[thechat] Sniper update?

[Jonathon Isaac Swiderski]

Today, the cows mooved Madhu Menon to write:

> It's frustrating to watch shows like CSI and then wonder why all the
> advanced technology has been unsuccessful in catching this sniper.

1)  Most cities don't have the budget the departments in the show get.
No-one in real life *has* that advanced of technology in the first place.

2)  Even if they had the fabulous data-analysis tools that the tv crews
have, they'd have to have data to analyze.  And they really didn't until
recently -- remember all that stuff about the white van?  The man who made
the report (after the FBI analyst was killed at the Home Depot) has been
arrested & charged with making false statements to police
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/18/national/18CND-SHOOT.html -- Free
registration req'd).  Technology won't invent true, let alone useful leads
for you.


--
Jonathon Isaac Swiderski \\ dangercat-20 at dangercat.net
cs.oberlin.edu/~jswiders  \\  www.dangercat.net/?id=mt

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried
anything new."                    -- Albert Einstein