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Minor Strangeness (IHTM)



Yeesh. My other half shared the first of those with me on Twitter at the weekend.

This is the major downside of The Internet of Things. When you purchase a PC, a Mac, a smartphone, a games console these things are set up to have basic protections to prevent third parties from commandeering them across the wires. Largely to protect their manufacturer's backsides from legal action, but all the same.

With the broader Internet of Things (and seriously, that's actually what it's called) there are far fewer protections of that kind in place. When it's your Printer, your kettle, your novelty camera which can be hooked up your home wifi not every manufacturer is going to be as diligent at taking steps to prevent third parties accessing their device.

Baby monitors though? You would think that would be an area where such things would be secured. It disturbs me greatly that somebody could be watching the schedule of parents' daily processes with their child. not just because that's kinda creepy (which kind of goes without saying) but because any such schedule being mapped out in such a way could be used by would-be child abductors to plan points of time where the child was left alone.

It's a similar reason to why I have strong reservations with linking heating, lighting, security cameras and other systems up to Alexa and other home assistants. Because if somebody were to be able to get hold of that information they could plan the comings and goings of a whole family. When they leave for work. When they switch out the lights to sleep. When they heat the house, and how likely that will mean they intend to be spending time at home. If somebody can plan out the comings and goings of a family home they could easily also plan out the best time and circumstances to break into it.
 
I am just as disturbed about people putting CCTV camera in their 8 year olds bedroom. I read the explanation but still no.

It's not so dramatically different to an audio baby monitor. It serves the same purpose. But the security would worry me.
 
They have mapped out wind farm potential across that region of China and built quite a few. Quite possible that is a grid of sensors for recording data across a wide area.
Never mind wind farms, we should not forget that Xinjiang province is also the epicentre of large-scale repression of the Uighur minority, plus other ethnic minorities. Depending on who you believe, there might be over 2 million Uighurs in so-called "education camps". I don't believe that this tendency will end well for the poor sods caught up within them. Might these mysterious lines be somehow linked to the, ahem, "re-education efforts"?
 
They have mapped out wind farm potential across that region of China and built quite a few. Quite possible that is a grid of sensors for recording data across a wide area. ...

I agree that something to do with wind power development is a very good theory, but I don't think these ground tracks are related to surveying the wind potential. The area is essentially a wide open plain, and there should be no need to move sensors around to obtain data on the winds.

It makes more sense to me to interpret the modular rectangular sections of land as evidence of activity one step beyond surveying the wind potential - i.e., surveying the land and laying out the locations for wind farm construction in a place where the potential has already been determined.

This area also has some mining. If these ground tracks relate to sensing operations it makes more sense to me that the multiple regular "race tracks" could represent traces of a search grid for sub-surface sensing / scanning purposes.
 
Never mind wind farms, we should not forget that Xinjiang province is also the epicentre of large-scale repression of the Uighur minority, plus other ethnic minorities. Depending on who you believe, there might be over 2 million Uighurs in so-called "education camps". ... Might these mysterious lines be somehow linked to the, ahem, "re-education efforts"?

The same thing occurred to me ...

The tracks and their configuration are consistent with surveying and laying out a site for a large residential construction project. It reminds me of pre-construction aerial photos of large suburban housing developments in the postwar USA.

Each of the rectangular sections is a "block", and such blocks can be populated with structures as needed.

I can't think of any reason for preparing such a big residential construction site in such a remote area except for large-scale internment.
 
Had a look today.

Noticed that the grid lines go over rivers.
 
In reference to the conversation regarding use of baby monitors and security cameras, CBC Marketplace did an episode showing home security cameras being easily hacked:
https://gem.cbc.ca/media/marketplace/season-46/episode-2/38e815a-00f81a65a83

I know that I've linked several Marketplace episodes to different threads. It's a good show that's been running for many years in Canada and the investigative journalism is well done. No I am not a CBC employee lol. But I hope that some of you find them interesting and informative as I do.

To further my original thought, anything that is connected to the Interweb is hackable. Keeping up to date and aware of what is going on is necessary to our privacy and security. And kids' lives are often linked to items such as security cameras by well meaning parents who are concerned about their childrens' safety but who are really naive as to what the consequences may be.
 
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Basically avoid connecting anything to the web if you don't need to. There are baby alarms (and general intercom systems) that plug directly into the mains and transmit the signal through the house wiring. I understand that the house power metering system prevents any signal from getting outside the house.
 
Basically avoid connecting anything to the web if you don't need to. There are baby alarms (and general intercom systems) that plug directly into the mains and transmit the signal through the house wiring. I understand that the house power metering system prevents any signal from getting outside the house.
Agreed, but more and people want to be able to not only have immediate contact (eg phone) with their children, but want video surveillance in their homes for security of their families for reasons such as one mentioned in one of the earlier post links where the parent wants to link the camera to a smart phone due to concerns around a child's health. The only way to do this is through the web.

People need to do their research and understand what they are opening themselves to. It's one thing to use technology with the knowledge of the pitfalls, but many people use it with no knowledge and assume that because that specific technology's usage is widespread, there is no possible downside to it.
 
Agreed, but more and people want to be able to not only have immediate contact (eg phone) with their children, but want video surveillance in their homes for security of their families for reasons such as one mentioned in one of the earlier post links where the parent wants to link the camera to a smart phone due to concerns around a child's health. The only way to do this is through the web.

People need to do their research and understand what they are opening themselves to. It's one thing to use technology with the knowledge of the pitfalls, but many people use it with no knowledge and assume that because that specific technology's usage is widespread, there is no possible downside to it.
All I know is, one of my sons works as a developer and the first thing he does with a new to him machine is, stick a self adhesive Googly eye right over the webcam... Every time. I reckon he knows summat I don't.

I have a llama sticker over mine.
 
All I know is, one of my sons works as a developer and the first thing he does with a new to him machine is, stick a self adhesive Googly eye right over the webcam... Every time. I reckon he knows summat I don't.
I have a llama sticker over mine.

and the microphone - This guy probably knows something about it -

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The weird thing to me is how quickly and carelessly the attitude has changed.

In 2011 Apple first integrated Siri into iPhones. And people were concerned that this meant Apple were listening in on their conversations. A lot of concern. Especially as this became voice-activated ('Hey Siri') rather than simply push to ask a question.

In 2013 Microsoft released the Xbox One console, which came packaged with the Kinect motion sensor camera for gesture and voice control. And again a lot of people immediately voiced concerns over this. That because the machine was always in a standby mode people were concerned that this meant it was always broadcasting something back to Microsoft. That this meant somebody was always viewing or listening to what was going on in your living room.

There was a huge amount of public suspicion going on here that two big companies were snooping. and both have admitted that for training and learning purposes, yes, a small number of employees have analyzed real conversations and commands in ongoing attempts to improve the service.

And yet fast forward to the end of 2014 and seemingly public concern had radically changed. Amazon introduced Alexa and thousands of people jumped to buying and integrating a device which not only listens in to everything last thing you say, but also profiles subjects of discussion to better sell you things. But for some reason Amazon, a firm whose technology has always been made as cheaply as possible, isn't considered as much of a threat as Apple or Microsoft.

Is it just a case of PR or brand loyalty? I don't know.

It's similar with Google Home, of course. I find it bewildering that so many people are willing to just put these devices in their homes without considering for a second how much personal data they are almost certainly gathering in the background.
 
Basically avoid connecting anything to the web if you don't need to. There are baby alarms (and general intercom systems) that plug directly into the mains and transmit the signal through the house wiring. I understand that the house power metering system prevents any signal from getting outside the house.

Still not foolproof!

I once picked up a baby monitor from a car boot sale, 50p or so, and plugged it in thinking we could use it to ask each other for a snack etc.

It picked up conversations from some neighbour's house, I never found out whose, where one device was situated in the parents' bedroom. We'd hear the baby cry and be soothed and children playing on a computer. Back then people had just one and the kids'd take turns.

Then at night there'd be what the parents got up to in their bedroom. I didn't want to hear THAT. Out went the monitor!
 
Still not foolproof!

I once picked up a baby monitor from a car boot sale, 50p or so, and plugged it in thinking we could use it to ask each other for a snack etc.

It picked up conversations from some neighbour's house, I never found out whose, where one device was situated in the parents' bedroom. We'd hear the baby cry and be soothed and children playing on a computer. Back then people had just one and the kids'd take turns.

Then at night there'd be what the parents got up to in their bedroom. I didn't want to hear THAT. Out went the monitor!


I suppose they are effectively just always on Walkie Talkies. They may not use wifi, but they must be using a radio band.
 
I suppose they are effectively just always on Walkie Talkies. They may not use wifi, but they must be using a radio band.

No, the ones I refer to modulate the mains frequency in the house circuitry There is no RF involved..
 
No, the ones I refer to modulate the mains frequency in the house circuitry There is no RF involved..

Yep ... Using the power lines for signaling is a longstanding approach in household alert systems for the deaf. The doorbell button(s) are wired into a plug-in module at each door, and plug-in flasher modules can be positioned to be visible throughout the house. The sender units signal the flashers through the electrical wiring.

After a brutally embarrassing incident (when my brother and cousin panicked and axed their way into her house thinking she'd fallen or died) I installed such modules in my late deaf aunt's house. I even installed a vibrating "bed shaker" module to rouse her if she was napping (which was what led to the panic / axe incident), similarly triggered by the power line signaling.
 
Yes, my wife used to work there as a live-in carer. Just a short walk to Borley, and the local gardener said it was still pretty active. You must live near me (currently Bury Sy Edmunds). I went to a wedding reception at the Bull once, lovely atmosphere there.
Well here I am sitting in the bar area of the Bull. We have been given room 4 which we were told was the hotels most active room.

Been here for about an hour and not yet seen or heard anything untoward, but the room definitely has a very depressive atmosphere.

Mrs DT don’t like it one bit, but we are here for the entire weekend so.......

Will keep you posted.
 
Well here I am sitting in the bar area of the Bull. We have been given room 4 which we were told was the hotels most active room.

Been here for about an hour and not yet seen or heard anything untoward, but the room definitely has a very depressive atmosphere.

Mrs DT don’t like it one bit, but we are here for the entire weekend so.......

Will keep you posted.
Hope you will have a videocam running during the night... I take it Mrs DT doesn't share your enthusiasm. Pity. Have a good weekend.
 
C
Hope you will have a videocam running during the night... I take it Mrs DT doesn't share your enthusiasm. Pity. Have a good weekend.

Cheers Carl. And behave yer self Scargy. Mrs DT gave all that up years agoh
Oh my GOD the bed's SHAKING!! It must be a :Givingup:




oh 'old on, sorry.

Ha ha. Behave yer self scargy. Mrs DT stopped all that donkeys years ago :mad:
 
A slightly mysterious story that had a logical conclusion (but yet to be verified).

An hour ago my good wife holler 'get your butt of that chain and go get me food; like NOW'.

Actually that didn't happen; well not in that exact form.

She mentioned that one of our granddaughters had sent her a text stating that the Mirage (Take away that was burned down a while back) had re-opened. It was on their website.
So wife, who is on a rabbit food diet, decided she wanted a 'proper' meal. And would I get her something from Mirage.

So, I phoned the take-away. Phone ringing, but no one picking up. I said I would go down and order directly.

Goes out onto wild, wet and distinctly miserable night. Drives to town. Mirage closed.

Wondering why she had claimed it was open, on my return I went to the website and indeed it did appear to be open.

Then it dawned on me what was happening.

In the box on the page that has their opening hours it said, OPEN - Midnight (or something similar). What I think was doing on was that they hadn't changed the site since the fire. And as soon as the time passed their normal opening time it changed to OPEN.

And, naturally, this granddaughter is blonde.

INT21
 
An update on my ghostly weekend away birthday treat to the Bull hotel, long Melford. Despite booking room 4, which is the hotels most active room, I can honestly say that nothing happened whatsoever.

To be honest though, The ghost of Anne Boleyn, a headless horseman, the brown lady of Raynham hall, and Bill, former resident of 284 Green street, could have been playing tidderly winks on the bedroom floor and we wouldn’t have noticed, such was the inebriated state of us both.

I nearly choked when I saw the bar bill on Sunday morning.

Still, a big thankyou to Mrs DT who helped make it such a unforgettable weekend – or should that be forgettable, neither of us can remember a damn thing. :D
 
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