Storm Clouds Gathering
Hello!
Lots of news (some good, some bad) coming out right now so let’s dive in.
Storm clouds gathering over UK smart meter rollout as cost concerns and complaints escalate. Editor’s letter; Fears becoming reality for smart meters rollout. (Utility Week)
Call that smart? New energy meters won't work in 1 in 3 homes: The farce behind the scheme designed to cut bills but actually costs us all £11bn. (thisismoney.co.uk)
#FakeMeters. Looks like smart meters are even dimmer than we thought. (Daily Mail). With readings somewhere between 600 - 3,000,000% higher than they should be, calling them a 'meter' surely breaches the 1968 Trade Descriptions Act. It certainly makes a mockery of Smart Energy GB's £200mn "Estimated Nation" campaign. (Just think about how much good that cash could have done had it been handed to those in need instead of those in PR).
Think your Smart Meter is free? Think again. ITV's Chris Choi recently ran a good story which exposed some of the whoppers being told by proponents of the Smart Meter scam. Whilst not all issues were covered or addressed, it is worth a watch if you can get access to the full programme that aired on Thursday 2 Feb 2017 ("Energy Bills: Can We Be Smarter").
Wikileaks Dump Shows CIA Could Turn Smart TVs into Listening Devices - even when the TV is apparently off. Sources concerned that the agency’s “hacking capabilities exceed its mandated powers”.
Some smart TVs have been caught not only spying on owners, but selling the data.
Smart Meter Data Analysis Enables Consumer Profiling with “Alarmingly High Accuracy”, from a recent peer-reviewed industry article.
Privacy International & the Electronic Frontier Foundation have issued Concerns About Privacy Implications of Smart Meter Data In Newly Filed Brief - with smart meters transforming what used to be "a blunt record of kilowatts consumed into a deeply personal snapshot of a person’s life".
The Quantified Welp - study suggests that measuring an activity makes it less enjoyable. Duke University’s Jordan Etkin found that people’s intrinsic motivation to do something declined once it was measured and "decreases people’s motivation to keep up with it.”
Well done to the SSM Haringey who have mounted a great campaign in North London to stop Thames Water from installing smart meters without permission. Water blockage: Residents of three Haringey streets say 'No' to smart meters. You can support their efforts by signing this petition. (Why is TW so keen to smart meter people anyway?)
We are now at nearly 14,000 signatures with our national petition. If you haven't done so, please sign it -- and please also ask 38 Degrees to circulate it to all of their members (contact emailtheteam@38degrees.org.uk). (Thanks to JVT for giving birth to it).
First State in the Nation: Maryland State Advisory Council Recommends Reducing School Wireless to Protect Children. Children’s environmental health experts respond to new US study linking wireless radiofrequency radiation to cancer after the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reducing radiofrequency exposures.
Cyprus Removes Wi-Fi from Kindergartens and Halts Wireless Deployment Into Public Elementary Schools. Cyprus Minister of Education issues new Decree to minimize wireless radiation exposure to children in schools and require parental consent.
"There’s no Wi-Fi in Narnia". The Kids Are Not Alright - How Wireless Tech is Harming Our Youth and What Parents Can Do Right Now.
Brain tumour rates are changing in the UK with the most virulent and deadly type (GMB) on the rise -- and it's not down to increases in detection.
Casualties of Waves - a film by Jean-Yves Bilien.
From the archives -- and now nearly 30 years old, it is worth revisiting the 1989 CBC Massey Lectures, "The Real World of Technology" by Prof Ursula Franklin, on the large-scale effects of technology on culture itself. Also check out dialogue between cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien and Camilla Rees on Technology Overuse in Society, and the special risks to children.
After a couple of major and minor set-backs, Kirk and Paul are approaching the final stages of production for our cartoon - Smart Attack. It has been two years in the making but more timely now than ever. Thanks to those who have pledged to support the makers so far. If you'd like to get involved, see here.