Homemade Spy Equipment

In a TV show I was watching recently, the bad guys were using a microphone/laser setup to spy on the good guys. They used the glass in a window as the pickup device and could hear the conversation in that room. I turned to my wife and said,

"We used to make something like that in my technology lab. I could have been a spy. I was like Q in James Bond......training the next generation of sneaky operatives."

She told me to be quiet and watch the show.

Shortly after that program I ran across directions on how to make a the same kind of listening device from a cheap laser pointer. My first thought was that anybody, including that creepy guy who lives down the block, could be listening in on my witty conversations. My second thought was, this would be a cool enhancement to the laser station in a technology lab.

If nothing else, a teacher could use this as a discussion starter on ethics and personal freedom. Also the need for black screens on all your windows! [Article on countermeasures in case you don't want to board up all your windows.]

[Chilton, Dan. "DIY laser long-distance listening device." 22 Aug 2007. DIY Life. 17 Sep 2007 .]
[image: "Megalaser." Megalaser. 2007. Megalaser. 17 Sep 2007 .]