Strange stuff on the net

Sonic the hedge fund.

Japan's Nomura Securities plans to provide a CD to users of Sega's Dreamcast video game console that will let gamers trade stocks online through Dreamcast's Internet connection.

And that's just what they admitted.

Amazon.com confessed in early 1999 that many of its front-page book recommendations were paid for by publishers.

Ironically, the Internet makes wooden shoes completely unnecessary.

A union of Dutch wooden-shoe makers began a Web site, www.woodenshoes.nl. The group's goal? To sell its footwear online in a desperate attempt to show that "a centuries-old tradition and the Internet fit perfectly together."

Our goal is to preserve your online anonymity, and if that ever changes, our Webmaster will contact you directly.

Under a firestorm of protest from privacy advocates, Intel offered free software to let computer users conceal the unique serial numbers encoded into every Pentium III chip. Hackers later figured out a way to uncover the ID numbers.

Of all the reasons to ban Furbys.

In January the National Security Agency banned Furby toys from its premises because of unfounded fears that the heavy-lidded animatronic rodents might "learn" and repeat state secrets.

Stock up with an arsenal of high-tech spy weapons for the business battlefield.

Business is beginning to look a lot more Le Carré than corporate these days. Kidnapping multinational executives is a mainstay of income and a political wedge for guerrilla armies. Corporate espionage drains billions of dollars from American industry every year. And trusted employees turn out to be highly placed spies scouring the contents of company hard drives. Which explains why business executives are increasingly well represented among the clientele of spy shops these days, bumping elbows with gruff law enforcement types from the CIA and FBI.

Cutting Edge

Corporate security starts with personal safety. For an executive based in Bogota, the $499 OSS Submariner Razor Knife Watch is the perfect accessory—it's such a popular item at the Spy Tech Agency that there's a waiting list to get one. A slightly more refined option is the company's $499 Garote Watch, also called the Silent Death. Turn the bezel to unwind a superthin steel cable for rendering your enemies . . . speechless. And it keeps perfect time.

Nonlethal self-defense products are also available, including the $250 AL-22 Security Blanket from the Counter Spy Shop. It looks like a jumbo plastic flashlight, but when you point it at an attacker and press the button, a blinding flash of light—110,000 lumens strong—will disorient and temporarily blind him. His sight will return—but not until you're gone.

The Air Taser Self Defense System is also a seemingly harmless device—unless you're on the receiving end. The $250 Air Taser is effective from up to 15 feet away; it shoots two needle-tipped probes that penetrate clothing and deliver 50,000 volts of electronic signals (T-Waves, if your would-be assailant is curious) that jam the nervous system of your attacker, incapacitating him. The Air Taser is available from the Counter Spy Shop.

Out of Sight

Also in high demand are video surveillance devices that are easily hidden in briefcases or clothing. Want to waltz into the competition's headquarters and record the lay of the land? The Covert Video Camera Briefcase System is the perfect solution when a mealy-mouthed corporate mole just won't cut it. The handsome briefcase doubles as a secret surveillance system, with a discreet pinhole for the camera. Just $5,495 from the Spy Tech Agency.

You can also opt for the low-tech trappings of the Counter Spy Shop's AM/FM Alarm Clock Radio Video Surveillance System, which hides a camera in an off-the-shelf clock radio. Pan left and right, tilt up and down, and even zoom in on your target—all for $1,300. The Counter Spy Shop can tuck cameras into teddy bears, smoke detectors, even eyeglasses and wristwatches (the actual recording device is discreetly worn on the body).

Audio surveillance is a bit trickier; laws about recording conversations vary from state to state and are much more rigorous than those for video—just ask Linda Tripp. We'll leave it up to you to determine how closely you want to toe the line of legality with these products.

One of the world's smallest audio transmitters, the WMTX-4400, is available from the Counter Spy Shop. Smaller than a Mont Blanc pen, the WMTX-4400 is easy to conceal inside your clothing. While you're getting your enemy to fess up to all kinds of nefarious activities, your associate listens in with the RX-500/50 receiver. Together, the units are $1,800. The Counter Spy Shop can also conceal an audio transmitter in just about anything you want—including a pack of Marlboro reds—for $2,500.

Operator Operative

You can also use your phone in sneaky ways. The $500 Voice Disguise Accessory from the Spy Shop lets you surreptitiously check up on your employees' telephone and service manners. It'll change your voice so your employees won't know it's you. There's also the $2,900 Truth Phone from the Counter Spy Shop, which analyzes a caller's voice for microtremors that indicate he's laying it on thick. The phone is, once again, your friend.

Want to prevent anyone around you from using a mobile phone? The $4,600 Cellular Telephone Immobilizer, available from Spy Electronics, will jam any mobile phone within a radius of up to 200 meters (656 feet). To the phone user, it simply appears as if service is unavailable.

Brand New Bag

Now you need something to tote all this gear—that battered bag from your junior exec days doesn't measure up in the cutthroat world of corporate intrigue. Thieves who try to nab the SB-100 security briefcase are in for a shock—when armed, 100,000 volts of electricity surges through the handle of the briefcase if it's picked up. At the same time, it will sound a piercing alarm (imagine the collective shrieks at a Ricky Martin concert). The $650 briefcase, available from the Counter Spy Shop, can also be triggered from up to 200 feet away with a remote-control unit.

For those times when you have to outspy the best of them, turn to the Countermeasures System, a case brimming with devices that let you detect or locate bugging transmitters, laser light attacks, and hidden video and audio recorders. The high-end version from the Spy Shop will set you back about $5,000—but hey, you're worth it.

And finally, there's the custom-built Bullet Shield Briefcase from the Spy Tech Agency. Depending on your budget, the company can make the case's exterior look any way you want for the perfect disguise.