World of cameras

[Blind groper]

Big Brother is watching!

The world today is rapidly evolving into a new place, where video cameras are watching everything. We have security video cameras on street corners. Police wearing personal video cameras. Home security systems with video cameras. Animal control officers are increasingly carrying them. Even ordinary citizens can buy video cameras they wear and which record what is in front of them.

Many of these video systems download directly via the wireless web onto a cloud memory.

They have an impact. A study in Rialto, California found that police who wore them used force 60% less often, and citizen compalints against excessive force used by the police dropped 88%.

There are lots of positives to this. A personal video camera recording onto the cloud will deter muggers and other criminals. Crime in general will be resolved at a far greater rate, and this should result in less crime as criminals realise they are playing a losing game. People who know they are being recorded will tend to be more moderate and more polite in the way they deal with others.

One study by the Harvard Business School showed that when restaurant customers viewed video of the cooks hard at work, their food satisfaction rose.

What of the downside? Are we going too far? Will this trend make society better or worse?

[cronus]

I can sell you a video of cooks hard at work...if your business requires it.

[Hermit]

There is no downside as long as Youtube keeps filling up with footage of cute kitties, horrible traffic accidents in Russia and embarrassing failures of idiots doing idiotic things.

Check out the compilation of babies interacting with catses, for instance. One of them has attracted 60 million views and there are at least a dozen more in the 20 to 50 million range. It keeps people off the streets, and even when they are done watching the clips they feel too warm and fuzzy to go and rob the convenience store down the road.

I mean, just look at this kitty rescue episode. Never mind the fact that the kitten died later in the evening due to excessive smoke inhalation. That's another 27 million viewers whose eyes got too sweaty to partake in a pub brawl or something.

[Brian Peacock]

The issue isn't about cameras, it's about the people watching them.

[cronus]

The issue isn't about cameras, it's about the people watching them.

It's about the filming of people watching them to be more precise.

[Hermit]

The issue isn't about cameras, it's about the people watching them.

Just like "guns don't kill..."