www.engadget.com/entry/1234000710040887
Fujitsu P7000 This is the academia remix of Judge Dredd. Berkeley genetics professor Ja sper Rine had his laptop nicked by a student, presumably after an exam p aper to enable cheating. In the lecture following, Rine calls out the th ief in front of the class and unveils some details about all the nasty g overnment and industry heavies he works for when not playing the role of mild-mannered biology professor and how all those nasties have vested interest in recovering some top secret data on that laptop (audio of th e nasty bits of the lecture is available). Returning the computer might get the FBI and the SEC off this kids back, but you gotta know this won t look good on his permanent record.
local authorities won't ever want you to blow a case b y talking about it... they usually want you to lay low and let their "tr ansponder data" do the talking. Specific secrets like transponders and tracking #'s from Microsoft are so mething you don't want people to know about... This kid would be best off just dumping it into a bathroom trashcan and w alking away... and this is probably more likely the reality of the ca se... by putting it on a unsecure laptop that he left laying around in some school classroom. If anything the Prof should be sweating it out for having proprietary industry data on an unsecured, personal machine. Keep it en crypted, keep it locked down, keep encrypted copies. This wasn't a desktop PC at the professor's hous e, this is a laptop that evidently he lugs back and forth to classes and who knows where else on a daily basis. For chrissakes, I keep my tax re cords on an encrypted PGP disk. It's not rocket science (which this guy might teach, for all I know). If Professor Dumbass were consulting for me, I'd be pretty pissed that he let this information get out, when it is a trivial matter to encrypt it and make it virtually unstealable under any circumstances. The FBI doesn't have enough time to record all the thefts, let alon e try to track down the thieves. He got Microsoft to track multiple versions of Windows for him? Super Secret pharmaceutical data running around on his laptop without enc ryption? If that part is true, he's the one who ought to be talking to t he man. The Prof is pissed and is trying to scare some punk into giving his lapto p back. But his LIES are WAY too over the top to be even remotely believ able. If the Prof had just said, "we have witnesses, if you bring it back, all will be forgotten" THAT would "maybe" have gotten it back. But now that the Prof has made a national news story out of this, any sma rt thief would just chuck the damn thing in a river or a dumpster. t hat's why he's pulling a stunt like this 7 Posted Apr 21, 2005, 9:30 AM ET by Andrew Stevens that just sounds like a typical teacher threat. ive heard many of them in my lifetime :D i bet the teacher just dosent want students to know about his porn stash.
The proff is relying and hoping that the guy isn't computer literate, otherwise he'd call his bluff. In fact it would be pretty funny if while the proff was saying all that, so meone got up and said "With all respect sir, that is complete bullshit".
Posted Apr 21, 2005, 10:06 AM ET by rednerd How was is that the person was smart enough not to connect the computer t o the network, yet they have "transponder data?" The transcripts don't say anything thing about classified data being on t he laptop but if there was the professor would be the first one to end u p in jail. Personally, I'd worry more about the kind of arse reaming the biotech com pany is going to give the prof. as biotechs seem to be wayyyy more paran oid about security and information leaks than most government entities.
Posted Apr 21, 2005, 10:19 AM ET by TB This guy is a legend in his own mind. Why even teach, sounds like he's ma king ridiculous $ with all the secret consulting work. The microsoft ser ial number tracking gives it away for me.
Posted Apr 21, 2005, 10:25 AM ET by acidreflux Well, if the thief thought that what the Prof was saying was actually tru e, it would probably just make him throw it in the trash, hence losing e verything that they are "trying" to get back. Second, if the thief doesn't know about the sensitive data, WELL NOW HE D OES!
Posted Apr 21, 2005, 10:29 AM ET by Adam I'm calling bullshit on this as well, but this looks like one of those pr ofs where if you said ANYTHING not in a completely academic tone, he'd j ump all over you. I think this actually might have hurt his chances of getting that laptop back rather than helping them.
Posted Apr 21, 2005, 10:30 AM ET by Elric What a moron this prof was. First to even have such "sensitive" data on a notebook that was EVER away from his direct vision and control. Second, that he then uses such stupid stories that go soo far over the top to a ttempt to bring compliance from a thief. If I'd been the one who stole i t, I'd have certainly kept it clear from any sort of public access until I was done with the curiousity factor then disposed of it after wiping it out with a degausser. But really, think about the stupidity involved up and down this line. Pro f for being stupid enough to be daily endangering data, the companies/go vernmental agencies involved for not taking more direct measures to prot ect "sensitive" information. In no way do I support the theif or theft e ither of the hardware or data, but let's start to hold the real idiots a ccountable for their crimes. Like the corporate ones for allowing real a nd dangerous data out and the thief for stealing. Of course, all that makes sense so it won't happen, instead we'll make fu n of crime and make more laws that infringe yet further on our few indiv idual freedoms when we already can't enforce the laws that are currently enacted.
Posted Apr 21, 2005, 10:44 AM ET by Juergen Seeing his body language and his speach tempo I am pretty sure he does no t believe himself. Seems to be nervous although he is used to talk infro nt of people.
" Shouldn't they have gotten it back, maybe an hour or so after it was stolen? From this perspective, it really just seems like the prof is saying "Some body stole my laptop, can I have it back please?"
Posted Apr 21, 2005, 10:55 AM ET by mitch I agree with everyone here that it smells of bologne, but I do think that there was very important data on that laptop. He doesnt say law enforce ment is already snooping them down, he is warning of possible consequenc es. If I were this "young man" I would have "lost control" of my bodily functions the second I heard that. Trashing it really isnt an option as it has his fingerprints.
Posted Apr 21, 2005, 10:57 AM ET by Fuzzy I love how it's all the professor's fault - yes he should have taken bett er care and more security with his laptop and the data, but for not one person here to bash the thief is puzzling to me. I've never had my lapto p stolen but I wonder how many here have actually taken the steps they s lam the prof for not taking? The person who stole the laptop should be the target of everyone - not th e poor schmoe who didn't secure it properly.
Larry Forney Well Fuzzy, many people get their laptop stolen all the time, including m e, but that's not what the story is about. Sure the kid is a dick and di d a stupid thing, but what makes this so goddamned funny is the Prof get ting his panties all in a bunch and laying the ACADEMIC SMACKDOWN. Shit, this kid has the prof by the balls, and the Prof knows he is in big tro uble. I love how so many bloggers, especially BB are all, "Dude, this pr of totally scared the shit out of me, even though I wasn't even there". I was laughing about three sentances into his little big man speech.
Alex I have to say that I am the System Administrator at another UC. The computers that I manage has NIH data on them and lo ads of other senstive data on it. We keep backups, but alot of data is o n peoples personal laptop, unencrypted. I know that the NIH and other co mpanies, that we deal with, would not really care about this. It would be diffcult to track when two cop ies of windows were to online. Even if they did, how the hell would the professor organize such a thing in a day?
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