A district attorney in Rockwall County, Dallas, is under scrutiny from the FBI due to a PC he built as a backup server -- using office money. Ray Sumrow claims he was using the system for business, but the "server" actually seems to be a tricked out gaming rig, featuring two hard drives, seven fans, high end graphics and sound cards, WiFi, and cables which "glow under ultraviolet light." Rod Gregg, the FBI examiner on the case says, "I would not configure a backup computer in that way," and added, "When I saw that, I did not think of anything related to a government agency." Charges of forgery, theft, and records tampering have been made against Mr. Sumrow due to his use of the district attorney's "fee fund," which is meant to be used for office supplies or employee salaries. Testimony will take place through the week, and prosecutors expect to hear how it was imperative to Mr. Sumrow's legal work that he, "Frag the crap out of dudes."
[Via
Penny Arcade]
posted March 13th 2008 11:12PM
...cables which "glow under ultraviolet light."
Rod Gregg, the FBI examiner on the case says, "I would not configure a backup computer in that way,"
^LOL.
It is also equipped with "WiFi". What is this "WiFi", some sort of new gaming device? This isn't a standard thing at all!
Um, I can't imagine a server with wifi.
1) you want a fast network. You don't want to be tethered to 54/108/whatever mbps. You want a full gigabit ethernet link. No dealing w/signal strength etc.
2) More importantly: Security. Most wireless protocols have been hacked, and if not, they will be. Even if you are fine for now, ethernet is a hell of a lot more secure.
Glowing cables: So you can see them in the dark! Just in case You need to access a file or something, you know :P
"It's so simple, the files are IN the computer!"
And the glowing cables help you find them, I guess.
Intel has been shipping motherboards with UV reactive cables for YEARS.
My three D925XCV's (bought at the end of 2004) came with UV-reactive (blue) SATA cables. The 955 series came with the same SATA cables *and* UV-reactive (blue) IDE/floppy cables.
Quite simply, this sounds like it could easily be fud, and until I see actual system specs I will believe it is such.
Dude, seriously.... does it even matter? My boys do that at my University (which will remain nameless) They work in the IT department, and used these kids'z tuition money to build a tricked out ass PC. They got a duel Nvida 8800 GTS running in SLI, with duel 2.66ghz quad core extreme 2 CPU's, and 2 7200 RMP 500GB HD's running. Somehow, they where able to buy a Blue-Ray burner, and break the door off from the front of the drive and replace it with a CD-RW only door. Then they got 3GB of DDR2 SDRAM and monster fans on it.
All of it is encased in some old ass gateway casing that was left behind by the last crew on a PC that was already sitting on the side of the dock, ready to be thrown out. It's all hooked up on duel 17 inch monitors. It's funny as hell to see that much power in disguise. What do they do with it? Run the "server". Cost to "The U".... a hell of alot.
When no one's looking, get down on the Universities "T1" line and frag bastards on Crysis, and D/L Mass porn and burn onto Blu-ray's Disks to watch back home on their PS3's. The bugged out part, it's all hooked up to lil bitch speakers. The system is a complete dud on the outside. But on the inside, that shit costs more than some cars.
Odds of them ever getting caught, prob. NEVER. Cause their smart about it. They don't do dumb shit like that dude did.
Am I hating, as a matter of fact... not really. I think it's brilliant. It just sucks you can't bring something like that with you home at the end of the day to REALLY enjoy. :-(
Yep, I'm sure it was the wifi that blew the cover on this one . . . I can't imagine how much trouble district attorneys get into for using laptops then.
and I think the real question is, why the hell would he be using wifi for gaming? much less for a server. anyway, my props to any district attorney who actually knows HOW to build a nice gaming rig, most politicians haven't caught on to Windows 95.
@atrain, you can't imagine wifi in a backup server? Apple's Time Capsule, anyone?
Since when Apple is a reference for their backup servers ?
@iH8Engadget, too bad you didn't learn to spell with some of that money.
Maybe instead of dual-arranged cards, he meant two cards which fight with each other.
Go get em' Jack McCoy!
While I have seen CONSIDERABLY WORSE USE OF STATE FUNDS (I'm looking at you - Spitzer ) I don't condem this guy just yet, if he were willing to let the citizens come to the office to play CRYSIS on it.
thats awesome too bad he got caught.. you can make a trick ass gaming rig with out making it look like one..
That dumbass DA... Why did he add the glowing cable, wifi, and high end sound card?!
I wonder if he uses a transparent case and a 7.1 surround speakers setup...
Imagine what the "average" lawyers would do in Rockwall county...
'High end soundcard' probably means Creative x-Fi, and even if you only use 2 speakers or headphones, they offload all audio processing onto themselves from the CPU, and can improve game performance...it's especially helpful in smoothing out action sequences with lots of different audio voices.
Is the FBI not allowed to have any fun?
all work and no play makes jack(read: ray) a dull boy
Anyone else suspect that this guy simply isn't computer savvy, decided he needed the best possible computer to use as a backup server, and without consulting anyone knowledgeable on the matter mistakingly bought an alienware?
Tat said, if he's knowingly squandeing taxpayer money on a gameing rig, shame on him.
That doesn't sound like anything someone not computer-savvy would mistake for a server. When I think of servers, I think of giant, boring computers(though they are usually stacks of small, but still boring, computers).
it said "built", not bought
Apparently not. Sucks.
ooh, a local story.
Hmm, my pc gamer uncle who lives in Rockwall will either think this is really bad ass or be angry 'cause of the taxpayer thing.
Thats awesome. Well not the being on trial part.
I read about this earlier. The FBI examiner scanned the computer and found no games. They only found some general docs and a "game cheat sheet". It is possible this guy got approval to get a back up server and asked some friends for advice. The specs of the computer were not revealed but it had a "high end graphics card" and "cables that glowed". You can build a computer with cheap gaming parts that is comparable in price to a store built. I bet all the parts came from CompUSA (Meh) and he got a deal.
But.... he could also be the guy that ninja'd our Gruul sheild... bastered.
I don't knwo about you guys, but i don't build gaming rigs with UV reactive components and flashy leds.
"How do you account for this pimped out rig, sir? Do you deny that this shit be bangin'?"
Hahahaha, funniest PA strip from the last few weeks.
HAHA
I used to (still do, in parts) have a clear acrylic case, 50+LEDs, 2 12" cold cathodes, neon--wound cables, 10 fans, "high end graphics card", and a bunch of other goodies on my gaming rig. Sounded like a jet too with my Thermaltake Venus cpu fan (80CF/M our of an 80mm fan...), and now I just lobbed it and a few upgrades into an Antec P180 case. Simple case change, and it looks like a server. Point being that all of that glamour cost me roughly $40 more than if I built it without the showboaty-ness. It was $775 all said and done, actually the acrylic case and LEDs/cold cathodes were cheaper than a lot of server cases I have seen.
My point is, my $2 of my tax money that financed this? Yeah, as long as it had an AMD sitting under the hood, more power to you. Squander that $2. Tell you what, why dont you buy a room full of them. Let the public play. It'll get em off the streets and away from violence (if they don't stab each other with the keyboards to steal each other's game boy's, COUGH Jack Thompson COUGH)
/rant
Enough of this talk... Less have a picture and specs of this "Backup Server" which glows in the dark.
What, servers don't come with glowing cables??!
Anything could be used for a "server", it is what its used for, not for what it looks like. Lawyerz...
Btw, anyone have any idea why I can't actually log in here. I have some random password that I have been copy pasting to post, and it works but when I go to actually log in..FAIL. I wan't PREFZ!
In a secret ballot, the readership of engadget decided to deny you login access.
That shirt you wore last monday was the last straw for some of us.
Backup servers typically don't include either high-end video cards or high-end audio cards and certainly not both. This computer was clearly built with something else in mind.
Yeah, im not saying this guy isn't lying haha. I know he is. I am just merely saying that anything can be a server. I have 2 older "gaming rigs" now used as "serverz".
uh, root.alt... yeah I'm pretty sure the point is that he's not actually using it as a backup server. Hence the trial.
Duh.
read previous comment.
All work and no play makes jack (Mr Sumrow, in this case) a dull boy!
Surprised they didn't see it as some sort of alien technology and ship it off to AREA 51...
AH! WHATS THAT?! OVER THERE!
*runs off, swatting at imaginary bees*
Hey...this method is his way of spending his "escort" money.
;)
Though in reality, that sucks that people's paychecks are getting used to build a gaming rig.
AKBlade13
the real waste of taxpayers' money is taking this guy to a trial....so what if this guy has neon cables for his gaming machi....i mean his backup server. The whole thing probably cost about the same as three paper clips at Pentagon anyway.
You believe officials shouldn't be held accountable and punished for their actions?
The benefits definitely don't outweight the cost in this scenario. It's too much trouble to investigate and try him, although he should be punished in some way.
How often do you see jaywalkers in court, their attorney(s) presenting exhibit 13b to a dozen jurors? That's a $200 fine, but a $1000 attorney and great bit of productivity lost by the jurors who had to leave work and family to listen to some insignificant case.
If you want to teach him a lesson, make him return his current PC and get a $300 Dell with a 15" screen.
Thats 1 FBI agent with "STYLE"!
Oh When will this district attorney learn. You shouldn't build backup server. You should just order one of those high end backup server from Alienwave.
does it play doom?
no, but you can keep your backup copy of doom on it
no, but you can keep your doom cheat sheets on it.
If you can't win in RL, at least you can try to kill them in CS.
The crime? It had Windows Vista.... /s
I am a Mac user, so of all people, you'd expect me to abuse Vista.
It's not that bad.
If I hated it that bad then I wouldn't have it on computer.
Most people who blast vista haven't used it for a while