cocaine
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Fingerprints will soon tell cops if suspects are on cocaine
A research team from the University of Surrey in the UK has reportedly developed a new, noninvasive drug test for cocaine that accurately detects its presence in your system through your fingerprints. Specifically, it looks for two common cocaine metabolites: benzoylecgonine and methylecgonine. These can be found in blood, sweat, and urine using a mass spectrometry technique known as Desorption Electrospray Ionisation (DESI). And since the metabolites dissipate from our sweat more quickly than in urine or blood (in which it can persist for up to a week), law enforcement will one day be able tell if a suspect is currently high as opposed to having been high a few nights before. What's more, "we can distinguish between cocaine having been touched," Melanie Bailey, the study's lead author, told Motherboard, "and cocaine having been ingested." Plus since the sweat sample is tied to your fingerprint, it'll be nearly impossible for someone to swap it out for a clean batch.
AT&T hacker's home raided, drugs found, dude detained (update)
Man, one day you have the whole world's ear to talk about slack network security, and the next you're in the joint. Andrew Auernheimer, Goatse Security's hacker-in-chief and a key player in the unearthing of a major security flaw exposing iPads surfing AT&T's airwaves, is today facing felony charges for possession of a variety of potent drugs. That wouldn't be such intriguing news by itself, but the discovery was made by local law enforcers who were in the process of executing an FBI search warrant. Hey, wasn't the FBI going to look into this security breach? Yes indeedy. While nobody is yet willing to identify the reasons behind this warrant, it's not illogical to surmise that Andrew's crew and their online exploits were the cause for the raid. So there you have it folks, it's the first bit of advice any publicist will give you: if you're gonna step out into the glaring light of public life, you'd better clean out your closet first. Update: Before y'all get in an uproar about "white hacker this" and "Police State that," let's keep in mind that this Andrew Auernheimer character (a.k.a. "Weev") is one unsavory dude (not to mention a raving anti-Semite): check out this New York Times piece on Internet Trolls if you don't believe us. After all, it's not really a stretch that law enforcement might be after someone who's in possession of ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, and various other pharmaceuticals.
Overheard@GDC: crack and the mobile games business
Not everyone is a fan of cell phone games and their development. Said an anonymous attendee at the Telltale party tonight, "Sure, mobile games are big business. Selling cocaine is big business, too. That doesn't make it respectable." It does add a new meaning to the term "Crackberry" (yeah, we're punny).
Japanese hardware sales, 25 September - 31 September: Corner drug dealer edition
Everyone's doing it, man. People say you can get addicted to heroin, or cocaine, or all that stuff. But let me tell you something, kid. Cocaine doesn't evolve. Heroin can't level the hell up. I got what you need, kid, right here, and for a low, low price. This ain't no gym. You won't find some weak Pidgey crap here, man. You look like a tough guy, I think I've got somethin' for ya ... yeah, this is the stuff. We call it rare candy, if you know what I mean. The devil's Fun Dip, if you will. You want that Dragonite, kid? This is the way to go. What's it cost? I'm not askin' for much, here, pal. Maybe a couple of sales figures in return for my trouble. Oh, you got a couple? All right, lay 'em on me, kid, there we go, ahhhhh, that's some good stuff .... - DS Lite: 274,389 134,554 (96.22%) - PS2: 31,992 681 (2.08%) - PSP: 25,319 2,201 (9.52%) - Xbox 360: 2,195 1,086 (97.93%) - GBA SP: 1,811334 (15.57%) - Game Boy Micro: 1,103 83 (7.00%) - Gamecube: 523 240 (31.45%) - DS Phat: 253 63 (19.94%) - GBA: 10 10 (50.00%) - Xbox: 3 5 (62.5%) Never again, kid? Sure. I'll be seeing you again ... I guarantee it. [Source: Media Create][Special thanks to my roommate, Ryan, for the inspiration.]
LAN parties meet drug parties
The appropriately named TwitchGuru has kicked off a series of articles on the intersection of drug culture and gaming culture with an insider's look at a drug-fueled LAN party. Author Aaron Mckenna spent 48 hours stone-cold sober in a house full of gamers high on "marijuana, cocaine, mushrooms, acid, Ritalin, Adderall, Ephedrine," and more.Whether the gaming or the drugs was the party's real focus is up for the debate, but the drugs are definitely the focus of the article. Scenes of cocaine lines done off of a PlayStation 2 case, couples humping in the middle of the hallway, and four people stuffed awkwardly into a bathtub are recounted in full detail.Given the number of young men who enjoy games and the equally high number that enjoy illegal drugs, the combination of the two into a weekend-long bacchanal seems inevitable. Still, we can only imagine how this report will be interpreted by the people who believe that video game use leads to drug use.[Thanks Patrick]
