Confabulat: Also, this guy seems like a fine neighbor to me. No one even knows if he's been there in months, so you know he's quiet. Not like the 5 idiot children that live next to me, whose parents kick them out of the house at 8 AM and don't let them return inside until sunset. Those kids can only communicate in screaming gibberish at the top of their lungs outside my bedroom window all day long. What I wouldn't do for a crazy hermit instead.

I bet anyone who lives downwind of this guy's house would disagree. I have neighbours with little kids as well, so I know they can be a nuisance, but I can always tune them out or wear earplugs. Bad smells just permeate everywhere, constantly.

Phoenix_M: [blogs.orlandosentinel.com image 485x323]

Hi we're pickers I'm Mike this is Frank, we saw your junk from space.. mind if we look around?

Javacrucian: My wife has a hording problem too, though we've worked out something of a compromise. The bedroom, the spare room and the basement are stuffed full of her crap, while the rest of the house isn't. Thankfully, her type of hording is clutter rather than filth; our bathrooms and kitchen are clean, the garbage is not overflowing, and our place smells like scented candles, if anything. Maybe she's not a horder as much as a "pack rat". I'm just happy she keeps me around too =)



/sorry
//knew what you meant

I predict they will find the owner dead under a pile.

The article doesn't mention any stench or garbage, just junk. Sounds like this guy is hoarding mechanical stuff more than piles of used adult diapers and dead cats. Hoarder doesn't automatically mean smelly.

Unpaid property taxes and fines have gone unpaid since 2009. How long before they just seize the property?

"we are not trying to tell people how to live their lives"

don't hear this often enough from public officials

germ78: Grables'Daughter: germ78: Considering the advances in high-resolution satellite imaging over the last 20 years, being 'visible from space' has kinda lost its meaning.

I always thought that "visible from space" meant visible by the naked eye from space.

This is true. But the article fails to mention that the imagery used in those nifty Google Earth maps comes from aerial photography, which is typically captured from the very spacey altitude of 5-10K feet, depending on the scale of the photograph.

/my remote sensing class from all those years ago finally proves useful

This. Satellites are pretty high-res these days, but they're not that high-res.

Homeowner has donated legal maximum to Ron Paul's presidential campaign.

I am shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

GranoblasticMan: This. Satellites are pretty high-res these days, but they're not that high-res.

Caveat: commercial satellites. I have no idea how high-res military satellites might be.

germ78: Grables'Daughter: germ78: Considering the advances in high-resolution satellite imaging over the last 20 years, being 'visible from space' has kinda lost its meaning.

I always thought that "visible from space" meant visible by the naked eye from space.

This is true. But the article fails to mention that the imagery used in those nifty Google Earth maps comes from aerial photography, which is typically captured from the very spacey altitude of 5-10K feet, depending on the scale of the photograph.

/my remote sensing class from all those years ago finally proves useful

well, by definition, 5-10K feet is techincally 'space'.

/my car is visible from space. Hurray!
//I'll be more impressed when the little mines my dog leaves in the yard are visible from space so as that I can track them.

GranoblasticMan: Caveat: commercial satellites. I have no idea how high-res military satellites might be.

I'm pretty sure they can read the license plate off a bongo truck going at full tilt.

FDR Jones: "we are not trying to tell people how to live their lives"

don't hear this often enough from public officials

I'm all for the live like you wanna live attitude, and would never live in an area with an HOA, etc. But when your crap is crushing the fence between houses, and threatening to spill into your neighbors yard, well then maybe it would be OK for the government to step in.

Zzzzzzzzzhhhhhhhhhink!

/ "Hoarders" sound

Bathia_Mapes: The street view (new window) is pretty foul.

Warning, NSF Anything

Why does the fence cross the road? I've never seen that before. Is that to prevent through-traffic?

Cpl.D: GranoblasticMan: Caveat: commercial satellites. I have no idea how high-res military satellites might be.

I'm pretty sure they can read the license plate off a bongo truck going at full tilt.

And if not, hey just hit the "enhance" button a couple times and BAM! You can count the number of hairs on someone's head.

As soon as all that debris is cleared away, THEN that guy is going to need to use that pizza box he kept around since 1983, but it won't be around anymore.

Just you watch and see!

I think some people missed the part in the article where it says unincorporated which means outside of the city limits. If it's like where I live most of those tight codes are for in the city only, which is why some of us prefer it out in no man's land. Where I am we still have some standards but it is much more loose and people tend to only run into trouble if they start violating EPA standards.

I certainly wouldn't like looking at it every day but I also don't think legally much should be done outside of the neighbor who is having his fence pushed over from it.

For those interested in this sort of thing, read about the case of the Collyer brothers. They filled an entire mansion with junk from the floors to the ceilings.

You can see the pile of gravel I used when I was building my retaining wall three years ago on Google Maps too.

I AM A MENACE!

germ78: Considering the advances in high-resolution satellite imaging over the last 20 years, being 'visible from space' has kinda lost its meaning.

True. My car is actually visible from space.

Grables'Daughter: germ78: Considering the advances in high-resolution satellite imaging over the last 20 years, being 'visible from space' has kinda lost its meaning.

I always thought that "visible from space" meant visible by the naked eye from space.

Good point. That would make more sense.

I don't understand the justification for the existence San Jose's Code Enforcement department. If their response is that they are powerless to act because this is a behavior and property rights issue, then San Jose code enforcement is powerless to resolve any issue and exists only to issue fees and fines which they are apparently powerless to collect. Instead of calling themselves Code Enforcement, they should call themselves Code Suggestion, Compliance Appreciation, or Pensive Reminders.

Let freedom ring.

weave: [i.imgur.com image 640x527]

Looks like his neighbors to the left are starting down the same road (new window)

Not really. What I do see is that he's storing crap on the roof of the back building or whatever it is. That's bad.

RobDownSouth: Homeowner has donated legal maximum to Ron Paul's presidential campaign.

I am shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

And you know that how, exactly?

I guess I will not complain about the house next to me that has been abandoned for the last 3 years. No junk at all just 10 foot tall weeds.