset. They claim that espionage ended in 1994 by gentleman's agreement. They have a grainy video image showing a figure in a bulky mackintosh poking at ething that could be a rock. There is an inset photo of a rock with its top off, revealing the transmitter and hard drive. Mr. Blair laughed the matter off, saying that Her Majesty's Government never talked about national security issues, unless they felt like it. Which he didn't. I don't think you should use fake rocks unless they are really good fakes . I know a source that makes them really small. But there are problems with that. The biggest problem with successful espionage is getting the data out. In the old days, that meant a complex process of dead-drops and signals to exchange information or documents. It is a problem as old as the craft itself, which is the second oldest in the world. Modern technology permits wireless communications, which means that a secret “hot spot” can quickly transfer data from a hand-held device in the safety and privacy of a passing car, no dismount required. But with every improvement comes another challenge; in this case, range and power. The more power, the further the rock can transmit. But the more power, the bigger the battery has to be, and the shorter the service life. Someone has to go out and replace the battery to keep it working. I'd give a lot to solve the battery problem. If I could do that, the spies would love me. Not to mention the cell phone and personal massage device industries. Here in America , they don't have to worry about battery life. There are thousands of foreigners wandering around the country. They are looking for a more valuable commodity than national secrets. Their target is the intellectual property of U.S. companies, which can be purchased, or stolen, and then reverse-engineered or simply copied. Most Chinese companies are working with pirated versions of MicroSoft software, which is only a symptom of a pandemic of piracy. If you reduce overhead and add low labor costs, the Chinese business model is unbeatable . And the best part is, batteries are not included. |