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Programmer Arrested For Logic Bombing 'Whac-A-Mole'
McGruber writes "WFTV.com has the curious story of programmer Marvin Wimberly, who was arrested for having installed a logic bomb on Whac-A-Mole arcade games made by Bob's Space Racers in Holly Hill, Florida."
Mostly because any good software engineer could put a hard-to-find bug in the code. Thank goodness it takes a good social engineer to make money off it - and the two skills don't often overlap in real life (as much as software engineers seem to think they do).
The other reason programmers will never rule the world - eventually the whack-a-person machines will require Marvin to come fix them.
Quartz Extreme and Core Image. Are there any other real reasons to spend all that money on generic hardware?
Each game, after turning on and off a certain number of times, sometimes 50, sometimes 500, would fail. Wimberly would be paid to fix it, and police reports say, he would insert a new virus with a new countdown.
Does it really qualify as a virus?
> "If they hadn't of discovered that they had the virus installed > in the equipment, they wouldn't have known why their > machines were failing," said Cpt. Steve Aldrich, Holly Hill > Police Department.
Holly Hill's finest at work. You heard it here folks, if they hadn't of figured it out, they wouldn't have known!
... Actually, the article states that if he hadn't mentioned it, they wouldn't have been looking at a software "feature" at all.
Quartz Extreme and Core Image. Are there any other real reasons to spend all that money on generic hardware?
He's going to have to tell all the other inmates he's in for murder because he'll surely get his ass kicked for telling them he rigged Whack-A-Mole.
There are a lot of preposterous ways of winding up in the clink, and this is in the top 100.
Can you imagine, that in some states, he'll be sitting next to a guy in prison, who was busted for smoking marijuana.
Marvin: So, what are you in for?
Prisoner B: Smoking a joint while trying to relax at the carnival. You?
Marvin: Rigging whack-a-mole so it'll fail. on purpose.
And suddenly prisoner B is in jail for manslaughter.
Quartz Extreme and Core Image. Are there any other real reasons to spend all that money on generic hardware?
From his mugshot, he looks like a sad character. I kinda feel bad for what he's about to go through on his little vacation to the justice system. There are certainly worse things a person could do.
For Slashdot points, I will now note that what this guy planted was a logic bomb, not a virus.
I will mention that logic bomb is stated in the summary. In the article too, but also in the summary. In order to be commenting here, unless you wildly click on random stories and type random things ... you'd have to have read logic bomb.
For slashdot points, I will tell people to RTF ... summary ... before commenting.
Quartz Extreme and Core Image. Are there any other real reasons to spend all that money on generic hardware?
What wouldn't I do for a mod point?
Imagine the hilarity that would have ensued had it been Boon-Ga Boon-Ga that was rigged instead of Whack A Mole.
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At least when you defraud the government you don't have to worry about being prosecuted: http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/20/0228236/Feds-Pay-Millions-For-Bogus-Spy-Software
The US government have made it clear that we have no inalienable rights; any we do not defend vigorously will be taken.
Kill someone?
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
Nice code reviews. Way to go whac-a-mole!!!
When you have a tiny bit of quality, these things couldn't really happen and certainly the programmer could never be blamed.
But any which way I put it, the programmer in this case is a truly sorry character.
I hadn't the slightest objection to his spending his time planning massacres for the bourgeoisie... (P.G. Wodehouse)
Sounds like normal run of the mill american capitalism. Except I would call it a "Service Bomb".
I would recommend calling it "Forced Service Intervals" and get a pay raise in addition. Laser Printers anybody?
Kinda like having a 100000 mile warranty, and your cars engine dies at 103000 miles.
Exactly what I was thinking. My parents had a lightbulb in their garage that was there when they bought the house and never burned out in the subsequent 40 years and still hasn't burned out. Yet every incandescent bulb I've ever bought was only good for a couple hundred hours.
I hope his jury remembers what the corporations have been doing to them for decades and decades.
Orwell: "In a Time of Universal Deceit, telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act"
For Slashdot points, I will now note that what this guy planted was a logic bomb, not a virus.
I'm guessing Detective Sherlock here didn't read the title.
Insert logic bombs into slashdot to grant you five modpoints on a regular basis?
93rd rule of Slashdot: No matter how obvious my sarcasm is, my comment will be taken seriously by someone.
I've known "consultants" for small businesses that would replace failed components with other cheap components. That way he'd have a somewhat steady source of income. "That file server lost connectivity...probably that dlink nic I installed six months ago."
What are you talking about? The true Slashdot hardcore do not even read the TITLES, much less the summaries. The articles? Those don't actually exist. Ever tried clicking on one? Don't waste your time, there's never anything at the other end of that link.
That's insane, no rational human being can justify stealing music from content creators. If you want to listen, buy the media - period.
"All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
According to Google, two days ago.
I don't post AC. I like my -1, Flamebaits. Trump/Sheen 2012 on the Batshit Insane ticket!
I know the laser printer designed failure is true the fuser was designed so after a certain amount of use it would stay on overheat and kill the printer.
A friend had a printer with this feature and there was a reset on the printer to stop this happening , he got to find out from a service engineer. Unfortunately I can't remember which printer it was on.
must have been in the mid 90's when he told me about it. Funny thing is I can't find anything about it on google or even snopes. Anyone find any links
Blarney Quality Restaurant, Plants
15 years prison time? In comparison to other crimes that's pretty insane. This guy is a bigger danger to society than the numerous fraudsters that pushed the financial crisis? Bah.
FTFA:
" 'If they hadn't of discovered [...]' "
and:
" 'The real key is they need a piece of equipment that works from the Fourth of July, on the busiest day of the year, and it's consistent and they can depend on it,' Mike Lane, Bob's Space Racers."
Are media outlets contracting journalism work to illiterate morons now, or has it always been that way and I'm just now noticing it?
Is being able to read/write now considered 'elistism'{sic}?
No sig today...
Long lasting bulbs use more electricity. ie. It costs you more at the meter than the replacement bulbs.
No sig today...
It looks like the mole...
(sunglasses)
...got whacked.
YEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH!
If, however, he cannot afford two LEDs or two halogens, he is to bring as an offering for his sin ten AAA cells for a sin offering. He must not polish the contacts, because it is a sin offering. He is to bring it to the Senior Electrical Engineer, who shall take a couple of the cells as a memorial portion and insert them in the altar circuit with the offerings made to the Lord by short-circuit. It is a sin offering.
I think you are confusing the Klondike bar with a york peppermint patty.
Oh I couldn't find the one about the top of a mountain I think you were referring to.but I think this is close.
If you want it to be on Snopes, you need to circulate it in an email that makes it clear that there is imminent danger to everyone on the internet. Send it to everyone in your address book.
Now, now... let's not loose our temper. For all intensive purposes, your right.
Dark Reflection
Don't be silly. A 130-volt bulb has a higher resistance (for the same wattage rating) than a 120-volt bulb therefore at 120 volts pulls less current. It puts out less light, and runs at a lower temperature. And lasts longer. That's what most 'long life' bulbs are. The effect on lifetime is governed by the 12th power of the ratio of voltages, i.e. a 1500hr 130-volt bulb would last almost twice as long at 120 volts (1500e(130/120)).
He was committing fraud against honest people for his own benefit. He wasnt doing it as a joke, he was doing it to defraud.
Would you be saying the same thing if someone did the same thing to your laptop or your car.
15 years in prison is excessive but 5 years in prison would be about right.
Water pipe analogy for you:
Volts = water pressure
Amps/current = amount of water flowing.
Ohms = resistance to water flow.
Watts = amount of water flowing * pressure.
Bulb = narrow high resistance pipe attached to big pipe.
If you put a low amount of pressure (2V) across a narrow high resistance pipe there is no way a lot of current will flow through that pipe.
The higher the pressure the more current will flow.
A 130V 40W incandescent bulb will have about 420 ohms resistance at operating temperature and voltage, and be carrying 0.3 amps.
If you put 2 volts across a cold 130V 40W incandescent bulb, the bulb will be about 30 ohms (when cold[1]), and carry about 0.07 amps. The bulb certain won't blow up, nor would your wiring start burning up.
A 130 V 40 W bulb running 120 Volts will only be 34 watts (but I believe a smaller percentage of that will be visible light compared to a 120V 40W bulb).
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incandescent_light_bulb#Electrical_characteristics
True, but it still doesn't mean that long life bulbs use more electricity.
100W, 750 hour bulb -- 1710 lumens
100W, 1500 hour bulb -- 1580 lumens
so not a bad tradeoff
No, the moral of the story is to not hire criminals. If he didn't like the wages/working conditions he should get another job, not find ways to criminally bilk his current employer.
Author of Enyo: Up and Running from O'Reilly Media
Yes, replying to myself... a better article:
http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2011/02/24/worker-charged-after-virus-clubs-whac-a-mole.html
This semi-answers my questions. This and another article mention that this guy wrote the logic bomb only in 2008, presumably for much more modern incarnations of the hardware (modern microcontrollers almost always have onboard NVRAM of some kind, making this kind of trick easy to pull off with a field-deployed firmware 'upgrade'). For Whac-A-Mole, it stops working at the 512th reboot, although the original(er) article states he also bugged other games, one with a counter that kills the game at "48 or 49" cycles.
Caveat Emptor is not a business model.
Simple. You should feel self-pity for even considering to insult such people. Language is a complex beast and people have always changed it.
Seriously, you can mention grammatical mistakes to people. But don't be a dick about it.
I am not devoid of humor.