Florin Necula downloaded a flash drive in January to the surprise of Secret Service agents who had arrested him on suspicion of credit card theft. the Kingston flash drive was in his pocket and he swallowed it while in custody. The problem is that “this too will [not] pass.” Necula has finally agreed to have the flash drive surgically removed after it failed to pass naturally.
The question now is whether the flash drive will be readable after being exposed to stomach acids over a long period. A Kingston executive Mike Sager noted (in the most understated comment of the year) “as you might imagine, we have no actual experience with someone swallowing a USB.”
Necula is currently being held without bail at a Queens jail.
For the full story, click here.
Prof Turley,
How dare you illustrate a SanDisk Cruzer instead of the Kingston brand! SandDisks are much better and more expensive.
I just purchased 2-16GB Cruzers.
Maverratick,
I plan to keep U3 on one 16GB USB and uninstall it on the other. The utility is useful for some situations/applications.
The flash drive in the picture comes with an annoyingly bossy program called U3… the drive presents itself to your computer not as a USB flash drive, but as a USB hub with the standard flash drive behind it along with a virtual CD-ROM drive. The “CD-ROM” does an autoinstall of U3 which expects you to back up your entire computer onto the drive. I bought a three-pack of these and it’s quite annoying to uninstall it three times.
Actually a long time ago my flash drive accidentally got into the washing and drying machine and it survived.
I wonder if this flash drive was marketed as “Green”?
Rest assured it’s brown now.
I think from the story the person being held did not consent to the search.
I wonder if this flash drive was marketed as “Green”?
Really, he should sue the manufacturer of the flash drive for failure to either make the drive digestible or put a warning on it that it should not be swallowed.
“Woodland’s Nugget Market”,Interesting name of a store,with this charge being leveled.
Speaking of arrests
A Yolo County judge on Monday sentenced a man who walked out of a store with a package of cheese in his trousers to seven years and eight months in prison.
Prosecutors had originally sought a life sentence for Robert Ferguson under the state’s “three strikes” law. They dropped that bid last month, saying a psychological report had convinced them that a life sentence wasn’t warranted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/02/2575168/woodland-cheese-shoplifter-gets.html
A PSA :
THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON’T TELL YOU:
1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier..
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste … And taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.
5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters.
10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.
12. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)
8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON’T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn’t hear it again, he’ll just go back to what he was doing. It’s human nature.
4. I’m not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
5. I love looking in your windows. I’m looking for signs that you’re home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I’d like. I’ll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.
6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page.. It’s easier than you think to look up your address.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation.
8. If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.
Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis , who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.