time for a rant.
about 3 months ago, Doncaster Council (or some subby) installed some i-terminals around the borough. These consist of a small printer, touch screen, webcam, speakers. Its basically an info system where you can send video mail and find out about whats goin on around town. Here's the main problem i can see: it is encased in a shiny steel and GLASS structure at the roadside, the glass being supported by 2 steel struts, suspended either side of the main steel column. No useful function, just decoration.
For 2 months the one outside the local co-op late shop has fared quite well, despite being out of order several times. The other day, i drove past. Someone has kicked the hell out of it and there's glass everywhere. Yesterday i drove past. They have gone a bit further now and battered the screen and its glass hood, which is 7 feet in the air and would need some tool to smash it as it is out of reach. Drove past today, and they have also battered the small black box next to it, which contains the DNO and BT connection points (it is labelled as such)
Here is my theory: the people who did this have had their fun with it, sending emails and the like, the novelty has worn off . . . so they destroy it.
This makes me so f***ing angry i could scream. How much will it cost to repair this machine and the DNO box? £4k? probably more? Theres a big glass bus stop right next to it too, which has been smashed up godknows how many times. Who pays for all this? yup, thee and me. Taxpayers. Instead of spending money on lavish decoration (glass and structural steel etc) this should be spent on reinforcement (iron casing and 2 inch thick glass screen etc). No doubt it will just get repaired ready for another battering, ready for us to fork out to repair it again, but thats life. I hope the webcam caught them in the act doing it, then send the repair bill straight to them. Mindless t**ts. I hope someone comes and smashes all their windows. This sort of thing shouldnt be tolerated.
And i think i have to lay some blame on the council here because it was they who chose the easily-vandalised design, and it was they who neglected to put the thing in the view of a fixed camera. Its not even in the view of the windows at the co-op. I dont know why they bothered. They might as well have put up a big piece of toughened glass at the roadside and put a sign next to it saying "give it your best!"
rant over.
about 3 months ago, Doncaster Council (or some subby) installed some i-terminals around the borough. These consist of a small printer, touch screen, webcam, speakers. Its basically an info system where you can send video mail and find out about whats goin on around town. Here's the main problem i can see: it is encased in a shiny steel and GLASS structure at the roadside, the glass being supported by 2 steel struts, suspended either side of the main steel column. No useful function, just decoration.
For 2 months the one outside the local co-op late shop has fared quite well, despite being out of order several times. The other day, i drove past. Someone has kicked the hell out of it and there's glass everywhere. Yesterday i drove past. They have gone a bit further now and battered the screen and its glass hood, which is 7 feet in the air and would need some tool to smash it as it is out of reach. Drove past today, and they have also battered the small black box next to it, which contains the DNO and BT connection points (it is labelled as such)
Here is my theory: the people who did this have had their fun with it, sending emails and the like, the novelty has worn off . . . so they destroy it.
This makes me so f***ing angry i could scream. How much will it cost to repair this machine and the DNO box? £4k? probably more? Theres a big glass bus stop right next to it too, which has been smashed up godknows how many times. Who pays for all this? yup, thee and me. Taxpayers. Instead of spending money on lavish decoration (glass and structural steel etc) this should be spent on reinforcement (iron casing and 2 inch thick glass screen etc). No doubt it will just get repaired ready for another battering, ready for us to fork out to repair it again, but thats life. I hope the webcam caught them in the act doing it, then send the repair bill straight to them. Mindless t**ts. I hope someone comes and smashes all their windows. This sort of thing shouldnt be tolerated.
And i think i have to lay some blame on the council here because it was they who chose the easily-vandalised design, and it was they who neglected to put the thing in the view of a fixed camera. Its not even in the view of the windows at the co-op. I dont know why they bothered. They might as well have put up a big piece of toughened glass at the roadside and put a sign next to it saying "give it your best!"
rant over.
