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from the If-you-are-reading-this-message... dept.
Natalie Matthews writes that a year ago, a friend of hers left her two roommates at a bar to walk the three blocks home to their apartment in a yuppie Boston neighborhood. "She wanted decent sleep before a Saturday morning exercise class; her friends wanted late night food. Instead, she was jumped by a stranger on the curb of her apartment building, brutally raped, and beaten in her living room while her roommates ate burritos, none the wiser," writes Matthews. " If she'd done something, anything, differently, would it have changed the outcome of her night? It's an unproductive exercise, both she and I know. And yet when I heard about Kitestring, she was the first thought that flashed in my mind, because maybe Kitestring would have helped her, had it existed then."
Kitestring is a new service that aims to make sure people get from point A to point B safely, notifying their emergency contacts if they don't. You tell Kitestring that you're in a dangerous place or situation, and give it a time frame of when to check in on you. If you don't reply back when it checks your status, it'll alert your emergency contacts with a custom message you set up. "Perfect for blind or online meet-up dates, walking home at night, or feeling safe in any dangerous situation, Kitestring is like the virtual mom I've always needed," writes Mary Rockcastle, "especially if your mom is like mine and is never awake past 8:30pm."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by emg on Monday April 28 2014, @04:39PM
No smartphone app beats a loaded gun in the purse.
(Score: 1) by andersjm on Monday April 28 2014, @06:08PM
The assailant will notice you trying to retrieve the gun from the purse, and strike first, or take the gun from you.
(Score: 1) by tftp on Monday April 28 2014, @10:27PM
The assailant will notice you trying to retrieve the gun from the purse, and strike first, or take the gun from you.
A gun is not going to be of any help if the attacker peacefully walks by you, and once he is behind he whacks you over the head with a blackjack. A gun is only effective if you follow a whole book of other recommendations, such as "be aware of your surroundings," "maintain distance," "do not be too PC to suspect someone," and so on. It is hard to do in a city where other people are near you all the time. YouTube has a few clips of robberies that are done in a crowd. The time frame where you may be allowed by law to defend yourself is less than a second. Until then the attacker hasn't touched you; after that you are unable to defend yourself, or (if the thief runs away with your stuff) you are not permitted to shoot into his back. Note also that it takes nonzero time to draw a handgun from a holster; a police officer needs about 2 seconds to draw and fire, even though his holster is not concealed. If you keep your gun in a purse you need at least five seconds to prepare. This is possible only if the criminals start their attack a good 20-30 yards away from you. Why would they do such a thing? You'd have to start suspecting them when they are that far away. This is what the training will be about.
This is why I am so skeptical about safety of large cities. However you put it, criminals have an advantage there. They can jump you from every dark corner; and the population density is so high that it is not feasible to maintain the safe distance. The police is there only to take statements and collect the bodies; many LEOs are honest and would like to help, but they can't be everywhere.