Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2021/01/05/how-to-get-past-a-buzzer-door-lock-in-a-well-occupied-building.html
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I had been getting more false buzzes than real at a certain point, so started screening door buzzes like scam callers. It had the effect that we just no longer answered the door, and it wasn’t even worth going to the buzzer to ask who it is. The intercom is always on the fritz or they don’t answer cuz they weren’t coming for you anyway. I felt bad for UPS a bit, but they always got in (to OP’s point…). Only Amazon prime and pizza got buzzed in because I knew exactly when they were coming.
Our door just changed over to a fancy (read:clunky) search interface that has slowed down the false alarms dramatically, but the downside is it calls your phone, so the convergence of metaphor and reality continues…
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Ah, the good old “Janice Rossi” trick!
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I’ve seen modern door buzzers here in Austin while visiting an acquaintance. The way it works is that the host will send their visitor a one time use door code which will allow them to get into the elevator or stairs, it was an interesting experience through pretty annoying. We messed up putting in the code and had to text him to get him to send us a new one, thankfully a resident was kind enough to take pity on us and let us ride up to his floor.
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The real problem in any well-occupied building is tailgaters and delivery people at the door. Just ask any ‘Karen’ about that:
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They used this on TBBT: "Come on! We have a combined IQ of 360 we sh.." The Big Bang Theory quote S01E01 Leonard - YouTube
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I know this is old news by now, but I can’t believe cops responded to a 911 call based on this:
Mr. Toles said on Sunday that about 30 minutes after he got into his unit, a police officer knocked on his door and told him that Ms. Mueller felt “uncomfortable” about Mr. Toles being there.
WTAF? Cops won’t remove anti-maskers from a shopping area during a pandemic, but they’ll drive across town because some lady feels uncomfortable?
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why are we advocating this here? “it’s worth a try”…jesus. where i live we try and keep unauthorized people from entering to lower the risk of push in robberies. i know there is always someone dumb enough to just buzz in anyone who rings but in this building it ain’t going to be me.
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Our building’s system calls my phone, though fortunately it always comes from the same number. So I just have the number saved in my phone as “Front Door” 
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Oh, I can. The perception on both sides - callers and authorities that respond to them - that the presence or existence of Black people is a problem that must be resolved so they won’t feel “uncomfortable” has a long history. We just applied new terms for the racists involved.
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Yeah. I know it really is true, it’s more like…
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The only problem on the term Karen is the existence of actual Karens that aren’t neither for the age, or the hair colour or the behaviour like Karens.
Same here… especially now that I am working from home.
The solution is the video buzzer. The one I’ve seen if one does the Janice rossi Trick, areb uzzing but only the last butto pressed gets the video feed.
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They can handle it. Just ask all the Dicks out there.
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The first time they decline to investigate such a call and it ends badly (the caller gets robbed, injured, or killed) they or their next of kin will sue the police department and likely win.
If it were possible to trace a COVID infection back to a particular anti-masker and someone who suffered lasting complications or was killed (or their next of kin) sued the anti-masker, the store where the anti-masker infected them, and the police who declined to remove the anti-masker for damages related to their injury or death the cops would have a bigger incentive to escort anti-maskers out of the store.
If only.
I’ve attempted to report threatening experiences to police and been totally dismissed. Maybe because I wasn’t reporting being scared of a Black person? I don’t know. 
Or, a friend was sexually assaulted at a club and reported it, even was able to identify the perp, yet no action.
Nope, it’s not that simple.
(And apologies for getting off topic.)
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No, the solution is a number pad that requires you to enter a code. They already exist.
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“I’m not a Karen, but I play one in Avengers.”
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My son and I were nearly run over by an out of control driver (literally one of those “pick up your child and run” situations) and all three of my children and I were assaulted by lunatic anti-maskers this summer (separate incident; no one was harmed).
In both cases not a goddamn thing was done by the police, even while having license plate numbers, witnesses and photo evidence.
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