Tinfoil Hat House 896
An anonymous reader writes "A family in Sacromento has covered the side of their house with aluminum to keep the radiowaves from their neighbors at bay. The city has given them one week to remove the life saving shielding or face charges."
weird but illegal (Score:4, Insightful)
love the antibot text field btw. same i cant read the fucker.
Tinfoil Hat Jokes aside (Score:5, Insightful)
A misdemeanor charge isn't what's needed, a visit from a social worker probably is. There's a difference between being unique and unusual, and having mental issues.
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:2, Insightful)
And this kind of thinking is anathema to the Religious right. ;-)
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:4, Insightful)
Help not Ridicule (Score:2, Insightful)
Who knows the Door Keeper and Key Master might be heading that way already to do the dirty deed and finally let the traveler loose into the world of men!
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:1, Insightful)
f'ed up neighbors (Score:5, Insightful)
or, if there is, then i'm all for it anyway.
THE FOOLS! (Score:2, Insightful)
But seriously, with that jumble of jagged strips forming a bunch of slot radiators, it's possible that certain resonate frequencies in their house have actually been significantly amplified above background levels.
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:2, Insightful)
Because it's in California. Any other state and they'd merely be shunned by their neighbors and harrassed by annoying teenagers.
btw, anyone else think this image verification thing is annoying?
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:3, Insightful)
It isn't about California (Score:4, Insightful)
In that context, a strong reaction to a house covered with metal foil is most predictable. The only suprise is that the neighbors took the time to call the code enforcement people, instead of rounding up a lynch mob!
If your situation is any better, don't feel too smug. Housing costs are going up everywhere, and the same obsesssion with property values is spreading like a disease.
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:5, Insightful)
If the fence is really important to him you might be able to work out a deal to your own financial gain. Keeping communication open will require that you respect your neighbors directly.
What'll the neighbors think? (Score:2, Insightful)
that kinda crap doesn't wash. Life is supposed to look normal, well trimmed, green and conforming. If for some reason what they believed was true, if they can't stand their rights being trampled on, they can put sheet metal on the inside of the house, between the brick and insulation.
Most of the time this kind of transgression starts with several written and in person warnings, notices and then you're slapped with the misdemeanor or fine.
Re:Legalistics (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:3, Insightful)
Not half as annoying as the incredible crapflooding it just stopped. :(
Re:Aluminum Siding? (Score:2, Insightful)
Because that would be hard. Leaning sheets of aluminum against your house is easy. Redoing siding (if you've ever done it) is hard.
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:1, Insightful)
Some people are still laboring under the impression that this is a free country.
Silly rabbits.
Or should I say, sheep.
Re:Hmmm... (Score:2, Insightful)
Because if they knew they needed it they wouldn't need it.
KFG
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:2, Insightful)
http://www.portlandonline.com/index.cfm?&a=18198&
(see B & C, probably more).
Basically you have to be able to see from your windows and have proper natual light come through. I'm sure there are quite a few other violations. However, I'm also positive that if you wanted to pick nits you could find something wrong with every house in portland (according to the strict rules, especially if you want to talk about interior building codes and whatnot).
Re:Wow... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:welcome to /. (Score:2, Insightful)
Seriously... It should not be anyone's business what they're doing to their house or property as long as it isn't a serious health risk.
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:4, Insightful)
Where the hell do you live? I want to move there so I can quit being harassed by my homeowners' association for having my antenna in the "wrong place". It was "hurting the value of their investment", not that the mandated ugly gray and brown houses are all that great anyway.
Anywhere where there are no associations has to be a better place to live than here, even if the house isn't a "great investment" without a bunch of old biddies who take hundreds of dollars of my money then can't even afford to pay a bored neighborhood kid $20 to mow the yard for the old woman down the street that they've been harassing as well.
Re:The video is amusing to watch (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What'll the neighbors think? (Score:4, Insightful)
But only neighbors who are party members in good standing.
Who are these assholes who insist on acting like individuals anyway? Fucking Americans.
Re:Wow... (Score:3, Insightful)
Wow. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:At least they're taking extra precautions... (Score:5, Insightful)
'Space blankets' are AFAIK absolutely standard hiking/camping gear - you'd be an idiot to go away without one.
They're compact, light, and they could save you from hypothermia.
I mean yeah, you could concievably rig your grow-room up with mylar over the walls, but is it really going to help that much more than the white plastic sheeting used by most of the grow-rooms I've seen?
Are you seriously suggesting that every hiker or camper who buys a space blanket in the US is going to get reported to the DEA? I don't live in the US, but if so, that is so ridiculous, so utterly pointless, so far out of control, that I'm just kind of staggered.
Re:At least they're taking extra precautions... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not sure how much better the mylar is for that purpose, I've been told that it reflects different spectrums of light more effectively than just flat white paint, and slightly more effectively (total lumens) than the plastic sheeting. The plastic sheeting is lot cheaper.
Of course just because they come to your door doesn't mean you have to let them in, but the mere fact that they are at the door because you made a purchase from the hardware store is very disturbing.
Private property (Score:5, Insightful)
If the neighbors or the city really has something to gain with their house looking good they should either offer to pay for more attractive tin foil or offer to buy their house from them. Forcing a private property owner to decorate their home a certain way at gunpoint is not part of a free society.
Re:Tinfoil Hat Jokes aside (Score:5, Insightful)
Obviously someone putting tin foil all over their house is a fair indication that their mental state should be questioned. But malicious people can (and do) take advantage of the common perception that paranoia about being spied on is proof positive of schizophrenia for the own nefarious purposes. Never underestimate how mean spirited and avaricious some people are.
Re:welcome to /. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What'll the neighbors think? (Score:3, Insightful)
You can't build whatever just because it strikes your fancy if it brings down the value of other people's property.
Re:Private property (Score:2, Insightful)
Didn't you people ever watch Sesame street? Working together and respecting your neighbors that's what living in a civil society is about, not pissing off the entire world just because you're a freaking nutcase.
It's called courtesy. Look it up sometime.
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What'll the neighbors think? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Tinfoil Hat Jokes aside (Score:5, Insightful)
How about just leaving them the hell alone and minding your own god damn business? Am I the only one here who respects freedom more than arbitrary "social standards" imposed by some central planning agency?
Re:Tinfoil Hat Jokes aside (Score:3, Insightful)
With friends like you, who needs enemies?
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:1, Insightful)
Buy a dictionary. (Score:4, Insightful)
This has nothing to do with race, national pride, or an unchecked autocracy. Therefore, the fascism label simply doesn't apply. I suggest you learn the meaning of a word before you start throwing it around.
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:3, Insightful)
I have a friend who lives in a very high class neighborhood, inherited the house. She has a tough time paying the bills because property taxes are so high. I think she should sue all the neighbors for keeping their houses and property in such great condition -- it's causing a negative impact on her pocket book.
Re:Buy a dictionary. (Score:3, Insightful)
A portion of the neighborhood can't just suddenly decide one day to play busybody with the rest of the neighborhood.
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:3, Insightful)
Most of the stuff the guy is complaining about is in the back yard. Maybe if he wasn't so busy looking in teh neighbor's back yard, this stuff wouldn't bother him. I wonder why that guy decided to move? It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that his neigbor is an asshole, would it???
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I'm not a Californian (Score:3, Insightful)
Closet. Basement. Commercial theatre. Attic. Having multiple exits is good, but having windows is unnecessary.
Re:Tinfoil Hat Jokes aside (Score:3, Insightful)
As far as "arbitrary social standards" are concerned, that's really the definition of civilization, isn't it?
Re:Buy a dictionary. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Buy a dictionary. (Score:5, Insightful)
Awww - they're so cute when they're young and idealistic, aren't they?
These days, rules aren't decided by the majority. Rules (laws) are passed in order to pacify small groups who are very adept at making a lot of noise and attracting attention to themselves and their cause. The majority of people just want everyone else to leave them alone.
Re:Private property (Score:3, Insightful)
The way I look at it is this - if a bunch of like-minded individuals want to agree to a set of CC&Rs, why shouldn't they be allowed to?