Urban Camoflage - Cell towers

Most people take the NIMBY ('Not in my backyard') approach - especially when it comes to the area around their homes.

• They want to have reliable electrical power, but not have a power plant in their backyard, or high voltage transmission lines.
• They want a quality TV signal, but don't want to live next to the transmission tower. Or they want a clear satellite signal, but don't want to see the dish.
• They want go get anywhere quickly, but not live right next to the highway (or an airport).
• They want to be able to get their calls all of the time - but don't want a Cell tower right next door.
  

Out here in the Phoenix area - towers in general, and cell phones specifically can be a sore subject. The Phoenix metro area - is largely flat terrain - which means cell towers pop-up on the horizon - and have nothing to blend in to.

The slide show below - is the start of a photo collection of different ways that Cell Towers are or are not disguised around Phoenix.

Remembering 9/11

I remember 9/11....

I was late going into work. The office was in Chantilly, VA - and one of the non-standard routes I would use took me along the backroads around Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD).

Since I was on the backroad - I wasn't listening to News radio (it was WTOP's FM feed - only one I got decent signal on that far out from the city). I switched over as I got close to the airport - and I heard about the first plane hitting New York. At that point it wasn't clear from the reports about what type of plane it was - or what the weather was like.

[Just after World War 2 ended - a B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the Empire State Building while lost in fog. And the building (obviously) withstood it.]

At that point I was just curious for more details on the plane crash. A few minutes later - I got into the office to find everyone huddled into the boss's office watching streaming video of the scene from New York. It was obvious from that coverage - that it was a large jet - and that weather had nothing to do with it. And then the 2nd jet hit the other tower.

Now - it was pretty clear that this wasn't an accident. The talking heads w/ on the coverage were starting to talk about Hijacking's and Terrorism. Several of my co-workers decided they would rather be at home with family - or just didn't want to be in the office.

You have to realize my office was about 3 miles South of the end of the east side North-South runway at Dulles. When the weather was nice - a couple of us would take a walk around the circle and watch the planes from Europe coming in.

[there was one other item of interest within a mile of our office. An office building that didn't exist - and Congress was royally miffed when they found out how it was paid for. The planes were going after symbolic targets - and an office building wouldn't stir anyone up.]

I guess I can't blame them - especially after the Pentagon was hit. And then the panicky reports of another plane headed for DC - I didn't blame them at all.

[it wasn't until a couple of days later - that I realized that my wife and I had been on the flight that had crashed into the Pentagon - earlier in 2001. American Flight 77. We took it out to LA and then on to Vegas in January. It was a nice flight. First thing in the morning. Maybe a third full. Crew relaxed after an overnight in DC. A perfect target for a hijacking.]

After trying to do some work - and checking in with family - I finally went home. And on the way back by Dulles - as I was turning onto a backroad to go home - there was a Loudoun Co Sheriff's Deputy sitting (in his car) just about in the middle of the intersection. He wasn't doing anything - just sitting there.

Just a show of force - in a small way - to show that the world had changed.