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Canadian Coins Not Nano-Tech Espionage Devices
Necrotica writes "An odd-looking Canadian coin with a bright red flower was the culprit behind the U.S. Defence Department's false espionage warning earlier this year.
The odd-looking — but harmless — "poppy coin" was so unfamiliar to suspicious U.S. Army contractors traveling in Canada that they filed confidential espionage accounts about them. The worried contractors described the coins as "anomalous" and "filled with something man-made that looked like nano-technology," according to once-classified U.S. government reports and e-mails obtained by the AP."
Man this has tinfoil hat written all over it... Why wasn't the contractor given a government issued one?
I mean really, nanotech in coins? They use nanotech in computer processors and look how much time and effort it takes to make one of them.
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+2 Troll is Slashdot's way of saying groupthink is confused
The Defense Security Service is the same group that felt it was a good idea to ban access to their websites based on top level domain name. You see, they figured no one with a .edu domain name could be trusted despite universities being a large consumer of their services. I asked them how the heck we were supposed to view their site. They suggested that we "buy a .com" and then it would work fine. After weeks of explaining to them how bonehead an idea that was they changed their policy. *sigh*
From TFA: "'It did not appear to be electronic (analog) in nature or have a power source," wrote one U.S. contractor, who discovered the coin in the cup holder of a rental car. "Under high power microscope, it appeared to be complex consisting of several layers of clear, but different material, with a wire like mesh suspended on top.'" --AC
I agree. It is amazing that they used a high power microscope to analyze the coin but did not even try a simple web search (as you mentioned, the first hits for "remember souvenir" are right on the spot) and did not consider looking at www.mint.ca.
I can understand the concern, especially considering the quality and technical savvy of the Royal Canadian Mint. Here is part of the Wiki entry:
"The Mint has been at the forefront of currency innovation. Among the Mint's technical innovations have included its plating process, which consists of a multi-ply technology that allows electromagnetic signatures to be embedded in the coins, assuring readability in the coin-processing industries.[3] Its other innovation was the world's first coloured circulation coin, the 2004 Remembrance Day 25 cent piece, with a red poppy on the reverse. Further innovation was achieved with the adaptation of the Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) technology to coat its dies, extending the life of the die beyond that of past chrome coated dies.[4]" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Mint
Now, consider that the mint also makes coins for many other countries, US military contractors and security conscious travelers can be even more paranoid.
By the way, Canadian money is made by and controlled by the Canadian government... Do you know who makes and controls US currency? If you guessed the US government, you should check again.
Well, I would say that Americans remember their history lessons too, but most of them don't. Of course, the association of poppies with WW1 isn't really a part of American (US) culture. We cleverly avoided that part of that bit of unpleasantness.
As a side note, do you know what Camerone Day is? Why not? Perhaps because it's not part of YOUR history....
and that a "red poppy looking flower" is probably A POPPY!!!
Which clearly shows that the coin is an advertisement for a druglord, eh? :)
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
What I want to know is why it didn't occur to anyone to 1) call Canada and ask them or 2) call a coin collector and ask them or 3) use google, rather than running around like headless chickens.
Pity it wasn't the one dollar coin, then we could have had a cheap jibe about loonies. Oh well, eh.
It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
Just released, from the Royal Canadian Mint:a spx?requestedPath=/en-CA/Home/default.htm
http://www.mint.ca/royalcanadianmintpublic/index.
Or to quote wikipedia: "On May 3, 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a Gold Maple Leaf coin with a face value of One Million Dollars, though the gold content was worth over $2 million at the time. It measures 50 cm in diameter by 3 cm thick and weighs 100 kilograms, with a purity of 99.999%."
100 Kilograms equals roughly 220 pounds. Sadly however, it is doubtful that coin would fit in most American vending machines.
...Google "remember souvenir" (the words on the coin)...It's worth pointing out that "souvenir" on the coin does not mean that it is a souvenir 25-cent piece. The coin is legal tender, and souvenir is the infinitive form of the verb to remember in French.
The reference is to the following poem, taught in elementary school around remembrance day (November 11th) in Canada. Written by Canadian John McCrae, during the first world war. I recall it made a pretty decent impact on me - war is no picnic.
In Flander's Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flander's fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, tho poppies grow
In Flander's fields.
Liet. -Col. John McCrae
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Just because everyone here thinks Intelligent Swarm or some other Sci-Fi thing when they hear nanotechnology doesn't mean that everyone does.
I've heard it argued that modern micro-processors should be called nanotechnology since they're made with transistors on sub-100nm scales. Note that the processors themselves are quite visible with the naked eye.
"Choosing to refrain from producing another person demonstrates a profound love for all life" [vhemt.org]