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Hidden camera records package’s journey through post office labyrinth

Have you ever plunked down a significant chunk of cash to ship a fragile, valuable item, perhaps an item of great sentimental value, only to have it arrive at its destination looking like the postal service used it to play a game of pickup rugby?

It’s one of those life situations that makes you grow as a person because you recognize that, while unjust, there’s not much you can do about it. Also, it figures pretty low on the hierarchy of global calamities. Like, maybe even in the negative integers.

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But what if you could plant a hidden camera to record the package’s journey from start to finish?

One enterprising London designer decided to do just that. Ruben van der Vleuten stuck a small camera in a box, cut a tiny hole to allow it to see, and mailed the box to himself.

As Popsci notes, he programmed the camera with a controller to grab three-second video intervals every minute and longer recordings whenever the controller picked up motion.

Then he jumped on his bike and dropped off the package at his local branch. Edited together, the video offers an interesting glimpse at the post office machine and just what it takes to get a package from point A to point B.

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Though the London post appeared to do an efficient delivery job, it’s hard to gauge how well the package contents may have fared were they of the breakable variety. It was a bit of a bumpy ride, after all.