rex_gallorum2

It might sound a little 'out there', but I can recommend keeping a couple of geese (if you have space in the city). They go absolutely nuts and honk like a car alarm if strangers come around.

The indoor camera thing is pretty freaky. Setting them up to keep an eye on things when you are gone would probably be a good idea - but all the time?

I keep change in two (usually) unlocked cars as bait. If the change is gone, someone has been going through the cars. A while back the change was gone. If I had video footage of that, would the cops pursue the case? Hell no. If I received a notification from a camera/sensor, would I confront or possibly shoot (legal in this jurisdiction) a petty thief? Hell no. Anyone who is stealing loose change out of cars is desperate to the point that they do not care anymore.

Around the time the bait disappeared, the police were pursuing a suspect from house to house at 2am. If it was the same person, and I had proof, stealing from parked cars would be the least of anyone's concern.

What are the odds your local police are going to take your package theft footage and actually pursue the thief? Even for more serious crimes, it's questionable whether they will seek (or use) camera evidence, or be successful if they do. I know of an armed robbery attempt that occurred close to home, and to my knowledge no inquiries were made regarding camera evidence (I was a witness).

I can think of plenty of concrete uses for surveillance cameras, sure, but I'd say the costs vastly outweigh the benefits for most people using them today.

Check out some online social (fearmongering) sites like Nextdoor some time - it's nothing but busybodies speculating that the person parked on the street is casing their house or stealing packages. Quick, report them to the cops.

Oops. The local cops no longer accept 'suspicious person or vehicle' reports unless there is a crime in progress.

The irony is that you wouldn't know if your neighbors were using their own cameras to observe your daughter. Or you for that matter.

Nobody seems to be asking whether/why you need cameras in the first place. The last thing I want is surveillance cameras in my living space, and the fact that other people have street facing cameras casting suspicion on people lawfully using public spaces really unnerves me.

These companies are encouraging fear and paranoia to sell their products, and there is no guarantee using said products will deter criminals, or ensure that they are caught and punished even if you have clear video evidence.

This whole camera craze is built on a bunch of hot air. Ditch the cameras and stop living in fear.

I read this story and mapped it out a few years ago, and they could (probably) have walked out the way they came. They passed a low scrubby area with a spring on the way in. I imagine most people would have simply backtracked on foot and (probably) survived.

I can only guess they had absolutely no idea where they actually were - but perhaps thought they knew where they were. That is the only explanation for continuing forwards on foot rather than turning back. If you're looking at the wrong place on a map, especially an inadequate map, it's easy to think you're going the right way when they are 'dead' wrong.

Absolutely true. I am a serial expat who has lost numerous numbers over the years by switching countries. I at least hope to keep the same basic online services running when crossing borders, but I swear, in the last couple of years, it has become an absolute nightmare. It is getting harder and harder.

You are quite right. I have never owned a smart phone myself and never carry any type of phone with me. When I change countries, I try to use shitty pre-paid dumb phones. I was completely unaware that online services seem to hate this, and will lock you out forever if you change your phone number (or change countries - something that has gotten worse, I have noticed, as I have been crossing borders and logging into things for 20 years). It used to be easy. Now it's a nightmare.

I find it disturbing to imagine that people are stuck with phone numbers as de facto ID.

I think, in a way, that was exactly his point. And I have a feeling I might be living more in his world than in yours.

It's a narrative, not a technical manual. I found it beautifully written and filled with insight.

Agree 100%. My own biography parallels that of the author, and his insights make perfect sense to me.

I found this piece extraordinarily insightful, and it resonated with so much I have observed in my own life. I read it from start to finish.