I completely love this story from, of all places, the Wall Street Journal.
This 16 year-old-kid lives in Washington with his mom, and they put an Obama yard sign in from of their house. Poof- it's gone! They get another one (not an easy task if Pittsburgh is any indication; they go like hotcakes), and again... Poof! At this point, an older person would go with the classic technique and hide behind the tree with gun, but young Preston is an innovator and uses a bit of technology to his advantage.
So he can keep a watch on his sign when he's not at home, he points a web cam at the front yard and continues to monitor remotely. He tells some friends about it. They tell people, who tell people.... so on and so on. Pretty soon there are over 40,000 people all taking shifts to stare at the front yard of this kid's house. When the US goes to sleep, the Euro's pick up the slack. When they finish their shift, the Aussies take over.
But this global community is not just watching, they are participating in Preston's life. If he posts a message during the day, he gets questions about why he's not in school. Chatters make sure Preston isn't talking to any internet weirdos until his mother gets home from school (they know her schedule). I have seen the sign when there is a piece of tape on the window, blocking the sidewalk and reading "Tape is intended to protect the privacy of children walking to school. Will be removed at 3:30."
As I am watching now, there is a bird walking on the lawn, and people are discussing shopping at Costco. It is boring, and yet not. In our word where things can become so de-humanized, this dada-ist webcam sitting and staring through a window is about as real and genuine as anything I've seen.
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