

Cryptome Tracks the NYPD Ring of Steel [mp3] - Mizza
http://c3455205.r5.cf0.rackcdn.com/HN9A04.mp3

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sp332
Summary from <http://www.hopenumbernine.net/schedule/#cryptome>

Cryptome’s digital multimedia presentation of original cartography,
animations, video, and architectural documentation will explore the urban
implications of the NYPD One Police Plaza Security Plan - a.k.a. Ring of Steel
- which locked down Lower Manhattan after 9/11, transforming its Civic Center
into a threatscape centered on NYPD headquarters. With its militarized
jurisdiction mobilizing through technologies of command, control,
communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, the Ring of
Steel has declared itself an iconic public space for our time.

~~~
Mizza
I thought this was a really fascinating talk.

Debra and John are both practicing architects as well as security culture
critics, so their discussion the encroachment of the (physical) public domain
by the security system adds a rich dimension to a discussion which is often
carried out in rather abstract terms.

EDIT - Visual aides available here: [http://cryptome.org/cartome/ring-of-
steel/ring-of-steel-00.h...](http://cryptome.org/cartome/ring-of-steel/ring-
of-steel-00.htm)

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vosper
The speech is interesting, but requires a lot of attention to follow due to
the strange cadence and intonation - it sounds like she's reading a poem,
sometimes - and the excessive verbiage; there are a LOT of sentences like
this:

"... no reasonable expectation of privacy exists in spaces where bodies
politic assemble to perform transparent choreographies of public democracy".

Listening to it reminded me of reading Umberto Eco.

~~~
Mizza
It's true. Cryptome tends to do this and I'm not sure why, I don't think it
serves their cause to make their research and analysis inaccessible.

~~~
lobotryas
I imagine they fancy themselves a cross between an elder statesman and V.

Between the presenter's poor reading and the overly verbose prose I tuned out
after a few minutes. Bit of a shame since this is an interesting subject.

