The world is full of cameras these days. Everyone seems to have one on their phone and there are CCTV lenses watching us everywhere we go in towns and cities.
The powers that be justify the phenomenon as being "for your own safety". But I have to confess that I find it more than a bit daft and at times rather oppressive.
An example of how daft it can be came when the head got chopped of the topiary figure of Ringo Starr at Liverpool South Parkway station.
Nobody saw it happen but we learned that police would be "checking CCTV images".
That was months ago and no culprit looks like being brought to justice despite the presence of an amazing 134 separate cameras recording everything that moved at the station.
Erm... unfortunately, I gather, no camera acutally recorded the moment Ringo got the chop. Just shows you can't always hedge your bets!
It does, however, make me wonder whether all the cash spent on installing and maintaining the cameras, let alone the cost of the time checking through the footage, would not be better spent paying staff to keep an eye on things.
Technological gubbins do not always deliver a real advantage.
But the march of technology means that the courts are now much more likely to convict when there is video evidence.
And the opposite side of that coin is that it is now regarded as essential for nabbing low-level criminals and vandals.
Without it there is a tendency for the police to shrug their shoulders and give the impression that it would be too much trouble to investigate, since the likelihood of a conviction is low without a picture of a miscreant "caught in the act".
It's not too far fetched to think that in a few years time we will all be walking around with video cameras built into a hat or pair of glasses so we can record our every move in case we need to produce "evidence" of what we were doing, or what we had done to us.
Having said all this... I have taken to carrying a camera with me most of the time - so I can share the results with you!
And here is an image that caught me eye the other day.
It's a bit of gallows humour from a "Culture Capital" poster that hides the grot spot of the old Seamen's Hotel at the bottom of James Street.
Just recently the council have erected fancy new lamp-posts on the road outside.
But as you can see one of them produces a fascinating noose effect on the picture of Macca, when the sun is at a certain height.
I am sure it is quite accidental...
Closure of the CUC in Liverpool - sad day
(Tue 03/01)
Banksy the religious bigot
(Thu 29/12)
The Big Yin is on his way... I can't wait
(Thu 10/11)
A tale of two museums
(Tue 30/08)
Rosie Cooper - we need more politicians like her
(Mon 06/06)
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