From: Spike Jones (spike66@attglobal.net)
Date: Sat Apr 21 2001 - 19:54:21 MDT
> Spike Jones wrote:
> > A most vexing problem is this. We are already at the point where
> > we cannot be *sure* of privacy in any public restroom, or any
> > hotel room. Current cameras are easy to hide....
> Michael Wiik wrote: ...a restatement of the 'how many gigabucks-funded,
> alien-technology-enhanced intelligence agencies are monitoring this room
> right now?' meme.
I assume other parts of the world have a Fry's Electronics or
something analogous to it nearby? Fry's is a supermarket for
gadgetry, acres and acres of the stuff. The most valuable real
estate in that place is the display one passes immediately upon
entering the store. They show thre the latest hot selling item,
usually something cheap, that is flying off the shelf, such as a
battery powered clock that sets itself via a radio signal,
something that would be nice to have around the house.
Ive noticed that this coveted spot for the last few months has
been occupied by those little X10 wireless cameras that we
discussed here about last summer. They are cheap enough,
about 70 bucks, that anyone might buy one on a whim, without
a clear application in mind. They are not the greatest picture
quality, but good enough, and you can set one anywhere,
transmit the signal to a VCR, rig it with a motion detector,
etc, make a nice little poor man's security system.
Back to Fry's, I went in the other day looking for a Rocket
e-book, stood around and watched for a few minutes. Several
people picked up an X10 camera. I would estimate they sold
one every 2 to 4 minutes, during heavy crowds, so just a
conservative guess they must be selling a few hundred of these
a day. Open 7 days a week, and the display has been there
for at least 4 months, you figure there are tens of thousands
of these little wireless cameras now out there just from that
one Fry's store, and we have 4 other stores that size inside
a 15 km radius.
Where are all these cameras now? spike
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