Bootleg-Sniffing Dogs Thrown Off The Scent
from the what-next-for-lucky-and-flo? dept
The story about the MPAA's bootleg-sniffing wonder dogs, Lucky and Flo, continues to get more ridiculous. You'll recall that in the last episode, the MPAA had just put out word that DVD pirates had put a bounty on the two dogs, because they were just so good at what they did. Whether this was true or not (and we certainly have our suspicions), the news only added to the dogs' mystique, since it meant they were truly working under the same life-threatening conditions as super heroes. Since then, officials have been coy about the location of the dogs, which is top secret for security reasons. The latest plot twist is that DVD pirates are now using scent-masking chemicals to throw off the dogs. Once again, this seems a little hard to believe, but it's really clear where the MPAA is taking all of this. In the next episode, Lucky and Flo are going to gain even more superpowers, which will allow them to detect the scent-masking chemicals. Or maybe they'll forgo the power of smell altogether and develop x-ray vision. We always knew that the MPAA was good at creating suspenseful plots -- but they need to work on the believability part.
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Coming soon to a TV near you! by Jezsik on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:13pm
Why do I have a feeling we'll be seeing a kids cartoon starring these two canines? Maybe they can produce it in Canada and have a tie-in with Captain Copyright! Hey, I might even consider downloading an episode to see if it's any good.
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In the Next Exciting Episode... by lavi d on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:16pm
Lucky and Flo testify before Congress about the need for digital watermarks in all blank CD/DVD media.
And get snacks.
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Interesting... by TheDock22 on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:25pm
Did anyone else see the MythBusters where they tried to outsmart a blood-hound with colognes and other tricks, but found out the canine is actually tracking your skin cells that fall off when you run rather then any scent you leave behind?
So....I doubt that masking the DVD's or CD's are going to throw these dogs off the scent. I'm still not sure how they can sniff out pirated DVD's compared to a normal ones, but that's another argument.
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All Part of the Evil Plot by Conan the Contrarian on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:26pm
Maybe Lucky and Flo have actually been trained to detect scent-masking chemicals, so when the evil DVD pirates start using them, then our heroes actually WILL be able to detect fake DVDs.
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This WAS Malaysia... by Matthew on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:29pm
The "Hit" put on the dogs was more likely a cuisine issue than anti-anti-theft chacanery.
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Re: Interesting... by ehrichweiss on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:34pm
I saw that Mythbusters but noted also that they only used black pepper instead of the pepper actually used in the "myth" which was cayenne or any stronger pepper. Of course the reason is that black pepper doesn't do anything whereas cayenne is like inhaling mace, and the Mythbusters suck for a "scientific" team; their "busted" Tesla earthquake machine episode really proved this since there's such a device in the demolition business known as a "servo unit" but they get more episodes if they claim it's busted and then have to revisit it. They're ENTERTAINMENT television, not education by any means.
Anyway, cayenne pepper would work on a hound just the same as it would work if it were sprayed in your face, only more so for the hound.
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Greetings true believers... by Sanguine Dream on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:37pm
Did they hire some comic story writer wannabe as the PR person to spin this or what?
Any idiot knows that at best the dogs are trained to sniff out ALL cds and then the dog handlers somehow manage to have the right to check the cds to see if they are legit.
So are these dogs trained and handled by the police or what?
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Great..... by bornBlippy on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:41pm
Next they will train dogs to sniff out pirated MP3s.....
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Re: Re: Interesting... by Phillip on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:43pm
Actually it did work, however, if you remember, the handler figured out that something had been done to mask the scent so he started circling the building to find the scent again leading away.
But in the building the dog did not know where he went, and may or may not have found the trail on his own. However, the handler combined with the dog were able to get it right. The ones that completely failed was cologne & coffee grinds as well as a shower and new clothes, crossing the river, and weaving and climbing a tree.
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In related news... by Casper on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:50pm
..a family on vacation was attacked by two large dogs after the father pulled a stack of DVD-R's from his fanny pack to record his sons first steps. More at 11.
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Re: Interesting... by Andrew on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:52pm
I wondered about deciding on pirated versus regular DVDs, but saw one demonstration where they detected a stack of DVDs in boxes labeled canned vegetables or something. Being hidden inside some other package is probably a pretty good indication they aren't legit.
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by Anonymous Coward on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:54pm
ZOMG what will they do next? There better be ninjas involved soon
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by zcat on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 1:59pm
Apparently they sniff for polycarbonates, the plastic used to make CDs and DVDs.
They can't (of course!) tell the difference between pirated and genuine disks. The ASSumption is that genuine DVDs are only ever sent in MPAA-approved shipments and anything sent any other way is most likely pirated.
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Re: by TheDock22 on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 2:06pm
Ahhh...okay. That makes more sense than wondering if some dogs are going to bust my impressive, but completely legit movie collection.
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by sean on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 2:22pm
Now Dock you will be fine as long as you do not start buying large amounts of blank media
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Re: by TheDock22 on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 2:24pm
Now Dock you will be fine as long as you do not start buying large amounts of blank media
Uh-oh, looks like I'm in the "dog house" again. =)
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Re: Re: Interesting... by Cunk on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 2:43pm
While I'll agree MB is more entertainment than science, it's still good entertainment mixed with plenty of sound scientific & engineering lessons. The methods they use to solve problems generally utilize valid engineering skills.
And please link this demolition "servo unit" you refer to. I'm curious about this now.
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Re: Interesting... by Anonymous Coward on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 2:59pm
i saw that one. it is true that the dogs sniff the skin cells. i geuss they can have some chemical that is so strong that they dont smell it.
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by Anonymous Coward on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 3:04pm
Is this a publicity stunt by the MPAA for that Underdog movie that is coming out soon?
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Re: In related news... by AZIZA on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 4:04pm
..a family on vacation was attacked by two large dogs after the father pulled a stack of DVD-R's from his fanny pack to record his sons first steps. More at 11.
He must have been doing something wrong, or the MPAA attack dogs never would have picked up on his scent in the first place. Sorry, couldn't resist...
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wts [Fishy Hot Dog] by Anonymous Coward on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 4:24pm
wts [Fishy Hot Dog] - 99g
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Claim in the article.... by Brad on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 10:56pm
What I love best, is this quote from the article:
"1 million pirated DVDs, CDs and computer game discs worth $2.8 million in an office complex on March 19."
1M DVDs, CDs, and Computer Game discs @ $2.8M....
That means they had a value of $2.80/ea (on average). Either they've given up on the claim that every pirated copy is a lost sale, or they're admitting that a complete movie, album, or computer disc is only actually "worth" $2.80. Either way, they're admitting that $750/mp3 is no longer a valid claim. Thanks, MPAA!!!
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by The Swiss Cheese Monster on Mar 26th, 2007 @ 10:57pm
Does this mean that the super friends are going to be getting a couple of dogs?
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RE: zcat by Anonymous Coward on Mar 27th, 2007 @ 8:05am
"Apparently they sniff for polycarbonates, the plastic used to make CDs and DVDs."
I thought maybe it was the ink in the blanks. I would think that is what the strong smell is when you open the 100 pack of dvds.
Note to people going on vacation. Do not bring blanks for the DVD camcorder. You will be sniffed out by the blank patrol! Lets not forget you can not bring the purchased then used in camcorder disks back either... There go all our holiday memorys...
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