Lawmakers in Springfield yesterday approved a ComEd-backed smart grid bill and plans for speed cameras that could survey huge swaths of Chicago to catch fast drivers.
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Results tagged “bigbrother”
Smart Grid Bill Becomes Law, Senate Approves More City Cameras
Del Valle Blasts Red Light Cameras
Prior to last night's debate on WTTW, Miguel del Valle held a press conference at the intersection of Halsted and Madison, where he said that he would review how the city is implementing its red light camera program if elected mayor and would reform what he called "oppressive" city driving and parking policies.
CTA Plans to Install More Security Cameras
Soon, every CTA train stop will be added to Chicago's growing camera complex. Using around $17.9 million dollars from a grant given by the Department of Homeland Security, the CTA will install at least one new surveillance cameras at all train stop entrances by the end of this month. Mayor Daley, an eloquent master of the English language, announced this new security plan yesterday at the Paulina Brown Line stop. This plan would gradually expand the number of surveillance cameras on both CTA buses and train stations from 1,800 to 3,000. That means by the end of this year, each of the rail stations could have about 20 security cameras each, allowing better monitoring of who enters and exists train stations in case crimes arise.
Fine Lines
"It's sickening. Short of Roland Burris resigning or resolving this issue — if he can, and I don't know if he can — I don't know what will stop it. I'm tired of this Blagojevich burlesque that's been going on for so long. The people of our state should be spared this." -- U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin
Do You Begin to See, Then, What Kind of World We Are Creating?
How fitting for the beginning of Banned Books Week that we come across a story that will have many crying "Big Brother." After Charles Hill became the victim of vandalism at the house he's building in West Chatham, he decided to become the first private citizen to join the city's Private Sector Camera Initiative. The program allows private security cameras to directly beam their images to Chicago's 911 call center, and is already being utilized by various businesses and organizations like Macy's, the CBOE, the Sears Tower and Columbia College. Hill has installed 5 exterior surveillance cameras of his own to monitor his block. But Mr. Hill, don't you think that's a bit, well, ooky?
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"Some people talk about the ACLU and all these privacy rights. But if a crime takes place, those individuals had to come from somewhere. I don't care if it's my brother or my mother. If those cameras do what they're supposed to do, whoever suffers will suffer."Yeah, all these goddamn "privacy rights," fuck 'em! If police want to make random searches of people on the street, do it! If they're not doing anything wrong, they shouldn't worry about it. Check library records, go ahead! Don't read anything suspicious if you don't want to be bothered. Well, maybe one positive thing to come from all the extra cameras is a reduction in PDONP*. [S-T]
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse
With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked...
Memoirs of a Jackass
members, New Jersey skate shop owner, and writer for several alt publications, Chris just released his first book, Skinema, a mash-up of previously published porno reviews that have little or nothing to do with the films themselves. Instead, Chris uses the space to relate perhaps even dirtier stories involving hookers, transvestites and/or vomit in exploitative, hilarious articulation.
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse
Texas is thawing, the Northeast is freezing, and a sort of natural order seems almost restored to the Ist-A-Verse. Almost. Londonist HQ—that is to say, the city of London—was battered by heavy winds, making it a bad time to be a twelve-meter (nearly forty-foot) tall snowman. Still, not everyone decided to keep warmly covered. Meanwhile, back indoors, the Big Brother racism is now causing all kinds of headaches for international diplomats, and Londonist got into...
CTA Looking Out for You, and At You
A $2.4 million pilot project aimed at increasing the mobile security network for buses and trains throughout the city will begin this month. The project, funded by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security, will provide wireless transmission of live streaming video to patrol cars and emergency vehicles from buses and train cars. Frank Kruesi told the Tribune that, "The mobile security network expands the capabilities of security cameras on our buses." In addition,...
I Pass on I-Pass No Longer
If you've been holding out on getting an I-Pass, now's the time to get one. Every toll plaza in the state now has open road tolling, so I-Pass users can drive straight past all the suckers paying cash without slowing down. The final toll plaza to be converted reopened on the Tri-State Tollway in Waukegan.
Got $3,500,000,000 Lying Around?
We don't, but Motorola did before yesterday.
Big Brother, Little Brother @ District 13 Gallery
Tomorrow night District 13 Gallery (1706 W. Chicago Ave.) is having a free opening reception for a new exhibit of grafitti-inspired art. The show is called Big Brother, Little Brother and displays the work of A. Lewellen and W. Kim. If they're names aren't familiar, then how about their street names: Antck and Revise. Ringing a bell? These are two of Chicago's most innovative and influential graffiti and street artists of the past 2 decades.
Somebody's Watching
On Monday, a City Council committee approved an ordinance allowing the Traffic Management Authority to use cameras to catch speeders. City Hall could use vans with cameras mounted inside, or equip stoplight cameras with speed detection equipment. Either way, Chicago drivers need to lay off the gas because THEY'RE WATCHING YOU. Speeding tickets produced by the cameras would include a $90 non-moving violation (what?), pending an administrative hearing at which no one will ever show. The cameras could generate millions in addition to the $13.9 already raked in by the red light cameras.
I-PASS All the Way to Boston
In a smashing advancement for long distance drivers or Big Brother, depending on your perspective, Illinois' fabulously compulsory automatic Tollway fare passes, I-PASS, are now usable in eleven Eastern states -- also known as the EZPass Network. We've previously complained about this deficit, and we're glad to see that things have been fixed. So, in celebration, we recommend the following route for wacky Illinois drivers wishing to take full advantage of their I-PASS freedom.
Johnny Come Lately?
This week the Chicago Police Department continued their move into techno-big brother territory (see gunshot monitors, streetcams, and crime databases) by announcing they are posting pictures on the web of johns apprehended during prostitution busts. The Sun-Times' Mark Brown says it is a mere dent in the real problem of prostitution in Chicago, and Gapers' Block calls it just one more way to shame people. The pictures have been up for a couple of...
Blue Bags and Security Cams
What an opportunity to talk about our favorite topics! Recycling and Big Brother! In case you haven't heard, Chicago's Blue Bag recycling program is teetering on total failure. Not only is barely anyone participating, the material is getting blended into the rest of the trash, and getting plowed into an Indiana field. Meanwhile, City Council has approved a pilot curbside pickup program.
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