Neighbor sex and night vision goggles?

January 10, 2006 2:50 PM

If I have sex indoors (main-floor room) with the lights off, at night, in front of windows with the blinds open...what are the chances of being spied on with night vision goggles?

My husband suggested it. He thinks no one outside would really be able to see in, because of glare off our windows from streetlights. (Outside is a residential street with moderate foot traffic. Low-rise apartment buildings are across the street. Neighborhood population is a mix of young professionals and students.) I was going to agree but then I remembered that there is such a thing as night-vision goggles. I'm concerned about my safety. If you know anybody who uses night-vision gear to spy on neighbors, please dish.

posted by anonymous to sports, hobbies, & recreation (26 comments total)

Not very likely. Seriously, multiply the percentage of people who own goggles (not high) with the percentage of people who want to see you having sex with someone else (even lower) and you'll realize that it's more likely they'll hide in your closet.
posted by dflemingdotorg at 2:58 PM on January 10, 2006

The odds are low but not impossible. I don't see how there's any other answer than that.
posted by smackfu at 2:59 PM on January 10, 2006

I think regular glass is opaque to infrared/night vision, but I can't find much to back me up on that.
posted by teg at 3:13 PM on January 10, 2006

How many of your neighbors own night vision goggles? How many of them are likely to try to watch you having sex?
posted by b1tr0t at 3:14 PM on January 10, 2006

Also, if you're house is higher than street/sidewalk level, any peepers would have to get right up on the window. If you're worried about that, you can add some motion sensor lights or alarm to alert you of someone being in a position to see what's going on. Also in most houses, you should be able to find a spot that wouldn't offer direct line of sight from the window.
posted by forforf at 3:24 PM on January 10, 2006

[fixed links in post]
posted by jessamyn at 3:28 PM on January 10, 2006

Does your husband want to be seen? I'm confused.
If he wants to be seen (his suggestion to do it with the blinds open) then you have to decide if you're game and not worry about the neighbors and their hypothetical night vision scopes.
If that isn't the case - you mention that there are blinds - why not just close them if it bothers you?
posted by Wolfie at 3:32 PM on January 10, 2006

The odds are low but not impossible.

I would go further than that and say "the odds are extremely, remotely, infinitesimally low, but not impossible."
posted by frogan at 4:01 PM on January 10, 2006

If you know anybody who uses night-vision gear to spy on neighbors, please dish.

The situation you talk about is such a rare one that the above question has little bearing on your safety.

Night vision goggles are expensive. If you believe that someone nearby has

A) Reason to own night vision goggles (maybe lots of ex military live nearby, or there is plenty of scope for hunting in your area?)

B) Money to invest in expensive equipment on the off chance that someone nearby may one day stage an event in the darkness, with their curtains open, that they would be interested in watching through these goggles

then do not do anything on your floor that you would be embarrassed to be seen doing.
posted by fire&wings at 4:09 PM on January 10, 2006

Never mind the night vision goggles, I'd be worried about someone using laser equipment to listen in.

You could close the blinds. Unless you're going for a certain thrill and where is the thrill if there's no chance of getting caught?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:48 PM on January 10, 2006

Super low odds. (see b1tr0t above) By the way, when are you planning to do this and what is your address?
posted by caddis at 5:11 PM on January 10, 2006

come on, be honest with yourself - aren't you're looking for excuses not to do this?

look at it this way - every time you hear about a car crash that kills someone do you stop using your car? no? then why so worried about one single report of a nut case with night goggles?

(unless you enjoy driving more than sex, i guess)

you are a lot more likely to be killed in a car crash than you are to be stalked after having sex in your own room in the dark. yet you still drive.

yes, night goggles exist. yes, someone somewhere stalked someone. but the odds are so small they're silly. i think you already know that...
posted by andrew cooke at 5:32 PM on January 10, 2006

Night-vision goggles are light amplification devices - they take whatever light is available and boost it. Devices that see only infrared are usually called thermal imaging devices... It's a little confusing because NVGs may have an infrared illuminator (they can boost the infrared return too, just like it was visible light). The resulting picture does NOT look like the blue, yellow, red splotchy images you see in spy movies (that's thermal imaging), it looks like a very clear bright image in shades of green. They do see through glass, etc. Only a tiny amount of light - starlight, no moon - is needed for a good picture.

The most likely people to have NVGs around you are the police. Lots of police departments have these nowadays. I do not know if this fact comforts you or not.
posted by jellicle at 5:34 PM on January 10, 2006

I'd be more concerned about Superman using his x-ray vision to see if your underwear was pink or not.
posted by randomstriker at 7:13 PM on January 10, 2006

If someone sees you having sex, at home, with your husband, what's the big deal? I'm fairly certain it's legal, and people have been doing it at least since the 60's, maybe before.
posted by Goofyy at 8:56 PM on January 10, 2006

Suppose someone did see you and your husband having sex. What is the worst thing that could happen? Someone might get their rocks off? Doesn't hurt you, does it? People spend an inordinate abount of time worrying about things that, even if they do happen, will have no unbearable consequences beyond embarrassment.
posted by kindall at 9:28 PM on January 10, 2006

Er... uh.. close the drapes?
posted by Jack Karaoke at 10:17 PM on January 10, 2006

Peeping Toms almost never have violence or harm in mind. They are extraordinarily passive individuals. The case you linked is extremely unusual.

Do what you are comfortable doing, and relax. Even if someone sees you having sex, you're not likely to be harmed because of it.

At one time in California, it was illegal to be naked in your home if someone could see in. I don't know if that's still true.
posted by ikkyu2 at 10:28 PM on January 10, 2006

kindall-
Take a look at, for instance, voyeurweb.com, where people might post pictures of their neighbors having sex. I think it'd be disruptive to me if I saw 'voyeured' pictures of myself in private situations posted on the web. Unfortunately, in our modern era, you must be proactive to protect your privacy.
posted by u2604ab at 10:28 PM on January 10, 2006

Er... uh.. close the drapes?
posted by Jack Karaoke 13 minutes ago

That sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

It is a slippery slope though. How about in the back yard at one in the morning (on a nice warm night)? At the beach behind a dune early on a weekday? The classic, in the dressing room at Lord and Taylor?
posted by caddis at 10:36 PM on January 10, 2006

There aren't too many people with night vision goggles. I wouldn't be too worried.

The risk is there, but too small to be worried about.

Or don't leave the blinds open, eh?
posted by madman at 10:41 PM on January 10, 2006

Or leave the drapes open and get under a blanket. Or zip up a sleeping bag and squeeze into that. It's fun!
posted by travosaurus at 12:08 AM on January 11, 2006

Seriously, what are the odds of your neighbour doing the following:

1) Buying night vision goggles to spy on the neighbours at night
2) Having the vigilance to look through EVERY SINGLE WINDOW, for the ENTIRE NIGHT, EVERY NIGHT on the off chance that one of the neighbours might be having sex with the blinds open.

Unless they have reason to suspect you might be having sex in the window (ie you've done it with the lights on before, and been spotted), the odds of you getting spotted are pretty much infinitesimally small.
posted by antifuse at 1:44 AM on January 11, 2006

I think the whole question is about your husband asking you to make the first step towards public sexuality - I could well be wrong. If this isn't something you feel comfortable with then say so - finding an excuse that a tiny percentage of people might possibly be able to watch in extremely odd circumstances seems to indicate that it's not something you would be happy doing. Once again, I could be wrong (it wouldn't be the first time) but really, in the realm of sex you should only travel as far as you feel comfortable. Don't let anyone force you into an uncomfortable place, physically or mentally.

You may all now disagree.
posted by longbaugh at 1:57 AM on January 11, 2006

i agree, longbaugh. the question is about a lot more than probabilites. but agreeing to this does not mean agreeing to sex in the middle of the park on sunday afternoon; you can agree to this and still say no to that, later.
posted by andrew cooke at 2:36 AM on January 11, 2006

Take a look at, for instance, voyeurweb.com, where people might post pictures of their neighbors having sex.

If the worst thing that might happen from people seeing you have sex is that more people might see you have sex, then I'd say you're getting off (heh) lightly.
posted by kindall at 6:24 PM on January 12, 2006