Pondering over coffee... I remember when this story broke - (computers given out by the school were found to be taking photos of the students in their bedrooms)

I remember this - but this time around, I dug a little deeper.  There was a lot more to the story than what the news covered.  It was pretty one sided... but it was interesting to take the time to dig a little deeper while I sipped my morning coffee.  Oh, there are still far more details and stories I could read, but coffee break was over!

 

 

 

A student at Harriton High School near Philadelphia was called into the assistant principal's office and accused of drug use at home. What evidence did they have? A photo taken from the webcam on his school issued laptop while he was sitting in his bedroom.

The "drugs" turned out to just be candy.

What Blake Robbins didn't know was that his school district had installed software that allowed staff to remotely activate laptop webcams and capture screenshots without students' knowledge. Over a two week period, Robbins was photographed more than 400 times, including while he slept.

As the story unfolded, the Lower Merion School District admitted that its tracking system had captured more than 56,000 images and screenshots from student laptops over roughly two years. Many of those images were taken inside students' homes.

The scandal, later dubbed "WebcamGate," sparked national outrage and raised serious questions about digital privacy, surveillance, and the limits of school authority. Robbins and his family filed a federal lawsuit, which the district settled in 2010 for $610,000. Of that amount, $175,000 was placed in a trust for Robbins.

The FBI investigated the case, but prosecutors ultimately declined to bring criminal charges, saying they did not find sufficient evidence of criminal intent.
 

 

More:  The Unsettling True Story Behind the School Spying Scandal in Spy High

available at Time Magazine: https://time.com/7275031/spy-high-true-story-prime-video/

 

Something to Ponder Over Your Morning Coffee.... good old 'books' and data center water usage

It took a while to get here as it's been a long night and busy morning... I'm exhausted and on cup number um... four (?) of hot, strong coffee.


Loved this...   a tablet ereader that doesn't power up or on, you just open the cover! And instead of clicking next page, you just turn it with your finger! So cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started to research more about data centers and their harmful effects on... well, everything... after seeing a few posts of people going before their city councils and showing them evidence of all the harm it is causing to humans, animals, nature, waterways, etc.

This is a big issue... getting bigger every day.

Very interesting rabbit hole to go down if you are interested.  Water pollution, the noise pollution, the 24/7 bright lights on, the humming drone noise that people can't get away from, even in their own homes. 

".....By 2030, data centers’ global electricity use is estimated to more than double to 945 terawatt-hours, a little more than Japan’s total electricity consumption in 2024, according to a report published in April by the International Energy Agency. The report points to AI as a key driver behind the anticipated increase and projects that the United States will use the largest share. As of now, the United States is home to the greatest number of data centers in the world, according to Cloudscene, a telecommunications company."   

-https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2025/Fall/Conservation/AI-Data-Centers

 

A data center developer is suing for access to the Colorado River — backtracking on previous vows that it would not need to use a single drop of the river's strained supply.

The developer, Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing, turned to the courts after negotiations to use reclaimed wastewater from nearby cities collapsed and the local water district rejected its application.

The case has ignited severe backlash in a region where the drought-strained Colorado River is the sole source of fresh water, prompting Imperial County to enact an emergency moratorium on new data centers.

Although the requested amount—approximately 750,000 gallons per day—is small compared to the region’s agricultural usage, it represents the annual water needs of about 7,300 local residents. 

 

 

 

It's just the coffee talking..........