Mark Rober and the ultimate bait package - 4 cameras, motion sensor, GPS. more..

[boffin]

This is the funniest thing I've watched in ages.

[Bratster]

That is awesome!

Sent from my Fi Moto x4 using Tapatalk

[Brumby]

I like it.   


.... A lot!   

[sleemanj]

Eh, call me a cynic, but that is a lot of expensive electronics to go into a package you expect to get nicked and probably not recovered. 

And it's also a rather high recovery rate.

I'm not sure it's even the easiest or cheapest way in terms of recording, a pi and some cameras vs 4 smart phones and custom electronics....

[Brumby]

Eh, call me a cynic, but that is a lot of expensive electronics to go into a package you expect to get nicked and probably not recovered. 

Not if you've got the budget !!!

And it's also a rather high recovery rate.

Thanks to the fart spray!  That was extremely obvious (and funny as heck).

I'm not sure it's even the easiest or cheapest way in terms of recording, a pi and some cameras vs 4 smart phones and custom electronics....

... and how do you plan on streaming the video to cloud (or similar) storage?  That was made clear from the outset - even if the box was never recovered, you would still have the video.

[james_s]

Sometimes I'm almost disappointed that package theft has been so low in areas where myself and most of my cohorts live. It has occurred to me how amusing it would be to rig up fun bait packages like that. Glitter bomb, cans of spraypaint with a mechanism to burst them open, jar of feces with a blasting cap in it, an entire bottle of "Liquid Ass", etc. You could use a very simple mechanism to start a timer when the package is tilted so that it blows inside the perpetrator's car as they're driving away. Maybe an extremely loud siren that is sealed up with its power source inside an inner box strong enough to take them some time to get into it to stop the thing. Another idea I had was make a movie prop style fake bomb that looks like sticks of dynamite strapped to a timer that starts counting down so the thieves crap their own pants when they open the package. I don't think there's any law against having an inert movie prop in a box on your porch.

[james_s]

Or glue! Use a pump to squirt out superglue all over everything while activating the glitter dispersal, can you imagine the mess that would make? I also would have had the fart spray just latch on once triggered and spray until the whole can is depleted. There are so many options for a lower budget device like this too, even if it only has one cheap android phone in it you'd still capture video of something, audio and GPS.

[helius]

I don't think there's any law against having an inert movie prop in a box on your porch.

It definitely falls within the scope of "hoax device" laws. Cool clock Ahmed.

[james_s]

I don't think there's any law against having an inert movie prop in a box on your porch.

It definitely falls within the scope of "hoax device" laws. Cool clock Ahmed.

What makes it a hoax? Having it in the box? It's not my fault someone stole it. It's certainly legal to own, I've seen novelty alarm clocks made to look like bombs and you can buy and posses inert hand grenades. It would be an illegal hoax to plant a fake bomb in a train station or school or something but to leave one in a box on your own private front porch? I'd be shocked if someone got prosecuted for that in the US.

I prefer the more destructive route anyway though. Oil based spraypaint, superglue, a container full of fresh squishy poo, maggot infested rotting meat, there's all sorts of stuff you could do. People who steal packages off porches deserve whatever they get and a case that occurred a year or two ago where somebody tripped and injured themselves pretty seriously while trying to get away, then tried to sue the homeowner and got laughed at and thrown out of court should set precedent.

[Mr. Scram]

Eh, call me a cynic, but that is a lot of expensive electronics to go into a package you expect to get nicked and probably not recovered. 

And it's also a rather high recovery rate.

I'm not sure it's even the easiest or cheapest way in terms of recording, a pi and some cameras vs 4 smart phones and custom electronics....

The guy was very clear that he was going to overengineer the hell out of this thing. He also came up with some novel solutions to increase the chance of recovery, which seem to work fairly well.

He worked on the Mars rover. He seems to know what he's doing.

[sleemanj]

He worked on the Mars rover. He seems to know what he's doing.

I do not dispute that the device was physically created nor that it would function as intended, I'm just not convinced that the depicted "deployments" are not in fact staged.

[helius]

What makes it a hoax? Having it in the box?

A hoax device, per the law, is anything made to resemble a bomb or weapon of mass destruction, as you suggested in this post.

[NivagSwerdna]

Great video. The fart spray is the killer ingredient for recovery.

Perhaps it would be the ideal addition to the dumpster room?

[james_s]

What makes it a hoax? Having it in the box?

A hoax device, per the law, is anything made to resemble a bomb or weapon of mass destruction, as you suggested in this post.

What does the law say about such devices though? It's quite clear that it's perfectly legal to possess such items, I suspect the "hoax" aspect is if you plant one somewhere public. What if you order some of these and someone steals the package off your porch when it arrives? Are you guilty of a hoax? https://inertproducts.com/grenades or https://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/defusable-bomb-alarm-clock/

[Ian.M]

Its a fine balance between annoyance factor, retrieveability, and the likelihood of gang retaliation.

However, IMHO it has insufficient liquidised raw shrimp and liquidised raw potato + glycerine so it never totally dries out. Although fairly innnoculous till its 'ripened', that combo will make an excellent delayed 'gift' that keeps on giving! 

[james_s]

This has got me thinking about lower budget versions that would be easier for anyone to make. Maybe a sealed container of juicy rotting meat or fish scraps that tears open and dumps everywhere if the box is opened. Plastic container full of wet squishy poo with a spring or CO2 cartridge to eject it forcefully. Mechanism to squirt out cyanoacrylate (superglue) which is likely to bond the device to the perpetrator's hands and then trigger the stinky stuff. Can of spraypaint with a spring loaded barb that punctures the side of the can. I once had something sharp fall on a can of spraypaint and make a small hole, there are still specks of paint on the walls and floor of my garage.

The genius of the fancy device in the video though is that in many cases it gets a clear shot of the person who swipes it and records the location they took it to, so if they take it home it's easy to know where to send the police.

[mrpackethead]

<naughty>

Imagine if somone sent Dave one of these to the mailbag.    I'm sure he likes glitter.

</naughty >

[james_s]

That would be a dick move that is unlikely to accomplish much beyond getting on Dave's shitlist.

If you catch him stealing a package off your porch though, by all means go for it.

[coppercone2]

I think I would get a x-ray machine if I ran a mail in blog so I don't end up getting sprayed with dog shit

[mrpackethead]

That would be a dick move that is unlikely to accomplish much beyond getting on Dave's shitlist.

If you catch him stealing a package off your porch though, by all means go for it.

He might see the funny side, and i'm sure he might do a tear down.

[coppercone2]

and put it in a good bag before I scan it in case of some kind of hidden spray nozzle and probably measure it with a damn spectrum analyzer to see if its emitting any thing.

I don't like this one bit. You can't identify it by the usual basis of a bomb being heavy and filled with fragmentation because its some electromechanical chemical dispersion system.  KGB hit squad terrorism shit.

I made a faux-box before by cutting out a bunch of the structure and covering it with kraft tape in order to mail it first class rather then the other options because I was pissed it was like within 2oz and the cost difference made shipping the small item not worth it on ebay.

[Mr. Scram]

and put it in a good bag before I scan it in case of some kind of hidden spray nozzle and probably measure it with a damn spectrum analyzer to see if its emitting any thing.

I don't like this one bit. You can't identify it by the usual basis of a bomb being heavy and filled with fragmentation because its some electromechanical chemical dispersion system.  KGB hit squad terrorism shit.

I made a faux-box before by cutting out a bunch of the structure and covering it with kraft tape in order to mail it first class rather then the other options because I was pissed it was like within 2oz and the cost difference made shipping the small item not worth it on ebay.

If you don't like it, don't steal people's packages.

[coppercone2]

someone is gonna get the bright idea to mail that to people

[CJay]

someone is gonna get the bright idea to mail that to people

"So here it is, merry Christmas'

[Brumby]

That sort of move would end up giving the sender a really bad day.