The most elegant surveillance camera in the world - # 08/142
The Parade around the elegant Kew Gardens Station is kept in pristine condition as befits such an important asset serving the tourists and world renowned botanists who visit the Kew Botanical Gardens. Not long ago yet another surveillance camera was added (there is 1 camera for every 14 of our population). You can see the camera (observing a problem but not solving it) standing tall and housed in its elegant mock Edwardian "heritage" casing, dwarfing the neat plastic moulded "heritage replica" gas lantern with its modern halogen bulb neatly fitted in the lantern head. The camera needs the bright halogen light to help it see in the dark.
BTW.....my Australian blog visitors seem to have a concern about rivers in the UK smelling. They don't. I hope this information will encourage more Australians to visit the UK. For 10 years I visited Australia frequently on business and I absolutely love the place.
Rivers in the UK - like rivers in Australia - smell at low tide. Yes? I will be in London for a few days at the end of September - a staging post for Europe. However, next year I will spend a month in the UK as a dreaded tourist.
ReplyDeleteNow to your dripping sarcasm about cctv. I know it is reminiscent of BB, but I really do not mind that many of my daily activities are recorded. At least I know that cctv also records more nefarious goings-on and are often responsible for us finding out "who-dun-it". Replicas and reproductions are another thing, though. I do hope those cars are in a 5 minute zone. So ugly parked right outside, aren't they. I would not mind though if the plant-seller occupied the entire spot.
Honestly??
ReplyDeleteYou want MORE Australians in the UK!?
I can read CCTV on the small sign!! Chinese Central Television! (I have it on my TV but they never showed the Kew Gardens station!) :-))
ReplyDeleteChuckeroon performs the sows-ear-into-silk-purse miracle by somehow managing to find artistic merit in surveillance cameras...
ReplyDeleteNot long ago the Zurich local press took great delight in counting the number of cameras surrounding George Orwells old house.... 25
Great comment, Richard!
ReplyDeleteI heard on the French radio a couple of weeks ago that your country's camera surveillance policy had failed to provide the added security that was expected from it. As you say, observing a problem but not solving it. I hope France don't fall don't that silly path.
Oh, and I wanted to know whether this comment from the French radio was something you are also starting to hear in the UK or whether everyone is still as positive about it as Julie is.
ReplyDelete@Nathalie...briefly: the growth of highly sophisticated camera and other surveillance grew out of the Irish terror threat that lasted 30 years. It could be said that some "positives" came from that effort to stop violent activity. On the otherhand, there is growing criticism that there are now too many badly used camera systems. That is the point: it is useless just "observing" but not "resolving". The system probably does give us a good degree of anti-terror security, but the question of "preventing crime" is another matter. Don't be too negative, but then again DO listen to the critics.
ReplyDeleteJust another note about UK surveillance and other data gathering techniques. The big, and I mean big given all the recent incidents, is misuse of the data, intentional or unintentional. Here's an example from one of our own that you may have seen
ReplyDeleteSouth Shields Daily
@Richard...precisely. And today 25 June 2008 page 24 of "the Times" has the sad story of a chap who is a Bus enthusiast and spotter. He has a fine photo archive of buses, but has now given up the hobby because he is fed up with being harrassed by the Police and daft members of the public because he points his large-ish, obvious camera at buses to snap them.
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