When I was a kid twisting a swing so you could ride it as it untwisted was something that happend dozens of times every recess. This was something every kid did. If your playground equipment falls apart as a result of the standard way kids use a swing then I think that is a manufacture issue not criminal behavior by a 10 year old
"The borough also says visitors encounter its "Play Smart Rules" when entering the park, including a specific instruction: "Do not twist chains.""
So the town buys crappy swings, knowing full well that kids are going to spin them (who hasn't done this a million times as a kid?) Then they slap up a sign telling the kids not to do that. Basically entrapment.
Here's an idea for them: maybe the town shouldn't cheap out on unsafe equipment for children...
It's marginally cheaper to install flimsy chains and surveillance than to pony up for a slightly thicker gauge chain get out of here with your common sense /s
I don't think we understand yet the kind of world we are building.
All the small decisions we are making will shape our future: algorithmic decision making, social network broadcasting and "self-reporting", light-speed meme transmission, always-on audio and video surveillance... the list goes on and on. One day we'll wake up to see we've build a jail around us we can't escape.
If the chain broke from twisting it up and letting it go, it was in disrepair before the kids started using it. Maybe the city admin should be charged with negligence for letting the infrastructure crumble.
How much money did they waste in police and court resources over a swing obviously in disrepair if it broke so easily? How much resources/money did they waste having someone create invoices for numerous children/families? How much resources/money did they waste on harassing/tormenting children and their families instead of just fixing the damn thing?
So nice to see such enormous time and resources being spent on catching actual criminals
> They tell me in a lengthy statement in part that the department would never issue an ultimatum of pay for the damage or your children will be charged. They tell me quote, "We simply don't operate that way." Rather, the department's approach was consistent among the five juveniles involved in the incident. The damage was divided equally and an opportunity was provided to address the matter through restitution rather than unnecessarily continuing juvenile proceeding.
Lol. The same thing, but obfuscated. It's not "pay me"; it's "an opportunity was provided to address the matter through restitution". It's not "or your children will be charged"; it's "rather than unnecessarily continuing juvenile proceeding". Just avoid the trigger words and pretend it's something different.
Surveillance cameras (not Flock, sounds like) are what allowed the police to spend ridiculous amounts of the city's time chasing (checks notes) $295 of damage to a swing from totally normal use by a couple of pre-teens.
Swings have always broken. Before widespread surveillance the swing would have just been replaced or not and everyone would have moved on.
True disruption! In 1933 the Nazis needed a human, called Blockwart, to surveil the immediate neighborhood block. This has been automated. Shall we call the cameras Flockwart?
When I was a kid twisting a swing so you could ride it as it untwisted was something that happend dozens of times every recess. This was something every kid did. If your playground equipment falls apart as a result of the standard way kids use a swing then I think that is a manufacture issue not criminal behavior by a 10 year old
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/pennsylvania-girls-10...
"The borough also says visitors encounter its "Play Smart Rules" when entering the park, including a specific instruction: "Do not twist chains.""
So the town buys crappy swings, knowing full well that kids are going to spin them (who hasn't done this a million times as a kid?) Then they slap up a sign telling the kids not to do that. Basically entrapment.
Here's an idea for them: maybe the town shouldn't cheap out on unsafe equipment for children...
Why is a 3rd party company keeping videos of people's children? Why aren't the parents concerned about this?
Right? Growing up in the eighties we'd twist, stand on them, double up, back flip out of them.
Yep! We used to call it "twist and shout". Tons of fun.
It's marginally cheaper to install flimsy chains and surveillance than to pony up for a slightly thicker gauge chain get out of here with your common sense /s
I don't think we understand yet the kind of world we are building.
All the small decisions we are making will shape our future: algorithmic decision making, social network broadcasting and "self-reporting", light-speed meme transmission, always-on audio and video surveillance... the list goes on and on. One day we'll wake up to see we've build a jail around us we can't escape.
The vermin that are building it understand it just fine.
The consumer chooses convenience for skill/knowledge and then complains about the outcome of their choice.
It's wild.
It'S ThEiR FaUlT, I'M juSt MaKinG mOneY. Is such a lame excuse. A real engineer knows ethical boundaries. Get lost.
Here is a direct news link to the actual incident: https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/springdale-girls-cou...
Yeah read the full article and no mention of flock.
The article has no mention of Flock
There are plenty of people here working on surveillance tech. Is this the world you want to be building?
If the chain broke from twisting it up and letting it go, it was in disrepair before the kids started using it. Maybe the city admin should be charged with negligence for letting the infrastructure crumble.
How much money did they waste in police and court resources over a swing obviously in disrepair if it broke so easily? How much resources/money did they waste having someone create invoices for numerous children/families? How much resources/money did they waste on harassing/tormenting children and their families instead of just fixing the damn thing?
So nice to see such enormous time and resources being spent on catching actual criminals
That link is an activist YouTube channel. Closest I could find to a news organization reporting on this:
https://www.wtae.com/article/springdale-playground-swing-cou...
Flock is a YC company. HN tries to make it seem like it's evil govts but it's them.
Is your theory that Flock is using surveillance videos to blackmail benevolent government watchdogs into reluctantly supporting their dastardly plan?
Two things can be true.
So the kids were playing on equipment that fell apart and now they owe money? The city is lucky they didn't get injured.
> They tell me in a lengthy statement in part that the department would never issue an ultimatum of pay for the damage or your children will be charged. They tell me quote, "We simply don't operate that way." Rather, the department's approach was consistent among the five juveniles involved in the incident. The damage was divided equally and an opportunity was provided to address the matter through restitution rather than unnecessarily continuing juvenile proceeding.
Lol. The same thing, but obfuscated. It's not "pay me"; it's "an opportunity was provided to address the matter through restitution". It's not "or your children will be charged"; it's "rather than unnecessarily continuing juvenile proceeding". Just avoid the trigger words and pretend it's something different.
Is everyone going to ignore that those are not Flock cameras?
Why is the quality of discussion on this topic on HN so poor? I'm not even pro-Flock, but a blatantly false post like this is just pathetic discourse.
As much as I dislike flock, this only seems like an indictment on the police.
Surveillance cameras (not Flock, sounds like) are what allowed the police to spend ridiculous amounts of the city's time chasing (checks notes) $295 of damage to a swing from totally normal use by a couple of pre-teens.
Swings have always broken. Before widespread surveillance the swing would have just been replaced or not and everyone would have moved on.
True disruption! In 1933 the Nazis needed a human, called Blockwart, to surveil the immediate neighborhood block. This has been automated. Shall we call the cameras Flockwart?
I thought these cameras were only used to read license plates. What happened to that discussion?
The content creator is using "Flock" as a shorthand for all surveillance cameras, which muddies the conversation.
They are. These aren't Flock cameras. The post is a lie, but it's one people want to believe.
It was never true.
Government and industry enter the Epstein zone. Creep-shooting little kids.
Not surprised at all.