Photography is not Terrorism

January 23, 2010 3:01 pm

I've seen a handful of news articles recently concerning law enforcement agencies branding photography as a terrorism related activity.

A new campaign by the Chicago Transit Authority suggests that civilians report photographers the same way they should report unattended packages and suspicious persons (coverage by NBC Chicago: Losing Focus: CTA Warns Against Excessive Photography).

There was also a recent article about photographers in the United Kingdom protesting the police's ability (under anti-terrorism laws) to stop and search anyone for any or no reason; which, apparently, has been used as the excuse to harass photographers (CNN is carrying this story: Photographers protest over UK terror law). Luckily for them the European Court of Human Rights ruled that this legal power is a violation human rights.

But, on to the main point (there are hundreds of similar articles about photographers being harassed under the guise of anti-terrorism). At first glance we would probably think that it likely for terrorists (or would-be terrorists) to take photographs of the locations they're planning to attack. It's what happens in all the movies, right? Well, it is, in fact, entirely wrong.

I'd highly recommend reading through Bruce Schneier's essay on the matter from June 2008: The War on Photography. He covers the topic far better than I could.

Go read the whole thing (it's only about a page), but here's the most relevant excerpts:

Clearly any terrorist is going to first photograph his target, so vigilance is required.
Except that it's nonsense. The 9/11 terrorists didn't photograph anything. Nor did the London transport bombers, the Madrid subway bombers, or the liquid bombers arrested in 2006. Timothy McVeigh didn't photograph the Oklahoma City Federal Building. The Unabomber didn't photograph anything; neither did shoe-bomber Richard Reid. Photographs aren't being found amongst the papers of Palestinian suicide bombers. The IRA wasn't known for its photography. Even those manufactured terrorist plots that the US government likes to talk about -- the Ft. Dix terrorists, the JFK airport bombers, the Miami 7, the Lackawanna 6 -- no photography.

So why the focus on photography?

Because it's a movie-plot threat.
A movie-plot threat is a specific threat, vivid in our minds like the plot of a movie. You remember them from the months after the 9/11 attacks: anthrax spread from crop dusters, a contaminated milk supply, terrorist scuba divers armed with almanacs. Our imaginations run wild with detailed and specific threats, from the news, and from actual movies and television shows. These movie plots resonate in our minds and in the minds of others we talk to. And many of us get scared.

Now go read the whole article to see why movie-plot threats are the stupidest thing to guard against.

And don't harass photographers for taking pictures.

Yay me!

January 21, 2010 2:49 pm

The wizard I finished cross stitching so long ago is finally hanging up! Instead of framing it, I decided to stretch it over a canvas, which I think turned out pretty well. It involved a lot of time and several techniques I'd never used before, so it's nice to have it actually done and on the wall. Yippee!

IMG_1558

"Eat your veggies!"

January 17, 2010 4:00 pm

Let us have a moment of silence...for my printer. It lived a full life, starting back in 1999 when it was part of a high school graduation gift from my parents. Kyle mocked it the first time he saw it because it's such a dinosaur. But it has worked great all along! Well, it started going downhill a few weeks ago. And then yesterday, it finally choked on its own disintegrated belt and died. Alas.

[mourns]

Ninety years without slumbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock...

January 16, 2010 9:37 pm

We got a clock!

Ok, ok. I realize that statement is probably not very exciting without explanation. Mom had asked me if there was anything in particular we'd like as a graduation/wedding/Christmas present. We thought about it and we need things like nightstands and a dresser and such, but felt like it'd be nice to have something less utilitarian—something classy, traditional, nice, and would be with us for awhile. We thought it'd be nice to have a key-wound chiming wall clock. Growing up we had a chiming clock in the living room which was nice. So I mentioned this to Mom and on Christmas morning one of our presents was a list of clock options (so we could pick one in particular that we liked).

Later in the day we sat down and went over the list several times slowly whittling it down. We eventually made our selection and Mom put the order in. Then we eagerly awaited its delivery.

It was shipped in a box within a box:
IMGP0023It was made in Germany. Apparently the Germans are the only ones who still make nice fully mechanical clocks like this.
IMGP0024Here it is in the box. The first language on the instruction manual was German, not something you see everyday.
IMGP0025And here it is on the wall:
IMGP0032We like it. I appreciate the level of skill it must require to build a clock like this. I think if I lived before the era of computers I might have become a clock maker, putting together the gears and stuff is like programming but with metal! Though, there is the problem that if I lived during a time without affordable eyeglass solutions I would've had an issue.

Here's a video of the clock chiming:

(In case you were wondering the title of the post is from "My Grandfather's Clock")

Dying? NOT ANYMORE! Bwa ha ha...

January 15, 2010 6:24 pm

Today's a big day for me: it's been one year since my second surgery! I've decided that Jan. 12-26 shall hereafter be a two-week celebration that I AM ALIVE! And not, y'know, in the hospital or anything. Kyle thinks the big day should be the day I got out of the hospital (the 26th), and I agree that that's a good one. But I think the really big one is today, since that was the surgery that saved my life. But I'm not against celebrating both.

Anyway, in case anyone's wondering how the recovery's going, I guess my strength and whatnot is all back. And my scars have really faded a lot. They're basically the same color as the rest of my skin now (well, except the one on my back; it's still fairly dark). The only real lasting damage seems to be my right side. The skin is still numb there (they cut some nerves to a small area over my ribcage), though I hardly notice it anymore, and the muscles get stiff and hurt sometimes where they crammed in a bunch of drainage tubes. But yoga helps with the stiffness a lot, so I try to keep doing that. Oh, and I have a slightly increased tendency to choke on my own spit, which I blame on scar tissue around my throat. But it could just be that I'm a bit of a spaz. Y'all knew that, right?

I've been rather contemplative lately, between the new year and this anniversary. I can't quite get over how crazy this last year was. Starting last January, I got sick, had 2 surgeries, got engaged, quit my job, got married, and moved to California—and none of those things were anticipated at the beginning of the year. Well, actually, all those things happened in the first 6 months, I guess; the rest has just been recovery and adjustment? Still, although "eventful" isn't normally what I go for in life, and I think 2009 has to have been the most eventful year thus far, I think I've come out ahead. 😀