Staring Us In The Face: The ‘Pie’s Simple Solution To The Smart Glasses Panic

The answer of balancing democratic rights with public safety on the issue of ‘perv glasses’ is so obvious, The Magpie wonders if he is the first with … well …. the bleedin’ obvious.

EXCLUSIVE: Correspondence leaked to The Magpie reveals local mystery man who is seeking nomination as One Nation Candidate for Herbert.

A trip down the road less travelled: Adam Baillie takes us for a video drive along the length of the new Radical Bay Road, but his latest update on the project raises a question or two.

Plus a few random observation on various matters, and the weekly weirdness of our American cartoon gallery … satire is just getting harder and harder.

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The Eyes Have It … But Should They?

Complex problems rarely require simple solutions – unless you go down Stalin’s path of handling opponents (‘man is the problem. No man, no problem.) And so it appears there is no simple answer to the multiple problems and few benefits posed by these new smart glasses … instantly dubbed perv glasses. 

But to the Magpie’s mind,  this is one of those rare occasions when the answer to this dilemma really is simple.  Banning or restricting anything involving individual free will  in a democracy is often unpalatable and anyway just as often, doesn’t work (tobacco war, anyone? Klunky cowardly partial ban on gambling advertising? Or perhaps the hilarious egg-on-face of the boomer laws of social media age restrictions?)

So now we face the latest challenge to privacy and safety, in the sudden proliferation of the so-called perv glasses   This creepy and dangerous innovation – dubbed ‘smart glasses’ but more accurately ‘smart arse glasses’ – is the inevitable evolution of the mildly disconcerting rise of the phone camera/audio recorder. Similar concerns for this advance  led to the law against up-skirting. (That we actually needed such a law is a sad commentary in itself about decency and restraint in our times.) With this new advance of insidious  privacy invasion, the number of times  these specs get ‘accidentally dropped’ on escalators will become a cliche.

And this is no clutching at pearls in alarm at a passing fad, the distaste and danger is widespread.  And real.

Jonathan Liew in the Guardian clearly posed a key, and unsettling question:

The thing few have considered is who – with the exception of the partially sighted, hard of hearing and those otherwise in need of assistive technology – asked for any of this? If smart glasses are the answer, what was the question? Perhaps, as with AI chatbots and fridges with web browsers, there was none: just the lavishly funded persistence of a tech sector intent on manufacturing consent for the things it has decided we must have.

In so doing, it may succeed in turning the high street into an unwitting hub of surveillance. A society fearful of itself, paranoid and mistrustful. A public sphere exposed and disassembled and reduced to its constituent pixels. Where there is no longer a right to be anonymous, to be inattentive, to be forgotten or left alone by our fellow citizens. Where something as simple and innocent as a human gaze has been reimagined as an item of transaction.

So how could such an ubiquitous item be policed to protect the individual privacy?  The answer is right in front of us – literally - remove the user’s own right to secrecy. To this end, the practical part is  a simple law that does not ban smart glasses, but mandates allowable designs or requires identification of all such  frames sold in Australia. 

The ‘Pie doesn’t wish to make  a joke out of this deadly serious suggestion, but by way of illustrations, let’s say these frames were mandated by law for smart glasses.

An exaggeration perhaps, but demonstrates the obvious principle – a design widely publicised to give immediate knowledge for people going about their business in public that they may be being recorded by a stranger.  In a more serious vein for suitable design, there could be a designated fluro frame, say purple –  or even candy stripe designs, which might have the added deterrence of pantomime parody. Failing this, one thing that could be implemented is a requirement that such glasses be clearly and prominently labelled, perhaps across the top of the front frame  saying “Recording Device’.

But you ask, how would this stop the current surreptitious models being ordered over the web, bypassing such new laws. Easy.  Include an amendment to the law so that anyone wearing such outlawed devices can be stopped, searched, and recorded material examined, under the powers of both anti-terrorism and stalking laws. 

Think about it. But in the meantime, best to regard anyone with heavy black frames as suspect of dishonest unwholesome motives. Yes, anyone.

And On A Seperate Matter … No, Really, Seriously,  Completely Seperate

The Magpie’s Deep Throat inside the One Notion Party has slipped the old bird proof of the widespread interest from ordinary, everyday folks who want to part of Cyclone Pauline following confirmation of her Queensland plans.

Dear Ms Hanson,

I was overjoyed to learn you were running candidates in all Townsville seats and I would like to be a candidate for One Nation. 

You don’t know me but my name is Trolius Barry Birinbauer, and I have extensive experience as a company director both here and overseas. I believe I can add value to your Townsville campaign.

As this is a garrison city, I am much admired and respected in defence circles, due to my SAS experience. I was in a clandestine group which was so ‘off the books’ we are not even allowed to be awarded medals for display or be photographed in uniform. So suffice to say, I am used to taking the heat,  stirring things up when they come to the boil or when a good grilling is needed.  Hot water situations were part and parcel of my service.

My qualifications in finance should put the party in good stead,  using the expertise of my degrees from the Sorbonne, Oxford, Harvard, and Rabieh Kraymen’s School of Business Ethics. The Harvard degree was done in between my astronaut training sessions in Houston. Of course, when I’m elected, I will advise NASA that I’m unavailable to take my place on the Uranus mission. I know declining this distant mission will disappoint many locally,  a great number have already expressed strong support and eagerness for my off-planet mission.

I have never ever ever no never been involved in politics but believe it is time to put my real world experience to good use. I would love to meet up with you to discuss the possibilities.  Hope you will understand my appearance when we meet, I have a very bushy beard and drooping moustache demanded of my religious beliefs, and must constantly wear a beanie and dark glasses as part of my cancer management program.  

I understand you had an unpleasant disendorsement incident with a previous Townsville candidate, so I will ensure I bring all relevant documentary proof of my CV, if the ink has dried sufficiently 

Yours  (Really And) Truly,

Trolius Barry  Birinbauer 

PS Perhaps my current company, which imports crystal-drive watches with arthritic healing powers, could arrange a special shipment for giveaways during my campaign … although their RRP is $270 I’m sure we could arrange a bulk buy of say 3000 at cost ($6.99 +GST)

Radical Questions

During the week, MP Adam Baillie took us for a spin along the new Radical Bay Road, which is now complete to within a Charlie McColl dummy spit of the beach.  Although The ‘Pie had been down the old road several times over the years, truthfully, he was surprised to remember how long it is, almost four kilometres. The trip will be a double delight for visitors, traveller and local alike,  moving through the beautiful chaos of the Australia’s tropical bird-drop bush to suddenly burst out onto the verger of one of Magnetic Island’s many magical beaches.

Shortly after doing the drive-along video, Baillie released this short update on matters yet to be sorted.  And this list raised a question or two.

The first one is given the lengthy  pre-planning period and four month time frame of reconstruction, why weren’t all those questions, pedestrian safety, speed limits, illegal camping and, critically, car parking,  worked out ages ago … it’s not as though the route of the road was going to change?

But that leads us to the second more important question being posed by opponentsof the re-opening of Radical bay –  doubts have been raised whether there will be free, safe and unfettered public access to the beach?  There are persistent but unsupported  social media posts that the last 100m of the road are on land either owned or leased by the developer Juniper.  Thus, the alarmist claim is,  the only public access will be an unsafe mangrove area, which requires a (unplanned) boardwalk for safe access to the sand.  Solid evidence of this claim has not been forthcoming, either to The Nest or elsewhere on social media, but Mr Baillie and his staff have not been ignorant of this widely disseminated claim – That claim has been allowed to circulate unchallenged on social media for quite a while. And Mr Baillie is the member for everybody, zealots and single issue opponents included, not just those who voted for him. So The ‘Pie asked Mr Baillie’s office directly about the situation, and received in part this reply:

I am writing to you following your message on Facebook regarding a recent update to the status of Radical Bay Road.

As you are no doubt aware, there are always lots of rumours circulating regarding the Radical Bay Road project, and indeed any project on Magnetic Island.

I have continuously reinforced our commitment, including at the last MIRRA meeting I attended, to restore functional access to Radical Bay, enabling emergency services, and the public to access Arthur Bay, Florence Bay and Radical Bay.

Following a facebook post earlier this year, I did some community consultation via a survey (also released via Facebook).
While the majority of respondents were in favour of the project, the respondents who opposed were most concerned about cost, environmental impact, pollution and illegal camping.

I am very pleased to share that physical works on the road have been completed, and I am now actively engaging with various stakeholders to put measures in place to manage concerns that have been raised prior re-opening the gate at Arthur Bay.”

And an earlier media release thgree months ago included the statement:

“The restoration of functional road access to Radical Bay will open up parts of Magnetic Island that were otherwise not accessible to a large section of our community, such as the elderly, young families and those with physical limitations,” Mr Baillie said.
 

So while the exact nature of ‘public access’ is yet to be spelled out, and remains somewhat elastic, it is difficult to give credence to some sort of clandestine deal between the government and Junipers to provide a private entity solely with a almost four kms of road costing several million taxpayer dollars. And that the private entity could block public beach access across their land. Perhaps such speculation has been fuelled by Juniper’s consistent claim that the road is not a private developers financial responsibility, and Brisbane’s previous insistence  that the developer pony up for it has been the reason that no development has taken place.

So if Juniper’s suddenly re-emerge on the scene, the whole question of the nature of public access to the beach could become a major political issue.  But hey, Adam, easy fix, just be a little less vague and in direct plain English, tell us about public access arrangements. Surely your government didn’t built a multi-million dollar yellow brick road without this question being resolved beforehand.

Speaking Of Tricky Questions

The ‘Pie understandably has a Google alert on a few subjects, unsurprisingly  the Dudley Do-Nothings being on that list.  So The ‘Pie was somewhat discombobulated when this popped up in his feed.

What the hell was this image-damaging, negative story doing as a TEL media release, an organisation funded in part by the ratepayers, and charged with the positive promotion of the city.  And FFS, in the NT News rag in Darwin, although the original story is by a Townsville Bulletin journalist?

But the old bird paused before working himself into his usual weekly lather about TEL. He decided to check it out with the TEL site itself. But The ‘Pie could not find this media release on the generally comprehensive site, so he is guessing the fault … if TEL haven’t lost their minds completely … was a Google problem. Someone down at the Dudley’s might like to have a word with Google, The ‘Pie isn’t the only one that would have TEL on a notification alert, anyone vaguely interested in Townsville for business, migration and tourism,may well be seeing this as well.

But TEL weren’t the only ones to put out an inappropriate media release during the week. There was this from the TCC (and duly reported in the Astonisher).

Polite question: what the fuck has this grotesque wallow of recreational grief got to do with the council? Or more to the point, providing funding for this manufactured morbidity –  to provide a sausage sizzle and trees to take home to remember Dad with?  And, bloody spare me, have a council staff member read out your favourite poem for the occasion.? This is EXACTLY the sort of thing a responsible council should have nothing to do with as far as financial allocation goes. It is the type of favour-seeking by councillors – recently banished from the council grant process – that people are increasingly tired of.  B ut it seems there are some Hill hangovers that still persist.

The ‘Pie is saddened to see that Clr Robinson,  a man The Magpie has always regarded, and still does,  as a valuable and intelligent figure around the Walker Street table, should sponsor this nanny state, woke group hug on the ratepayers dollar.

The money itself is a piddling amount but the principle is nasty and cynical … using manufactured recreational grief, a sausage and a free tree (FFS!) as a cheap vote buying exercise.  While oversharing is a regrettable fashion of the current generation, some things like the fond memories of a loved father should remain in the privacy of family and friends, not with strangers.

Lot Of Noise Coming Out Of The Presidential Pram This Week

Trump’s renaming lakes insanity continues to provide a rich vein of derision, and it makes a nice change from having to draw complicated pictures of people in turbans.

Our gallery.

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That’s enough harumphing for one week. The donation link is below, all assistance gratefully received.

’til next week.