line in, mics, and baby sitters

[giovanni]

Hi,
I have been thinking about this for a long time.
I have a nanny who takes care of my very young son and I would like some capability to check what happens during the day, while both myself and my wife are at work.

First thought of course went to video cameras, but too complicated to have a decent system and especially I do not want her to know about it. So, when I purchased my Dual 867, I did notice that one of the novelties was a "line in" input, for a mic. Now, my thought is, could I use that to record audio in the apartment during the day ? that would be great, it would certainly serve the purpose quite well. But the question is, how do I do that ?? Yes, it would probably cover only the leaving room, which is where I keep my Mac, but that is good enough.
Do I need a mic ? is there an application in OSX that would do it ? and am I going to have troubles recording for the day, say from 8am to 6pm ?

Any help, idea, suggestion, greatly appreciated ! ciao,
giovanni

[mnkeybsness]

i think the paranoia has set in ladies and gentlemen...

...really though...what are you going to hear? the baby crying? or maybe the changing of a diaper?

[giovanni]

I certainly can hear your stupidity ! This is not about paranoia, this is wanting to be informed as best as one can (which is not to say "completely informed"). Really, also I find it interesting, may be just to satisfy pure curiosity ?! If I did not trust our nanny, believe me. paranoia would not even remotely set in, she would be out of my home so much earlier than that !!!!

[FatTony]

A good place to look for freeware and shareware for the Mac is Version Tracker (http://www.versiontracker.com). they have sections for Mac OS X and OS 9. You should do a search for audio.

I prefer Audio In (http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=15962&db=mac).

I don't think PowerMacs have built-in microphones, so you would need to get an external one. Back in the day, PowerMacs came with cheap little mics. If yours didn't, you could get one at a radio shack or some other similar shop.

[Nipsy]

Originally posted by giovanni
If I did not trust our nanny, believe me. paranoia would not even remotely set in, she would be out of my home so much earlier than that !!!!

Ummm...you trust her, but you wanna record her doings without her knowledge...yeah.

Remember, trust goes both ways, and if she finds out about your little scheme, there won't be any trust left.

Privacy and ethics are on shaky ground already, and while I can respect your concern for your child, think seriously about the moral implication of what you're planning to satisfy your "pure curiousity", because you find it "interesting".

Remember, in the event of a lawsuit, she is the victim, and unless you've informed her of recordings, you may not use them as evidence. Actually, one "loving" gynecologist's surreptitious video tapes were admitted as evidence for the PLAINTIFFs....

Do you really wanna be big brother?

[Chad4Mac]

If you even have to think about recording the actions in your home while your wife and you are out at work -- your son in the hands of a non-relative -- you should seriously think about changing your childs environment into a family oriented one.

If you find something wrong or suspicious with your recordings, the damage has been done.

Prevent it all together; you should use a trusted famiily member to watch over your child.

[DavisBAnimal]

Regardless of potential lawsuits, does anyone know if this is even legal anyway?

[Gus]

Why wouldn't it be legal? It's his home, his PRIVATE property. You are recorded every time you go to a store, parking garage, and in some places at a stop light. Why wouldn't it be legal for him to record in his own home? I personally don't see anything wrong with this. The nanny/babysitter does not have to know they are being recorded for it to be allowed in court either. Anybody watch the mother beat her daughter in the parking lot in Minnesota 2 months ago? She was caught using surveillance tape from the parking lot cameras of the store she had been in. There is a legal precedent for this. The gynecolgist story was thrown out because he was being taped in his own practice without his knowledge. Do I think he should be thrown in jail? You bet. Was it legal? Depends on the judge's interpretation and how good the lawyer is. That's the system.

Regards,
Gus

[Doctor Q]

Would you really listen remotely throughout the day and be ready to rush right home if you heard something you thought indicated a problem? If not, maybe you don't need a high tech solution. Leave a cassette tape recorder running (or one each in a couple of rooms) and listen to them when you are at home. After a couple of days, you might have gained the confidence in the nanny that you want.

Still, I'd like to know how remote listening COULD be done.

[DavisBAnimal]

I'm still wondering about legality issues - I'm sure it must be different from state to state.

Up here in New Hampshire, any store, parking garage, ATM, etc., that uses surveillance cameras post plenty of signs all over the place saying "For your own safety and ours you are being video taped". Even if you're lazy or unobservant and don't see the signs, they're there. I always assumed stores had to post these because it was illegal to tape record people without their knowledge or without a court approved warrant of some sort.

[RBMaraman]

DavisBAnimal,

You are correct. Federal law states, that for any type of audio or video recording to be admissable in a court of law, you post post a warning that notifies the public about the presence of such devices. The rules apply for public places AND private residences. If you tape without the person knowing, they can sue you in civil court for violation of their rights. This is just one of the many things I've learned in my media ethics and law class.

[buffsldr]

Originally posted by giovanni
I certainly can hear your stupidity ! This is not about paranoia, this is wanting to be informed as best as one can (which is not to say "completely informed"). Really, also I find it interesting, may be just to satisfy pure curiosity ?! If I did not trust our nanny, believe me. paranoia would not even remotely set in, she would be out of my home so much earlier than that !!!!

Relax, fella. This does sound odd.