UK to lnstall Wireless Mics on London Streets 472
johnthorensen writes "Looks like parts of London may be seeing wireless microphones on the street sometime soon. At this point, they're looking to use them to monitor noise ordinance violations - if you call about a repeated disturbance, they'll mount one by your place to monitor noise levels for the next several days. The article also notes that they intend to locate them more permanently outside bars and nightclubs. The microphones apparently communicate via wireless Internet connection, although no real details are given as to the nature of said connection. Are London residents getting the boiled frog treatment?"
Deus Ex anyone? (Score:3, Interesting)
Tampering? (Score:4, Interesting)
Good idea! (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:I'm a London resident... (Score:2, Interesting)
Balancing of rights and another example (Score:3, Interesting)
Now, on the other hand, if London started recording conversations, that would make for a more interesting - and invasive- use. At that point we're heading right for 1984. Of course, London already uses cameras in public places for use as evidence, so their networking infrastructure is already there...
Re:Good idea! (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:1984 here we come (Score:3, Interesting)
Another factor to consider is that as the technology of security increases, humans become the weak links in the chain.
There was a story a few months back about an expensive car that was designed to be opened by the thumbprint of the owner. In past decades the thieves might have hotwired it, stolen the car without the owner knowing. But with the car so secure, the easiest option for the thieves was to attack the owner and chop off his thumb. A vicious assault that would not have taken place was the security of the car less.
However, I do agree that the youth of today is growing up more 'disfunctional' if you like, than in times past. Children aren't taught responsibility and maturity, but seem to be increasingly left to their own devices.
Mm, I disagree here. The class divides of times past were far more strict than today. People's backgrounds don't matter so much as how they act in the present.
Oh, I never said it wasn't. But on a public street you give up some rights to privacy. Privacy wise, what's the difference between people watching you do something live in the street, or on a tape from a CCTV camera?
Re:Tampering? (Score:2, Interesting)
Americans fell for the "freedom bait & switch" (Score:3, Interesting)
But the American elite went on a propaganda spree in order to sell them on the Revolution. Of course for elites like jefferson, washington, Madison, Morris, et al., the Revolution was really all about making more money for themselves.
So Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. And they used that bit of flowery "freedom, brotherhood, and liberty" language the help sell the Revolution. Of course there were other things that helped sell the revolution, like the Brit soldiers coming in and taking up all the jobs, that and some other things. But Jefferson's propaganda set up the Bait and Switch.
So, then once the elites had some grassroots support, they got down to the dirty work of writing a Constitution that was designed to make sure that the lower classes really had little power. The American working classes fell for the Bait and Switch, all right. They bought into the whole freedon-liberty propaganda thing. THe Constitution, as James Madison, the principal writer of the Constitution wrote, was meant to establish a framework from within which the elite could hardly be reached by the masses. And Madison sure did do a good job of creating a government that was very hard to change. He sure did a good job "protecting the opulent minority from the majority," as he put it himself.
The working people had thought they were going to get a fair and representative govt, with just an assembly that mathematically represented the people and whose members could be easily voted out. But instead they got a Constitutional framework that had a president and a Senate elected for long periods of time, and no one was subject to recall.
Whoa, did that piss off the people. THey were a lot more politically aware back then then we are now. They knew that with a president and a senate, elected for such long periods of time, and not even directly elected, that the working people would have little chance of getting true representations. Once the workers got wind of how the actual constitution was goign to differ from what the Declaration of Independence promised, they tried to rush the buildings where the elite were gathering in order to set up the USA as a republic; they tried to kill them several times. But the elites had too many bodyguards.
So, as a result, the elites got what they wanted.
Americans just do not have any idea of a government that actually is on their side. THe American Constitution set up a government that is easily manipulable by the elite. Of course, almost every other western nation is now run much more for the people and less for the elite than is America. So this is one reason why American slashdotters moan and groan about this mikes in the UK. Of course, they don't even know why this thread is present in their culture. That history is not taught in the schools (surprise surprise!)
As a citizen... (Score:3, Interesting)
Hell, directional speakers might be really neat here, until they ban the use.
"When noise makers are outlawed, only outlaws... &etc."
..Already in Australia (Score:3, Interesting)
I made my way to the rooftop, and on an awning pointing toward the street was a large protective case, padlocked and covered with council stencils, with a large mic pointing toward the street, and an antenna.
The stickers on the case drew mention to ambient noise monitoring..
I guess the UK isn't the first place to have this/
Re:1984 (Score:5, Interesting)
Nice try. But Hitler was not german.
I've heard someone say once that the two greatest achievements of Austria in history were to make the world think that Hitler was German, and that Mozart was Austrian.
(Not that I agree, but it's a fun joke to make Austrians angry with)
Re:"Minimal damage"? Really? (Score:2, Interesting)
In addition, some cameras are accused of being revenue generation devices and not safety devices (I can name one Truvelo in Nottighamshire hidden behind a bridge supoport post before Markham on the A1 on a 3 km stretch of straight road). The burning makes them uneconomic at 20,000UKP a pop.
Re:Tampering? (Score:3, Interesting)
The problem with speed cameras is they disrupt traffic flow - everyone slams on the brakes as they see a camera which at worst case causes a pile-up, but usually just slows the traffic right down.
There are some speed cameras in a 50mph zone near me - everyone does about 50mph down the road and then slams on the brakes as they see the camera and slow down to about 25mph because they're not 100% sure they're still in a 50mph zone and haven't missed some 30mph signs or something. The situation could be greatly improved if they actually painted the speed limit on the camera itself so you knew that you're definately within the limit.
On my drive home from work there is a speed camera about 50 metres from my junction (in a 30mph limit). The speed camera causes such disruption, slowing the traffic down to about 20mph that everyone bunches up, increasing the risk of a pileup and meaning you can't change lane. Basically, if you didn't change into the left hand lane by about 700 metres before the junction you can forget anyone letting you change lane so you can make the turn - you'll be stuck on the road until the next junction 3 miles further on.
Another problem which I guess is slightly more contraversial is that there are some stretches of road where you can lose your licence within about 5 miles if you cruise down there slightly over the limit since you'll trigger several cameras on the road - made worse by the fact that forward facing cameras don't even flash so they won't draw your attention to the fact you just passed a camera.
I generally don't speed, but I still hate speed cameras coz of the disruption they cause. I also think there's a hell of a lot worse things to do than driving 5mph over the limit - like the drivers who I see every day who weave in and out of traffic cutting everyone up, or the idiots who blast down the motorway half a metre from the back of my car.
Re:1984 (Score:4, Interesting)
The problem here , is some smart arse thought they could motivate the police to reduce the crimne-rate by giving them quotas . So instead of conducting there normal investigations they have to allocate a certain ammount of time to meeting those quotas . Violant crime and robbery take time to solve , Random drunks being a bit loud , speeders and dangerous drivers are like shooting fish in a barrel.
Its the same in the UK , its the same in Germany and im fairly sure its true in most other EU nations (probably also true in the USA , Canada , Australia , newzeland... etc etc)
On the issue of wireless mics , 90% of the recorded stuff (bar random noise ), will be pissed teenagers and 20 somethings Shouting "F**Ck off Pigs" directly at the mics which get found and are not in a position to vandalise
Its a waste of money and a waste of time
Re:Britain -- major nanny state (Score:5, Interesting)