Totally tangential, but... I must have seen that exact same photo of NSA headquarters 100 times over the past month, at the head of every blog entry related to it.
It is too much to ask the nation's photographers just to take a few more pictures from different angles? ;) It's as bad as as the Onion's opinion on Snowden ("Nation Demands New Photograph Of Edward Snowden"):
It's really hard to take pictures of the NSA and I wish I was joking. When you drive past it, on say MD's Route 100, there are signs stating not to stop or take pictures and police officers with their lights on at all times on the side of the road. You can't stop here unless it's an emergency. I'm not sure about the laws that back this up but I've never tested them.
It's probably not a good idea to stand outside GCHQ's fence and take photos. They'll claim it's to protect secrets - the privacy and secrecy of who works for them, for example. (Because there is mostly carpark between the doughnut and the public road). I don't know if someone would get arrested, but "they" would certainly feel able to use their anti-terror powers and the experience would not be pleasant.
From your own statement, I think we can deduce that the NSA isn't too happy with having its picture taken.
It's a pity that I can't source this specifically, but I vaguely remember reading in either James Bamford's "The Shadow Factory" [1] or his "Body of Secrets" [2] that the NSA once leased an entire office building that had been built near the edge of Fort Meade, simply because the top floors could see onto the campus.
It's just a joke, sorry. I'm well aware humor isn't appreciated around here and actually I understand it because humor is a slippery slope ending in reddit-style banal meme-threads, but every once in a while I can't help myself and karma be damned.
Banthas are the large beasts-of-burden on Tatooine. Bothans are humanoid aliens with cat/dog-like faces. Why do I know that? I play a lot of Star Wars video and card games :)
EDIT: just googled for the quote. The full one is "Many Bothans died to bring us this information."
Oh yes ... but I now have this irresistible vision of Vader and the Emperor walking through the Death Star landing bay, with a 12 foot long haired Bantha tiptoeing behind the massed ranks of Stormtroopers trying to look inconspicuous in a red cloak and disguise
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Totally tangential, but... I must have seen that exact same photo of NSA headquarters 100 times over the past month, at the head of every blog entry related to it.
It is too much to ask the nation's photographers just to take a few more pictures from different angles? ;) It's as bad as as the Onion's opinion on Snowden ("Nation Demands New Photograph Of Edward Snowden"):
https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&q=%22Nation+Demands+N...
It's really hard to take pictures of the NSA and I wish I was joking. When you drive past it, on say MD's Route 100, there are signs stating not to stop or take pictures and police officers with their lights on at all times on the side of the road. You can't stop here unless it's an emergency. I'm not sure about the laws that back this up but I've never tested them.
In England there's the Official Secrets Act. Signs say something like "a prohibited area as defined by the Official Secrets Act".
There has been some paranoia around photographers taking photographs in public. The London police force had to issue guidelines for their officers about correct procedure. (http://content.met.police.uk/Site/photographyadvice) (http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/new...)
It's probably not a good idea to stand outside GCHQ's fence and take photos. They'll claim it's to protect secrets - the privacy and secrecy of who works for them, for example. (Because there is mostly carpark between the doughnut and the public road). I don't know if someone would get arrested, but "they" would certainly feel able to use their anti-terror powers and the experience would not be pleasant.
From your own statement, I think we can deduce that the NSA isn't too happy with having its picture taken.
It's a pity that I can't source this specifically, but I vaguely remember reading in either James Bamford's "The Shadow Factory" [1] or his "Body of Secrets" [2] that the NSA once leased an entire office building that had been built near the edge of Fort Meade, simply because the top floors could see onto the campus.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_Factory [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_of_Secrets
Show some gratitude. You have no idea how many individuals had to sacrifice their personal lives to get that picture into the commons.
What do you mean? As far as I can tell, it is freely available on NSA's website:
http://www.nsa.gov/about/_images/pg_hi_res/nsa_aerial.jpg
It's just a joke, sorry. I'm well aware humor isn't appreciated around here and actually I understand it because humor is a slippery slope ending in reddit-style banal meme-threads, but every once in a while I can't help myself and karma be damned.
Well have a point back, gave me a chuckle. Been a long day so it was not a high bar ;-)
Perhaps it would sound better as "Many Bantha spies have given their lives to bring us that photo, General Calrissian"
(I'm sure I have that wrong - so a prize to whoever corrects the quote from memory :-)
*Bothans
Banthas are the large beasts-of-burden on Tatooine. Bothans are humanoid aliens with cat/dog-like faces. Why do I know that? I play a lot of Star Wars video and card games :)
EDIT: just googled for the quote. The full one is "Many Bothans died to bring us this information."
Oh yes ... but I now have this irresistible vision of Vader and the Emperor walking through the Death Star landing bay, with a 12 foot long haired Bantha tiptoeing behind the massed ranks of Stormtroopers trying to look inconspicuous in a red cloak and disguise
Maybe it's just me
crypto "breakthrough" post and this is the most important comment?