As far as the Enterprise E being the sixth Starfleet ship to bear the name, that would be accurate. Since the Fedaration hasn't even been formed yet during Archer's time, the NX-01 isn't a "Fedaration ship".
As I mentioned in an earlier post, they finally brought in some decent writers toward the tail end of Enterprise (Manny Coto in particular). Unfortunately, by the time they started producing halfway decent episodes most of the fan base had already abandoned the show.
My point is simply that the tool mentioned in TFA is a good and useful thing for the good parents out there. This will make being a good parent a little bit easier, and trust me, we parents need all the help we can get. It's a motherfucker of a job at times.
As for the psycho parents, this won't really have much of an impact on them one way or the other. It's just in their nature to be control freak nutcases, and they're going to be control freak nutcases no matter what.
Yes, parents DO have a right to know every last detail of their children's lives. The degree to which they actually exercise that right needs to be determined on a case by case basis, as it would certainly be possible to take it to extremes in unproductive and unhealthy ways, but the job of being a parent REQUIRES the ability to get those details when they're needed.
I actually allow my son a great deal of privacy, because I trust him. However, for example, if I ever had reason to believe that he was feeling suicidal you can bet your ass I'd read every last page of the journals he keeps. If I had reason to believe he was using drugs, you can bet your ass I'd search every inch of "his" room.
You're clearly still rather young, so I can understand why you feel the way you do. I felt the same way when I was a kid. Until you have children of your own your frame of reference on this subject is really too limited to form a useful opinion.
A friend of mine had one of these in his car for a year, and the requirement to blow periodically while driving does indeed border on dangerous.
If it was just blowing into the tube, it wouldn't be so bad, but these things also require you to make a very specific humming tone when you blow (to prevent using balloons, air tanks, etc...). Even sitting still in the driveway it takes some concentration to use these things properly, in busy traffic I wouldn't be surprised if they've caused some accidents.
Rather than killing the engine of a moving car, which could present a whole new series of hazards, how about flashing the brake lights in a specific pattern, or some other externally visible indicator?
I suspect that the knowledge that any officer within visual range could instantly tell that you were intoxicated would prove an excellent deterrant.
I agree with your sentiments, but the system described in the article is merely a tool. Like any tool, it can be used or misused. I could use a hammer to build a new deck, but I could just as easily use it to cave in somebody's skull.
A tool is not evil simply because someone can imagine an evil way to use it.
In the hands of good, responsible parents this tool should be a very good thing. Shitty parents will always be shitty parents, and I'm not sure what to do about that. However, the existence of bad parents does not negate the benefit that the good parents will derive from this.
You can't swap out the transmission in your car using only a screwdriver, but a screwdriver will be very useful in the process. Similarly, this system is just one more useful tool in the box.
But you're blaming a tool for causing the problem.
If a child has earned their parent's trust, then (if they're good parents) this tool probably won't be used. However, when a child breaches that trust, it's good for parents to have an assortment of tools available to monitor that child and get him back on the right path.
I have a rather extensive collection of tools in my garage. That doesn't mean that I take my car apart and reassemble it every weekend, but when something goes wrong I'm damn sure glad that I have the tools on hand that I need to fix it.
If I tell my son to do something and it doesn't get done, then there are consequences. For example, his failure to improve his grades in the timeframe that I alloted has resulted in his car being locked up in a storage unit.
The system described in TFA isn't a "solution" to anything, it's simply a "tool" that parents can utilize to do their job better.
This notion of "children's rights" is ludicrous. To assert that a child has some sort of "right" to keep things private from their parents is foolish and harmful.
A parent may, of course, grant their child the "privilege" of privacy to one degree or another, if they feel the child is deserving, but that privilege may also be revoked at any time, and for any reason the parent sees fit.
A parent who is prevented from knowing the details of what is going on in their child's life is severely crippled in their ability to raise that child properly.
Aside from the fact that I love my son and want to raise him to be a happy and productive adult, there is also a practical side to this argument. As a parent, I can be held both civily and criminally liable for the actions of my child. As such, I'm not terribly inclined to listen to any of this bullshit about his right to keep secrets from me.
Also, speaking as a parent, I don't think the goal is to eliminate junk food so much as it is to simply make sure the kids are ALSO eating some real food.
I don't mind if my son buys a soda and candy bar on his way home from school. What I do care about is making sure that he's also getting some actual nutrition as well.
Although the movie was admittedly rather cheesy, this quote from the movie Contact really hit home for me: "The question IÂ'm asking is, are we happier? As a human race, is the world fundamentally a better place because of science and technology? We shop at home, we surf the web, but at the same time, we feel emptier, lonelier, and more cut off from each other than at any other time in history... (gets drowned out by Pulses from outer space).... maybe itÂ's because weÂ're looking for the meaning, well what is the meaning? We have mindless jobs, we take frantic vacations. Deficit finance trips to the mall to buy more things that we feel are gonna fill these holes in our lives. Is it any wonder that weÂ've lost our sense of direction? "
I'm as much of a techo-addict as anyone, yet I've found that, especially as I get older, technology can often detract from my quality of life, rather than enhance it.
I do buy a lot of stuff from eBay and Amazon, but it's a poor replacement for actually walking into a store and physically laying your hands on the merchandise and examining it before you purchase.
I also use IM to keep in touch with people, but no amount of video conferencing or VOIP will ever replace sitting around a picnic table in the backyard and sharing a few beers with your friends.
I also find my microwave to be very convenient, but nothing that comes out of there will ever come close the the taste of a nice, thick porterhouse cooked on an open grill over wood coals.
I think stepping off the grid completely is a bit extreme (unless it's for a short vacation), but I have to admit that with each birthday that goes by, technology becomes more and more "just a paycheck" to me, and that I gain my real satisfaction from simpler things: keeping my lawn looking nice, eating a meal made from vegetables that I grew in my own garden, spending casual time with people I care about...
Personally, I've managed to find a very nice balance between technology and simplicity in my life, but it took awhile. A lot of geeks do tend to get way too immersed in technology (myself included, when I was younger), and I believe that this desire to "step off the grid" is simply the natural backlash that occurs when the realization sets in that you're missing out on other very important and fulfilling aspects of the short time you have here on the planet.
Should be simple enough to firewall their remote access away...
Most of my machines are on 192.168 subnets, so they won't be receiving any remote requests. The machines on public IPs will require a bit more scrutiny at the firewall, though.
Even if these features include some sort of "phone home" functionality in order to bypass NAT, it should be simple enough to block with a properly configured firewall.
I hope he was just trolling. Surely nobody could be so lacking in sense of humor that they can't even recognize a joke when the see one. Regardless of whether they find it funny or not, it's pretty easy to recognize that it was an attempt at humor.
If, in fact, these people truly do lack a sense of humor to such an extreme degree, then I pity them. Life without humor must be a truly miserable experience.
While that would certainly be functional, I think that a lot of folks are losing sight of one very important point here: These folks want to be in the coffee shop business, not the ISP business.
I'm as guilty as anyone of looking to technology first when trying to solve a problem, but in truth the best and most elegant solution to a problem involves reducing the amount of technology involved, not adding another layer of complexity to what's already there.
The coffee shop owners in this scenario found a solution that achieved there goal and was ultra simple to implement. A truly "elegant hack" if I've ever seen one.
I also remember using an Intel 186 processor on some BTOS box---yes, it really existed, it was sold, and used.
Yep, I'll vouch for that.
I used to own an 186 upgrade card for an 8086 PC. It was an interesting little card. Had an 80186 processor on it, plugged into an ISA slot, and a ribbon cable that was terminated with a connector that plugged into the CPU socket after you pulled the 8086 chip out.
I never got around to installing it, so I can't say how well it worked.
Slashdot Mirror
As far as the Enterprise E being the sixth Starfleet ship to bear the name, that would be accurate. Since the Fedaration hasn't even been formed yet during Archer's time, the NX-01 isn't a "Fedaration ship".
It does make it seem that way, but it's my understanding that Spiner is sick to death of playing Data and most likely won't be back.
Of course, if they wave enough cash under his nose anything's possible.
Agreed, there should be some good stories to be told regarding Picard's youth.
Yep, I noticed.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, they finally brought in some decent writers toward the tail end of Enterprise (Manny Coto in particular). Unfortunately, by the time they started producing halfway decent episodes most of the fan base had already abandoned the show.
Exactly.
In the case of Trek, it really has nothing to do with the Trek universe being tired, the problem is that B&B are fresh out of ideas.
They finally brought in some decent writers during the last season of Enterprise, but by then it was too little, too late.
Yes, some parents do.
My point is simply that the tool mentioned in TFA is a good and useful thing for the good parents out there. This will make being a good parent a little bit easier, and trust me, we parents need all the help we can get. It's a motherfucker of a job at times.
As for the psycho parents, this won't really have much of an impact on them one way or the other. It's just in their nature to be control freak nutcases, and they're going to be control freak nutcases no matter what.
Yes, parents DO have a right to know every last detail of their children's lives. The degree to which they actually exercise that right needs to be determined on a case by case basis, as it would certainly be possible to take it to extremes in unproductive and unhealthy ways, but the job of being a parent REQUIRES the ability to get those details when they're needed.
I actually allow my son a great deal of privacy, because I trust him. However, for example, if I ever had reason to believe that he was feeling suicidal you can bet your ass I'd read every last page of the journals he keeps. If I had reason to believe he was using drugs, you can bet your ass I'd search every inch of "his" room.
You're clearly still rather young, so I can understand why you feel the way you do. I felt the same way when I was a kid. Until you have children of your own your frame of reference on this subject is really too limited to form a useful opinion.
A friend of mine had one of these in his car for a year, and the requirement to blow periodically while driving does indeed border on dangerous.
If it was just blowing into the tube, it wouldn't be so bad, but these things also require you to make a very specific humming tone when you blow (to prevent using balloons, air tanks, etc...). Even sitting still in the driveway it takes some concentration to use these things properly, in busy traffic I wouldn't be surprised if they've caused some accidents.
When did this go into effect? I've never encountered the picture authentication when posting here. (including today)
Rather than killing the engine of a moving car, which could present a whole new series of hazards, how about flashing the brake lights in a specific pattern, or some other externally visible indicator?
I suspect that the knowledge that any officer within visual range could instantly tell that you were intoxicated would prove an excellent deterrant.
Along with the rest of the world.
Does anybody really still care what this jackass has to say?
I agree with your sentiments, but the system described in the article is merely a tool. Like any tool, it can be used or misused. I could use a hammer to build a new deck, but I could just as easily use it to cave in somebody's skull.
A tool is not evil simply because someone can imagine an evil way to use it.
In the hands of good, responsible parents this tool should be a very good thing. Shitty parents will always be shitty parents, and I'm not sure what to do about that. However, the existence of bad parents does not negate the benefit that the good parents will derive from this.
You can't swap out the transmission in your car using only a screwdriver, but a screwdriver will be very useful in the process. Similarly, this system is just one more useful tool in the box.
But you're blaming a tool for causing the problem.
If a child has earned their parent's trust, then (if they're good parents) this tool probably won't be used. However, when a child breaches that trust, it's good for parents to have an assortment of tools available to monitor that child and get him back on the right path.
I have a rather extensive collection of tools in my garage. That doesn't mean that I take my car apart and reassemble it every weekend, but when something goes wrong I'm damn sure glad that I have the tools on hand that I need to fix it.
But what if they .... refuse to
If I tell my son to do something and it doesn't get done, then there are consequences. For example, his failure to improve his grades in the timeframe that I alloted has resulted in his car being locked up in a storage unit.
The system described in TFA isn't a "solution" to anything, it's simply a "tool" that parents can utilize to do their job better.
Hear, Hear!
This notion of "children's rights" is ludicrous. To assert that a child has some sort of "right" to keep things private from their parents is foolish and harmful.
A parent may, of course, grant their child the "privilege" of privacy to one degree or another, if they feel the child is deserving, but that privilege may also be revoked at any time, and for any reason the parent sees fit.
A parent who is prevented from knowing the details of what is going on in their child's life is severely crippled in their ability to raise that child properly.
Aside from the fact that I love my son and want to raise him to be a happy and productive adult, there is also a practical side to this argument. As a parent, I can be held both civily and criminally liable for the actions of my child. As such, I'm not terribly inclined to listen to any of this bullshit about his right to keep secrets from me.
Also, speaking as a parent, I don't think the goal is to eliminate junk food so much as it is to simply make sure the kids are ALSO eating some real food.
I don't mind if my son buys a soda and candy bar on his way home from school. What I do care about is making sure that he's also getting some actual nutrition as well.
Although the movie was admittedly rather cheesy, this quote from the movie Contact really hit home for me: "The question IÂ'm asking is, are we happier? As a human race, is the world fundamentally a better place because of science and technology? We shop at home, we surf the web, but at the same time, we feel emptier, lonelier, and more cut off from each other than at any other time in history... (gets drowned out by Pulses from outer space). ... maybe itÂ's because weÂ're looking for the meaning, well what is the meaning? We have mindless jobs, we take frantic vacations. Deficit finance trips to the mall to buy more things that we feel are gonna fill these holes in our lives. Is it any wonder that weÂ've lost our sense of direction? "
I'm as much of a techo-addict as anyone, yet I've found that, especially as I get older, technology can often detract from my quality of life, rather than enhance it.
I do buy a lot of stuff from eBay and Amazon, but it's a poor replacement for actually walking into a store and physically laying your hands on the merchandise and examining it before you purchase.
I also use IM to keep in touch with people, but no amount of video conferencing or VOIP will ever replace sitting around a picnic table in the backyard and sharing a few beers with your friends.
I also find my microwave to be very convenient, but nothing that comes out of there will ever come close the the taste of a nice, thick porterhouse cooked on an open grill over wood coals.
I think stepping off the grid completely is a bit extreme (unless it's for a short vacation), but I have to admit that with each birthday that goes by, technology becomes more and more "just a paycheck" to me, and that I gain my real satisfaction from simpler things: keeping my lawn looking nice, eating a meal made from vegetables that I grew in my own garden, spending casual time with people I care about...
Personally, I've managed to find a very nice balance between technology and simplicity in my life, but it took awhile. A lot of geeks do tend to get way too immersed in technology (myself included, when I was younger), and I believe that this desire to "step off the grid" is simply the natural backlash that occurs when the realization sets in that you're missing out on other very important and fulfilling aspects of the short time you have here on the planet.
Should be simple enough to firewall their remote access away...
Most of my machines are on 192.168 subnets, so they won't be receiving any remote requests. The machines on public IPs will require a bit more scrutiny at the firewall, though.
Even if these features include some sort of "phone home" functionality in order to bypass NAT, it should be simple enough to block with a properly configured firewall.
I hope he was just trolling. Surely nobody could be so lacking in sense of humor that they can't even recognize a joke when the see one. Regardless of whether they find it funny or not, it's pretty easy to recognize that it was an attempt at humor.
If, in fact, these people truly do lack a sense of humor to such an extreme degree, then I pity them. Life without humor must be a truly miserable experience.
I'm sure AMD's announcement of identical features is no more than a few weeks off.
Damn, that should have read: "... solution to a problem often involves reducing ..."
My boss really needs to stop distracting me with his work related nonsense so I could catch these sorts of things.....
While that would certainly be functional, I think that a lot of folks are losing sight of one very important point here: These folks want to be in the coffee shop business, not the ISP business.
I'm as guilty as anyone of looking to technology first when trying to solve a problem, but in truth the best and most elegant solution to a problem involves reducing the amount of technology involved, not adding another layer of complexity to what's already there.
The coffee shop owners in this scenario found a solution that achieved there goal and was ultra simple to implement. A truly "elegant hack" if I've ever seen one.
but it seems there's no place to discuss it "on-topic".
The slashdot headlines at my "personalized" google page are displaying the same thing. Started sometime late last night.
The robot uses a "cleaning solution" that happens to carry the Clorox brand name. That doesn't necessarily mean it contains bleach.
I also remember using an Intel 186 processor on some BTOS box---yes, it really existed, it was sold, and used.
Yep, I'll vouch for that.
I used to own an 186 upgrade card for an 8086 PC. It was an interesting little card. Had an 80186 processor on it, plugged into an ISA slot, and a ribbon cable that was terminated with a connector that plugged into the CPU socket after you pulled the 8086 chip out.
I never got around to installing it, so I can't say how well it worked.