Earlier this month, a low-latency video portal was opened between New York and Dublin, allowing residents of each city to see one another. You can guess what happened next: tits were flashed and it's already being shut down.
The creators of the sculptures are now "investigating possible technical solutions to inappropriate behaviour by a small minority of people in front of the Portal," according to a statement from the Dublin City Council. "Dublin City Council had hoped to have a solution in place today, but unfortunately the preferred solution, which would have involved blurring, was not satisfactory," the City Council said late Tuesday. The team behind the sculptures, Portals.org, is looking at other options.
One one hand, I see commentary claiming the Dublin end was inappropriately placed in an area where people are likely to be bored and loitering. On the other hand, I'm seeing a lot of "can't have nice things/ruining it for everyone"-brain talk too, which is really just administrative-class types whining about the street finding its own uses for things. I'm eager to see how they "fix" it. Warning signs in many languages? Armed police flanking the portals? Perhaps move it into a nearby bank's lobby?
Previously: Real-life Portal adventure
