I read an article recently that mentioned the last major improvement to the FBI's technology infrastructure was in the 1980's, and that there have been 2-3 aborted attempts to update and integrate them. Another thing working against the FBI has apparently been agents unwillingness to trust technology, instead preferring the age-old method of relying on paper records.
I guess they turned their nose against technology in the '80s and never gave it a second thought. Remember, this is the same government that considers the Space Shuttle leading edge technology. _______________________________________________________________ "A government operating in the shadow of secrecy stands in complete opposition to the society envisioned by the framers of our Constitution." - Judge Damon J. Keith, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit Detroit Free Press, et al. v. John Ashcroft, et al. (August 26, 2002) -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Erik Curiel Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2002 9:58 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [bits] fbi 'computer expert'? While laying in bed this morning at 4 AM, cursing my insomnia, I caught the following exchange between Sen. Leahy (Dem-VT) and a person described as an FBI 'computer expert' (or some such term): Leahy: So, you're telling me that the FBI does not currently have the capacity to search all its computers for the phrase "aviation school"? FBI chick: That's correct. We could search for the single word "aviation" or the single word "school" but not for the entire phrase "aviation school". I'm not sure whether I should be more pleased or more worried at the fact that the FBI's computers are being run by morons. Have these people never heard of grep? If there is already some kind of search engine in place for single words, how hard could it be to change its parameters to accept blank spaces as word-characters? Even windoze, for chrissakes, allows text-searches of documents. I reckon the other possibilities are: 1) She's lying. 2) She's not really an 'expert', but some confused PR person. 3) The FBI's computers all run DOS. Any other ideas? E -- Erik Curiel almost web-engineer/would-be philosopher "And the ladies treat me kindly, And they finish me with tape, But deep inside my heart I know I can't escape. Awww, mama, can this really be the end? To be stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis blues again." --Bob Dylan _______________________________________________ Bits mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.sugoi.org/mailman/listinfo/bits _______________________________________________ Bits mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.sugoi.org/mailman/listinfo/bits
