Years ago I was living in Rumford. I went out for a walk in the evening and passed a woman who was walking her dog. The dog immediately got hostile and began snapping at me at high volume. He was apparently keyed to threats to his mistress, but it also seems like the working definition of "threat" that had been impressed on him was "someone walking on the same sidewalk." Making matters worse, he was on an extremely long leash that she had extended all the way out. The only way I could avoid the dog was to trespass on private lawns, which were luckily not guarded by vicious attack dogs.
There's a house I sometimes pass by. When I do, a perky female robot voice informs me that I'm being filmed. Minor annoyance in some ways. I'm out of range within a couple of seconds, and it's better to be told than not to be told. But why am I being filmed when I'm not on the stoop or anywhere near an entrance? The house, to give you a picture, is on a higher elevation than the sidewalk. The camera just spies on pedestrians going about their business.
See the underlying similarity here? The world is partway full of threats. It is absolutely chock full of security consultants. Suspicion is its own justification.
2 comments:
There are people around here who use those clothesline leashes, the ones that stretch out so far the dogs have the illusion of being on their own. So the poor creature feels neither the security of the master holding him close or the real freedom of being off leash. The one who barked at you was very likely a small dog that got surprised.. or he didn't like sharing the sidewalk.
I enjoy teasing that Santa skeleton - when I get close and wave my hand it lights up, turns to the side, and plays Jingle Bells. Tech is always intrusive but sometimes it's amusing.
Most of the people doing tech security are useless after having taken a 6 week online course promising them they'd be able to make buckets of money working from home. Hah! Home security specialists tell you where to install the cameras and which windows to nail shut, things you could likely figure out for yourself. The ones who carry guns you probably can't afford.
Yeah, I question the utility of those clotheslines leashes. Giving your dog "the feeling of freedom" is a good bit of ad copy, but it's not so great in purpose. Dogs are notably people-oriented animals, and if it looks like they may be separated from their master/mistress it could make them antsy. I just wonder if she might have questioned how she was doing things if a few more of these unprovoked freakouts happened.
During this past Halloween season there was a house not too far from here with two animatronic cats that turned their heads in unison. Not too intrusive, luckily. But I haven't seen these Santa skeletons that break into song. Wonder if it's more of a Canadian thing.
If you know what to look for when hiring a home security specialist you probably are halfway there to doing the job yourself. But there's always that market value in sounding like you know more than whoever you're talking to, even if it's just an act. The ones who carry guns generally cover pretty huge swaths of property.
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