Computer security -- Fiction; Didactic fiction; Privacy, Right of -- Fiction; Records -- Access control -- Fiction
"Now just what the devil is an automatic toilet seat? It pulls it
out and dries it off for you?" He believed that Scott was kid-
ding with some of his half baked inventions. That Scott subject-
ed any of his guests to their intermittent functioning was cruel
and inhuman punishment according to Tyrone.
"You're married with girls. Aren't they always on your case
about the toilet seat?"
"I've been married 26 years," Tyrone said with pride. "I con-
quered toilet seats on our honeymoon. She let me know right then
that she was boss and what the price of noncompliance was."
"Ouch, that's not fair," Scott said in sympathy. "I sleep-piss."
He held his hands out in front. "That's the only side effect
from too much acid. Sleep pissing."
Tyrone scrunched his face in disgust.
Scott spoke rapidly and loudly. "So for those of us who forget to
lower the seat after use, for those who forget to raise the seat;
for those who forget to raise the lid, Auto-Shit." Ty had tried
to ignore him, but Scott's imitation of a hyperactive cable
shopping network host demanded that one at least hear him out.
Ty's eyes teared.
"Make that woman in your life happy today. No more mess, fuss or
or morning arguments. No more complaints from the neighbors or
the health department. Auto-Shit. The toilet that knows your
needs. The seat for the rest of us. Available in 6 designer
colors. Only $49.95, Mastercard, VISA, No COD. Operators are
standing by."
Tyrone fell over on his side laughing. "You are crazy, man.
Sleep pissing. And, if you don't know it, no one, I mean no one
in his right mind has five trash compactors." Tyrone waved his
hand at Scott. "Ask me what you were gonna ask me."
"Off the record, Ty," Scott started, "how're the feds viewing
this mess?"
Tyrone hated the position he was in, but Scott had given him a
ltoe recently. It was time to reciprocate.
"Off?"
"So far off, so far off that if you turned the light "On" it
would still be off."
"It's a fucking mess," Tyrone said quickly. He was relieved to
be able to talk about it. "You can't believe it. I'm down there
to watch a crisis management team in action, but what do I find?"
He shook his head. "They're still trying to decide on the size
of the conference table." The reference caught Scott's ear.
"No, it's not that bad, but it might as well be."
"How is this ECCO thing put together? Who's responsible?"
"Responsible? Ha! No one," Tyrone chuckled as he recounted the
constant battles among the represented agencies. "This is the
perfect bureaucratic solution. No one is responsible for shit,
no one is accountable, but they all want to run the show. And,
no one agency clearly has authority. It's a fucking disaster."
"No one runs security? In the whole government, no one runs
security?"
"That's pushing it a little, but not too far off base."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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