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1276

Living Room / Re: High School Student Laptop Policy

« Last post by 40hz on August 20, 2014, 02:20 PM »

Or we may simply be dealing with the standard overypaying of academic/government contracts, where a product that would cost a normal human $200 somehow costs a government office $2000.

-mouser (August 20, 2014, 11:29 AM)

Aggravating and non-intuitive to be sure.

But when you factor in  the Byzantine bidding process, the paperwork, compliance auditing, and add-on social engineering (hiring requirements, rules for preference to be given to favored suppliers for parts of the contract, commitments to targeted groups and businesses, the GSA "discount", etc.) it's easy to see how the final sticker price can soar.

Government people usually have no responsibility for recouping their expenses. Operating costs are not "real" to them. If they run in the red, they just ask the appropriations committees for more money. Businesses who need to run things off their P&L rather than the public tax base don't have that luxury.

Not saying that is always why crazy price tags happen. But it accounts for a lot of it. Just ask anybody who ever had to put together a proposal based on a government "request for bids." Providing the goods or service itself is easy to price out. But then you hit those sections on reporting and compliance - and ask: "Ok....How the heck much is it going to cost us to do all this stuff? Better quadruple the first number just to be sure we're covered."

 

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Living Room / Aug 20th is H.P. Lovecraft's Birthday

« Last post by 40hz on August 20, 2014, 02:02 PM »

Go out and fhtagn somebody!



That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And despite strange aeons, H.P. will never die!

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Living Room / Re: High School Student Laptop Policy

« Last post by 40hz on August 20, 2014, 12:18 PM »

They can also quite effectively lock down these laptops to prevent what they consider misuse without needing 'monitoring' features to do it. Locking down a system prevents misuse. Monitoring a system identifies misuse once it's occurred.

So if the goal really is prevention rather than rule enforcement, there's no operational need for live and/or discretionary monitoring capabilities.

Or we may simply be dealing with the standard overypaying of academic/government contracts, where a product that would cost a normal human $200 somehow costs a government office $2000.

-mouser (August 20, 2014, 11:29 AM)

This is what I'm convinced of.  For $800 I can get a pretty good laptop- in fact, my gaming machine upgrade I just did to a pretty hot rig didn't cost much more than this... including video card.

-wraith808 (August 20, 2014, 12:13 PM)

Hmm...do I detect a sweetheart deal with somebody on this "initiative?" I hope they didn't contract for Surface Pro 3s!

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Living Room / Re: Nextdoor: The anti-facebook social network for neighborhoods

« Last post by 40hz on August 20, 2014, 12:01 PM »

I'd still want to own the server.

Because even though the neighborhoods are walled off from each other by the software, it's still all under one roof.

Hack a small local community server and you compromise one neighborhood. Hack mothership Nextdoor and you've hacked all of them.

 

P.S. 1 in 4 neighborhoods have signed with Nextdoor? Seriously? I'd sure love to see some proof for that boast. (I suspect there's a little finessing going on over exactly what constitutes a signed-up neighborhood - and how many neighborhoods in the USA there actually are.)

PPS - I fully intend to bring back a classic BBS. That's still on my hot project list for this year.

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Living Room / Re: Delaware makes purchased digital content inheritable?

« Last post by 40hz on August 20, 2014, 08:57 AM »

TechDirt just weighed in with this article.

Blogger and attorney David "Passive Guy" Vandagriff draws different preliminary conclusions over what the new law may actually mean over at The Passive Voice blog (full article here):

PG did a quick scan of the Delaware law and is skeptical that it permits ebooks to be inherited.

Instead, it appears to be designed to permit an executor or designated agent access to electronic accounts for things like ID’s/passwords, email, financial services, social media, domain registration, online store accounts, health insurance, etc.

The powers of the executor or agent are specifically limited to the relevant EULA’s which, in the case of ebooks, place limits on ability to transfer ebooks.

As mentioned, these conclusions are based upon a fast skimming of the legislation and PG could be wrong about his conclusions.

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Living Room / Re: Anybody else sick of hearing "OMG Facebook is spying on us!"?

« Last post by 40hz on August 20, 2014, 06:04 AM »

Honestly though...we all know our information is being bought, linked, sold, auctioned, taken apart, put back together, and whatever else...life is life

-Stephen66515 (August 17, 2014, 09:46 PM)

IMHO, acquiescence and capitulation are no way to go through life. Whether or not the above is true, we don't need to accept it. Or tolerate it either. Just sayin'  

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Living Room / Re: High School Student Laptop Policy

« Last post by 40hz on August 20, 2014, 05:39 AM »

any district provided laptop is not coming in my house. It's none of their business what goes on under my roof and insisting on monitoring activity which does is an unlawful invasion of privacy.

-Vurbal (August 20, 2014, 05:21 AM)

This. Along with everything in app103's post.

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Living Room / Re: High School Student Laptop Policy

« Last post by 40hz on August 20, 2014, 12:45 AM »

@cschw - Yet another example of school administrators stepping outside their designated role and acting in blatant excess of their legislated authority.

I doubt that policy (as presently written) would survive a creditable legal challenge. (That threat suggestion to get the laptop insured should, by itself, be ripe for Watergating.) There's just so many things wrong with the policy and the mindset behind it that I'd hardly know where to start if I were an attorney. Maybe you could contact the people at TechDirt and Popehat with your story. (TechDirt especially loves stories like that.) It's amazing how often simply turning the spotlight of publicity on school boards is enough to send the bureaucratic cockroaches scurrying.

However, since few government employees are as timid and litigation-fearing as most school administrators, I'd be inclined to try calling them up first and 'ask' for (i.e. politely demand) a meeting. Mention you have some very deep concerns. Imply you've spoken to a few interested parties along with some outside advisors. At the meeting, suggest the consensus is that the school system does not have the legal authority to unilaterally institute such a policy or requirement. And then ask WHO wrote the policy - and how can you get in touch with Sir/Madam/Fido to discuss it further.

Don't be too surprised, however, if they accuse you of 'threatening' behavior because you had the temerity to question them. And to cobble together an ill-conceived and hasty little character assassination program to deal with you "troublemakers." Or possibly to just stonewall.That's the knee-jerk reaction of petty authority whenever it's challenged lately. So best to have a few people present when you call or go to meet them. Just to keep "the story" of what happened straight later on. (Because they'll never consent to your taping your conversation with them.)

Luck!

1284

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 19, 2014, 06:01 PM »

^Didn't say it was more qualified. Just said it intervenes. Routinely. With the blessings of many of the parents more often than not. Largely because many parents won't trust themselves or their peers to raise kids responsibly. I'm not advocating for government involvement. I'm just responding to the "nobody/ever/period" part of an earlier comment of yours by me saying "Fine. But unfortunately, that's not how it works in practice."

Anyway, I'm done with the topic. Feelings are running a little too high - and I've pretty much said all I have to say about it already. So I'll shut up and let some other people talk for a change.  NFNF 

1285

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 19, 2014, 05:04 PM »

Dunno. You see it or you don't. Or maybe it's just me? That seems to be the consensus, so I think I'm gonna drop it before it starts going in circles.

-40hz (August 19, 2014, 03:48 PM)

if we were having this conversation in a pub, you would have to buy at least the next two rounds

-tomos (August 19, 2014, 04:51 PM)

If I were sitting in a pub, I wouldn't be having this conversation.  

(I'm also pretty good about buying a round or two either way.)

1286

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 19, 2014, 03:48 PM »

Dunno. You see it or you don't. Or maybe it's just me? That seems to be the consensus, so I think I'm gonna drop it before it starts going in circles.

Onward!

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General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 19, 2014, 01:43 PM »

Now, personally, I think the nature of creating offspring creates a catch-22 in the fact that it is very easy to have a child, but not so much to raise one.

-wraith808 (August 19, 2014, 12:47 PM)

I think we can all agree with you on that.

The big problem is that the law (and most of our social institutions) make themselves wilfully blind on that point.

There's an assumption that "parents just know" what's best for their children. And that includes the right to ignore prenatal health considerations, the right to refuse to have a child vaccinated, the right to ignore proper nutrition (so long as you don't starve them to death), and the right to dump all your hangups and phobias on their innocent heads. Why? Because "you're the parent!" It's the law. It's the way things are. And it says so in holy writ...

So again, just what special magic makes a person automatically qualified to raise a child just by virtue of their contributing an egg or sperm cell to the equation?

1288

Living Room / Delaware makes purchased digital content inheritable?

« Last post by 40hz on August 19, 2014, 12:58 PM »

It's a small but significant legal take-back from the publishing/media industry's one-sided licensing model.

Nate Hoffelder over at The Digital Reader reports as follows:

Delaware Passes Law Which Makes eBooks and Other Digital Content Inheritable
19 August, 2014 - Nate Hoffelder   
 

Do you know that clause in the TOS for the Kindle Store and many other digital content stores which says that the content is licensed to you and is nontransferable?

The state of Delaware just negated that clause (in part).

Last week Governor Jack Markell signed House Bill (HB) 345, “Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets and Digital Accounts Act”, giving heirs and the executors to estates the same rights over digital content which they would have over physical property. ...

Read the rest of the article here.

A small manifestation of legal sanity. One state at a time. One step at a time.

Looks like it's finally starting to happen. (Fingers crossed.)

1289

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 19, 2014, 12:37 PM »

So responsibility begets authority.  That's just how it works.

-wraith808 (August 19, 2014, 09:15 AM)

It think what you're actually saying is that legal liability grants legal authority? Well...ok...mostly.

But that's not the question I was asking. I was wondering just what it is about the act of biological procreation that magically grants unassailable wisdom and the absolute knowing "what's best" for the living product of one's own sexual intercourse?

Would-be adoptive parents are screened and have their backgrounds checked. Some even are made to attend classes. But drop your own little darlin' and shazzaam! you automatically are held to "just know" how to raise her/him. Why is that? Or is it just that I can't see the 'unicorns and glitter' all those biological parents can see?

When Ren said earlier that:

But it's not up to you or me to determine when other people's children are ready to assume any given right or responsibility -- that is purely the domain of the parent. Not you. Not me. Not the state. Not media pundits. Parents. Only. Exclusively.

My question is, exactly what makes natural parents automatically qualified to make such a decision. Because watching the parents in my decidedly upscale neck of the woods, I can assure you that a good many aren't much up to the task. A point with which many apparently agree considering the substantial number of them that farm out as much child rearing as possible to the school system, daycare providers, private nannies, and social activity groups.

So again:

If: "Parents. Only. Exclusively." :then: Why so? 

 

1290

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 19, 2014, 06:07 AM »

[/b]
40hz: I agree with enough of what you've said that I think the disagreement hinges upon our opinions of exactly how draconian this app is, or could be.  In my opinion, not so much.  Perhaps we can agree to disagree?

-Edvard (August 19, 2014, 04:17 AM)

Absolutely. We can always disagree and still remain respected friends. It'd be a very dull world if we all agreed 100% on everything.

And that's why we (ideally) will always have our Renegade(s). They make sure things don't get too dull on that score.

1291

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 19, 2014, 06:01 AM »

Perhaps I deserve a more charitable read?

-Renegade (August 18, 2014, 10:30 PM)

Apologies. When you said contrarian I thought you had an actual stake in the pot. I didn't realize you meant you were proposing something as Devil's advocate. (I tend to be impatient with people playing the Devil's advocate. Mainly because the role is misused so often. I'm sure you know what I mean.)

But it's not up to you or me to determine when other people's children are ready to assume any given right or responsibility -- that is purely the domain of the parent. Not you. Not me. Not the state. Not media pundits. Parents. Only. Exclusively.

-Renegade (August 18, 2014, 10:30 PM)

But we do! All the time. You don't drive until a certain age. You can't be out on certain nights of the week after a certain hour if you're under a certain age. You can't go to certain entertainments or watch certain films or play certain games until you reach what somebody else has determined is an "appropriate" age. You become eligible for military service at a given age regardless of how 'ready' your parent feels you are. You attend school on certain days at certain hours or face prosecution for truancy - along with your parents in some cases. There are so-called "juvenile courts" for dealing with seriously "troubled children." And laws that don't take full effect until you are no longer deemed a minor. None of these are based on a parent's consent or determination of their offspring's maturity. Schools look for signs of physical and emotional abuse - and are required by law to report any suspicions of same to the state's "child & family" authorities for investigation and possible legal action. And where does rearing and disciplining cross the line into the realm of abuse? The state authorities get the final word on that one.

So if only the parents have the right to decide when their kid is ready for additional responsibilities, they've certainly got a lot of people and infrastructure ready to show them that's not how things work around here.

But let's go back to a previous point:

But it's not up to you or me to determine when other people's children are ready to assume any given right or responsibility -- that is purely the domain of the parent. Not you. Not me. Not the state. Not media pundits. Parents. Only. Exclusively.

Because I have a deeper question: Why so?

Just what is it that makes someone who has done something they can claim very little (if any) direct credit for (i.e. biologically reproduce) feel they are automatically and absolutely qualified to raise a kid? There's this weird bit of knee-jerk magical logic that says "mother/father knows best." Even when it's quite obvious that approximately half of them do not.

How does that work?

1292

Adventures of Baby Cody / Re: A Genuine Baby Cody Sighting

« Last post by 40hz on August 18, 2014, 12:02 PM »

You're with Learnable? Awesome! I really like those folks.

1293

Living Room / Re: Animal Friends thread

« Last post by 40hz on August 18, 2014, 11:52 AM »

A more reasonable alternative explanation for the behavior that many on the youtube thread are suggesting, is that the dog is trying to "bury" the fish, the way dogs bury other kinds of food (videos available on youtube).

-mouser (August 18, 2014, 09:14 AM)

Agree.

I had a dog that would sometimes try to "bury" his food dish with his nose. He'd drag his nose across the linoleum floor so firmly it would squeak when he did. After several tries with the uncooperative floor, he'd eventually give up and just finish what was in his dish.

1294

Living Room / Re: Interesting "stuff"

« Last post by 40hz on August 18, 2014, 11:41 AM »

This is too cool! A Cthulhu Ouija Board! Ftaghn! Ia!


click to enlarge

It's by the Cthulhu Project who have a Kickstarter campaign in progress (running through Sept 4, 2014) to do it. (Note: they've already had one successful campaign to their credit.)

1295

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 18, 2014, 11:02 AM »

I'm (still) in the odd position of agreeing with your recommendations, but being a bit overwhelmed by your attitude.

-tomos (August 18, 2014, 07:47 AM)

If it comes across as "attitude," believe me it isn’t.

It's just object to the "levelling" I hear whenever the topic of the behavior of children comes up.

No...not everybody did something life threatening when a kid.

No...not every kid got into serious trouble over something.

No...not every kid is easily led.

No...not every teen routinely indulged in sex, drugs, and alcohol while in high school.

No...it's definitely not true that most of us didn't pay any attention while in school.

No...not every teen speeds, cuts classes, steals, regularly lies to their parents, or does bad things.

So when somebody comes to me and says "Well I remember how out of control I was at that age. We all were." I have to call BS on that and say: "Speak for yourself." Because most of us weren't. And since I deal with enough kids to appreciate how smart and aware of what's going on most of them are, it's not just simple belief on my part. They're just as sick and tired of the jerks they have to deal with as the rest of us are.
 

1296

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 18, 2014, 10:46 AM »

it's important to teach American children to accept electronic surveillance and coercion as early as possible. this misguided app will certainly help do that. :-(

-Gwen7 (August 18, 2014, 08:46 AM)

To be (somewhat) contrarian...

"My phone. I bought it. I paid for it. I am responsible for it. My phone. You get the privilege of using it at my discretion. When you turn 18 and buy your own phone, then you get to set the rules for your phone and assume all responsibility and all privileges. I set the rules for my phone. Feel free to give it back to me at any time."

-Renegade (August 18, 2014, 09:16 AM)

That's an oddly harsh and authoritarian argument (assuming you call a simple F.U. assertion an argument) coming from somebody who is so anti-authoritarian about just about everything else...

I sense a certain philosophical disconnect in progress.

It is perfectly possible to use this tool to illustrate that surveillance and coercion are not good things. I'd argue that this tool provides an excellent opportunity for that.

-Renegade (August 18, 2014, 09:16 AM)

Ah! The old trick of deliberately creating a horrible example of "what can happen" to teach a lesson about "the horrible thing that could happen - to you!" One could argue the same thing can be said for public flogging and capital punishment. Those have their advocates too. But again, that's hardly an argument. More what you'd call an assertion.

Just sayin'

1297

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by 40hz on August 17, 2014, 08:12 PM »

Really liked that number by Aurora Aksnes. 

1298

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 17, 2014, 07:25 PM »

This is being advanced in the name of "the children."

-40hz (August 17, 2014, 01:37 PM)

^that on it's own is not a reason to knock it either.

I suspect you dont have children from your response above (only those of us without kids could be so idealistic I think), but I still think you made good points

-tomos (August 17, 2014, 02:34 PM)

Although I don't have biological progeny of my own, I've done a fair amount of genuine child rearing in my time. So I'm not insensitive or unaware of the concerns many parents have. (Unless somebody wants put forth that old bromide that says: "if they're not your own it's not the same. Because if that's the case, we might as well just end the discussion now. )

However, just because somebody is "concerned," or "worried," or "Your Mother" doesn't justify doing something short-sighted and wrong (from both a behavioral and ethical perspective) in the name of "doing what's right for your child."

That's a 'justification' for all sorts of horrendous actions and interventions children shouldn't be subjected to.

You don't point electronic surveillance/control technology at a loved one. At least not in my school of ethics.

How do I know that?  Because I did it as a kid

-Edvard (August 17, 2014, 04:48 PM)

@E - I think that's a case of YMMV. Something that varies from family to family. That sort of thing hasn't been an issue in my family. Maybe it's luck. But we don't happen to think so. We like to think it's more how we bring our kids up. And our approach may not work for everybody since each family situation is different. So it goes.

Minor point: any time I hear people getting very defensive about something, I see a red flag. My opinion about somebody's parenting shouldn't matter to them if they truly do think they're doing what's right to the best of their knowledge. So when I hear people saying: "don't make me feel any less if I used it because I wanted to know if my kid was still alive or not" I suspect they too feel there is something intrinsically wrong with using an app like this one. I'm not trying to make anybody feel a certain way. But I am saying this entire approach is flat out wrong. It's harmful. It's dehumanizing. And it sends the wrong message to a kid about behaving responsibly and considerately.

But that's me.

1299

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 17, 2014, 01:37 PM »

^Don't think so. Re-read it again.

This is being advanced in the name of "the children."

1300

General Software Discussion / Re: Frustrated Mom Creates ‘Ignore No More’ App To Get Teen Kids To Return Calls

« Last post by 40hz on August 17, 2014, 01:20 PM »

^Even with that, the rest of my comment still stands because not every 'emergency' demands a 911 call. A call for roadside assistance or other less serious problem wouldn't be helped by having 911 available.

But this app doesn't block 911 solely due to a decision made by the app developer either. I have since learned ALL mobile devices are required by law to have non-defeatable 911 capabilities. Your cellphone can even dial 911 without a SIM card installed. As long as the antenna functions and can get a signal, you can call 911.

At least in the USA.