Scams, dash-cams, and astrological phenomena

This morning, the first news I heard was about a meteor crashing into earth's atmosphere in Russia. I saw this event mentioned on twitter, along with links to video capturing a variety of perspectives of a fireball streaking across the sky. Naturally, I wanted to see what the locals saw, so I began looking at those links. A LOT of the shared videos came from cameras mounted on dashboards inside cars. Is having a "dash-cam" common? I've never see one on the highways I've travelled - and in the US, amateur video clips usually come from hand-held smart phones (maybe because they cannot be pried from our hands).

This article caught my eye when I scanned the news for meteor updates: Russian love of dashboard cameras yields many meteor videos. In a linked article, the evolution of the use of Russian dash-cams is revealed - due to the likelihood of a road rage incident, a hit and run, or a fake-accident-scam, having a dash-cam is your best defense while out in the car:

Dash-cam footage is the only real way to substantiate your claims in the court of law. Forget witnesses. Hit and runs are very common and insurance companies notoriously specialize in denying claims. Two-way insurance coverage is very expensive and almost completely unavailable for vehicles over ten years old–the drivers can only get basic liability. Get into a minor or major accident and expect the other party to lie to the police or better yet, flee after rear-ending you. Since your insurance won't pay unless the offender is found and sued, you'll see dash-cam videos of post hit and run pursuits for plate numbers.

And sometimes drivers back up or bump their pre-dented car into yours. It used to be a mob thing, with the accident-staging specialists working in groups. After the "accident," the offending driver–often an elderly lady–is confronted by a crowd of "witnesses," psychologically pressured and intimidated to pay up cash on the spot. Since the Age of the Dash-cam, hustle has withered from a flourishing enterprise to a dying trade, mainly thriving in the provinces where dash-cams are less prevalent.

And then, sometimes, someone will jump under your car at a crossing, laying on the asphalt, simulating a badly hurt pedestrian waiting for that cop conveniently parked nearby. This dramatic extortion scheme was common, until the Age of the Dash-cam. Oh, and there are such juicy, triumphant tales about of would-be extortion victims turning the scheme around and telling the cast members to pay them money or they're going to jail for this little performance! Don't try it.

So I began thinking about possible what-so what-now what cycles in today's coverage of an unexpected astrological phenomenon, occurring coincidently within hours of an expected but rare close visit by an asteroid, the one labelled 2012 DA12.

From my perspective: What? - An undetected and unexpected meteor enters earth's atmosphere near the Ural Mountains in Russia, injuring hundreds, and was seen by many due to the prevalence of dash-cams, hand held cameras, and surveillance cameras. Meanwhile, within hours, on an unrelated trajectory, but with predicted timing, an asteroid came close to earth, creating a unique scientific observation opportunity. The potential for shared communication now is so much more than in the past - we can ponder these two events almost as they happen, without even stepping outside to look up in the sky, and without being physically close enough to observe them ourselves.

So what? - With these new connections - how do we make meaning of how events unfolded? With the meteor event happening so close to the expected observation of an asteroid, interest is heightened in both. I made a point to look for news of the asteroid today because of the meteor news. At a different scale, people (well, me, for one) not familiar with dash-cams become intrigued by this adaptive behavior that has become common in some locales but is non-existent in others.

Now what? - Will there be any long-term effects from new interest in astrological events? Almost definitely!  The Neil DeGrasse Tyson interview I linked to earlier just confirms what many already see: his rock-star status as a science communicator and astrophysicist. He's already been named as one of 100 most influential people in the world, and has helped Superman. The attention given to understanding astrophysics and its affect on life on earth could soar after today's events. Will the use of dash-cams spread, incited by this new interest in watching the skies? Who knows...but if I made these cameras, I would have some clear ideas towards enacting my next marketing plan.

These are just a couple of strands I noticed I was pondering today, sparked by news external to my immediate surroundings, but having impact nonetheless. What about you? If not this particular news today, what came into your view in your world? What meaning did you make of it? What new action will you take? What impact do you expect? I'd love to hear from you!