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• Making Austin Weird: Hair and Balanced
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• Metal plates send messages to airport x-ray screeners

Wouldn't taking away eyes and cell phones be a better idea? That would have provably prevented false bomb alerts caused by scary mooninite circuit boards and traffic sensors in Boston.

of course they want to limit our ability to monitor reality, remember one of the Party slogans: IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

I build my own Geiger counter. Would that make me some sort of uber-criminal in New York?

Scary thing is as a non American I always thought of New York as one of the more sensible and enlightened parts of the US? There is some really bizarre stuff happening over there these days.

Simon: oh gawd no. NYC(the state of NY in general actually) wouldn't even be considered a sensible part of Soviet Russia. I was almost arrested for having a knife with a blade all of 3 inches long. It wasn't concealed or anything, the cop asked if we had weapons and I had to go inside our car to find it. Then was a stick he referred to as a "billy club", and, I really loved this one, my can of mace was taken as well. Of all places, I always figured NYC would be a place they'd not just condone but encourage the use of mace/pepper spray in some places.

There's a tried-and-true Social Contract Voider; it's called revolution. Use with caution. Your mileage may vary.

I had never thought about the regulation of sensors before, and I find it chilling. This is essentially the restriction of information - maybe akin to saying that residents of New York can't check out books on a certain subject.

Living in NYC across the street from a power plant which claims to be safe, I'd love to turn on a geiger counter or other sensor when the plant (always late at night) starts making big terrifying noises.

If this has yet to become any kind of a problem, what's the problem?

"Of all places, I always figured NYC would be a place they'd not just condone but encourage the use of mace/pepper spray in some places."

Quite the opposite. Everything is illegal in NYC, and they're especially paranoid about weapons.

As an environmental engineer in NYC, having read the proposed legislation it is not only Orwellian but stands to impede my ability to practice my profession. The way the law is proposed it would require even registering devices that can monitor ambient concentrations of chemicals.

This legislation will impede my ability to practice my profession - environmental engineering. Besides geiger counters any device for monitoring ambient concentrations of chemicals or biological agents would also require permitting.

The only place worse than New York is Washington DC. After they banned hand guns, the violent crime rate and especially handgun homicides went up. Seems that only law abiding citizens are required to turn in their hand guns.

Be careful, Simon, that home-built Geiger-Muller counter sounds a lot like an improvised electronic device, better known as an IED.
And we know how dangerous those are!
(That's meant to be sarcasm, should anyone miss it.)

"It makes me want a Social Contract Voider."

For that you will need to talk to your local NRA office. Unfortunately the government of NYC is way ahead of you there.

"I get sunburnt when I exercise the right to bear my arms" - The Arrogant Worms [Proud to be Canadian]

I felt that was necessary. Every time I hear something about going-ons in America, I lose more and more faith in its ability to act like a proper country. It's incredible that the drinking age there is still 21 [And yet you are legal to join the Forces in your eighteenth year]. Honestly, the U.S. needs to pull themselves together and stop screwing up.

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