The Transparency Grenade
February 19, 2012 4:22 PM   Subscribe

The lack of Corporate and Governmental transparency has been a topic of much controversy in recent years, yet our only tool for encouraging greater openness is the slow, tedious process of policy reform.
Solution? The Transparency Grenade.
posted by Foci for Analysis (25 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
so it's basically, what, a keylogger trojan that streams audio to a server?
posted by rebent at 4:24 PM on February 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


Ah, what a brilliant idea to shape it like an explosive. We know how well law enforcement responds to stuff like that.
posted by leotrotsky at 4:27 PM on February 19, 2012 [6 favorites]


so it's basically, what, a keylogger trojan that streams audio to a server?

But in the non-problematic form of a grenade for the entry hall sensors!

Seriously though, the Android app would be interesting.
posted by jaduncan at 4:30 PM on February 19, 2012


Also, wouldn't this work better if you had a 6 month or one year lag? That way nobody would be sure who was being taped or where. As is, all you need to do is check the website, and then do a thorough sweep to see if you're on the site.
posted by leotrotsky at 4:32 PM on February 19, 2012


I too am upset about the impracticalities of the conceptual artwork
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:38 PM on February 19, 2012 [9 favorites]


I too am upset about the impracticalities of the conceptual artwork

Metafilter has a FPP for that.
posted by rough ashlar at 4:45 PM on February 19, 2012


Interesting as an art project, but if it's actually supposed to be useful, why not make one that looks like an iPod?
posted by dubold at 4:54 PM on February 19, 2012


Equipped with a tiny computer, microphone and powerful wireless antenna, the Transparency Grenade captures network traffic and audio at the site and securely and anonymously streams it to a dedicated server where it is mined for information. Email fragments, HTML pages, images and voice extracted from this data are then presented on an online, public map, shown at the location of the detonation.

Yes, secret government offices are well known for having wide-open WiFi and internet connections.
posted by DU at 5:03 PM on February 19, 2012


To most people in this thread so far:

yes of course this is meant to be as practical as possible, and of course it is meant to pass through security without detection. You fully understand what this is about.
Kudos.
posted by signal at 5:32 PM on February 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


I'm sure the creators have imagined William Gibson-esque scenarios where the nefarious CEO opens his desk drawer to discover... a Transparency Grenade! And he knows that his plan to seize control of the internet has been broadcast to a small but stylish band of techno-rebels...
posted by Spacelegoman at 5:53 PM on February 19, 2012 [6 favorites]


... yet our only tool for encouraging greater openness is the slow, tedious process of policy reform.

Well, except for Wikileaks and other similar leak amplification networks.
posted by memebake at 5:56 PM on February 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


Uh, yeah, we know this is kind of impractical and inefficiently designed and based on romanticized idea and not really likely to work at all and in fact literally designed to look like a thing you will arrested for?

You don't get it, man. This is art.
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 6:06 PM on February 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


well, it's bad art.
posted by rebent at 6:10 PM on February 19, 2012 [2 favorites]


It's funny art.
posted by JHarris at 6:18 PM on February 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


At least it's not fart art.
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:24 PM on February 19, 2012


I once saw a postcard that said "Art is Not Fair"

I always mentally transposed the "F" to the first word.

heh.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:30 PM on February 19, 2012 [9 favorites]


If this thing is NOT real, then it might actually be worse. Rather than people going out and doing stuff, we're supposed to fantasize about a magical machine Making It All OK For Us?
posted by DU at 6:49 PM on February 19, 2012 [4 favorites]


@rebent you're just not in on the joke because i was never actually serious, it was just a joke and i sure bet you feel stupid now

also "transparency grenade". civil justice clusterbomb

capital tax white phosphorus

campaign finance reform punji sticks, corporate accountability landmine

infrastructure investment fuel air bomb
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 6:52 PM on February 19, 2012 [5 favorites]


My lawyers are exploring all possibilities.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:12 PM on February 19, 2012


@tocaty no YOU'RE being serious!
posted by rebent at 7:20 PM on February 19, 2012


Disregarding the obvious impracticality and usability issues of the design, there's some awesome design work and collaboration that has gone into the object. From he 3D CAD layout work, to the rapid prototyping 3D printing with resin, to the metalworking on the device itself.

And then there's the integration of computing into the device via embedded linux and the information visualization work that went into the map design.

It's really an amazing collection of disparate techniques and methods coming together. Software engineering, traditional metalwork, 3D modeling, etc. Makes me want to check out the Berlin art scene some, and reminds me of the hacker spaces popping up in the states.
posted by formless at 11:06 PM on February 19, 2012 [3 favorites]


attending your town hall meetings nunchaku
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:26 PM on February 19, 2012 [1 favorite]


Dude I'm gonna sue this mofo 'cause I been droppin troofbombs since 1992, yo.
posted by jimmythefish at 12:46 AM on February 20, 2012


The first step towards a full realization of The Nude Bomb.
posted by jquinby at 6:19 AM on February 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


Oh come on, I don't get any favorites for a silly comment about fart art, in a thread on art, right after a thread on fart art? Is it really on the nose that much? And leotrotsky gets 10 favorites even though he included a a small script laughing sound effect? That's pretty on the nose.

Still love you leo.

/hamburger (except for the part about loving leo - that's for real)
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:58 PM on February 21, 2012


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