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Spy Tricks From Burn Notice

"Burn Notice" premiered on the USA Network in 2007 and was a hit with both viewers and critics. The show follows the adventures of high-level CIA operative Michael Weston after he receives a "burn notice," which effectively cuts him off from the agency and leaves him on his own with no money or protection from his many enemies. What Weston does have, however, are serious espionage skills, which he uses to full advantage in his new job as a do-gooder for hire who helps people in need of his unique skill set.
  1. Evade Motion Detectors WIth Snuggie

    • As Michael Weston has continually demonstrated, you need to know how something works before you can disable it. In one episode, Weston needed to disable motion detectors in order to break into someplace unseen. Motion detectors, he explained, function by bounding sound off of solid objects and analyze the reflection that results. If the motion detector picks up a change, the alarm will go off. If, however, you move slowly and cover yourself with a thick fabric --- such as a wool blanket or a Snuggie --- it will absorb the sound and give off no reflection, indicating no change has taken place and preventing the alarm from sounding. Heat sensors can be disabled by covering yourself in a thermal blanket, which shields your body heat from the sensors.

    Sober Drinking

    • According to Weston, "Spies go to bars for the same reason people go to libraries: full of information if you know where to ask." However, the trick when going undercover in a bar is to maintain the impression that you're imbibing while actually remaining sober, as a spy needs to keep his wits about him. Weston's solution is to drink without getting drunk. His tips include using lots of ice in a drink to dilute alcohol, ordering a fresh round of drinks after taking just a few sips, and spill your drink as often as possible.

    Nonfatal Fighting

    • According to Weston, the way you fight is like giving another spy your ID, as "a fight is one of the quickest ways to tell if someone isn't who they say they are." Weston is skilled in many forms of lethal combat, but there are times when it makes sense to appear that he was trying to kill his opponent when he was actually just trying to disable him temporarily. Sometimes he needs to make an opponent feel more powerful than him, and he'll throw a fight altogether.

    Phone Book Bulletproofing

    • One of the series' most memorable examples of Weston's spy expertise came when he needed a fast, easy way to make a car bulletproof. His solution was to attach telephone books to the car, as typical nonarmor-piercing bullets will only penetrate the phone book by about an inch or two. In fact, this episode inspired a segment on the popular Discovery Channel series "Mythbusters," which tested whether or not a car could be made bulletproof with phone books. They discovered that it could.

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