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May 22, 2002

All-seeing eyes This AP story currently linked from the front page of the New York Times is weird enough. Evidently authorities have found the remains of some thousands of racing greyhounds on the property of a former racetrack security guard, who was apparently taking money to dispose of the dogs (humanely, he says) for many years. And there’s a pre-existing controversy into which the story fits: critics of the dog-racing industry have long claimed that this sort of thing goes on, a charge denied by the industry itself, quelle surprise.

But that’s not what made my eyebrows arch while I read the story. Rather, it was just a passing detail:

State officials obtained a warrant Tuesday to search 18 acres owned by Rhodes after receiving a tip and looking at satellite images that showed animal bones strewn about the property.
I shouldn’t be surprised, but it’s still spooky to contemplate that “satellite images” can identify bones at all, much less show that they’re “animal bones.” Welcome to the future. Please proceed quietly into the panopticon. [04:32 PM]
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Comments on All-seeing eyes:

Dave Trowbridge ::: (view all by) ::: May 22, 2002, 06:46 PM:

Brrr! Your last sentence gave me the willies!

I'm trying to remember the name of that Asimov story about the time machine that was only usable as a kind of panopticon. If I remember right, the last line was a doozy. And there was Bob Shaw's Slow Glass stories that ended up that way.

Now, of course, we have intelligent dust.

Randolph Fritz ::: (view all by) ::: May 22, 2002, 09:26 PM:

I believe it was the Damon Knight story, "I see you."

As for "Please proceed quietly into the panopticon." Nah. It swallowed us years ago.

Jordin Kare ::: (view all by) ::: May 22, 2002, 09:40 PM:

>..it's still spooky to contemplate that "satellite images" can identify bones at all, much less show that they're "animal bones."

They can't. The article is wrong. [Arguments from basic physics of optics omitted for clarity...] It's possible that what they're talking about are actually aerial photographs, which can have much higher resolution, or (just possibly) that the latest 1-meter-resolution commercial satellite photos showed something odd (piles of white stuff several yards across) which, combined with other evidence, was sufficient to persuade a judge to issue a warrant.

I believe there are legal restrictions on the use of aerial photography to gather evidence (or invade privacy), but they may well not apply to looking for animal bones on a large lot -- especially if the photos were taken for a different purpose, such as surveying property boundaries.

Jordin (Your Friendly Satellite Designer) Kare

Matt McIrvin ::: (view all by) ::: May 22, 2002, 10:38 PM:

The Asimov story was "The Dead Past." Variants of the concept of a snooping past-viewer have shown up in several other stories, most notably T. L. Sherred's "E for Effort" and Henry Kuttner's classic "Private Eye." The most recent treatment I know of was Stephen Baxter and Arthur C. Clarke's novel _The Light of Other Days_ (not based on the Bob Shaw story except for acknowledged use of the title).

Patrick Nielsen Hayden ::: (view all by) ::: May 22, 2002, 10:46 PM:

Jordin: I believe you, but I'm not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. I believe this ambivalence may, indeed, be emblematic of the condition of the science fiction reader in 2002.

Matt: And, of course, to wrap another knot in the snake, the Arthur C. Clarke / Stephen Baxter novel The Light of Other Days was edited in its US edition by, er, me.

Pat Lundrigan ::: (view all by) ::: May 23, 2002, 09:52 AM:

Military sattelites are reputed to have 5 inch resolution. The best, current comercial resolution is .7m(earthwatch?).
But this begs the question: did local authorities shell out $20,000 for custom images (IKONOS prices) or have access to military inteligence?

Zed Lopez ::: (view all by) ::: May 23, 2002, 02:59 PM:

What I'm waiting for is for satellite footage to be used as evidence in a trial to, for instance, verify or disprove an alibi. (Not suggesting it's likely to happen soon, but inevitably to happen eventually.)

It's may not be as likely as, say, any given family member or co-worker might find something you posted publicly on the net, but I'd say we should all take for granted that any given thing we do out of doors under a clear sky might be recorded (admittedly at a grainy resolution).

Patrick ::: (view all by) ::: May 29, 2002, 04:15 PM:

So, satellites can see animal bones in a
guys backyard from outer space, but
Washington DC cops can't find human bones
in a small urban park from eye level.

Does Peter Sellers' ghost work for the
DC Police?