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Former Lockheed Skunkworks Engineer Auctioning a Prototype "Spy Rock"
ilikenwf writes "For a cool $10,000,000.00, the prototype of a surveillance rock full of spy gadgets could be yours! More importantly, server backups from the gentleman's time at Lockheed are included, being the real valuable in this auction, as it contains schematics and such. The seller seems to think that the current xBee radio products are actually based on his work with Lockheed. The proceeds will go towards legal action the seller is apparently taking against his former employer." This may be the most unusual eBay product description I've ever encountered, and one of the most interesting, too.
even though this guy designed the hardware, wouldn't the documents and hardware be considered Intellectual Property of Lockheed?
It's not a typo if you understood the meaning!
Does the rock also keep tigers away? Because if so, SOLD!
I.. what? What, is Slashdot the new weekly world news?
Support the EFF and Creative Commons. The war is coming, and they're supporting you...
Something tells me that version 2.0 of these skunk-work projects will show up at your doorstep if you show serious interest in this offer.
To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
Because a Rasberry Pi, slightly outdated cellphone, wireless router, digital TV tuner card or USB device, flash memory, styrofoam, and spraypaint aren't exactly that expensive as OTS component resources in regards to being able to roll your own. Outside of custom software and knowing how to put the hardware together, it should be possible for under $1000 easy.
I wonder if 'free shipping' also includes trans-Atlantic shipping? To eh.. say Russia, for example?
Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
It is a pity that the poster has never actually read the description of the auction, otherwise they would have found that:
"The pictures depicted from this auction show some of the early prototypes from the project; however, it should be noted that none of that hardware will be included in this auction as I had a non-intentionally set fire :) that transpired at my house in the storage area where my prototypes were, that destroyed most if not all of the prototype hardware from the initial project development with Lockheed. Those pictures were taken during the development process at one of Lockheed's SCIFs located in Northern Virgina, as is evidenced by the yellow caution tape you see on the floor there in the first few pictures. The last picture was one of the sample images generated from a RockCam installed across the street from one of the engineer's house."
and
" 1) Microhard Spectra 910 900MHz serial line radio with power supply (this was a prototype 900MHz radio that I believe went on to become the current generation of ZigBee-based XBee radios; 2) A collection of PC104-based enclosures and motherboards, with various interfacing such as serial ports, USB ports, etc; 3) A Mobile Wireless Technologies RM1000g AVS vehicle transponder with WWAN and GPS tracking support; 4) Novate wireless prototyping board; 5) GNU X-Tools cross compilation software; and 6) A CD filled with backup materials during several years of the company (the most valuable part of this auction obviously)"
So still some nice hw and docs, but certainly no "spy rocks" included. RTFA, guys!
SkunkWorks? Don't they design aircraft? What in the world would an advanced airframe design company want with a rock with a camera in it? And for sure they wouldn't have to hire a sub to design it if they did...
Karma: Bad
A bridge perhaps?
It's spelled Lockheed
This started the war in iRock
Table-ized A.I.
This may trigger a fad called something like "pet rocks".
Table-ized A.I.
Did he already sell the Dogpoop Cam? I hear it was cancelled because they got tired of wiping prototypes off their shoes.
Table-ized A.I.
See "Estimated annual revenue" -- $20K
I guess $10M for this shiny rock would bolster the annual revenue a tad...
Karma: Bad
I suspect this is the starting material for a rock cam, I.E. a rock. Good luck with selling that.
For a cool $10,000,000.00, the prototype surveillance rock full of spy gadgets box could be yours! More importantly, home server backups from the gentleman's time at Lockheed are included, which was real valuable to this auction as that's where schematics and such are. The seller seemed to think that the current xBee radio box is actually based on his square design done at Lockeed. Proceeds go towards legal action; The seller is allegedly taking against his former employer's wishes....
And you can keep your weed in there, man!
an old 3g phone with android and no apps, but one app for spying is enough.
There, $50 of hardware needed, nothing else.
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
Will be interesting to see if there is really someone who buys before the auction ends. In effect, he/she will fund the legal campaign of his/her opponent ...
You know it's time for the next revolution when your rulers' names end with roman numerals.
I am auctioning this off for the stated price to fund a legal team in DC dig into my dismissal from the company and to determine where the AWA intellectual property went after the demise of AWA.
And what is the interesting part of the auction? A backup CD full of AWA intellectual property. If someone sues him over selling that CD and infringing upon their IP, then he knows who currently owns the IP, and he can in discovery find out how they obtained it—providing the evidence needed to file his own lawsuit.
It sounds like a bit of a gamble, though: What if, say, the customer lists and the patents went to different places? Then the owners of the former could sue him, but he would not get the information he's looking for.
Sounds like it's higher than the value of the goods to me... if he wants outsiders to fund his legal action, he needs to offer a share of the spoils...
Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
NSA sucks up any nations data. This is more a ~CIA, MI6 surveillance product.
Add in the radiation details, 3 years of operation: thinking Iran, North Korea?
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
The US would like to drop/park a rock in some country with active nuclear testing or expected nuclear leak issues.
So that science data would be collected and compressed back to a US site without Soviet/Russian/China/French?/German? local 'spy radio' detection systems been made aware?
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Sniffing/monitoring WLAN would be traceable maybe even expected where used?
This notes years hidden with options to conserve energy, get more useful life from the sun and radiation detectors with local weather details. Images over low-capacity mesh radio is just fine if its one 'site' and under years of expansion.
Different mission to devices like http://rt.com/news/spy-rock-britain-admit-147/ (2006)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/9022827/Russian-spy-rock-was-genuine-former-chief-of-staff-admits.html
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
The point is to make Lockheed or whoever else pay him his 10%.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
I'm thinking this guy is setting himself up for 50 years behind bars, or getting "disappeared", for pursuing this.
Signature intentionally left blank.
10 minutes ago, a hover-over of the main picture yielded "583 people are viewing this per hour". 10 minutes later just now, it's up to 592.
As more people wake up this number should go up.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Then make some explosive shells, and sit them out in the wilderness for 60 years. Weathering will make some of them look like rocks. You really shouldn't pick them up, or even touch them, due to 60 years of erosion screwing with the triggering mechanism; so you won't actually be able to use them for anything.
But you'll have exploding rocks.
This just seems to be a bigger and fancier version of the seismic sensors that looked like dog droppings and were used during the Vietnam war.
maybe it's a double-agent rock
Taking pictures inside a SCIF with your personal electronic devices is a major no-no. This guy is about to get slapped down hard for that alone.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
You probably have a good imagination, it would seem.
This guy has a plan and it has nothing to do with actually succeeding with the auction... for the intended audience (maybe just one person) this is a shot across the bow, in a public forum, and the most important information (to the right person) is what is not said. 90% of this story (if it's not a hoax, which it probably is) will never be told, which may be the whole point here.
To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
If this guy's minimum price is ten million dollars, won't he be on the hook for several hundred thousand in fees to ebay if it doesn't sell?
If you're a zombie and you know it, bite your friend!
MI6 tried that and it was discovered back in 2006
Nobody born and bred in the U.S of A. ends their correspondence with cheers.
Just sayin'
Cheers!
More importantly, server backups from the gentleman's time at Lockheed are included, being the real valuable in this auction
I have a hard time imagining, that Lockheed has consented to release of server backups containing intellectual property they made or have an interest in.
Nobody born and bred in the U.S of A. ends their correspondence with cheers.
Lots of us do - and have for decades.
I've used it in email practically since there's been email - and I was born and raised almost in the center of the "radio accent" heartland.
It's short and often just the right tone for ending a written communication.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Several companies and government agencies have developed disguised sensors over the last 20 years. Not sure whats unique, or why the seller thinks his ideas and those of his company were stolen.