The Solarcan Puck is a great little reusable solargraphy camera. It has a relatively wide aperture (f/90), so it can create a decent image in a single day. The limitation is that it has (for a camera of this type) a relatively narrow field of view - about 120 degrees. This means that if you have it mounted vertically, you are going to be able to record angles up to 60 degrees above the horizon. This is fine if you are above about 50 degrees latitude. At about 50 degrees, the sun will never be higher than about 60 degrees above the horizon. Why that value? Probably because of where Solarcan are based: in Scotland. What do the the rest of the world have to do then? You can restrict yourself to winter months - but that is not much fun. The other alternative is to angle your Puck upwards. But how far? In the worst case, on the Equator, the sun will be directly overhead at Solstice. This means that the Puck will have to be angled upwards at least 30 degrees - but this would mean tha
What a bunch of douchebags....
ReplyDeletemcdonalds or france ;) while his device is fascinating and you can't condone assaults.I wonder how id feel if a guy with a walking camera came into my shop/home/workplace and started to look around, you would probably feel uneasy wouldn't you
ReplyDeleteThe tearing up of the doctor's certificate and other documentation is particularly damming.
ReplyDeletei know that it should not have happened i'm not defending the employees actions or mcdonalds response , im just saying it would be confronting to some people especially if for example you are an illegal immigrant or a person who takes their privacy as sacred to see a camera in your face.
ReplyDeleteIt also gets you thinking about google glasses and its camera and privacy etc etc. its one thing to have a camera to act as a lense to help a blind person see ,its another thing entirely to be recorded by a camera without your permission by some random joe.
ReplyDeleteA mcdonalds restaurant is hardly a closed wokplace, theres people with mobiles and cameras all over there.
ReplyDeleteThere is no excuse in the way they acted, be this a French or McDonalds thing.
I'm not condoning maccas in their lack of response or the actions of their employees personally I think Maccas is just another of the worlds oversized Mega corps that should be broken into several smaller companies.
ReplyDeleteHowever it is one thing to have a mobile phone with a camera in a restaurant it is quite another to have that same camera pointed at you recording without your permission open workplace or not..
Again I can see how someone could get upset , especially if you can't tell if your being recorded. Again this is not an excuse for physical violence.
From the description on the article, it appears that they approached him. He ordered his meal, collected his meal and was about to sit down with his family. Heck, he could have a jvc camcorder and be recording all this and it wouldn't have mattered. These three approached him, he wasn't in there face. Just seems like bullying tactics by a bunch of yobs.
ReplyDeleteAs for recording without permission, this is Europe. Your always being recorded without permission.
I agree they were yobs but forget they mcdonalds yobs for a sec.
ReplyDeleteOk if a man with a camera in your cafe sat down and was pointing a camera at child from another couple but then said im not really recording anything and then produced doctors certificates saying it was ok for me to have that camera what would you do.
I think i would be obliged ask him to leave the shop if he didn't stop .
But he didn't point a camera at a child other than his own.
ReplyDeleteAnd its actually a medical aid, with evidence to support it, not a standard camera..
But if we go along with your arguments, ive been to many restaurants were people have been celebrating birthdays/anniversaries etc, and they've had there camcorders recording the event, and its never been an issue.
This guy was assaulted and has every right to be aggrieved for that action. his Case is unique in that his device is a medical aid, but he still requires medical certificates is some circumstances to go certain venues.
ReplyDeleteAgain there wouldn't have any problem with people filming their own families or friends at an event but if they were filming other people without consent that could well become a problem. If you are the owner of a cafe workshop etc. you could well be part liable in some countries for privacy violations.
This is the trouble thats going to occur with devices like google glasses when they come onto the market. because you can't tell if someone is filming you and to some people this a big problem.
So people already know not to trust everything a major corporation says. But there still seem to be people who believe everything on the internet. All I am saying is that everything the public has seen so far is pretty inconclusive. I wonder what really happened (ignoring the fact that the mob appears to have come to a verdict).
ReplyDeleteIt is clear that the underlying controversy of cyborgs vs. privacy will be one of the modern challenges of society.