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Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

bbc.com

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Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#381

Post by ChuckMcM »

rdtsc wrote: post #373
ChuckMcM wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be fun to have it do motion tracking (could use directional audio to track). It always freaks people out when a camera like device is following their movement.

"Ooh! I'll take the package and the fancy tracking camera" :-)

Yeah, this is why I would be a lousy package thief, I'd love to find a cool gizmo like this and take it apart and figure out how it works. Not some boring iPad or game console :-)

If you wonder "Who would carry a portable spectrum analyzer while walking along a street of Christmas light displays in order to see what wireless systems were being employed to control them?" that would be me.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#382

Post by theon144 »

rdtsc wrote: post #373
ChuckMcM wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be fun to have it do motion tracking (could use directional audio to track). It always freaks people out when a camera like device is following their movement.

"Ooh! I'll take the package and the fancy tracking camera" :-)

takes out a screw-driver, begins lengthy and conspicuous disassembly process (-:

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#384

Post by jackcarter »

move-on-by wrote: post #223
rdtsc wrote: post #173

This needs careful consideration if you ever decide to do it. Depending on the local criminal culture they could exact revenge. Then also know where you live and can do a lot worse things than taking a package. Police might later be involved but it might not be worth it. You are dealing with people who have no qualms stealing so it's not too crazy to expect other rash and illegal acts from them. I can also see some i…

> You are dealing with people who have no qualms stealing, it's not too crazy to expect other rash and illegal acts from them. In more then one instance the thief opened the package at their house. So its fair to say he knows where they live too. Also, very clear HD video of their faces and vehicles. And there is no way all the glitter is going to get cleaned up - so more evidence of who they are. And home security c…

You could even put this stuff inside of the glitter-dispenser: http://bernews.com/2010/04/police-tasers-anti-felon-confetti...

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#385

Post by jstewartmobile »

kaivi wrote: post #101
cosmotron wrote: post #73

What are people's thoughts on if this is staged? Considering the views / subscriptions are the main motivation here, it might justify the expenses poured into this project – that is, it would be quite a waste if all that effort went into the build just to have no one actually take it off the porch. If actors were used, it would explain the lack of police involvement (it's easy to say, "police weren't interested" ). A…

I've had the same thought when I first saw it. Some suspicious things: thieves talking to themselves, that lady throwing the box into her own garbage bin, zero attempt at disassembly or closer inspection of the box, no police involved. Also GPS is just not that good for locating anything of that size in given circumstances, and it would not have worked in the parking garage. Too many things could have gone wrong here…

That HN is downvoting you this hard is near-conclusive proof that the whole thing will be revealed as a hoax within a few weeks.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#386

Post by jmahyoung »

ryani wrote: post #343
mmcwilliams wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In California, New York and Rhode Island it's illegal to place a hidden video camera in a place where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy. These would be considered hidden video cameras. Not sure the severity of the charges in those states, but in other jurisdictions recording audio of conversations without all-party consent violates wiretapping laws and is a felony.

There might be a technicality here, though. The camera is 'hidden' in a place with no expectation of privacy -- his porch. It's the thief who places the camera in a place where privacy might be violated.

Great thinking. If you steal someone’s camera, and move it, and film yourself in a private location doing an indecent act, can you turn around and sue the owner of the camera for breaching your privacy? You had no permission to move the camera in the first place.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#387

Post by sjg007 »

ryani wrote: post #343
mmcwilliams wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In California, New York and Rhode Island it's illegal to place a hidden video camera in a place where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy. These would be considered hidden video cameras. Not sure the severity of the charges in those states, but in other jurisdictions recording audio of conversations without all-party consent violates wiretapping laws and is a felony.

There might be a technicality here, though. The camera is 'hidden' in a place with no expectation of privacy -- his porch. It's the thief who places the camera in a place where privacy might be violated.

Yeah and no jury is going to convict someone for this.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#388

Post by 49531 »

stanleydrew wrote: post #129
weberc2 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, let me spell it out: that the law protects criminals and punishes innocent citizens in such cases is indicative of a problem with the law. And yes, defending your property from theft is categorically "innocent".

If your defense against theft ends up killing the thief do you think you shouldn't be liable? The point is that at some point an "innocent" citizen crosses a line and is no longer innocent. We are just debating where the line should be.

Innocence in this sense isn't binary.

Is the death penalty issued for thievery?

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#389

Post by crankylinuxuser »

rootusrootus wrote: post #310
netsharc wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having lived in a "3rd world" country, I know the police there is useless, but it's interesting how things like resource issues (not enough manpower) is slowly turning living standards of rich countries like the US and UK towards "3rd world" levels.

In some areas perhaps. In my neighborhood the police respond to any property crime, and pretty fast at that. But ... maybe we are just boring. Perhaps there are some areas in the US where this is a problem, but I don't know if it's safe to generalize that the US is degrading to third-world status just yet.

What kind of neighborhood do you live in? What's the average house price there? What's the racial demographic look like?

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#390

Post by shaftway »

tivert wrote: post #256

If you're concerned about package thieves, just buy an outdoor cabinet and put it next to your door with a note asking that packages be placed in it. I use an Ikea Josef: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/storage-furniture/outdoo... You don't even need a lock for it. If you can get the deliverymen to consistently place packages in it, the thieves will have no idea if there's actually a package at your door to steal…

Yeah, we had a package stolen off our porch, so we did that. It's a bench with a liftable top. The plan was to put a padlock on it. All of our packages are addressed to:

  Shaftway
  Place in Bench - Code 1234
  24601 Where I Live St.
  My City, ST, ZipZipZip
We order a lot of stuff, and probably average 3 deliveries per day. In the last 3 months we've had exactly one package placed in the bench. And we never even got around to putting the padlock on it. All a delivery person has to do is lift the lid. Delivery people don't care. I probably wouldn't either if I were one. I'm not going to read the boxes I'm delivering for instructions; I'm just going to leave it on the porch like I do with 99.99% of other boxes.
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