Glitter bomb

[Tom45]

I'm self employed working at home with computer vision and controls.

One time a customer sent me a $15000 camera for testing. I wasn't at home, so the UPS driver left it on my porch. Not a problem  as I live in a rural area on a dead end road and my porch isn't at all visible from the somewhat distant road. UPS could have dropped off an unwrapped bar of gold with no problem.

However, the next day someone at a UPS office saw that a $15K delivery had been left on a porch and had a cow. Actually she had a whole herd of cows. 

The first I knew about the "problem" was a phone call asking if I got my previous day's delivery OK. I said yes, no problem.

A day later my UPS driver stopped by and said he didn't have a delivery. Just a piece of paper to sign saying that I had indeed received the package. I explained to him what had happened and we had a chuckle about it. It was obvious to both of us that there was little risk at my location.

And before someone tries to track me down, I've never had any deliveries of gold (wrapped or unwrapped) in any quantity.

[Stray Electron]

It's not mine, but way cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoxhDk-hwuo&amp=&frags=pl%2Cwn

(Mine would use continuous CN+dye tear gas spray instead of pulsed fart spray).

   He needs to add a claymore mine.

[SeanB]

Just need to add another common item to the glitter area, itching powder. Or cinnamon or white pepper, all commonly available items. Can put on the package label "contents, spices" to cover the contents.

[james_s]

This actually does make sense. The Passport is good evidence of who you are, but it says nothing about where you live. Ohio's DMV rightly wants to limit Ohio driver's licenses to verified Ohio residents.

It has never occurred to me to try, but couldn't someone register a phone, trash service or other utility at any random place they want? Find a vacant house somewhere, order garbage service, get a bill in the mail, there you go.

[Richard Crowley]

It has never occurred to me to try, but couldn't someone register a phone, trash service or other utility at any random place they want? Find a vacant house somewhere, order garbage service, get a bill in the mail, there you go.

Accessing a mail box for a location that you don't legally own or occupy is a Federal Offense at least here in the USA.
Remember that infamous mob bosses were finally convicted on relatively minor offenses like mail or tax fraud.

[Mr. Scram]

Accessing a mail box for a location that you don't legally own or occupy is a Federal Offense at least here in the USA.
Remember that infamous mob bosses were finally convicted on relatively minor offenses like mail or tax fraud.

That doesn't really seem to stop many mail or package thieves and actual investigation or even prosecution doesn't appear to be a priority or happening on a relevant scale. Rather than taking random packages it makes sense to get what you want on order. In for a penny and all that.

[Richard Crowley]

That doesn't really seem to stop many mail or package thieves

I finally got myself a large locking mailbox to deter mail theft.
OTOH, packages (even from the post) left on the front porch aren't exactly in a "protected location".

[james_s]

It has never occurred to me to try, but couldn't someone register a phone, trash service or other utility at any random place they want? Find a vacant house somewhere, order garbage service, get a bill in the mail, there you go.

Accessing a mail box for a location that you don't legally own or occupy is a Federal Offense at least here in the USA.
Remember that infamous mob bosses were finally convicted on relatively minor offenses like mail or tax fraud.

It's obviously not legal, but if you need to establish a fake address you're probably up to no good in the first place. If everyone was honest they wouldn't need to ask for proof of residence in the first place. The question is whether it's likely to work, not whether it's legal or morally right to do so.

[oPossum]

It has never occurred to me to try, but couldn't someone register a phone, trash service or other utility at any random place they want? Find a vacant house somewhere, order garbage service, get a bill in the mail, there you go.

Accessing a mail box for a location that you don't legally own or occupy is a Federal Offense at least here in the USA.
Remember that infamous mob bosses were finally convicted on relatively minor offenses like mail or tax fraud.

All my utility bills arrive by email, not postal mail. When I moved a few years ago and had to change address with various government agencies they all accepted a printout of the email without question. So no need to even establish fake residency, just edit the html in the email.

[scuzzyTerminator]

Note to Dave:

Some people don't like dumpster divers.

[SparkyFX]

They are all right targets, none of those somehow have a right to steal a package...

And you got no right to cause injury to other people, neither are you police, district attorney and judge in one person. This is what this is about... or what it could be seen as. Next time it could not be glitter (read some posts in this thread...) or not a thief (like: just someone who found it in the trash).

That´s probably not going to have any serious consequences for Mark Rober, but multiplied thousands of times the probability of hitting the wrong person will be a statistical truth. Unfortunately most engineers have that mindset of an "acceptable" rate for death and injury - and think they are the ones to define it or declare their assumptions as facts. Sorry, but simply "nope".

[Kilrah]

Next time it could not be glitter (read some posts in this thread...) or not a thief (like: just someone who found it in the trash).

"Next time something else more dangerous by someone else to someone unrelated" is completely irrelevant to the subject, we're discussing what was done in this case and how it was perfectly fine, not one of 100 million other scenarios that may or may not be.

Next time it can be a government throwing a bomb on someone they don't agree with, and there's no more reason for them to be right about it but it's somehow usually considered OK..

[Mr. Scram]

And you got no right to cause injury to other people, neither are you police, district attorney and judge in one person. This is what this is about... or what it could be seen as. Next time it could not be glitter (read some posts in this thread...) or not a thief (like: just someone who found it in the trash).

That´s probably not going to have any serious consequences for Mark Rober, but multiplied thousands of times the probability of hitting the wrong person will be a statistical truth. Unfortunately most engineers have that mindset of an "acceptable" rate for death and injury - and think they are the ones to define it or declare their assumptions as facts. Sorry, but simply "nope".

Of course there's not going to be consequences for Mark Rober. It's glitter and fart spray, for fuck's sake! Nobody is going to get killed by that. People on the internet really seem to love coming up with imaginary dangers and then convicting people for those dangers. What's next, people saying I can't throw a plastic bag in a waste container because a child could pick stick his head in it and choke and I'd be liable for the death?

[langwadt]

They are all right targets, none of those somehow have a right to steal a package...

And you got no right to cause injury to other people, neither are you police, district attorney and judge in one person. This is what this is about... or what it could be seen as. Next time it could not be glitter (read some posts in this thread...) or not a thief (like: just someone who found it in the trash).

That´s probably not going to have any serious consequences for Mark Rober, but multiplied thousands of times the probability of hitting the wrong person will be a statistical truth. Unfortunately most engineers have that mindset of an "acceptable" rate for death and injury - and think they are the ones to define it or declare their assumptions as facts. Sorry, but simply "nope".

image the lawsuits if someone open that package while driving crashed and some got killed

[ruffy91]

If you'd open a package while driving you'd get other problems in Countries with sensible laws...

[james_s]

Of course there's not going to be consequences for Mark Rober. It's glitter and fart spray, for fuck's sake! Nobody is going to get killed by that. People on the internet really seem to love coming up with imaginary dangers and then convicting people for those dangers. What's next, people saying I can't throw a plastic bag in a waste container because a child could pick stick his head in it and choke and I'd be liable for the death?

The fact that it would even be considered to allow someone who stole something, broke into someone's house, etc to sue if they get hurt is something I've always found ridiculous. There's a *real* easy way to prevent this from ever happening, don't steal something that doesn't belong to you! If somebody steals a package and it injures them, you can bet I won't be losing any sleep over it. Some people seem to care more about the rights and well being of criminals that victimize innocent people without a second thought than about the people who are victimized.

[SparkyFX]

The fact that it would even be considered to allow someone who stole something, broke into someone's house, etc to sue if they get hurt is something I've always found ridiculous.

Me too. I am not concerned about playing a prank on people that "deserved it" and were not injured and were filmed doing so, i am concerned about everybody else that was not thought of and question if the consequences in relation to the damage are still proportional and who defines who deserves what.

If somebody steals a package and it injures them, you can bet I won't be losing any sleep over it.

Sure... but in the moment the injury is premeditated, you define that a financial loss equates to injure someone. You´d be in bigger trouble then - locked up in psychatry or jail. Because the proportion of this is not to be defined by the perpetrator. How many dollars for an arm/leg/eye, whats the rate today? I am sure this looks cool on the big screen, but this is real life.

There is obviously a cultural gap when even on a forum with plenty of time to think of an answer people can not distance themselves from an initial, emotionally determined reaction of taking blind revenge. That alone is hard to discuss and ends strongly political. I´d personally rather leave the discussion then.

Some people seem to care more about the rights and well being of criminals that victimize innocent people without a second thought than about the people who are victimized.

Better read those posts again. They are secondary toward the INTENDED target, they question who else has a realistic chance to be hit, that someone simply did not have in his mind when taking these decisions and building such a trap device. If all your intentions work out the way you want... go play lottery, you would not need to take care of stolen packages.

[Kilrah]

Once again this is about a device that was precisely engineered to NOT risk injuring anyone.

Yes there are people saying "I'd nuke/burn/cut them haha" but people who say that would never actually do it.

[nctnico]

It doesn't have to be something of value.  One guy boxed up all his dog poop and left it out to get stolen...  what does doberman doo bring and the pawn shop these days?

This one is good! 

[rdl]

It's a neat project, really well done. However, I think the actual uses of the box were staged. I could be wrong of course, but I don't think anyone smart enough to be employed by NASA would be dumb enough to set themselves up as a target for revenge by persons with an obvious criminal mindset.

[GreyWoolfe]

It doesn't have to be something of value.  One guy boxed up all his dog poop and left it out to get stolen...  what does doberman doo bring and the pawn shop these days?

This one is good! 

I know that I won't be bringing my Doberman's poop to a pawn shop to find out.  That dog could knock a buzzard off of a corpse wagon at 20 paces.

[james_s]

Sure... but in the moment the injury is premeditated, you define that a financial loss equates to injure someone. You´d be in bigger trouble then - locked up in psychatry or jail. Because the proportion of this is not to be defined by the perpetrator. How many dollars for an arm/leg/eye, whats the rate today? I am sure this looks cool on the big screen, but this is real life.

There is obviously a cultural gap when even on a forum with plenty of time to think of an answer people can not distance themselves from an initial, emotionally determined reaction of taking blind revenge. That alone is hard to discuss and ends strongly political. I´d personally rather leave the discussion then.

Well let's remember that in many states in my country, it is perfectly legal to shoot and kill somebody who enters your properly illegally. It should be common sense not to walk onto someone's property uninvited and steal something off their porch, and indeed in areas where this sort of thing is widely permitted, it very rarely occurs. It's more than simple material possessions, it feels extremely violating to be a victim.

There are certain activities, climbing up a power pole, scaling a cliff, pointing a weapon at a police officer, trying to walk across a highway, etc that are very likely to be lethal. Sensible people don't attempt to do these things, they are very easily avoided.

[SparkyFX]

There is an article that part of the video was a fake anyway: https://gizmodo.com/viral-video-of-glitter-bomb-for-package-thieves-exposed-1831254130

Well let's remember that in many states in my country, it is perfectly legal to shoot and kill somebody who enters your properly illegally.

Trespassing laws, of course they are there to be able to react to a threat to yours and your family´s health and life, so you have it legally sorted out. But i don´t think they cover building trap devices in packagings that bait thieves.

It's more than simple material possessions, it feels extremely violating to be a victim.

I know, but feelings can go away, money and most items can be replaced. Limbs however do not grow back and usually people do not arise from the dead. It is a questionable judgement to put these things equal.

Of course i despise thieves and a slap on the wrist alone is not sufficient. But jail time, the subsequent criminal record & employment problems and paying the debt back is also a punishment - absolutely no need for vigilante justice that gets oneself into jail.

[radioactive]

https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/12/21/youtuber-admits-aspects-of-viral-homepod-glitter-bomb-video-were-faked

[wraper]

https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/12/21/youtuber-admits-aspects-of-viral-homepod-glitter-bomb-video-were-faked

There is a description under the video where he explains that in a few cases acquaintances of acquaintances faked it because there was monetary reward for returning it back. Those parts are no longer present in the video.