Hell, we can barely say the name (or tell time), but we understand the reason for all the security features this puppy boasts as part of a multi-faceted effort to deter counterfeiters. For anywhere between $US12,000 to the aforementioned $US60k, owners can customise their Vacheron Constantin Quai de l’Ile with 400 styles and deterrents, like the embedded invisible ink plastic slips that are placed beneath the watch face (see: the little sun between the 1 and 2 above). If that sounds familiar, it’s because some of the same techniques are used in paper currency.
Ars Technica did an in-depth investigation into the numbers behind the war against piracy and found that Congress might as well be telling people counterfeit goods cost the economy eleventy billion zillion, for all the truth behind its figures. The oft invoked $US250 billion and 750,000 jobs lost because of intellectual property theft have been repeated for over a decade, with virtually no research to back it up.
BusinessWeek reports that counterfeit hardware has been found to be the cause of several malfunctions in high-level military machinery. The phony infiltration has a distinct possibility of leading to espionage or sabotage. In other words, move over, Meizu M8: you’re not the biggest faker in town anymore.
The U.S. Military has spent millions of dollars on counterfeit computer components over the years, according to an FBI report. This not only screws over businesses, but it also makes it easier for cyber-terrorists to hack into our systems by putting trojans and viruses in fake circuitry. An anti-counterfeit initiative by the FBI, led to 15 criminal cases and over US$3.5 million worth of seized products.
In the world of the incongruous pairing, Embotec’s mouse ‘n’ counterfeit money detector is up there with the best of them. And it doesn’t just work on KFC vouchers, you know…
Aimed at gas stations, convenience stores and the like, the EM-D275 will be available in Korea from next month onwards. And if this gadget was a celebrity, I reckon it would be Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones.
Money detector mouse ‘EM-D275′ identifying counterfeit bills [Aving USA]
