28 SEP 3304
The personal administration robot of business magnate Lloyd Hardacre, which recently revealed evidence of his criminal activity, has been found to contain a concealed surveillance program.
Lieutenant Inspector Ramesh Thorne of the Federal Security Service made a statement to the media:
“FSS technicians discovered a highly sophisticated surveillance program within the robot’s coreware that was covertly copying certain types of data – namely anything illegal. A minor malfunction caused the robot to incorporate the data into a company presentation.”
“Our working theory is that Mr Hardacre was the target of an undercover spy operation, but not one coordinated by any legal authority. Clearly, someone harboured suspicions about Hardacre and was looking for proof. We are conducting interviews with his business associates and competitors.”
When asked about the robot, Lieutenant Inspector Thorne added:
“The robot is manufactured by the Achilles Corporation, and is a relatively primitive machine, designed to coordinate information and perform administrative tasks. Such robots are incapable of independent behaviour, so this one must have been subjected to comprehensive reprogramming.”
28 SEP 3304
Rival companies Herculean Machines and Supratech have resumed development of their new personal computers.
Harlow Nassry, technology journalist at The Federal Times, has been following events:
“After the mysterious fire that destroyed Supratech’s factory and the equally mysterious scandal that scared off Herculean Machines’s investors, it seemed like neither company would complete its new designs.”
“But successful requests for public support have turned that around. Maddox Hurd and Scorpio DeVorrow, the heads of Herculean and Supratech respectively, both received enough materials to produce functional prototypes for the Rackham Ultratech Expo on Wednesday the 3rd of October.”
“This expo is crucial for both companies. Rackham Capital Investments and other corporate sponsors will be paying close attention, and Zachary Rackham himself will be present, eager to get his hands on the latest gadgets.”
“Both the customisable Duradrive and the wearable Torc have captured the public imagination, but the prototypes’ performance is key. The amount of commodities each company received might be the deciding factor in their commercial success.”