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Researchers Reprogram Voting Machine To Run Pac-man

Posted by samzenpus on from the vote-cherry-this-year dept.

Philom writes "Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that electronic voting machines can be reprogrammed to steal votes, so when researchers Alex Halderman and Ari Feldman got their hands on a machine called the Sequoia AVC Edge, they decided to do something different: they reprogrammed it to run Pac-Man. As states move away from insecure electronic voting, there's a risk that discarded machines will clog our landfills. Fortunately, these results show that voting machines can be recycled to provide countless hours of entertainment."

11 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Game over, man by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And I, for one, welcome our new l33t haXor Congressmen and Presidents.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. On A Voting Machine? by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 5, Funny

    Doesn't that mean we'll need an audit trail to verify a player's score?

    1. Re:On A Voting Machine? by sharkey · · Score: 3, Funny

      No, it means we'll need anti-virus and a condom dispenser.

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  3. wrong title by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Corporate Dollars Reprogram Voters To Elect PACmen"

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_action_committee

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  4. Repurpose them as educational systems by TheHawke · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Reprogram them so they can go to work in schools as touchscreen systems for pre-k to 6th graders. They were built to take a beating so a bunch of kids could not put much of a hurt on them, right?

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    First rule of holes; When in one, stop digging.
  5. This is terrible news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We don't need people in government going around chasing ghosts.

    We need to do something about the threat from space invaders.

  6. At some point by Dyinobal · · Score: 4, Funny

    At some point you can't get away with calling yourself researchers. What next "Researchers strap fireworks to cat"

    1. Re:At some point by Spatial · · Score: 4, Funny

      Are you implying that Powered Feline Flight is not a respectable scientific publication?

  7. Re:What would Namco say? by MBGMorden · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If Namco doesn't like it they'll send the letter anyways. If if you're legally ok, is it worth hiring a lawyer to go to court and fight it? Namco (like most large companies) keeps one on staff, so sending him to court is just them using a paid for asset.

    The sad truth is that in today's society, if a corporation says to stop doing something, it's usually smart to stop it. You can't afford to prove your innocence.

    --
    "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
  8. Close but not quite by dreamchaser · · Score: 4, Funny

    Actually I think we are in more danger from Asteroids than from Space Invaders.

  9. Re:What would Namco say? by MightyMartian · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'd make it a criminal offense to assert copyright violation where none exists.

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    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.