Wow. That's an amazing article. Did you find that in the link I had above? I'll be honest, I didn't read what I posted; I know about "the thing" from Robert Wallace's book Spycraft which didn't have any pictures, as I did it as an audiobook. Fun fact: the article you linked was written by Nick Pileggi, author and screenwriter of Goodfellas, Casino, City Hall and American Gangster and, from 1987 until her death in 2012, Mr. Nora Ephron.
I liked the martini olive microphone: The link to the Esquire article was in an email discussion ensuing from the MIT article in a mailing list that I happen to be on. ʞɐıuzoʍ ǝʌǝʇs is on this mailing list as well... Anything good that I post usually comes from that crowd.The martini-olive microphone with transmitter has attracted a good deal of attention in the press, was mentioned in a Senate hearing on bugging devices and is de rigueur in spy films. The mike is at the left end of the olive, where the hole should be, and the aerial is concealed inside the toothpick. Actually, this is too expensive ($200), too low-powered and gimmicky for a real pro. Its range is not more than fifty feet, and an operative would need his receiver and tape in the next room. Nevertheless, smart hostesses dispense twists of lemon.
