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Tech Know:
It begins with a phone call from your handler. The telephone voice changer disguises "Contact L's" voice so well you don't know if you're talking to a man or a woman. You have one, too. Yours is built into your telephone; at the press of a button you can sound like a burly gorilla or a very feminine child. "We have word that the Higashi Unit is planning a big event next
Thursday night. You need to get us the details," Contact L says.
You're ready in a flash and off to plant some bugs after hours. As a hapless doorman lets you into Higashi Unit, your color video
optical GRII glasses capture the code to the main office door. These
innocent-looking glasses have been invaluable on many missions—the
tiny camera in the bridge transmits video back to your van. As an added
bonus, the glasses are photo-chromatic, becoming sunglasses in bright
light.
Left alone for a moment to "repair" the office computer network,
you slide a tiny Minox camera out of your pocket and snap
photos of the documents on the reception desk. Of all your tools, this
one makes you feel most like a spy—it has that elegant, slim design
that's been a classic since the '30s.
Within 15 seconds of entering the office, you're at the computer and
installing eBlaster. Setting it up so that it sends you automatic
email every 30 minutes, the program delivers reports on everything that
happens on the computer—websites visited, chat and instant messenger
conversations, and applications run. You also install Spector to automatically
capture screenshots of the computer as work progresses. It runs in stealth
mode so the office workers will never know it's spying on them. You'll
need to get back on their network later to pick up the images. You breathe a sigh of relief as you return to the van. Now the waiting game begins. Within 24 hours, you have exactly what you need—Higashi Unit's detailed plans. You must deliver these to Contact L immediately. The usual drop spot is Meguro Citizen's Center's library. The English fiction section doesn't get a lot of traffic, and it's easy to plant a book safe without fear of detection. Inside the book's hollowed-out interior, you place an encrypted CD-ROM and a note written with disappearing ink. The message fades after 48 hours, leaving a blank sheet in the event that the pick-up is not made in time. You signal Contact L by taping a Bicycle For Sale sign to the bulletin board at National Azabu Supermarket. Over the photo of the bike, you've written a message in invisible ink. The ink is UV sensitive—invisible in normal light, it glows brilliantly under ultraviolet light. Your message points Contact L to the library shelf. A quick glance in your look-behind sunglasses confirms that Contact L was ready and waiting. You glimpse a hand snatching your bicycle ad from the bulletin board. The reflective tape on the inside edge of your glasses isn't clear enough to make out details, but you know your message has been delivered. Now if only you could figure out why Contact L wanted the plans for Thursday night's charity ball. See the following websites for information on these products and many more gadgets. Shopping Details: |
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634: Sony coming back off the ropes
630: High def, high stakes 626: Fully loaded 622: Heavyweight handset 619: Greener and cleaner 614-615: All on board 610: Talkie Walkie 606: Gadgets, gear and good things… 603: Viva la Revolution 599: Bigger just rocks, K? 595: Double data dose 591: Turtle-tastic Takara 587: Spies like them 583: Remotely entertaining 579: Tick tock, ya don’t stop 575: Two-in-one 571: Camera superba 567: Tourist-tastic 563: Square eyes 558: Small screen 554: Muscle power 550: Fat off the lamb 546: Long lens 542: The Weird and the Wonderful from Japan's Gadget Gurus 540: Picture perfect J Mark Lytle rounds up some good-looking gear-appealing MD players, attractive iPod companions, and a svelte little cellphone. 538: High spirits J Mark Lytle hits the high-tech sauce once again. 536: Six of the best J Mark Lytle gets half a dozen lashes of the high-tech cane. 534: Soup’s on J Mark Lytle tucks into another feast of innovative concepts. 532: Worth its wait? J Mark Lytle checks in with the electronics big boys. 530: Rich itch J Mark Lytle checks out some financially demanding gadgetry. 528: Telly addicts Televisual entertainment is never far from the hearts of the Japanese and the ledgers of the electronics big boys, so we’ve had a twiddle with a couple of the newest gadgets in the field and pondered a groundbreaking new recording medium. Elsewhere, music soothes the savage breast. 526: Future perfect J Mark Lytle comes to grips with a few of the more out-there gizmos around. 524: Digital delights J Mark Lytle cooks up a storm of high-tech desirables. 522: Chips with everything J Mark Lytle does the rounds of the nation's smartest companies once more. 520: Coming soon… J Mark Lytle rounds up the new and the soon-to-be-great of the gadget world. 518: Ides of March J Mark Lytle plucks some fragrant seasonal flowers for your high-tech enjoyment. 516: Coming up roses J Mark Lytle returns with a few new takes on familiar technology. 514: What you need J Mark Lytle uncovers a hatful of gadgety gems for the pre-spring fallow season. 512: A kind of hush J Mark Lytle shakes himself from the post-holiday slumber to get wired all over again. 509/10: Wrapping up 2003 J Mark Lytle gets all nostalgic and picks the cream of this year's crop. 508: All kinds of everything J Mark Lytle reports on five products that'll get your tech-hungry heart racing. 506: Apple picking With the launch of its first retail shop outside the US, a resurgent Apple takes aim at a market that loves its gadgets. Steve Trautlein goes shopping. 504: Cleaning up Our latest gadget grab-bag includes some odd ofuro entertainment, the world's most losable MD player, and several ways to fill that USB-shaped hole in your life. J Mark Lytle reports. 502: Show and tell The recent CEATEC show for the electronics industry produced a treasure trove of Good Things, including Sony's PSX do-everything machine and a credit-card-sized digital video camera. J Mark Lytle reports. 500: Corn-y for you J Mark Lytle separates the high-tech wheat from the low-grade chaff. 498: Bits and pieces J Mark Lytle delivers the latest and greatest from Japan's high-tech wonderland. 497: Gadgets ‘r’ us J Mark Lytle brings you more of the best from the nation’s biggest and cleverest electronics manufacturers. 494: Talkin' 'bout a revolution J Mark Lytle checks out all that's new in the ever-evolving world of high-tech consumerism. 492: The right stuff J Mark Lytle gets the latest word on the street from the gadget paradise that is Akihabara. 490: Good to go J Mark Lytle tracks down more of the latest gadgets that make our stay-at-home pals green with envy. 488: Summer breeze J Mark Lytle rounds up five of the hottest new pieces of high-tech kit to keep you looking cool this summer. 486: Space odyssey Carlo Niederberger combs the city for spots to visualize the future. 484: Air time As three big wireless LAN projects race to hook up Tokyo, cable-free Internet connections are as close as a local café, hotel or train station. Martin Webb reports. 480: Keep your cool Cathy Frances scopes out some high-tech devices for the dog days of summer. 478: All blogged up Weblogs offer users the chance to post their lives online. Steve Trautlein checks in with the Tokyo bloggers. 476: Future Wave Today's technological fantasies are fast becoming reality. Cathy Frances peeks at the wonders that wait just around the corner. 474: Small wonders Somewhere between not-so-totable laptops and impossibly tiny PDAs, ultraportables offer an appealing alternative. Hanna Kite scopes out five of the latest miniature PCs. 472: Paws for thought Cyber-pets are coming out one after another. Cathy Frances tracks down the home-entertainment companions that may give you a run for your money. 468: Photo finish Digital cameras are getting smaller and packed with even more features. Sachie Kanda zooms in on the latest models. 466: Keitai kool Camera-equipped cell phones have spawned a generation of gadgets that make digital photography even hipper. Hanna Kite takes a peek. 464: Mini mart On the 10th anniversary of the MD, a new generation is hitting the shelves. Sachie Kanda listens in. 462: Internet to go Cybird is leading the mobile Internet content revolution with help from Star Wars and SIM cards. Chris Betros reports. 460: Green Machines Used PCs are piling up in landfills and ruining ecosystems around the globe, but innovative manufacturing techniques and NGOs are here to save the planet. Hanna Kite reports. 456: Strange days Gadgets are becoming increasingly communicational, multifunctional, technically advanced and environmentally friendly, right? Or “goofy,” as Cathy Frances finds. 454: Match point Teachers and students are coming together for online education—and old fashioned community-building 452: Mobile classroom Want to brush up your kanji skills but just can't find the time to knuckle down with a decent textbook? 450: Future space Tokyo is teeming with high-tech showrooms and technology museums 448: Virtual battlefield Mike Lloret finds out how to meet new gaming friends online and then get in a fight 446: Fair game Highlights from the Tokyo Game Show. 444: Clothes encounters Technology comes out of the closet with the latest generation of wearable devices 442: Back lighting Akihabara's hottest deals have moved from the big stores to the side streets-and even online. Justin Gardiner shops on roads less traveled. 440: Get the picture A snapshot of the best camera-equipped keitai and the increasingly international cellular maarketplace 438: ABU Robocon 2002 Humans and machines alike head to Tokyo for the first annual Asian robot competition 436: Thin is in Steve Trautlein looks into plasma TVs, whose flat screens are cropping up all around town 434: Nihon-GO! Feeling shut out because you can't rap with the locals? David Chester plugs you in with online Japanese lessons 432: Byte size A new wave of handy little digicams enters the picture 430: Lost in translation Your ISP has just sent you an email in Japanese. Is it a service announcement? Kristen McQuillin shows you three ways to find out 428: Robots on the pitch While the World Cup stars battle it out, their future competitors gear up 426: Class action ESL teachers stuck for a lesson plan can turn to the web for some fantastic classroom ideas and ways to boost student interest 424: Book binge Techpert Kristen McQuillin picks the best titles on today's shelves 422: An Apple a day Mac gadgets galore were on display at Macworld 2002 420: Geek speak Two years ago this month, safe passage through Y2K and dot-com hype had tech-types celebrating Geek Pride with festivals and events 418: Hot commodities Kristen McQuillin collects gadgets for spring. 416: Smart appliances Kick your feet up with the latest in high-tech kitchen gadgetry 413: Internet on air Tune into international favorites with streaming audio 412: Spy story Sneaking around with the latest in undercover gadgetry 410: PDA Personalities The Ins and outs of digital assitants 408: Design intervention The top tech books 406: 2002 Tech must haves Japan's new gadgets and gizmos 404: Broadband Business Internet World Japan 2001 398: High-tech hospital The university of Tokyo Hospital 396: Big game hunting Tokyo Game Show 2001 394: Wire tap wireless networking 392: You've got mail 390: School's in session From earning an MBA to making a webpage, online classes 388: Diaries go hi-tech Up-to-date diarists have chucked the avocado leatherette versions 386: Why Upgrade? Kristen McQuillin explains when to upgrade 384: Gadgets to go Get the goods on the latest mobile devices 382: Hot software The season's best new releases 380: Peripheral vision How to purchase computer toys in Japan 378: In safe hands How to avoid repetitive strain injury (RSI) 376: Kill spam How to minimize your junk email 372: In for repair Computer repair options in Tokyo 370: Game for a laugh Semi-annual Tokyo Game Show 368: Knowledge is power Empowering women in technology 366: Generation next Cutting-edge keitai 364: MacWorld Exploring MacWorld Tokyo 2001 362: Online translation Simultaneous E-to-J and J-to-E translation... online 360: DIY Star Wars Recreate your own sci-fi epic at home 358: Network gaming Play games with friends on your keitai 357: Bad it online Japan's burgeoning e-commerce market 355: Robotic revelations Japanese robots leading the way 352/3: Get the point beenz.com - a new kind of points system 350: Talk is cheap Internet telephone technology 348: Tsukumo RoboconMagazineKan 346: Digital Stadium Innovative computer-generated art on NHK 344: Tokyo Game Show The latest releases at this fall's show 342: WonderBorg The mechanical insect 340: Fun and games There's a new game console in town... 337: Dream on Tokyo Dream Technology Fair 2000
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