> They would have to dig it out from above

Or, leave it where it is for a future TBM to run into.

Yup. Chrome 31 on a Mac.

Mac != iOS.

OK, fine. Most have SOME amount of IR filtering because yeah, you need to filter IR to get good pics in natural light, but some have more, some have less. Speaking of things that take 3 minutes to research, I just tested with my iPhone 5S: Shining a remote into the back camera, literally as close to the lens as I could get, I see nothing. With the front camera, the light is visible from over a meter away. (Phone in one hand, remote in the other.)

The OP's point was, plastic that "looks" black to humans can, in fact, let IR light through. (It's the stuff they mold onto the ends of remotes to make them look nice -- they've been doing that for over 20 years.) And many digital cameras can pick up that light. Every point and shoot I've owned, from 1.3 (in 1997) to 8MP, and many cameras on laptops and phones, including BOTH cameras on the iPhone 4, could do that trick of seeing remote lights. So yeah, all cameras might have SOME amount of IR filter, but I don't do astronomy. For me, the distinction is "enough filter to block a remote's light, or not." Or, to work with the IR illumination LED that came with my 10-year-old Sony DV camcorder.

I just tested more with my iPhone 5S. With the back camera, literally as close to the lens as I could get, I see nothing. With the front camera, the lights are visible from over a meter away. (Phone in one hand, remote in the other.)

My first digital camera was a 1.3MP unit in 1997. The last point-and-shoot I got was an 8MP one about 4 years ago. Those, and all in between, showed IR light as I describe. As did all iPhones before the 4S.

So all digital cameras might have *some* IR filtering, but some much more than others. To me, "IR filter" means does it filter out just enough to make pics look good in natural light, or do they also filter out strong IR beams.

Anyway, the OP's point was, plastic that "looks" black to humans can, in fact, let IR light through. (It's the stuff they mold onto the ends of remotes to make them look nice -- they've been doing that for over 20 years.) And many digital cameras can pick up that light. THAT is what we are discussing here.

"'There is always this desire to make a Swiss Army knife"

Like this guy?

Before I realized the significance of the hyphen, my brain briefly parsed that sentence like "An armed UBR-1..."

Many -- probably most -- digital cameras do not have IR filtering. All you need is a remote control to test. Turn on your camera, point the remote at the lens, and press a button on the remote. On the iPhone 5S, you can point the remote at the main camera and you won't see its light, but if you point it at the front camera, you will. I've been using digital cameras to test remotes and their batteries for years. Here is a pic I just took with the built-in camera on a 2011 MacBook Pro.

Also, any DV camera (remember those?) with "night mode" depends on that. Put them into night mode and a bright IR LED lights up the scene, letting the camera "see" in perfect (human) darkness.

Oooh, what a trustworthy source! Nobody rich is wasting their time on slashdot.

Now excuse me while I go back to my orgy with super models.

Farmers know this, every gone past a field of corn and seen sign declaring the corn not to be fit for human consumption? It is not because 1 person stealing corn does so much damage, but a 100 people? And not all of them will take just 1 corn or care about how they trample a dozen stalks to get the one they want.

In my youth if you were to late at the station to buy a ticket, you could buy one in the train, no problem all part of the service. Assholes like in this story ruined that because they would take a seat and then when checked would say they didn't have time to buy a ticket. Since you are not always checked you could often ride for free. So they changed the law, no more tickets sold by conductors (and fuck you if you are incapable of operating the machine) and a standard fine of 35 euro's no matter what. ALL because SOME assholes abused the system.

My 15kg foldable bike has 5kg of locks on it, because some people just can't keep their paws to themselves.

It is NOT about ONE guy stealing 5 cents of current, it is about the idea of taking something that doesn't belong to you.

Do you own a petrol car? Is there a lock on petrol cap? There didn't use to be one. Used to be it was just a ordinary cap anyone could open. Then assholes started to siphon gas wherever they could and locks became after market essentials and finally standard issue.

This kind of issue is nothing new, as said, farmers know it well, from corn to apples. 1 thief is not so bad, a thousand, and you got nothing left. If you cycle a lot, you will know that SOME people will put a tap out on hot days for passerby's to cool off and refill their water bottles. This usually lasts UNTIL an asshole comes by and totally abuses the situation by leaving a mess.

The person from the story is described as a habitual offender, he didn't just run out of power and decided to recharge his car without asking from a public socket, he does it as a matter of routine while he has no reason to assume it is okay. He is an asshole who takes and gives nothing.

If he walked into the office and made a single copy each day, would people claim that was okay? If he walked into the school to take a dump each day without asking, would that be acceptable?

And ten to one all the libertards defending this guy would shoot you in the face for daring to read a map by the light streaming out of their house.

And I think the guy was in the wrong. He can easily charge his car at home like everyone else. I just think this AC doesn't know what socialism and communism really means. It most certainly does NOT mean, grab whatever you can from public resources. Rather the opposite in fact.

You keep argueing your point even when a normal person would have realized by now he had none.

The socket was made available to VISITORS of the school to charge LAPTOPS. NOT for outsiders to charge their car.

THE VERY fact that you need a switch inside the house shows you how vile your world view is. If people just kept their paws of other peoples property you wouldn't need the switch. AND then, if someone's car ran down, saw your socket, they could charge their car, put a tenner in your mailbox with a thank you note and drive home.

Which is the better world to live in? Yours or mine? Yours were everything needs a lock or mine were you can trust people not to abuse everything?

So simple yet "TheCarp" just doesn't get it. Ten to one HE is an asshole to who takes everything he can get.

Post your bank account details here, I and everyone else will promise not to with draw more then 5 cents a day, each and every day, everyone one of us.

The guy in the story was an asshole repeatedly trying to charge his car for free. He didn't do it just once because his car ran down, he did it as a matter of routine. His mentality is the reason everything has to be locked up and nailed down. Because if not everything is behind lock and key some asswipe will abuse it.

Thanks to this guy, if your electric car happens to run down, you won't find any socket available you can ask permission to use because now everyone will put a lock on the socket and have "regulations" to deal with this. All because this asshole was to cheap to charge his car at home.

There is only one asshole here. No wait, there is the asshole from the story and you for thinking his repeated actions are okay. Or did you not read the story?

No normal person calls in a bomb threat to get out of a final that will at most just end being delayed.

That YOU were (and are) an idiot doesn't mean everyone is. If your moronic logic was true, then the phone at your average school would never stop ringing. This guy (and since you clearly identify with him, you) is an asshole who thought nothing of creating a major nuisance for teachers and students because he wanted to get out of an exam. Ten to one you and him are the type who then later grow up... grow older and at the slightest provocation threaten to sue anyone and everyone for any delay or inconvenience.

It is the eternal excuse of the asshole: Everyone does it.

Nope.

The child rapist and murderer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Dutroux has also been sentenced to pay restitution. He hasn't payed a dime while getting rich in prison working the stock market but through accounts in his sons name.

But that guy just murdered and tortured some girls. He is not as serious a criminal as someone who uploads a movie of course.