There seems to be a choking sensation in my throat of late. Perhaps it was due to the overwhelming high temperatures , scorching sun, hazy skies and the raging increase in mozzies that is creating some havoc here on this red dot.
Centuries back, people flocked to America where it was known as the land of the free. The statue of Liberty at NYC stood for what the people fought for. What is becoming of this little red dot in recent months one may wonder. Every single part of the earth of this land is now dissected, carved out for different usage. A simple jurisdiction of who 'owns' the land now changes the meaning of legal and illegal depending on whose terms were set by.
We have gone beyond the 5 Cs. More had been added to this foray. Cameras and chains. No more escape as we turned ourselves into a highly watched state - for better or for worse? Like the ex-CIA Snowden man who is now MIA, hacking and invasion of privacy into another person's details is something one has to contend with in the light of the technological stuff we are now at.
Yes, but we are already being watched by our omnipresent Lord Almighty God, who sits on the throne of heaven as earth is just His footstool. Our actions, our motives, our hearts and minds - yea, He sees. But to be watched by another group of humans is perhaps a different story.
The recent trial project below - thank God I am not one of those hawkers! Fancy me peering at the Ipad each morning just to be able to start the day's business? The buzz word of efficiency , productivity, sense of legal ownership or entitlement sounds read good, ain't it? What do you think?
ST 15/6/2013 :To prevent illegal subletting, hawkers clock in - with their mugshots
Face recognition scanner used to prevent illegal subletting of stalls rankles some
Mr Mujiman using the face recognition scanner to clock in at the Serangoon Garden Market. --ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM
When satay seller Mujiman Sertrosentorno sets up his stall at Serangoon Garden Market every day at 9am, he checks in by peering into a face recognition device.
The $1,400 device, about the size of an iPad, is mounted on a wall at the back of the hawker centre. It captures the faces of the hawkers.
The device, installed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and provided by a biometric company on a free trial basis, is to guard against illegal subletting and ensure that subsidised stallholders operate their stalls personally. There are about 80 cooked food and market stalls at the market.
Stallholders will not be able to enjoy subsidised rentals if they are found to be subletting, in other occupations and not attending to their stalls personally.
The below is the report by The Straits Time on 20 April 2012. The source:http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_790764.html
HIGH-TECH security cameras are being installed in the first phase of a new network that will eventually extend across the island.
More than 10 have been fitted in Jalan Bukit Merah, in a move that will give police a fresh tool to help tackle crime in the estate.
Unlike ordinary security cameras, the new system is designed to capture people both entering and leaving the area.
Residents in Jalan Bukit Merah are hoping that the technology will rid them of the loan shark runners who have defaced debtors’ doors, targeted neighbouring flats and vandalised motorbikes.
The other five are in the lobby and stairwells of a block of one-room flats.
Unused footage will be kept for a month, then overwritten. The police will be responsible for the cameras’ maintenance.
By 2016, the scheme will cover 10,000 HDB blocks and multi-storey carparks across Singapore.
The aim is to have 300 fitted by May in seven areas, including Bishan, Tampines and Woodlands. These locations were chosen to represent different parts of the country and a spread of housing types, said the police. Existing cameras, which were installed in several estates on an ad-hoc basis from 2002, will continue to operate.
The new network was announced in Parliament last month by Second Minister for Home Affairs S. Iswaran as part of a new police strategy that aims to make full use of technology.
Other aspects of the Community Policing System include round-the-clock access to automated services at Neighbourhood Police Posts and a new unit which will see officers patrolling on foot and bicycles in casual clothes.
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