There was a Law and Order SVU episode in 2009 that addressed this issue, titled 'Selfish'. (Season 10, Episode 19).
I thought it brought up a lot of good points, and was well written. IMHO, kids of parents that refuse vaccination should not be sharing public spaces with other people's kids. That includes schools, parks, busses, etc. If you choose not to vaccinate your kid, be prepared to pay for private schooling / home school, pay for cabs or drive them everywhere, pay for private play spaces (or just let them rot inside their rooms), etc. Also, be prepared to bring up an antisocial, spoiled brat.
Parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids and then allow them to come in contact with the rest of society fully deserve to bear the brunt of any criminal or civil charges when someone else loses their kid (too young to be vaccinated, unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons, etc.) due to exposure to their germ-ridden snot producer.
But not disclosing your relationship with the company that makes the product is deception and might even be against the law. Even if you genuinely love the product.
I'm pretty sure it's not against the law unless money's involved somewhere (as in, awarding tenders and other contracts) or testifying in court. But even so, declaring your connection avoids even the appearance of a conflict of interest, and IMHO is the correct thing to do from an ethical standpoint when posting in a semi- or fully-public forum. Declaring that you work for the company need not hurt your endorsement, as long as you stick to truthful analysis of why you enjoy the product so much. If other people like the same things you do, then they may like this product as well.
Actually, I respect posts where the poster declares any company connections, as long as the rest of their post isn't just 'omgz, you shold tots get this, it's *SO* amzng! ^_^'.
If their follow up comments are clear, factual and verifiable, I view them as a reliable source of information, perhaps even more reliable than someone unconnected with the company. Sure they have an interest in promoting their product, but because of that desire, I think they are more motivated to provide complete and honest reviews, or other commenters will simply refute their statements and show up the lies. They can also be a great source for sneak peeks at upcoming features, and who doesn't like to peek under the curtain once in a while:)
Try the app. See if it's really worth saying good things about. If so, I'd go ahead and praise it as deserved. If not, send a message to the sales/QA/service department as appropriate saying why you can't promote the app.
This.
Good thing I checked the comment history before posting, because this, pretty much word-for-word, was what popped into my head as soon as I RTFS. If it is an application from another department, well, there's no harm in trying it and seeing if you like it. If you do, again, no harm in letting people know (although I'd also put in a clear disclaimer about working for the company on any posts). Similarly, if you don't like the app, let the developers/marketing team know, and give them useful feedback re: why it's not ringing your bell. (i.e., not 'it's dumb!')
Sounds like a VPN proxy in the US would do a lot of the things you want. You can get pretty decent ones with very little drop in bandwidth and very little added latency for about $8/month.
Yess...and a decent torrent client can get even more of what I want with no added charge per month:) I simply want to 'play by the rules' and reward the artists I enjoy for creating great content, it just frustrates me that there is no 'legal' means for me to send my business where I would prefer. It's like they don't want my money...sure, it's colourful, but it spends pretty darn good up here!
It surprises me that so many people actually enter their CC info into their XBox.
Shucks, if it weren't for nice, anonymous, paid-for-by-cash MS Points cards, I wouldn't have any DLC on my box at all...similar to nice, anonymous Visa gift cards for Android Market (sorry, Play) purchases...and nice, anonymous iTunes gift cards for (shudder) iTunes* purchases.
* living in Canada sucks sometimes...we're so close yet at the same time so far from being able to buy digital content from the myriad of vendors available just south of teh border...I would love to switch my music buying habits to Amazon or Google, or try out Pandora, Spotify or Hulu, but I'd have to pretend to be in the States to do so. *sigh*
You have the right to express any opinion you want, but you do not have a right to make others' lives worse with your speech. In essence, it's that simple.
Sure, you can write "FUCK" in 10-foot-tall letters on the side of your house, if you can explain the opinion being expressed.
How about a daily demonstration, with a helpful powerpoint presentation and a question period afterwards?;o)
I'm not disputing that certain kinds of speech are, in fact, prohibited by law.
I am just saying that to the extent that speech is prohibited, whether prior or posterior to its being spoken, it is not free. A person is free precisely to the extent that he is not prohibited, tautologically. And a punishment entails the judgement that one has done something prohibited, otherwise it's not a punishment but just arbitrary harm.
So freedom of speech is not simply about prior restraint. If you get punished for speaking, then you were (judged to be) not free to speak, by definition.
The fact that some speech is legally punishable just means that we don't really have freedom speech.
"The freedom to swing your fist ends at my nose." (multiple sources)
As long as your speech is not causing undeserved harm to me, feel free to say whatever you like. If you decide to park outside my house and yell at my neighbours that I rape puppies and eat babies, I will certainly take any and all legal steps to prevent you since I do neither of those things. If instead, you yell "I 'believe' that this person" yadda yadda yadda, then you'd still better be prepared to offer compelling evidence to my lawyers as to why such is your belief.
On the other hand, if I actually do rape puppies and eat babies, I would be all out of legal options (If I were such a person, though, I don't think I would balk at some intriguing illegal options, though...)
Perhaps the whole "freedom of speech" soapbox should have one more word painted on it: "Freedom of true speech." Of course, that would kill the whole political thing right there...ah well.
A transaction in
which I gain something of value to me, in return for something of value to the other person,
which I value less than the goods I receive is the fundamental bedrock of economics.
Not quite. There are some things which aren't meant for you to be traded, even if you'd really like that beer. You can't sell your kids for a beer, for example. Even though they're your kids, and you should be able to do with them what you like in general, it's not in society's interest to let you do that. I like to think that letting you sell your privacy for a free beer is not in society's interest either.
Wow. I must say, you really hit the nail on the head there. If I hadn't posted here already, I'd be modding this waaay up. Kudos.
the data is there forever, and it WILL be taken out of context if you ever do become interesting enough to components of society who have the power to make your life miserable.
I especially (look forward to / dread, take your pick) the day when the majority of politicians grew up in the era of FB. Can you imagine the smear campaigns? "See, this photo of candidate X in college clearly shows some guy toking in the background (after some minor digital enhancement and magnification)! Obvs they're pro-drug, they must be the spawn of Satan! Vote for Y!"
Wonder how that will impact privacy laws? Or will there be one law for politicians, and another law for the rest of us?
How is anything I, or the AC, or any of your FB friends knows about you considered "your" data. If I know it, even if its about you, its MY data and anyone else who knows it.
I care about privacy. I'm careful what I put on Facebook and online in general. The idea that you should be able to pass through life and everyone who comes in contact with you is supposed to forget about it is ridiculous. As is the idea that by telling someone else, or EVERYONE else, what they know about you they are sharing "your" data. They may be sharing data "about" you..but I don't see how it can be argued that its your data to control.
The exception, obviously, is legally mandated protected data (medical records, for an example). To try to extend the privacy that medical records receive to all information about you seems ridiculous on the face of it.
Yes, you have several valid points there. I will try to clarify my position.
The trouble with FB (or My Space, or Google+) is that it never forgets even the most offhand comments. In general, I don't mind one of my friends telling another friend (note, most emphatically not marketing department) all about me, what I do, who else I am friends with, where I went to school and what I wore to the prom. I do, however, mind very much if they also hand over to some stranger every photo of mine that they've ever viewed or commented on, every little note that we used to pass around in the back of the class, and fully dated and timestamped written transcripts of every bored (and yes, it happens, even drunken) conversation we have had for the last X years. Those may be shared data, but my intent in sharing them was direct and specific: with my friend. We've probably both forgotten all about those conversations by now...but FB certainly hasn't.
I know, I know, the solution to this is not to treat FB like the girls room at high school. Don't say or post anything on there that you'd be ashamed to show your Grandmother in front of her knitting club. But honestly, how many people can live up to that standard, especially when they're convinced, in the back of their mind, that they're in a private conversation with friends? It's the new age of passing notes in class, only there's absolutely no way of erasing or destroying any of them, they're instantly accessible / catalogable / searchable / mineable, and they just keep piling up...
Why is it such a bad thing for them to want a cheap beer in return by giving them information on their life? Why is that bad? Why are you projecting YOUR opinion on others on what they can and can't do with their personal information? So what if they have access to said information, its not going to change their life in any way. In fact, it is very likely going to get BETTER. They might get more cheap beers. They bar might bring in a different kind of beer because so many of their fans like said beer. And in turn, they now get better business, people get to have a better time. Everybody wins. Except from you of course, "the cool kid". Unless the guy behind the bar is REALLY A SERIAL KILLER! OH THE HORROR.
Considering your post, you already don't have the slightest "clue". If you did, you wouldn't even be on here or even living in society.
Sorry to interrupt your rant, but it is NOT okay if "your" data, that you are willing to pimp out so freely, includes any information about me.
Facebook is not a personal diary app. It is wholly and completely dependent upon interconnections between people. If you prostitute your info out to all and sundry, how can I prevent mine from getting shoveled along with it, other than de-friending your ass? And even then, my past comment history, photos of me, etc., etc. remain for the data miners to chortle over...
I just hope all your FB 'friends' know about your personal data hygiene policies...
Also, I appreciate the irony...AC. You'll throw the curtains wide open for a crack at a free beer, but cower behind the drapes when it comes time to take a stand on an issue. Nice priorities there.
I have never, ever been disappointed by a Robin McKinley novel. She writes across a broad spectrum, from science fiction (Dragonhaven) to contemporary fantasy (the Kingdom of Damar books: The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown) to re-tellings of classic fairy tales (Spindle's End, Rose Daughter, The Outlaws of Sherwood, Deerskin, Beauty) to vampire fiction (Sunshine - trust me, it's definitely not your Twilight vampires here...)
Everything, and I mean everything I have read of hers has been riveting, well written and an instant favourite. There are not many other authors I can say that about (the only other two that come to mind are Sir Terry Pratchett and David R. Palmer). Some of her books are no longer in print (i.e.,the Damar books), but it is well worth finding a copy if you can.
Wait, looks like I spoke too soon: the Damarbooks may be back in print again! Excellent, time to get a less dog-eared copy!
Read Emergence, if you can find a copy. A genius eleven year old girl and her pet macaw travel a post-apocalyptic America. The writing style is hard to get used to -- a lot like Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" -- but after a few pages your brain starts filling in the missing words. (The in-story explanation is that it's her personal diary written in Pitman shorthand.)
Unfortunately, the sequel "Tracking" is only available as a bootleg right now, (check torrents). It was serialized in a now-unavailable sequence of Analog magazines. If you can find "Tracking", it's also worth reading.
Palmer seems to have done a lot of research for the books. He makes some mistakes regarding firearms that grated on me, but the rest seemed correct.
Threshold by Palmer is also well worth tracking down. It's classic high adventure with fantasy and sci-fi elements, a fast-moving plot (saving the universe, of course), humorous dialog and enjoyable characters. I actually enjoyed this one more than Emergence, although that could be because it's the first Palmer novel I came across, so I have re-read it more often than Emergence...regardless, I do re-read both of these stellar books about once every one to two years, and love them anew every time.
I strongly wish Palmer had continued with his writing, as he truly has the bard's gift of storytelling.
- Hugo nominated. - One of the best female protagonists since Podkayne Fries (the plot follows a precocious 11-year-old orphan girl, living in a post-apocalyptic United States). - A talking, possibly psychic, parrot companion.
It's been out of print for quite some time, but still seems to be available at a somewhat reasonable price from the usual online booksellers. A better bet might be through your local library, particularly if you have access to a wider lending network.
Excellent book. Well worth tracking down.
Also Threshold by the same author. Although be warned: even though the end of the book is very well set up for a riveting sequel, said sequel was never written and probably never will be as far as I can tell...but regardless, it is a most fascinating book in and of itself, and well worth the read!
It would be better then nothing but not much better.
As to not being home... I anticipate there being some means of leaving it at your home. Furthermore, if it comes on a scheduel every week or a couple times a week then you could be expected to make ONE or two appointments a week? Just have it come at a time when you will always be home for it. if that isn't possible then again, there should be a means for simply leaving it there without damaging anything. Something like a large specialized mail box. You have to think of people "just doing things" this way. In the same way we have drive ways to accommodate our cars or mail boxes or cat doors. We add stuff like this all the time as needed.
If you have an apartment or condo complex it would be no big deal to either task the doorman with watching it or having a special compartment like the mail nooks for groseries.
I guess my point is, delivery times are rarely available outside 'working hours', which are so named because...well, people are usually busy working in them. It's always been frustrating to me when ordering online, even more so since most carriers won't let you request that they hold it at their depot for pickup until they've tried to deliver it a couple of times and failed...it always adds a day or two onto my delivery times, completely unnecessarily.
I suppose something could be set up for home drop-off services, but it would be very fun trying to make it secure. I guess one could use a universal-key / unique key system like letter carriers do, that would work, as long as you order all your groceries from one supplier and never switch (?Unless you're thinking that the Post Office will take care of deliveries?) Or perhaps a 'drop' system, where the delivery person puts the groceries on some sort of slide, it slides into your house out of reach of casual thieves, and retrievable by you once you get home. Thing is, one would have to make the opening secure against entry by kids or small animals (I can just see the neighborhood brat throwing a live squirrel in there for fun). Having it slide into a sealed box inside the house would do, although it wouldn't protect your groceries from the squirrel:) I like that idea, it would also work for other parcels...hmm...
I do remember that my parent's house used to have a 'milk door' around back: the milkman could open the outside doors and drop off the milk, then whomever was home could unlock and open the inside doors to pick it up. My parents never used it, they just stuffed it with insulation and nailed it shut, but I wonder how well it worked when people did use it?
Without much more difficulty they could automate the whole process:
...
Shoppers wait in the front of the store in an expanded deli area. No checkout, just swipe your credit card and out the door. No more navigating around idiots in scooters. No more shoplifting. No more congested isles.
This won't happen. Stores put in a lot of work to their layout and design in order to get you to walk around. That's how they get you to browse their inventory and buy things you didn't think you needed. These may be inefficiencies to you, but it's profit to the stores, and would be suicide for them to change. You're thinking of some future, automated factory-store that wouldn't really be economically viable for people just picking up a handful of products.
So do Brick & Mortar book and music stores. I guess by your logic, any online rival to these would be doomed as well, wouldn't they? Oh, wait...
True, this is talking about perishable and difficult to mail items, not relatively tough and compact items like books and cds. But if they can make it worthwhile by getting enough customer buy-in in an area, you just bet an online grocery store with free or cheap delivery would be highly competitive. In fact, in a population-dense area like NYC, it could probably out-perform any B&M grocery stores fairly handily, once people tried it and spread the word. No more trying to get a cab for that big grocery run, or trying to keep your eggs from getting crushed on the subway...
The tricky part would be arranging delivery while someone is home, so timely evening and weekend delivery options would be a must.
If they want to impress me, then find a way to let me order groceries from home to be delivered at my home at no additional charge.
I have an alternate proposal for you: how about a simple pick-up service? The customer places the order and pays for it online, the store then pulls the items and puts them aside. One quick run to the store, no messing with aisle strolling or lineups or trying to keep the kids from grabbing every shiny thing in sight while hunting for asagio cheese, just pick up your pre-packaged order and head on home.
If you don't want to deal with people at all, they could run something like a postal box service (with a bit bigger boxes, of course) where the groceries are loaded in from the inside of the store, then you come along with your key (or pincode or whatever), open the box from the outside and retrieve your groceries. They could even have different sized boxes based on what you order: 1' by 1' for your basic milk and eggs, 2' by 3' for small family grocery orders, etc. When you submit your order online, it calculates the size required and assigns you a box number(s) for pickup. You simply use your own pre-shared pincode or keyfob or whatever to open that box (or boxes) and get your stuff on the way home from work...
Just some ideas. We're never home for deliveries, unless it's evening or weekend delivery (riiight, like they'd ever offer that), so such a system would meet our needs much better than delivery, while keeping the benefits and probably cutting costs for the storeowners. True, it would be hell on impulse purchasing, but think of the time saved...
If said crims also get a surprise in the shower while in prison then I sure as hell won't be crying any tears.
Prison is SUPPOSED to be unpleasent.
Really? So the ones doing the 'surprising' are simply performing a distasteful public service? After all, it's not like they'd do it if they enjoyed it or anything...
Why do people always seem to forget that for every victim, there is a victimizer who benefits? If the victim 'deserves what he gets', does that mean the vicimizer also deserve what he gets out of the 'relationship'?
It seems to me that if Maryland law was broken by Maryland residents, then those residents should be the target of these gestapo tactics...but I guess there's more $$$ to be had by squeezing an international business than a bunch of casual gamblers...
Cars are not a "right". They have to integrate with the rest of the transportation system on a giant grid of shared roads. If they aren't integrating properly, they should not be permitted to be in the system at all. Safety is just one attribute they need to have.
If it were just your car in just your driveway, fine. Back up around your property all you want, drive around it blindfolded, I don't care.... But when you are on the public roads, you damn sure better play well with the other drivers. That means a vehicle that minimizes the risks to the rest of us.
Ummm...how often are you driving down that public road in reverse?
Reversing is something that should only be encountered while parking/leaving a parked state. This most often will be a personal driveway, but yes, could also be on a public street or in a semi-public parking lot. Regardless, either way you should have had an opportunity to view the entire space you'll be backing into prior to throwing it into reverse, either by scanning it as you pull up, or walking around your car prior to getting in (I know, circle checks are up to the driver, but IMHO they should be a habit as drummed in and enforced as buckling your seatbelt when you get in). You still have to monitor the wider area for changing conditions, regardless if you have a camera installed. It does no good to be focused on the back up monitor while the jerk who just ran the stop sign T-bones you as you're backing out of your driveway...
I'm just saying. The GP poster has a point when he complains about nanny state-ism in this case. Making these things mandatory will mostly lead to lazier drivers, and paradoxically may lead to more reversing incidents, as drivers gradually lose the ability to use their mirrors/continually check their surroundings while backing up.
Slashdot Mirror
There was a Law and Order SVU episode in 2009 that addressed this issue, titled 'Selfish'. (Season 10, Episode 19).
I thought it brought up a lot of good points, and was well written. IMHO, kids of parents that refuse vaccination should not be sharing public spaces with other people's kids. That includes schools, parks, busses, etc. If you choose not to vaccinate your kid, be prepared to pay for private schooling / home school, pay for cabs or drive them everywhere, pay for private play spaces (or just let them rot inside their rooms), etc. Also, be prepared to bring up an antisocial, spoiled brat.
Parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids and then allow them to come in contact with the rest of society fully deserve to bear the brunt of any criminal or civil charges when someone else loses their kid (too young to be vaccinated, unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons, etc.) due to exposure to their germ-ridden snot producer.
But not disclosing your relationship with the company that makes the product is deception and might even be against the law. Even if you genuinely love the product.
I'm pretty sure it's not against the law unless money's involved somewhere (as in, awarding tenders and other contracts) or testifying in court. But even so, declaring your connection avoids even the appearance of a conflict of interest, and IMHO is the correct thing to do from an ethical standpoint when posting in a semi- or fully-public forum. Declaring that you work for the company need not hurt your endorsement, as long as you stick to truthful analysis of why you enjoy the product so much. If other people like the same things you do, then they may like this product as well.
Actually, I respect posts where the poster declares any company connections, as long as the rest of their post isn't just 'omgz, you shold tots get this, it's *SO* amzng! ^_^'.
If their follow up comments are clear, factual and verifiable, I view them as a reliable source of information, perhaps even more reliable than someone unconnected with the company. Sure they have an interest in promoting their product, but because of that desire, I think they are more motivated to provide complete and honest reviews, or other commenters will simply refute their statements and show up the lies. They can also be a great source for sneak peeks at upcoming features, and who doesn't like to peek under the curtain once in a while :)
Try the app. See if it's really worth saying good things about. If so, I'd go ahead and praise it as deserved. If not, send a message to the sales/QA/service department as appropriate saying why you can't promote the app.
This.
Good thing I checked the comment history before posting, because this, pretty much word-for-word, was what popped into my head as soon as I RTFS. If it is an application from another department, well, there's no harm in trying it and seeing if you like it. If you do, again, no harm in letting people know (although I'd also put in a clear disclaimer about working for the company on any posts). Similarly, if you don't like the app, let the developers/marketing team know, and give them useful feedback re: why it's not ringing your bell. (i.e., not 'it's dumb!')
Sounds like a VPN proxy in the US would do a lot of the things you want. You can get pretty decent ones with very little drop in bandwidth and very little added latency for about $8/month.
Yess...and a decent torrent client can get even more of what I want with no added charge per month :) I simply want to 'play by the rules' and reward the artists I enjoy for creating great content, it just frustrates me that there is no 'legal' means for me to send my business where I would prefer. It's like they don't want my money...sure, it's colourful, but it spends pretty darn good up here!
It surprises me that so many people actually enter their CC info into their XBox.
Shucks, if it weren't for nice, anonymous, paid-for-by-cash MS Points cards, I wouldn't have any DLC on my box at all...similar to nice, anonymous Visa gift cards for Android Market (sorry, Play) purchases...and nice, anonymous iTunes gift cards for (shudder) iTunes* purchases.
* living in Canada sucks sometimes...we're so close yet at the same time so far from being able to buy digital content from the myriad of vendors available just south of teh border...I would love to switch my music buying habits to Amazon or Google, or try out Pandora, Spotify or Hulu, but I'd have to pretend to be in the States to do so. *sigh*
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home
You have the right to express any opinion you want, but you do not have a right to make others' lives worse with your speech. In essence, it's that simple.
Sure, you can write "FUCK" in 10-foot-tall letters on the side of your house, if you can explain the opinion being expressed.
How about a daily demonstration, with a helpful powerpoint presentation and a question period afterwards? ;o)
I'm not disputing that certain kinds of speech are, in fact, prohibited by law.
I am just saying that to the extent that speech is prohibited, whether prior or posterior to its being spoken, it is not free. A person is free precisely to the extent that he is not prohibited, tautologically. And a punishment entails the judgement that one has done something prohibited, otherwise it's not a punishment but just arbitrary harm.
So freedom of speech is not simply about prior restraint. If you get punished for speaking, then you were (judged to be) not free to speak, by definition.
The fact that some speech is legally punishable just means that we don't really have freedom speech.
"The freedom to swing your fist ends at my nose." (multiple sources)
As long as your speech is not causing undeserved harm to me, feel free to say whatever you like. If you decide to park outside my house and yell at my neighbours that I rape puppies and eat babies, I will certainly take any and all legal steps to prevent you since I do neither of those things. If instead, you yell "I 'believe' that this person" yadda yadda yadda, then you'd still better be prepared to offer compelling evidence to my lawyers as to why such is your belief.
On the other hand, if I actually do rape puppies and eat babies, I would be all out of legal options (If I were such a person, though, I don't think I would balk at some intriguing illegal options, though...)
Perhaps the whole "freedom of speech" soapbox should have one more word painted on it: "Freedom of true speech." Of course, that would kill the whole political thing right there...ah well.
See the way you react to adds, which generate a positive reaction and which do not.
Sorry, they'd be out of luck there. I only have positive reactions to multiplys. And exponentials make me downright dreamy... :)
Forget divides, and especially subtracts, they're just too negative.
(sorry, couldn't resist.)
Not quite. There are some things which aren't meant for you to be traded, even if you'd really like that beer. You can't sell your kids for a beer, for example. Even though they're your kids, and you should be able to do with them what you like in general, it's not in society's interest to let you do that. I like to think that letting you sell your privacy for a free beer is not in society's interest either.
Wow. I must say, you really hit the nail on the head there. If I hadn't posted here already, I'd be modding this waaay up.
Kudos.
the data is there forever, and it WILL be taken out of context if you ever do become interesting enough to components of society who have the power to make your life miserable.
I especially (look forward to / dread, take your pick) the day when the majority of politicians grew up in the era of FB. Can you imagine the smear campaigns?
"See, this photo of candidate X in college clearly shows some guy toking in the background (after some minor digital enhancement and magnification)! Obvs they're pro-drug, they must be the spawn of Satan! Vote for Y!"
Wonder how that will impact privacy laws? Or will there be one law for politicians, and another law for the rest of us?
How is anything I, or the AC, or any of your FB friends knows about you considered "your" data. If I know it, even if its about you, its MY data and anyone else who knows it.
I care about privacy. I'm careful what I put on Facebook and online in general. The idea that you should be able to pass through life and everyone who comes in contact with you is supposed to forget about it is ridiculous. As is the idea that by telling someone else, or EVERYONE else, what they know about you they are sharing "your" data. They may be sharing data "about" you..but I don't see how it can be argued that its your data to control.
The exception, obviously, is legally mandated protected data (medical records, for an example). To try to extend the privacy that medical records receive to all information about you seems ridiculous on the face of it.
Yes, you have several valid points there. I will try to clarify my position.
The trouble with FB (or My Space, or Google+) is that it never forgets even the most offhand comments. In general, I don't mind one of my friends telling another friend (note, most emphatically not marketing department) all about me, what I do, who else I am friends with, where I went to school and what I wore to the prom. I do, however, mind very much if they also hand over to some stranger every photo of mine that they've ever viewed or commented on, every little note that we used to pass around in the back of the class, and fully dated and timestamped written transcripts of every bored (and yes, it happens, even drunken) conversation we have had for the last X years. Those may be shared data, but my intent in sharing them was direct and specific: with my friend. We've probably both forgotten all about those conversations by now...but FB certainly hasn't.
I know, I know, the solution to this is not to treat FB like the girls room at high school. Don't say or post anything on there that you'd be ashamed to show your Grandmother in front of her knitting club. But honestly, how many people can live up to that standard, especially when they're convinced, in the back of their mind, that they're in a private conversation with friends? It's the new age of passing notes in class, only there's absolutely no way of erasing or destroying any of them, they're instantly accessible / catalogable / searchable / mineable, and they just keep piling up...
And why do you have a clue?
Why is it such a bad thing for them to want a cheap beer in return by giving them information on their life?
Why is that bad? Why are you projecting YOUR opinion on others on what they can and can't do with their personal information?
So what if they have access to said information, its not going to change their life in any way. In fact, it is very likely going to get BETTER.
They might get more cheap beers. They bar might bring in a different kind of beer because so many of their fans like said beer.
And in turn, they now get better business, people get to have a better time.
Everybody wins. Except from you of course, "the cool kid".
Unless the guy behind the bar is REALLY A SERIAL KILLER! OH THE HORROR.
Considering your post, you already don't have the slightest "clue". If you did, you wouldn't even be on here or even living in society.
Sorry to interrupt your rant, but it is NOT okay if "your" data, that you are willing to pimp out so freely, includes any information about me.
Facebook is not a personal diary app. It is wholly and completely dependent upon interconnections between people. If you prostitute your info out to all and sundry, how can I prevent mine from getting shoveled along with it, other than de-friending your ass? And even then, my past comment history, photos of me, etc., etc. remain for the data miners to chortle over...
I just hope all your FB 'friends' know about your personal data hygiene policies...
Also, I appreciate the irony...AC. You'll throw the curtains wide open for a crack at a free beer, but cower behind the drapes when it comes time to take a stand on an issue. Nice priorities there.
I have never, ever been disappointed by a Robin McKinley novel. She writes across a broad spectrum, from science fiction (Dragonhaven) to contemporary fantasy (the Kingdom of Damar books: The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown) to re-tellings of classic fairy tales (Spindle's End, Rose Daughter, The Outlaws of Sherwood, Deerskin, Beauty) to vampire fiction (Sunshine - trust me, it's definitely not your Twilight vampires here...)
Everything, and I mean everything I have read of hers has been riveting, well written and an instant favourite. There are not many other authors I can say that about (the only other two that come to mind are Sir Terry Pratchett and David R. Palmer). Some of her books are no longer in print (i.e.,the Damar books), but it is well worth finding a copy if you can.
Wait, looks like I spoke too soon: the Damar books may be back in print again! Excellent, time to get a less dog-eared copy!
Read Emergence, if you can find a copy. A genius eleven year old girl and her pet macaw travel a post-apocalyptic America. The writing style is hard to get used to -- a lot like Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" -- but after a few pages your brain starts filling in the missing words. (The in-story explanation is that it's her personal diary written in Pitman shorthand.)
Unfortunately, the sequel "Tracking" is only available as a bootleg right now, (check torrents). It was serialized in a now-unavailable sequence of Analog magazines. If you can find "Tracking", it's also worth reading.
Palmer seems to have done a lot of research for the books. He makes some mistakes regarding firearms that grated on me, but the rest seemed correct.
Threshold by Palmer is also well worth tracking down. It's classic high adventure with fantasy and sci-fi elements, a fast-moving plot (saving the universe, of course), humorous dialog and enjoyable characters. I actually enjoyed this one more than Emergence, although that could be because it's the first Palmer novel I came across, so I have re-read it more often than Emergence...regardless, I do re-read both of these stellar books about once every one to two years, and love them anew every time.
I strongly wish Palmer had continued with his writing, as he truly has the bard's gift of storytelling.
- Hugo nominated.
- One of the best female protagonists since Podkayne Fries (the plot follows a precocious 11-year-old orphan girl, living in a post-apocalyptic United States).
- A talking, possibly psychic, parrot companion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence_(novel)
It's been out of print for quite some time, but still seems to be available at a somewhat reasonable price from the usual online booksellers. A better bet might be through your local library, particularly if you have access to a wider lending network.
Excellent book. Well worth tracking down.
Also Threshold by the same author. Although be warned: even though the end of the book is very well set up for a riveting sequel, said sequel was never written and probably never will be as far as I can tell...but regardless, it is a most fascinating book in and of itself, and well worth the read!
It would be better then nothing but not much better.
As to not being home... I anticipate there being some means of leaving it at your home. Furthermore, if it comes on a scheduel every week or a couple times a week then you could be expected to make ONE or two appointments a week? Just have it come at a time when you will always be home for it. if that isn't possible then again, there should be a means for simply leaving it there without damaging anything. Something like a large specialized mail box. You have to think of people "just doing things" this way. In the same way we have drive ways to accommodate our cars or mail boxes or cat doors. We add stuff like this all the time as needed.
If you have an apartment or condo complex it would be no big deal to either task the doorman with watching it or having a special compartment like the mail nooks for groseries.
I guess my point is, delivery times are rarely available outside 'working hours', which are so named because...well, people are usually busy working in them. It's always been frustrating to me when ordering online, even more so since most carriers won't let you request that they hold it at their depot for pickup until they've tried to deliver it a couple of times and failed...it always adds a day or two onto my delivery times, completely unnecessarily.
I suppose something could be set up for home drop-off services, but it would be very fun trying to make it secure. I guess one could use a universal-key / unique key system like letter carriers do, that would work, as long as you order all your groceries from one supplier and never switch (?Unless you're thinking that the Post Office will take care of deliveries?) Or perhaps a 'drop' system, where the delivery person puts the groceries on some sort of slide, it slides into your house out of reach of casual thieves, and retrievable by you once you get home. Thing is, one would have to make the opening secure against entry by kids or small animals (I can just see the neighborhood brat throwing a live squirrel in there for fun). Having it slide into a sealed box inside the house would do, although it wouldn't protect your groceries from the squirrel :) I like that idea, it would also work for other parcels...hmm...
I do remember that my parent's house used to have a 'milk door' around back: the milkman could open the outside doors and drop off the milk, then whomever was home could unlock and open the inside doors to pick it up. My parents never used it, they just stuffed it with insulation and nailed it shut, but I wonder how well it worked when people did use it?
Without much more difficulty they could automate the whole process:
...
Shoppers wait in the front of the store in an expanded deli area. No checkout, just swipe your credit card and out the door. No more navigating around idiots in scooters. No more shoplifting. No more congested isles.
This won't happen. Stores put in a lot of work to their layout and design in order to get you to walk around. That's how they get you to browse their inventory and buy things you didn't think you needed. These may be inefficiencies to you, but it's profit to the stores, and would be suicide for them to change. You're thinking of some future, automated factory-store that wouldn't really be economically viable for people just picking up a handful of products.
So do Brick & Mortar book and music stores. I guess by your logic, any online rival to these would be doomed as well, wouldn't they? Oh, wait...
True, this is talking about perishable and difficult to mail items, not relatively tough and compact items like books and cds. But if they can make it worthwhile by getting enough customer buy-in in an area, you just bet an online grocery store with free or cheap delivery would be highly competitive. In fact, in a population-dense area like NYC, it could probably out-perform any B&M grocery stores fairly handily, once people tried it and spread the word. No more trying to get a cab for that big grocery run, or trying to keep your eggs from getting crushed on the subway...
The tricky part would be arranging delivery while someone is home, so timely evening and weekend delivery options would be a must.
If they want to impress me, then find a way to let me order groceries from home to be delivered at my home at no additional charge.
I have an alternate proposal for you: how about a simple pick-up service? The customer places the order and pays for it online, the store then pulls the items and puts them aside. One quick run to the store, no messing with aisle strolling or lineups or trying to keep the kids from grabbing every shiny thing in sight while hunting for asagio cheese, just pick up your pre-packaged order and head on home.
If you don't want to deal with people at all, they could run something like a postal box service (with a bit bigger boxes, of course) where the groceries are loaded in from the inside of the store, then you come along with your key (or pincode or whatever), open the box from the outside and retrieve your groceries. They could even have different sized boxes based on what you order: 1' by 1' for your basic milk and eggs, 2' by 3' for small family grocery orders, etc. When you submit your order online, it calculates the size required and assigns you a box number(s) for pickup. You simply use your own pre-shared pincode or keyfob or whatever to open that box (or boxes) and get your stuff on the way home from work...
Just some ideas. We're never home for deliveries, unless it's evening or weekend delivery (riiight, like they'd ever offer that), so such a system would meet our needs much better than delivery, while keeping the benefits and probably cutting costs for the storeowners. True, it would be hell on impulse purchasing, but think of the time saved...
If said crims also get a surprise in the shower while in prison then I sure as hell won't be crying any tears.
Prison is SUPPOSED to be unpleasent.
Really? So the ones doing the 'surprising' are simply performing a distasteful public service? After all, it's not like they'd do it if they enjoyed it or anything...
Why do people always seem to forget that for every victim, there is a victimizer who benefits? If the victim 'deserves what he gets', does that mean the vicimizer also deserve what he gets out of the 'relationship'?
shops are next?
Only if a US citizen goes there to smoke them...makes about as much sense as this does.
It seems to me that if Maryland law was broken by Maryland residents, then those residents should be the target of these gestapo tactics...but I guess there's more $$$ to be had by squeezing an international business than a bunch of casual gamblers...
Yeah, but no amount of technology will make them better drivers anyway.
...self-driving cars could remove the 'drivers' from the equation entirely...
Cars are not a "right". They have to integrate with the rest of the transportation system on a giant grid of shared roads. If they aren't integrating properly, they should not be permitted to be in the system at all. Safety is just one attribute they need to have.
If it were just your car in just your driveway, fine. Back up around your property all you want, drive around it blindfolded, I don't care. ... But when you are on the public roads, you damn sure better play well with the other drivers. That means a vehicle that minimizes the risks to the rest of us.
Ummm...how often are you driving down that public road in reverse?
Reversing is something that should only be encountered while parking/leaving a parked state. This most often will be a personal driveway, but yes, could also be on a public street or in a semi-public parking lot. Regardless, either way you should have had an opportunity to view the entire space you'll be backing into prior to throwing it into reverse, either by scanning it as you pull up, or walking around your car prior to getting in (I know, circle checks are up to the driver, but IMHO they should be a habit as drummed in and enforced as buckling your seatbelt when you get in). You still have to monitor the wider area for changing conditions, regardless if you have a camera installed. It does no good to be focused on the back up monitor while the jerk who just ran the stop sign T-bones you as you're backing out of your driveway...
I'm just saying. The GP poster has a point when he complains about nanny state-ism in this case. Making these things mandatory will mostly lead to lazier drivers, and paradoxically may lead to more reversing incidents, as drivers gradually lose the ability to use their mirrors/continually check their surroundings while backing up.