And how many thousands of dollars worth of skilled security researchers' time?
Having read the link, that does not really prove that dogs are useless, just that they can give false positives if the handlers lead them into it. But no-one gets prosecuted because the dog thinks they might have a bomb unless it turns out they really do have a bomb. False positives are not a big problem if the alternative is either much more thorough/time-consuming/intrusive investigation or random selection.
There's also a difference between car theives who sneak off with your stuff and car theives who are willing to risk an assault / ABH/GBH charge and the associated police response / prison sentence.
But you're right, we should go back to the police having a truncheon and a whistle and maybe a horse...
I think it's funny that google, amazon, and your bank/credit card probably know waaaay more about you than the authorities do, yet things like this get shit on in the name of freedom. If I get mugged, or burgled, or whatever, I want it to be on as many cameras as possible. CCTV is a massively EFFICIENT and EFFECTIVE way to catch criminals and make the Police and justice system's job easier and safer. With power comes responsibility, and we should be watching the watchers very closely, but not cutting off our noses to spite our face.
The issue is not the technology, the issue is how it's used and by whom. This is an excellent system for reducing vehicle crime - theft, unisured drivers, unsafe vehicles on the road, etc. that cost us all a shitload of money in taxes, insurance premiums, death. They can do this as much as they like, I'm cool with that, but I want to know that that's ALL they're doing with it, and that they're not selling my data etc. etc.
People need to stop getting all antsy about the technology and concentrate their attention / concerns / questions on HOW it's used.
I realise there's a low quota of hardware nerds on here, but most electronics gets washed on the production line to remove flux and contaminants.
The biggie with *any* electronics is to not use anything that causes damage or corrosion, and to have the device powered off until it's absolutely dry (if using water) to prevent shorts or electrolytic corrosion.
The best thing is isopropyl alcohol, aside from being a bit of a hazard to some paint/stickers etc. it's about the top thing for cleaning electronics.
The hardest part of climbing the ladder of success is getting through the crowd at the bottom.