ubiquitous presence

Too Close For Comfort: Portraits Of Strangers Taken Without Their Permission | Fine Art

Story Views Now: Last Hour: Last 24 Hours: Total: Wednesday, October 23, 2013 6:41 % of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents. (Before It’s News) Sheri_Lynn_Behr_Photography NYC-based photographer Sheri Lynn Behr ’s project NoSafeDistance addresses the idea of photography without permission—a concept practically unavoidable in what Behr calls today’s “post-privacy world and image obsessed society.” Separated only by glass store windows, Behr turns the camera on strangers just long enough to capture the surprise on the other side. Behr crops and enlarges the faces to the point of ambiguity in efforts to challenge our thoughts about anonymity and privacy. We recently asked her more about the project. Sheri_Lynn_Behr_Photography Sheri_Lynn_Behr_Photography What led you to start this project? “I started this project because I became very aware of how much photography is made without the permission of the subject. I’ve never liked being photographed myself, and I had been working on a project in NYC’s Chinatown, where the residents often turned away from my camera. At the same time, I started to notice how many security cameras were taking my picture as well. With NoSafeDistance , I wanted to make people aware that they are photographed without their permission. And since my reaction was to duck when I saw a strange camera pointed at me, I wanted to see what other people would do, in this age of smart phones and surveillance.” Sheri_Lynn_Behr_Photography Sheri_Lynn_Behr_Photography How did you find your subjects? “Just walking down the street, looking in […]

Tiny Recon Robots Herald New Generation Of Drones

London: Ex-U.S. Marine Ernest Langdon pulls a pin and throws a small black object onto the ground. But it doesn’t explode. Instead, the robot rights itself and swiftly scuttles away, feeding infrared video back to a small radio control screen. Unmanned drones have become an almost ubiquitous presence on the battlefield for U.S. and other high-tech forces. But the market for remote controlled vehicles is evolving from the sometimes multi-tonne craft that patrol the skies over Afghanistan or Yemen, carrying out reconnaissance and targeted strikes, to tiny robots that police and even film companies can use. The top end of the market continues to be dominated by U.S. companies such as Lockheed Martin , Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, formerly a division of General Dynamics and creator of the Predator and Reaper drones. Other major defence firms such as BAE Systems are pushing forward with next-generation drones with stealth and other features. Smaller companies are increasingly redefining the industry, however. Drones on display at this week’s DSEI defence fair at London’s Excel exhibition centre include undersea robots that can act as mini submarines or simply drive along the surface of the seabed to clear mines or conduct reconnaissance. Remote control “quadrocopters” with four or more rotors can be launched from backpacks. Even conventional military vehicles are becoming increasingly robotised. The stand of U.S. truck manufacturer Oshkosh Corp showcases a picture of a convoy of military trucks it says are being entirely remote-controlled. Critics of the use of drones controlled […]