Alaskan Artist - Elise Tomlinson
Home Artist Blog About Me Life in Alaska Purchase Site Index Speak
Home » Archives » June 2005 » All the world's a stage!

[Previous entry: "How do you take your coffee?"] [Next entry: "This blew my mind!"]

06/07/2005: "All the world's a stage!"


Last night Jen and I went out for beers at the Island Pub (located a block from my house). I didn’t notice it right away but there was something that looked like either a camera or a barcode reader pointed right at us. When I did notice it I said “Oh god, is that a web cam?” and she just laughed like that couldn’t possibly be it, so we asked the bartender and she informed us that it was a streaming web cam and that it was broadcasting on their website at that very moment!

WTF!

Now, I have some serious paranoia issues stemming from an incident when I was in a remote restaurant in a city of over 260 thousand people loudly going on and on about how in love I was with this guy that *I* had dumped, and it turns out he and his *new* girlfriend were sitting in a high-backed booth *directly* behind us! AKWARD!

My recent panic subsided to a degree when she mentioned there was no audio, still…I’m not sure having a streaming web cam in a bar is such a brilliant idea (or even legal?). Is there no expectation of privacy to drunkenly dish about boys without it being broadcast to the whole frackin universe?


Replies: 13 Comments

on Wednesday, June 8th, Dio said

In a considerate would you could opt out of appearing - I'd check their front door for a legal notice about 'By Entereing you agree to be filmed' and if not, 'ave 'em for Invasion Of Privacy

on Wednesday, June 8th, Jim L said

Big Brother likes a pint now and again too, how else can he keep tabs on Winston Smith at the local pub?

Okay, sorry for getting all 1984 on you, but I gotta agree with you: just because you can webcam your bar or business doesn't mean you should. A pub should be a refuge from the crap of the non-pub world! Now, if they would only stop having those TV's blaring all the time...

on Wednesday, June 8th, greg said

They are just looking out for terrorists ... its for our own good.

Aint it amazing how eyes just fix on the glaring TVs? I used to get a kick watching how people, who obviously couldnt care less what was televised, just glue on to it ... but that got depressing after awhile, so I stopped doing that.

on Wednesday, June 8th, Elise said

There was this guy who really seemed to like me, had asked me out a couple times and finally I went out with him. On our first big date we go to this quaint little bar and as we were talking, I kept noticing his eyes moving away from me to somewhere behind me. I thought he must be checking out some other girl, but when I looked back it was a big TV with the sound turned down. And there wasn't even anything interesting on, it was commercials or something. I wasn't even that upset...TV has the ability to just suck you in like that!

And Dio, I'll check for the the legal notice and if they don't have one, I'll make a suggestion they post a sign, at least near the camera propped on the bar. I really like this place, it's becoming my new watering hole so I don't think bringing a legal suit against them would go over very well.
:laugh:

on Wednesday, June 8th, subi said

okay, now i wanna hear more about that STORY WITHIN THE STORY (didn't mean the caps!) i want details!

on Wednesday, June 8th, Elise said

I can't give you details because literally anyone could stumble across this site by googling themself (DIRTY!)
:confused:

But you can probably guess...just not in my comments please! Think about it...who did I end it with (in a pre-emptive dump) and then obsess over in an unhealthy way and even paid Rod 3 dollars to drive me past his house!???

Thats right! (did you ever read my short story Nickle Dime Quarter?)

on Wednesday, June 8th, RR said

I think I would have to tell them that they would loose my custom if they kept the webcam there. It's a gross invasion of privacy and I suspect it might lose them business - not the mention the legality aspect.

on Wednesday, June 8th, Elise said

I think if they didn't put up the warning or acted like I was being unreasonable, that would be my next move.

on Wednesday, June 8th, holly said

Are you nuts, woman? You never pay someone to help you stalk! And for the whopping sum of 3 bucks?!? Have you no sense of pride? From now on, you do your own stalking, young lady!

Our public library used to have a webcam above the main entrance, but all it ever got shots of were the homeless guys sleeping on the benches and the bums chainsmoking and talking to themselves out front, so they took it down. It used to make me a little uneasy because I used to have the same schedule everyday, so any weirdo who might have been watching the site would have seen that I walked by the library every morning at 8:15 and back the other way at 3:45. Kinda paranoid and self-centered on my part, but people are really strange and I wouldn't put it past some of 'em to stalk the library webcam. In a bar? No way!!!

(Unpleasant memories of being absolutely hammered in the Irish pub here, SITTING ON THE BAR spouting Keats by heart at a very embarrassed guy who now sells me my bicycle gear. I would not have wanted images of that on the web. Even without sound.)

on Wednesday, June 8th, Elise said

LOL!

Yah, there are quite a few bar moments that I'm happy are not recorded for posterity.

And, I've pretty much gave up stalking after that...it wasn't my brightest moment!
:blush:

on Thursday, June 9th, subi said

holly always makes me 'nearly' pee my pants! did you both meet here or another blog or in real life? i CAN believe that you had to pay ROD! lol. i have bribed him in the past as well...my word, like a free mcdonalds breakfast for a ride to school... can we say, ah okay! but i guess one who had to pawn his same possessions like every month to make rent had to live somehow. :P

on Thursday, June 9th, subi said

oh& btw, i thought that other story seemed familiar! ((finger to cheek, sigh)

on Thursday, June 9th, Elise said

No, never met Holly in real life...just the blogosphere.
;)

But guess who commented yesterday that he's been "lurking" on this site for awhile (entry http://www.elisetomlinson.com/blog/archives/00000463.html#comments Roomate Wanted)???

That's right, ROD! Isn't that funny??? He says he might even visit me here in Juneau in Sept. or Aug. small blogosphere or what?

And I was trying to think of a way to tell you of whom I was referring without specifics but "finger to cheek" is perfect. My MM. sigh is right...