Orlandocard

 

SECRET CODEWORDS OF THE NSA: ORLANDOCARD

woodblock print (mokuhanga)
6" x 6" (152.4 x 152.4 mm)
7 layers of color plus blind emboss on Kochi Kozo paper
edition: 20

O is for orlandocard. Orlandocard was (is?) an NSA operation that attracted visits from over 77,000 foreign computers and planted spyware on more than 1,000 by using a 'honeypot' computer. A 'honeypot' is pretty much what it sounds like -- a digital trap set to attract a certain target, much like a police officer might bait a criminal. A honeypot site seems to contain something of interest to its targets and it appears to be part of a network, but it is actually isolated and monitored.

Another sort of 'honeypot' is the femme fatale, a character in every good spy story. She is usually a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers and lead them into compromising and dangerous situations. An early mythological form of femme fatale were the Greek sirens, who lured sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Mermaids are often associated with sirens.

About 80 miles from the popular tourist destination city Orlando, Florida, before Sea World or Disney World, there was Weeki Wachee Springs, "the only city of live Mermaids!" Established in the 1940s, the Weeki Wachee mermaid shows reached their heyday in the 1960s. The Weeki Wachee / Orlando connection inspired me to depict the NSA Orlandocard Honeypot as a mermaid.