That’s the whole point, context is precisely what they probably don’t have, and is extremely difficult to acquire. You can automate flagging “people/ips who search for a lot of stuff on the bad list”, but automating why they’re searching for it is nearly impossible, that would require assigning an agent to it to dig in and assemble that context, e.g. by tracking down my accounts where I’m posting about game development, and even then, intelligence agencies tend to assume everything is just a cover story.
Remember the game developers that were arrested in I think it was Cyprus recently for taking pictures of things? Once suspicions are raised, it’s not easy to dispell them even if your rationale checks out.
[quote=“HunterAlpha1, post:18, topic:2582”][quote=“UberZacht, post:15, topic:2582”]“You have been informed by your sleeper agents at the Intelligence HQ of an impending raid on Granade LLC.
A M1 Abrams Tank will cover the entrance to your base.
The final attack will be conducted by Seal Team Six”[/quote]err… not to kill the mood here, but Six is dead :,(
i wouldn’t mind at all being raided by them if it meant they were still alive.[/quote]
I was purely quoting LCS. I hadn’t really remembered the unfortunate incident that happened. I feel a bit bad now.
Well, I wouldn't exactly call the noxious (but explosive) powder made from random ingredients that contain the real ingredients "gunpowder". It'll likely still explode, but it wouldn't be all that comparable to the real thing (don't get me wrong, it will still kill something and you should NOT do this in your backyard without a thorough knowledge of chemistry and a sizable amount of protection).
To be perfectly honest, I've done the thing earlier in one of my own Middle-Earth settings, where the players enjoyed the full extent of some mage's parchment. It was difficult enough to say they've been using it in a few choice of situations, where such a low-grade, close ranged double-barrel sawn-off was really helpful. An interesting remark is, however, that was the first time I introduced PAIN to my way of ruling the game. :-)
[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:21, topic:2582”]That’s the whole point, context is precisely what they probably don’t have, and is extremely difficult to acquire. You can automate flagging “people/ips who search for a lot of stuff on the bad list”, but automating why they’re searching for it is nearly impossible, that would require assigning an agent to it to dig in and assemble that context, e.g. by tracking down my accounts where I’m posting about game development, and even then, intelligence agencies tend to assume everything is just a cover story.
Remember the game developers that were arrested in I think it was Cyprus recently for taking pictures of things? Once suspicions are raised, it’s not easy to dispell them even if your rationale checks out.[/quote]
Yeah, of course you’ll get flagged if you search something along the lines of, “how to make a home-made nuclear weapon” or something like that. But it’s not like the government (the US government, specifically) can bust down your door just for searching stuff like that.
Maybe if you search “how to blow up the White House with a mini nuclear weapon” then just maybe lol.
Well, I wouldn’t exactly call the noxious (but explosive) powder made from random ingredients that contain the real ingredients “gunpowder”. It’ll likely still explode, but it wouldn’t be all that comparable to the real thing (don’t get me wrong, it will still kill something and you should NOT do this in your backyard without a thorough knowledge of chemistry and a sizable amount of protection).
To be perfectly honest, I’ve done the thing earlier in one of my own Middle-Earth settings, where the players enjoyed the full extent of some mage’s parchment. It was difficult enough to say they’ve been using it in a few choice of situations, where such a low-grade, close ranged double-barrel sawn-off was really helpful. An interesting remark is, however, that was the first time I introduced PAIN to my way of ruling the game. :-)[/quote]
Granted, I’ve had a long day of debugging code at work (Cygwin can go die), but that made very little sense. Mine typing that bit back up?
[quote=“Clayton, post:24, topic:2582”][quote=“Kevin Granade, post:21, topic:2582”]That’s the whole point, context is precisely what they probably don’t have, and is extremely difficult to acquire. You can automate flagging “people/ips who search for a lot of stuff on the bad list”, but automating why they’re searching for it is nearly impossible, that would require assigning an agent to it to dig in and assemble that context, e.g. by tracking down my accounts where I’m posting about game development, and even then, intelligence agencies tend to assume everything is just a cover story.
Remember the game developers that were arrested in I think it was Cyprus recently for taking pictures of things? Once suspicions are raised, it’s not easy to dispell them even if your rationale checks out.[/quote]
Yeah, of course you’ll get flagged if you search something along the lines of, “how to make a home-made nuclear weapon” or something like that. But it’s not like the government (the US government, specifically) can bust down your door just for searching stuff like that.
Maybe if you search “how to blow up the White House with a mini nuclear weapon” then just maybe lol.[/quote]
Pretty sure the latest “anti-terrorism” legislation allows the US government (Perhaps only as a presidential order?) to indefinitely detain any of it’s citizens without giving any reason at all.
The explosive compound that you so thoroughly described with components, the unrefined gunpowder, had been used since the mid-to-late Medieval ages. Early guns, which hadn’t been known for their efficiency, needed a ridiculously large quantity of explosive substance to fire a small ball. More so, firing cannons had been so hazardous that, at a point before cannon redesign, they were only used as siege weapons. Beyond renneissance and those fast, mobile cannons came the true warfare revolution with grenades, shells etc etc.
What I reminisced was the fact that I used that, fairly simple, recipe for small-arms gunpowder. A long handle, small ammount of explosives and a short barrel filled with pieces of metal were the early shotguns, efficient only at mere toe-to-toe clashes. The compound itself lacks the “juice” to blast off a serious volume or weight of missiles.
True, it isn’t especially potent stuff, but it would still be able to fire a small projectile well enough. Anything more potent (that is still gunpowder) would require machinery you would just not have at hand in most cases.
If you want a really powerful gunpowder substitute, you could use treated fertilizer (which, for reasons revolving around me not wanting to be arrested, I shall not be sharing the recipe for) and modify your gun to use an electrode and a battery instead of a firing pin and primer. However, that is also far more likely for you to kill yourself while making it then just playing with alcohol soaked “gunpowder”.
True, it isn't especially potent stuff, but it would still be able to fire a small projectile well enough.
Exactly, even the Syrians knew that if you just put some tiny iron shards on top of encased crude oil, the result was considerable - even on battle events.
[quote=“HunterAlpha1, post:18, topic:2582”][quote=“UberZacht, post:15, topic:2582”]“You have been informed by your sleeper agents at the Intelligence HQ of an impending raid on Granade LLC.
A M1 Abrams Tank will cover the entrance to your base.
The final attack will be conducted by Seal Team Six”[/quote]err… not to kill the mood here, but Six is dead :,(
i wouldn’t mind at all being raided by them if it meant they were still alive.[/quote]
Good old LCS. Kidnapping judges and brainwashing them… hehehe… never fails.
I sincerely doubt it’s only on a presidential order. It’s more likely a reason just to detain sufficiently dangerous individuals or believed dangerous individuals until a case against them can be built.
e.g Abdul McBombul just tried to board a plane in NYC with his pockets full of misc electronics and wiring. Just made several calls to Pakistan. Detain? Y/N.
Ah, the land of the free Thing is, if the feds turned up to detain someone they’d still need a damn good reason, otherwise when they’re finally released the newspapers and opposition would have a freakin’ field day. Just imagine all the shit you hear about Guantanamo bay magnified a thousandfold… ‘innocent gamedev detained under anti-terror laws for months!’
‘largest lawsuit against the government in history!’ etc.
(probably not a good idea to have Judge, brainwashing, Abdul, Bomb and Guantanamo bay in the same post.)
Thing is, if the feds turned up to detain someone they’d still need a damn good reason, otherwise when they’re finally released the newspapers and opposition would have a freakin’ field day. Just imagine all the shit you hear about Guantanamo bay magnified a thousandfold… ‘innocent gamedev detained under anti-terror laws for months!’