# What would you do with the “Spy-Speck”™ **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2014, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441 "2014-07-18T10:54:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/1 "2014-07-18T10:54:23Z")
Welcome to the Bibliovore Advanced Science, Technology And Research Division, or B.A.S.T.A.R.D. where we pride ourselves on developing the most advanced hypothetical technologies, powered entirely by Quantum [SIZE=“1”](or possibly phlogiston)[/SIZE]. Our latest offered item is the all-new “Spy-Speck” ™, an invisibly minute mobile camera with audio-pickup capability and anti-gravity self-propulsion. Tinier than a speck of dust, this remarkable feat of technological wizardry can be remotely directed by you to hover or fly in any direction, or can be programmed to fly autonomously in a pre-determined pattern or to hold a position either at a fixed point or relative to a moving target. The Spy-Speck is to all intents and purposes invisible to the naked eye and utterly silent, and Features: • Unlimited maximum range – you can control the Spy-Speck™ from anywhere on the planet. • Spy-Speck™ can function underwater and • All images and audio will be streamed to you instantly in Ultra-HD and with crystal-clear audio. Images and audio may be streamed to your TV, computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone or Google glasses, or to your SmartView™ neural implant (sold separately). Limitations: • Spy-Speck™ can only use ambient visible light and cannot film in anything other than the visible spectrum • Maximum flight speed is 50mph • Maximum battery life is one month – must return to docking station to recharge, where charging takes 24 hrs • Due to demand, we must unfortunately limit sales to one per customer Share your experiences! If you have a story about the Spy-Speck™ and how you’ve used it, let B.A.S.T.A.R.D. and our other fine customer know! ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/2 "2014-07-18T11:24:31Z")
Welcome to a whole new world of amateur porn. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/3 "2014-07-18T12:11:26Z")
It’s been done. > **[The Light of Other Days](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Light_Of_Other_Days)** > > The Light of Other Days is a 2000 science fiction novel written by Stephen Baxter based on a synopsis by Arthur C. Clarke, which explores the development of wormhole technology to the point where information can be passed instantaneously between points in the spacetime continuum. > Wormhole technology has advanced to the point where information can be passed instantaneously between points in the spacetime continuum. The wormhole technology is first used to send digital information via gamma ray... ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/4 "2014-07-18T12:43:11Z")
Going to take some awesome nature movies - set it to fly just in front of various animals, just in front of their heads, pointing forwards. Like a bird of prey (obviously not a peregrine falcon), or a shark, or a lion, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/5 "2014-07-18T13:07:15Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > It’s been done. > > [The Light of Other Days - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Light_Of_Other_Days) Yup, read that, and I quite enjoyed it as I recall. What would \*you \*do with a device like that though? ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/6 "2014-07-18T13:23:42Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Welcome to a whole new world of amateur porn. Nailed it in one. I’d also be interested in the greedy applications: insider trading, corporate espionage, hell, international espionage. I’d almost be even more interested to see the reactive technologies - knowing this is out there and widely available, are there countermeasure that we can develop? Or are we all going to have to get used to a brave new world of no secrets? (… or are we already _in_ a world with no secrets, but with this out there, we’d have to actually admit it?!) ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/7 "2014-07-18T15:37:40Z")
Not sure what I’d do. But I’ll be waiting for the first story where A spies on B only to find B already spying on A. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/8 "2014-07-18T15:41:40Z")
I dropped it when i opened the package. Now what? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/9 "2014-07-18T15:47:20Z")
I would test it in various ways to see how it might be spoofed without alerting whoever is controlling it. SpeckSpoof, through equipment, training, and updates should provide me a tidy income stream while also protecting my customers from your customers. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/10 "2014-07-18T20:30:56Z")
I would use it to photograph the plans to the Spy-Speck™ from B.A.S.T.A.R.D. and sell them to their competitor. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/11 "2014-07-18T20:54:27Z")
I’d hang out in the boardrooms at Sony and Blizzard and make a name for myself as a game info leaker–under an anonymous pseudonym behind many layers of proxies. ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/12 "2014-07-18T21:01:37Z")
I don’t know but I loved her in _Coal Miner’s Daughter_. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/13 "2014-07-19T00:33:33Z")
Less creepy uses: place it inside machinery to help troubleshoot (the high frame rate option is useful for observing moving parts). > [@running\_coach](#): > > I dropped it when i opened the package. Now what? Use the remote to move it back into the bottle. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/14 "2014-07-19T01:32:55Z")
I dunno, I don’t think I’ll worry much about this scenario. I figure Rhymer Enterprises will wipe these guys out in a hostile takeover long before the first prototype ships. Do I worry about Skald having this technology? Nah, he’s already had it for years. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/15 "2014-07-19T02:05:04Z")
I’d make a killing selling adhesive no-pest strips. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-with-the-spy-speck/693441/16 "2014-07-19T11:31:27Z")
My local government would get a surprise clean-up.