This camera I discovered at our residencia just reminds me of this discussion we have been having on "public vs private." This image is a perfect example of how we live our lives in the public realm more often than we think. While it serves a useful purpose of protection, it also is in a sense a technique of spyware...your every move is captured on tape. It makes me feel violated when I think about it because I feel like the meaning of the word privacy is quickly fading until eventually the private realm will be nonexistent.
When I first looked at this technological advancement I was uncertain exactly of what it was. Come to find out, it's a wheelchair accessible system. It's interesting because you would never see something like this in the U.S. with so many buttons and so ackwardly shaped. It just goes to show how much more advanced our country is.
Although we have vespas in the U.S. they definately aren't as prevalent as they are here in Roma. I find this to be ironic because in most cases the U.S. is ahead of other countries with technology. I feel like Vespas are just now starting to become popular in the U.S. In Philadelphia students are just beginning to purchase them over cars. Here Vespas are clearly more practical since the streets are so narrow making it easy to navigate through the city.
I found this image to be especially intriguing because first of all although they have stop lights here, they aren't as heavily enforced as in the U.S. I once witnessed intentionally run a read light and in the process almost collide into an oncoming train. Also I've found that green does not actually mean walk here...it means "walk at your own risk"..because cars don't always stop and yield to padestrians. It's also interesting because to signal when people can cross the street they have these people in the stop light as seen to the left. In the U.S. it's different...we have the audio sound of the chirping bird that you press or sometimes a separate flashing light.
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