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Smile! Urine Candid Camera!
Anon E. Muss writes "Just because you can put a camera somewhere doesn't mean you should. Apparently, the Department of Homeland Security doesn't grasp this concept. They've installed video cameras in urinals at Houston's Hobby Airport. At least they weren't sneaky about it — they posted a notice saying 'Automatic infrared flush sensors also provide video monitoring for security purposes.' (Insert bad joke about bashful bladder syndrome here)."
Bring some post-it stickers to cover the lens while doing the business - remove&flush afterwards.
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
Well, that just takes the piss...
If there had to be a camera somewhere in a men's restroom, the safest place would probably be right on the urinal facing straight out, where it apparently is. And if you're blanketing a building with security cameras, how much sense does it make to leave out prominently labelled rooms where any illicit activity can occur under the radar?
Don't get me wrong, video surveillance is absurd, but cameras in bathrooms isn't any worse than cameras on every street corner.
"When did we put on yellow lens filters on the cameras?" "We didn't"
Hmmm...Interesting - but why only on Urinals? Why not in the stalls in BOTH sexes of restrooms? Either way, this confirms that I don't really want to make the US as a destination when I make trips from Australia to Canada...
Well, just to get this out of the way.. this is bullshit. And dear god when did Slashdot become Digg?
Anyway, I think the comments are more interesting, especially this one:
From Inner Loop Realtor:
Y'know about 3 years ago I was mugged in the Hobby Airport parking garage. I told them at the time that they needed cameras in the garage. This is typical of bureaucratic idiocy. Meanwhile, watch your back.
1. I thought Houston was in Texas.. why weren't you packing? Defend yourself asshole.
2. Ya know that security cameras are completely useless for identifying people, right? I mean, if *you* couldn't identify the guy, then how is a security camera gunna help? You don't actually believe that "we zoomed in and cleaned it up a bit" shit that you see on 24, right?
3. Has anyone ever done a study (a real study) of the effectiveness of security cameras at preventing crime? Any sort of crime.
4. It's this kind of knee jerk "we need more surveillance" reaction that the DHS contractors are banking on. You are the problem.
How we know is more important than what we know.
I'm actually bit jealous of whomever came up with that gag. He sure got a lot of mileage out of it.
It's clearly just a riff on the "naked X-ray" controversy going around.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this illegal?
I remember some stores had the pants sued off of them (no pun intended) when people found out the dressing rooms were being monitored by cameras, to prevent theft.
Lots of high end places have bathroom attendants. Their job is two-fold. I'm not quite sure of the first one, but I know the second one is to make sure people know that it isn't a place where they can go and shit in the sink or assemble guns from the parts they have hidden in their underwear.
Job? I don't have time to get a job! Who will sit around and bitch about being broke and unemployed then?
It is a joke. Note how half the lettering is bleeding out? Printed on an inkjet. Also, the suggested idea of combining flush sensors and cameras is absurd in every way. *is thinking about putting up some similar placards at his own airport*
When things get complex, multiply by the complex conjugate.
Am I the only one who thinks this is just some prank pulled by some kid with an inkjet printer and some label paper? It would take 2 minutes to make that sticker and just slap it on a few urinals for giggles.
Like, I realize some ridiculous crap has happened in the past few years, but are we all so jaded we just automatically assume that this sort of thing is real?
Source is just blogspam and image could easily have been faked in photoshop. The government is stupid and paranoid and not deserving of our love but this is might be just a wee bit over the top at this point in time...
turn into "criminal? I think this is over the line.
If businesses in the United States cannot put video cameras in their bathrooms (and they can't), then neither can Homeland Security. They can't have it both ways.
If I found such a camera I would put duct-tape over it. That's just too damned far.
I'm sure this is a prank. Since this is generating bad publicity for the DHS, they will probably catch the person who put these stickers on the urinals after reviewing the video from the real, covert hidden cameras they have covering the urinals.
Can anyone tell me how to set my sig on Slashdot?
The guy that printed/posted these is sitting somewhere laughing his fool arse off. Srsly - it's obviously a fake, and it made /. front page!
Ever wonder about the dark red glass on the I/R sensor? It's ridiculous to think there's a camera in there...
chuckle chuckle...
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
I wouldn't want to reveal my Willy of Mass Destruction to the cameras.