Slashdot Mirror
New Eudora Includes Anti-Flame Technology
imac.usr writes "An intriguing feature of the new version of Eudora is its MoodWatch technology, which analyzes outgoing e-mail for inflammatory language and warns you before sending. The white paper on the subject is available as a PDF file. True, there's no Linux or BSD version of Eudora available, but might the algorithms involved one day make it into other mail programs?"
"I've always found profanity to be refuge of the inarticulate motherfucker."
:) I liked it anyway.
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Are you implying that I would need stuff like that?
Sug: Are you implying that I might require such algorithms?
Take that back you miserable bastard!
Sug: Recind your aqusation, canard!
I have been on the Net for 13 years and know bloody well how to communicate with others.
Sug: I have used the Internet for 13 years, and am well educated in proper etiquette.
I don't need a stupid "AI" program to tell ME how to write damn it!
Sug: In the course of my corespondance, I do not find the assistance of an artificial intelligance neccesary.
You are of course an exception, huh?
Sug: Do you fancy your own writing as deathless prose?
Thinking "Yeah, let me give those slashdotters a hint --- there is way to much flaming there" right?
Sug: Perhaps you say to yourself, "I should help to educate these brigands in civilised discourse?"
Well let me tell you something: you suck!
Sug: In such case, might I offer that, in this case, the teacher is not the elder of the student?
Just because there are stypid minors out there that loves to spew there guts over things at /. to make themselves look cool to their friends does not make all of us spammers.
Sug: The presenace of the precoscious does not, in fact, demonstrate ignorance of the entire assembly.
SO THERE!
Sug: I believe that my point is made.
And Hemos, you better find an app for reading /. submissions and writing article blurbs, because what you do today stinks and I am sure a program could do a better job!
In related matters, perhaps it is time for Hemos to retire, as this article has fallen well below the quality that we have come to know and expect from Slashdot.
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-- Crutcher --
#include <disclaimer.h>
-- Crutcher --
#include <disclaimer.h>
I love the smell of a flamewar in the morning!
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-- Piracy is a vicitmless crime, like punching someone in the dark.
Blaming GW Bush for the Iraq war is like blaming Ronald McDonald for the poor quality of food.
While we're writing software to enforce common decency, why don't they add something like:
Are you sure you want to forward "fw:fw:FW: Chain Letter (FOR REAL!!)" to all 135 members of your adress book?
my sig's at the bottom of the page.
Now I'd be more impressed if it bitched when someone tried to send out a mail that was badly spelt, all lower or uppercase and has no punctuation. THAT is a much better idea for a filter.
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Lets look over its features:
:)
* Warns you if your drafted email contains potentially offensive language
Do they mean I don't know what's offensive or not? Besides, the things that most profoundly offend most people are things that wouldn't be caught by a "bad word filter" anyway.
* Alerts you to potentially offensive incoming messages
So it scans the message for you before you read it, I presume? I smell possible exploits... But then again, anything can be exploited so that's not a big issue.
* Graphically monitors tone on a graduated scale
One, two or three peppers? Spice up your life!
* Visual indicator is conveniently located in the user interface
Peppers in the warning message, and on the toolbar too...
* And it's a whole lot of fun - maybe you're the sort who will wear the chillies with defiant pride.
I can see it already: "I just sent the VP a triple chillie message!" "Watch out for the flame that's gonna come out of his arse in a day or so".
Q: Does this thing get ticked off if I use a few profanities?
A: Yes, and so does your mother.
How dare they claim to know what my mother thinks?
Q: What if I get sick of it?
A: Turn it off
The first bit of sound advice I've seen so far.
Q: If I don't use nasty words, will MoodWatch still notify me?
A: MoodWatch looks at both individual words and phrases that are commonly considered offensive, dictatorial, aggressive, insulting and rude. You don't have to write a nasty word to get a chili pepper, but it helps.
So it's somewhat intelligent too. But is it also intelligent the other way around? Will kinologists be able to talk about their prize bitch without being peppered? When I send a message to a fellow Pagan, will I be able to call him/her a witch without risking the chillies? Can fundamentalist Christians have a discussion about what colour Jesus' ass (as in donkey, you donkey) was without getting spiced up?
In my opinion this MoodWatch thingy has about the same usefulness Clippy the Friendly Office Assistent: None Whatsoever.
And the whole thing seems to be aimed towards kids, especially the last "benifit" and that one Q/A about mom disapproving aswell.
Q: As long as I avoid commonly used offensive language MoodWatch will miss it, so what's the point?
A: The point is, at least you were being careful about what you wrote. That's something.
I don't need an electronic conscience in my mail/news reader. My own will do just fine, thank you.
)O(
Never underestimate the power of stupidity
Never underestimate the power of stupidity
To err is human, to moo bovine
I mean, there's not a lot of cool new features you can add to an email client without it becoming silly.
On the other hand Microsoft haven't been doing too badly integrating cool new features into Outlook Express, all freely downloadable! So far there's been Melissa, ILOVEYOU, the KAK worm...
A nice pop up that says 'these are pretty strong words to email your boss or ex-girlfreind, you can't send this until your BAC gets closer to 0'
Somehow, I don't see anyone integrating this with ELM any time soon.
The Internet is generally stupid
Are you implying that I would need stuff like that? Take that back you miserable bastard! I have been on the Net for 13 years and know bloody well how to communicate with others. I don't need a stupid "AI" program to tell ME how to write damn it! You are of course an exception, huh? Thinking "Yeah, let me give those slashdotters a hint --- there is way to much flaming there" right? Well let me tell you something: you suck! Just because there are stypid minors out there that loves to spew there guts over things at /. to make themselves look cool to their friends does not make all of us spammers. SO THERE!
And Hemos, you better find an app for reading /. submissions and writing article blurbs, because what you do today stinks and I am sure a program could do a better job!
Cordially,
Lars
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Reality or nothing.
New alert box in Eudora 2001:
I'm sorry, Dave. I can't let you send this email. I can tell from the tone of your writing, Dave, that you're upset. Why don't you take a stress pill and get some rest?
I've been using the betas now for several weeks, and I was a little surprised when I did a logic proof (submitted via email). . .
I got three chilli peppers (on fire) . . .
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Never trust anyone over 90000.
The nature of the internet and email, allowing people to communicate with others with the shield of anonymity means that people feel none of the need to be polite that governs our conversations in the real world, and instead feel safe in expressing their opinions in abusive, derogatory language that their mothers wouldn't approve of. We see it here every day on /. after all.
Maybe if emails were filtered to block messages that were too flamey then people would get the chance to "cool down" and really think about what they're doing. Rather than an increasing amount of "internet rage" coming from an exchange of increasingly virulent mail, a rational discourse could be established. After all, in public speaking forums there are rules of conduct to be followed, and where is the difference here?
Why should the online world be subject to knee-jerk reactions and childish name-calling from people too petty to behave in a reasonable way?
...let's be reasonable.
If you actually bother to read the PDF-file referenced in the story, you will see that the author of the white paper, David Kaufer, makes it clear that this is not "big brother software" he is proposing.
"The use of a flame meter needs to be a voluntary act," he points out - and underlines his point that the purpose of the algorithm is to assist a writer in identifying potentially hurtful text, not to prevent him from writing it.
In my experience, one often has a completely different view of one's text than the readers. Having created the text, and knowing what it was intended to communicate, one can easily become blind to the other interpretations that the recipients can put on one's words.
I'm not sure I'd use a flame meter filter, myself, but I certainly can't see that it's a threat against anyone's free speech. On the contrary, it can probably be a very valuable tool to assist writers in making sure that they are getting their message across to others.
- Ravn
- Peter Ravn Rasmussen
So, at that point in the game I decided then to just go out with my alliance to my family and just to hold my dignity and values in check, and hoping I hadn't lost to many of them, and uh... play the game just as long as possible and hang in there as long as possible.
But, Kelly, go back to a couple times Jeff said to you what goes around comes around. It's here. You will not get my vote. My vote will go to Richard. And I hope that is the one vote that makes you lose the money. If it's not, I'll shake your hand, and I'll go on from here, but if I were to ever pass you along in life again, and you were laying there dying of thirst, I would not give you a drink of water. I would let the vultures take you and do whatever they want with ya... with no ill regrets.
I plead to the jury tonight to think a little bit about the island we have been on. This island is pretty much full of only two things: snakes and rats. And in the end of mother nature, we have Richard the snake who knowingly went after prey, and Kelly who turned into the rat, that ran around like the rats do on this island, trying to run from the snake. I feel we owe it to the island's... spirits... that we have come to know to let it be in the end the way mother nature intended it to be, for the snake to eat the rat."
Eudora Score: 2 red peppers
"I fuckin love you man! You are the shit!"
Eudora Score: 3 red peppers
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