TSA buys a randomizer app for $47k

[BlindMelonChitlin]

http://www.cnet.com/news/former-ibmer-shows-you-can-build-tsas-randomizer-app-in-4-mins/

No, really.

How long does it take to build an app that has precisely two arrows, one pointing left and one right?

Ever since developer Kevin Burke alleged this week that the Transportation Security Administration paid IBM at least $336,413 or possibly even $1.4 million for the app, the Web has been muttering. Known as the Randomizer, the app decides whether people should go right or left as they pass through security.

The TSA told me that the actual app development cost $47,400. It said the larger sum was part of a bigger ontract involving several projects.

Even $47,400, though, seemed like a lot of money when a developer can declare it would take, oh, 10 minutes to create such a thing.

To which Sandesh B. Suvarna says, "pish."

This is not an actual quote. However, 27-year-old Suvarna told me he was stunned when he learned how much the app cost.

[video=youtube;Yo9YD3zBiFs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo9YD3zBiFs[/video]

 

[BlindMelonChitlin]

I'll just say that we would roll our eyes at that in this country and call it corruption. I wonder what they call it in the US...

 

[LazyLion]

Must be unhackable and terrorist-proof, right? Right?

 

[[)roi(]]

Apparently the expensive part was accommodating racial profiling and to engage with TSA's perverts.

FYI It was built in Swift in 4 minutes.

 

[Ninja'd]

I'll just say that we would roll our eyes at that in this country and call it corruption. I wonder what they call it in the US...

Capitalism

 

[nightshade21099]

You would probably spend more time porting the app between android and IOS than writing the actual code.
Actually it would probably take more time finding or creating the arrow images than writing the code.

 

[BlindMelonChitlin]

You have to lol at the ensuing comments argument where guys are critcizing the RNG method for being predictable.

 

[Hackson]

I wouldn't even pay that much for a fart app and that is more useful.

 

[jonno_081]

You could always sell them a bag of Mandela R5 coins for $47K... True randomisation built right in

 

[Ancalagon]

You could always sell them a bag of Mandela R5 coins for $47K... True randomisation built right in

I'm not sure about Mandela R5 coins, but not all coins are properly balanced. Some have a tendency to land more on the tails side than on the heads side, for instance.

 

[BlindMelonChitlin]

Not too loud, certain people will get ideas about making a #1 coin that lands heads side up every time lol.