The miniature microphone, as worn by an undercover officer or an informant, is the single most unreliable piece of technology of all time. They are prone to shorting out, smoking and sparking, bad reception and easy detection - but strangely, they are immune to clothing noise, although this is the primary handicap of their real-world counterparts. As a variant, a parabolic dish device operated by a technician at a distance is used to listen in on criminal conversations. See also Engineered Public Confession, Incredibly Obvious Bug. Examples of Hidden Wire include: