CCTV on TV

I've been away again this weekend, down in smelly old London for the birthday meal of an old university friend. Though he probably wouldn't thank me for using the word "old".

His flat has a faintly sinister set-up. They have a video-phone type thing connected to the front door so you can see who is arriving. This in itself is not too disturbing, or even too uncommon. However, whereas a normal person would have a small screen to view the visitors on, they have it hooked up to a big television and seemingly leave it on the whole time. So not only can the flat owners see you arrive, so can anyone else who happens to be in the flat.

They can watch you turn up at the door, look round, decide that it might be the wrong door and wander off again. And then come back a few seconds later because you now think it's the right door after all.

It's also not limited to just the one camera. They can if they want to, follow your entire progress from front door to flat via a series of other cameras dotted around. I would not have been surprised if they had a camera in the toilet which they all were watching when I was in there.

My place is a bit less technologically advanced. If I want to see people arrive, I look out the window. In fact, I'm doing that now and it's raining.