British Spy Agency Searches For Real-Life 'Q' 79
suraj.sun writes with this quote from the Associated Press:"Britain's domestic spy agency — MI5 — is hunting for its very own 'Q,' of sorts. MI6's sister organization, which carries out surveillance on terror suspects inside Britain and gives security advice to the government, is searching for someone to lead its scientific work. Projects could include everything from developing counterterrorism technology to tackling a biological or chemical attack. 'Looking for a chief scientific adviser to lead and coordinate the scientific work of the security service so that the service continues to be supported by excellent science and technology advice,' MI5's Web site ad reads. MI5 has long had a roster of scientific staff tasked with developing high-tech gadgets, but an official said the service now wants a high-profile figure to lead pioneering work in technology and science. The adviser's work will focus chiefly on creating sophisticated new tools to help security service officers carry out surveillance and analysis work, said a government security official, who requested anonymity to discuss the work of MI5."
Q? (Score:5, Funny)
Well, I can think the requirements for entering the Continuum, including omnipotence, a flagrant disregard for all other races and a fondness for haunting starships would be rather difficult to find...
oh, right.
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In this case, I think they really only care about the omnipotence, it just makes the whole spying thing and investigative work a heck of a whole lot easier.
However, the trouble is, they need a candidate with ominpotence who will submit to the bureaucracy and only use the omnipotence in the manner ordered.
It can be really hard to find a being willing to follow all the government rules.
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I read the tag as Tsartrek. Quite fitting.
Re:Q? (Score:5, Funny)
You know you're reading slashdot when a summary mentioning MI6 and Q needs a !startrek tag.
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FYI (Score:2)
Intelligence operations are nothing like the movies.
Re:FYI (Score:5, Funny)
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Peter Wright did a book about MI5's work ("spycatcher [amazon.co.uk]" - you'll have trouble getting a copy in the UK) that seems quite informative...
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Peter Wright did a book about MI5's work ("spycatcher [amazon.co.uk]" - you'll have trouble getting a copy in the UK) that seems quite informative...
Why would someone in the UK have trouble getting a copy? You've linked to Amazon.co.uk, and there are 4 new and 156 used available, with prices down to a penny (+postage). That seems pretty good for a book that's been out of print for 20 years.
Re:FYI (Score:5, Interesting)
But they are exactly like the TV shows (Spooks/MI-5)
The woman who actually runs MI-5 watches the show. She has commented that the two big errors are the assumption that everything is eventually knowable and that five people can do it all.
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Lol. You have no idea what you're talking about.
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Maybe they should be more like the movies (Score:1, Interesting)
Maybe they'd be more successful if they were like the movies.
More freethinking, rugged individualism.
Less risk averse bureaucratic types that are more worried about covering their own arse.
Less making political points, more action oriented.
Less cracking down on their domestic citizens, and more overseas adventurism.
Less hiring of blonde haired, blue eyed females with law degrees, more hiring of slightly dodgy individuals that can speak a number of exotic languages.
It'd be great, but it'd piss of the governm
Do We need a Q when the Local Council can.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Why only Q? Why not R? (Score:1)
Q had the cool gadgets, but R would jump right in and give a hands on demonstration!
There was a real life Q (Score:5, Interesting)
The model for Q didn't do science or engineering per se. He just knew where to get anything. If you wanted to send an agent into Germany, everything about him had to be absolutely authentic. Q could find a German tailor in Manchester who would create an absolutely perfect garment for whatever purpose. A garbage man's uniform would be stitched differently from a general's uniform.
You agent might be caught but it wouldn't be because a watch pocket was on the wrong side. Q was an absolute stickler for detail.
His name was Peter Wright . . . (Score:5, Informative)
: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Wright [wikipedia.org] . He "was an English scientist and former MI5 counterintelligence officer." He stuck a weed up the British Government's ass by writing a book about his experiences: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spycatcher [wikipedia.org]. British Intelligence officers are supposed to keep their mouth shut in retirement. It's a very interesting read, especially when he describes how those hollow microwave bug thingies function.
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mon capitan (Score:2, Insightful)
Q's general policy has always been, "don't call me, I'll call you." But he's probably still tormenting Picard and Janeway, so MI5 should probably talk to them if they really want to find him.
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Just for the record (Score:5, Insightful)
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Really? I was so sure the article was talking about this guy...
http://www.theoldcomputer.com/Libarary's/Pictures/NESGameCovers/Q-bert.jpg [theoldcomputer.com]
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There's one obvious candidate. (Score:5, Interesting)
Sir Clive Sinclair.
Re:There's one obvious candidate. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:There's two obvious candidates. (Score:2)
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The final two are Macgyver and Inspector Gadget.
Well, with the economic troubles and all - they probably don't want to hire Inspector Gadget because they'd also have to hire Penny to keep cleaning up after his mistakes. And now that she's older, she's learned to negotiate.
Mythbusters (Score:1)
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Tony Sale: Q's assistant? (Score:2)
Bond Gadgets (Score:1)
Steve Jobs (Score:4, Funny)
This is a job for Jobs.
What about Inspector Gadget? (Score:2)
Wait a minute....don't they already have Inspector Gadget? Or was he French?
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Fuck no, he'd create a covert rifle that cost 5 times as much as it's worth, couldn't be reloaded because the magazine was sealed into the weapon, lacked a trigger because it would ruin the aesthetics and wouldn't work outside the UK due to region restrictions.
But then, I suppose at least it would look cool, could be activated by making a gesture at someone and have some fancy effects when it did fire.
Not James Bond but the other lot. (Score:3, Informative)
Top 10 known advantages for being Q (Score:5, Funny)
I've watched the movies and even a few episodes of the TV show. Here are the known advantages for being Q:
1. Apparently unlimited R&D budget.
2. No ES&H looking over your shoulder while minions shoot themselves and blow themselves up.
3. You're free to just work things out without some PHB running about and micromanaging you.
4. You get to leave your sub sandwich wherever it's convenient at the time and no one even thinks of touching it.
5. You get to spend a great deal of time critiquing toys that explode.
6. You get to know what tailors across Europe are up to - and combined with #1, above, implies a LOT.
7. Main staff are assigned to check in with you before working - and they do. N.B., you do not write memos and status reports about what they'll find - people have to ask - once.
8. Your day isn't filled just with minions shooting themselves and blowing themselves up - you get to talk to people, including staff, that experiences the outside world.
9. Overall main staff is hip and intelligent.
10. You can get exasperated with James Bond and talk to him like he's a child and instead of shooting you (remember - license to kill), and instead of politically backstabbing you within the organization, he likes you for it and makes jokes.
Disadvantages for being Q (Score:2)
1. Very few products survive field testing to provide useful data
2. Minions, no matter how disposable, still require a surpising ammount of paperwork.
3. Unlimited R&D budget limited to a list of "approved vendors"
4. You're employers have a license to terminate you, and ensure your body is never found.
5. Women choose men in tuxedos over men in lab coats every time.
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HEV Suit >> Lab Coat
That's why I'm building one in my mom's basement. Now I'll finally be able to get girls.
About #10... (Score:1)
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Seriously. I've thought about approaching the local spooks, but have never gotten around to it. Hence the AC posting.
Don't worry, we'll be in touch.
Top priority (Score:2)
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Spooky action at a distance?
Station IX (Score:5, Informative)
If you go back to WW2, the UK had a research lab which produced many curious inventions worthy of "Q". It was part of the SOE and known as "Station IX". It was based in an old Mansion just South of Welwyn in Herts.
You can now buy a catalogue of their weird and wonderful creations - which included such things as:
Explosive Rats (designed to destroy boilers)
Motor Bikes which folded into a small case and could be dropped by parachute. ("Welbike")
Silenced Single shot guns ("Welrod")
Explosive Pens.
Land Mines disguised as faeces from a wide range of Animals. These had a double effect - not only could they knock out enemy vehicles, but they slowed progress and sapped morale by forcing the occupants of enemy vehicles to get out and probe carefully every last turd they came across.
They never killed no-one honest (Score:1)
Kids... (Score:1)
Think They'd Consider A Colonial? (Score:1)
Hmmmm ... think they'd consider one of us colonial cousins?
Maybe a fresh outside look, eh wot? But I might want to bring a sidekick. Perhaps someone Canadian, just to reassure our British cousins a bit?
"I should be very much obliged if you would slip your revolver into your pocket. An Eley's No. 2 is an excellent argument with gentlemen who can twist steel pokers into knots. That and a toothbrush are, I think, all that we need."
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Sounds glamorous? Think about the other side (Score:2)
MI5 were recently in the news for alleged complicity in the torture of detainees in Pakistan [guardian.co.uk].
Before you jump at this glamorous top secret job, think about who you will be working for.