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YouTuber Admits Aspects of Viral HomePod Glitter Bomb Video Were Faked (appleinsider.com)
New submitter ArchieBunker writes: A viral video featuring a booby-trapped HomePod box that pranked package thieves with a glitter bomb has been criticized for faking some of the reactions of the would-be "thieves," who were in fact acquaintances of friends of the video's creator. The video, "Package Thief vs. Glitter Bomb Trap" by former NASA engineer Mark Rober, featured the creation of a device constructed inside a HomePod box that spread out glitter once the HomePod box was opened, with four smartphones used to film the event and subsequent reactions from all angles. Clips were shown of people claimed to be package thieves, opening the box and being covered with glitter, before throwing the contraption away.
One thief's vehicle was found to have a number of similar features to one parked near to the house of a friend of Rober, used to film some of the illicit acquisitions, suggesting it was acquired by someone who lived nearby. Another person used Google Street View and Zillow to analyze the third thief's video from inside her home, and determined the side yard and outdoor area bore a striking resemblance to the home next door to the friend's house. Posted to Imgur, the thread of evidence led to others questioning Rober on some of his later edits to the published video, including deletion of small sections and blurring out details. According to Rober, he offered to provide the box to people who were willing to place it on their doorstep, with the offer of financial compensation for successful recoveries of the package, and one "friend of a friend" volunteered to help. Rober has since confirmed that two of the five reactions used in the video were suspicious, and were subsequently removed, but insists the reactions for times when the box was stolen from his doorstep were genuine. "I'm especially gutted because so much thought, time, money, and effort went into building the device and I hope this doesn't just taint the entire effort as 'fake,'" writes Rober in text placed underneath the video. "It genuinely works (like all the other things I've built on my channel) and we've made all the code and build info public."
One thief's vehicle was found to have a number of similar features to one parked near to the house of a friend of Rober, used to film some of the illicit acquisitions, suggesting it was acquired by someone who lived nearby. Another person used Google Street View and Zillow to analyze the third thief's video from inside her home, and determined the side yard and outdoor area bore a striking resemblance to the home next door to the friend's house. Posted to Imgur, the thread of evidence led to others questioning Rober on some of his later edits to the published video, including deletion of small sections and blurring out details. According to Rober, he offered to provide the box to people who were willing to place it on their doorstep, with the offer of financial compensation for successful recoveries of the package, and one "friend of a friend" volunteered to help. Rober has since confirmed that two of the five reactions used in the video were suspicious, and were subsequently removed, but insists the reactions for times when the box was stolen from his doorstep were genuine. "I'm especially gutted because so much thought, time, money, and effort went into building the device and I hope this doesn't just taint the entire effort as 'fake,'" writes Rober in text placed underneath the video. "It genuinely works (like all the other things I've built on my channel) and we've made all the code and build info public."
Once a cheater, always a cheater. Sure, you feel gutted. You got caught.
The thing that struck me the most was the number of 'thieves'. While 'porch pirates' are a real thing, they aren't so common that one guy or even a couple of them could in short order have so many packages lost to them.
The force that blew the Big Bang continues to accelerate.
Someone has a future in politics . . .
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
I suspected as much when the thief stopped, swept back his cape with one arm, stuffed the package into his top hat, and looked straight into the camera with an evil smile while twirling the end of his mustache between his fingers.
#DeleteChrome
What a stupid thing to do. Pad a reaction video with some fake reactions. Damn, that cost him all his credibility. In today's fake news world there is no room for phonying up any video, news item, or posts. Stay pure and stay believed. Cheaters are losers.
You knew it was fake when the first "thief" didn't stomp the glitter-bot into the ground in frustration and anger.
=^..^= all your rodent are belong to us
"I'm especially gutted because so much thought, time, money, and effort went into building the device and I hope this doesn't just taint the entire effort as 'fake,'"
But...it was fake. You faked all of your test data and presented it as real results, therefore your entire research project is, at best, suspect. You deliberately mislead your viewers and now you're shocked at the result.
"Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
No, he admitted **he** was duped. Not at all the same thing.
He's the real deal. Real qualifications, his channel has a fair bit of science on it (and 5.4 million subscribers) and he does appear to be engineering quite a bit of stuff.
And like most big YouTube channels he has set up a production company to do professional editing and scripting and yes like everything on TV some of it is faked. Hopefully you didn't think everything you saw on TV/YouTube was real...
So basically people are upset that big YouTube channels are exactly like TV shows.
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SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
fwiw, he posted yesterday that he found out a couple of examples were faked by collusion between some neighbors. He apologized profusely, and he realizes what kind of hit he has taken. I didn't bother with the vid once I saw there were some fakes.
His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
In this era of sensationalist news and politicians being pilloried for stuff that was actually said on SNL...I can't agree. And this WAS in the 'real' news. It's unacceptable. I mean, the video is kind of irresponsible to begin with. What if people copy the idea, and an actual thief who knows where their victim lives realizes they're holding something that can land them in jail? Package thieves aren't exactly career astronaut types.
And it turns out it fabricated people and reactions. What if people look at the ethnicity of most of the "thieves" and they have some very unfortunate beliefs reinforced? I know that might sound like a hysterical example, but it's not particularly my point. This video was thoughtless AND a lie. What respect do his ideas deserve? I wish the guy absolutely no harm, but he deserves to be a pariah and ignored from now on.
A real criminal would not toss it, they'd destroy it out of spite.
A package is stinking up your car or home. Why on earth would you spend a second long than you had to with it? Remember this is a REALLY powerful smell. You say "real criminal" as if it was some determined noble warrior, not some lazy looser who does the easiest possible thing - which includes tossing a stinky package instead of actively seeking to destroy it.
Stomp, crush, burn, etc
Yeah that's a genius move for sure, to stomp on something you already know smells horrific, and was trapped enough to spread glitter all over you...
Noone tosses it out the window with fingerprints on it
You have watched WAY TOO MUCH CSI Mr McGruff. What "no-one" does is care at all about package thieves or fingerprints unless some truly serious crime is in play. Have you ever TRIED reporting package theft? Even with video the police just laugh. A package by the side of the road will mix with all the other trash and just be ignored.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The device wasn't faked because he posted blueprints and code for the whole setup. Unless he just didn't build the device, that would be quite of lot of work wasted to make those blueprints and code. All of it right here: https://github.com/IdleHandsPr...
I love all the condemnation by people who apparently didn't bother to actually READ what he added to the video. He solicited 3rd parties who would be willing to place the package on their porch. He offered to compensate them for it. It was those third parties who had friends fake stealing the package. When he found out that these alleged thieves were fake, he edited them out of the video and disclosed the issue.
He posted this under the video. I believe him, as I've been watching his channel for years and he produces a lot of great content.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Note about 2 missing the reactions in the video- I was presented with information that caused me to doubt the veracity of 2 of the 5 reactions in the video. These were reactions that were captured during a two week period while the device was at house 2 hours away from where I live. I put a feeler out for people willing to put a package on their porch and this person (who is a friend of a friend) volunteered to help. To compensate them for their time and willingness to risk putting a package on their porch I offered financial compensation for any successful recoveries of the package. It appears (and I've since confirmed) in these two cases, the “thieves" were actually acquaintances of the person helping me. From the footage I received from the phones which intentionally only record at specific times, this wasn’t clear to me. I have since removed those reactions from the original video (originally 6:26-7:59). I’m really sorry about this. Ultimately, I am responsible for the content that goes on my channel and I should have done more here. I can vouch for that the reactions were genuine when the package was taken from my house. Having said that, I know my credibly is sort of shot but I encourage you to look at the types of videos I’ve been making for the past 7 years. This is my first ever video with some kind of “prank" and like I mentioned in the video it’s pretty removed from my comfort zone and I should have done more. I’m especially gutted because so much thought, time, money and effort went into building the device and I hope this doesn’t just taint the entire effort as “fake". It genuinely works (like all the other things I’ve built on my channel) and we’ve made all the code and build info public. Again, I’m sorry for putting something up on my channel that was misleading. That is totally on me and I will take all necessary steps to make sure it won’t happen again.
Except professional journalism is supposed to involve research and verification. Without investigation and verification it's not news, it's just broadcast entertainment repeating social-media content. Any "news" outlet that does that kind of "reporting" deserves to be called out for their professional malfeasance.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
There are a lot of rage filled comments here about him being a liar, when it seems to me his main crime was gullibility?
I've occasionally watched his videos for years, and he seems to be a fairly decent, very smart guy. He did formerly work for NASA as an actual engineer - his interactions with current NASA personnel are proof of that.
His story is that obviously he couldn't get that many thief interactions on his own doorstep, so he loaned the build out to friends, and friends of friends with a cash reward for interactions with recoveries...I think that was his mistake. Once you bring money or fame into it, people are assholes; with both involved it's almost guaranteed. So some of them staged the reactions, ostensibly for the cash, but imo more for the internet fame...and now that's screwed him over.
His "crime" if anything isn't lying, it's being gullible and trusting.
-Styopa