It seems to me the word "grandstanding" is an unfair characterization.
I think "grandstanding" is entirely fair. Why are they having a hissy fit about this, but they completely ignore the other, even greater, privacy infringements that we've been subject to for years (CCTV, the consolidation of electronic data, internet surveillance, etc.)?
They're picking this as their target because they smell the ability to generate and capitalize on a populist outrage while not even beginning to address the real problems.
While people hate change (when the pain of change is greater than the perceived benefits), I don't think that's the source of peoples discomfort with this at all. I say this as someone who doesn't have any greater discomfort with this than with any other public use of cameras.
Also, "people hate change" has become the standard way to dismiss critics out of hand without having to actually address their issues. In other words, whatever merit it may have, it's become meaningless as used today.
I agree with you that this reason for reducing yellow light times is totally unacceptable, but please let me defend the use of "legitimate".
(Disclaimer, I am an engineer and look at these things through that lens). This is a classic case of an engineering tradeoff. Optimizing for one variable (reducing gridlock) often deoptimizes another variable (reducing intersection accidents).
To reduce the yellow light timings to ease gridlock is a legitimate engineering solution. It is not an acceptable public policy decision in my opinion, as it is optimizing for the wrong thing -- but that's not the sort of call an engineer typically makes. He's just told "optimize for 'x'" by his bosses. If he's really good at his job, he'll already have submitted an analysis to his bosses explaining all the various consequences of doing what they want, but it's still their call.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Centrally controlled fiat currencies are a pyramid scheme
What you say may be largely true, and is a good explanation of what is wrong with our economic system.
Instead, you want people to preserve their wealth in the form of productive assets
That's not preserving wealth, though, that's risking it. It's an important and valuable thing, to be sure, but there should be some way of being able to hold on to what you've earned without risk.
Preserving wealth is as important as generating wealth. Without that ability, we are all but indentured servants.
the major way i can communicate that, is by leaving a crappy tip
That's a big gun to wield, though, and ends up hurting people who aren't at fault for your dissatisfaction as you're depriving the entire working staff, from cooks through servers all the way to the dishwashers.
But I do it. For me, a "crappy" tip is 15%. The tip I leave for adequacy is 20%. Exceptional service and/or food is somewhere north of 20%.
If things were so bad that leaving even 15% seems too much, I complain directly to the manager (and still leave 15% even if the check is comp'd).
I eat out a lot, at restaurants all across the price/genre range, and here's my take.
Whether this practice bothers me or not depends. If I'm at a low-end eatery, I expect it. If I'm someplace that claims to actually cook their own food (thus, I'm expecting the food to be actually good and lacking in industrial chemicals like preservatives and food colorings), or if I'm paying very much above grocery-store prices for it, this practice ensures I won't return to the restaurant.
It's all about the essence of good business: meeting the expectations that the business sets.
Re: Re: Centrally controlled fiat currencies are a pyramid scheme
Everyone could do with a reminder that their bank deposits are loans, not cash vaults. Those investments can sometimes fail. Nor is currency a good way to store your wealth, anyway. It is a means of facilitating exchanges, preserving value is not its purpose.
Which simply underscores the pyramid-like nature of fiat money. (Although fiat money is not actually anything like a pyramid scheme, it does share a few attributes with them).
Or to put it another way, isn't there something wrong with a monetary system that provides no real way of preserving value?
John Fenderson (profile), May 15th, 2013 @ 11:02am
Re: Re: Re: Shocking
The thing is Ninja that the public is one of the stakeholders, and they are represented at the table by the politicians they elected or the people those politicians appoint to do the job.
Did you have as much difficulty maintaining a straight face when you wrote this as I had when reading it?
Politicians and those they appoint are definitely not representing the public. They are representing their donors.
It makes no sense that a secret as large and important as that would be revealed in any basic training whatsoever. I would think it would be one of those "need to know" things that wouldn't be mentioned at all unless you're actually directly dealing with alien materials.
So, it seems overwhelmingly likely that the briefing you attended, if it took place as you say, was 100% bullshit.
Someone is brave when they can act in the face of fear. It's not really an emotion on its own. Someone who is without fear cannot be brave, by definition.
On the post: Congress Grandstanding Over Google Glass 'Privacy' Concerns; Next Up: Privacy Concerns Over Your Eyes
Re: Re:
That's impossible to know, but irrelevant anyway.
Only the entities that I specifically and actively select to have it.
Not actually true. It just requires greater vigilance to keep nowadays -- and I think this is the source of people's nervousness about Google Glass.
On the post: Congress Grandstanding Over Google Glass 'Privacy' Concerns; Next Up: Privacy Concerns Over Your Eyes
Re: Re:
I think "grandstanding" is entirely fair. Why are they having a hissy fit about this, but they completely ignore the other, even greater, privacy infringements that we've been subject to for years (CCTV, the consolidation of electronic data, internet surveillance, etc.)?
They're picking this as their target because they smell the ability to generate and capitalize on a populist outrage while not even beginning to address the real problems.
That's the very definition of grandstanding.
On the post: Congress Grandstanding Over Google Glass 'Privacy' Concerns; Next Up: Privacy Concerns Over Your Eyes
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
But the technology is not new.
On the post: Congress Grandstanding Over Google Glass 'Privacy' Concerns; Next Up: Privacy Concerns Over Your Eyes
Re: I'll tell you why...
Also, "people hate change" has become the standard way to dismiss critics out of hand without having to actually address their issues. In other words, whatever merit it may have, it's become meaningless as used today.
On the post: Florida's Redlight Program Designed To Make Driving More Dangerous By Shortening Yellow Lights
Re: Re:
(Disclaimer, I am an engineer and look at these things through that lens). This is a classic case of an engineering tradeoff. Optimizing for one variable (reducing gridlock) often deoptimizes another variable (reducing intersection accidents).
To reduce the yellow light timings to ease gridlock is a legitimate engineering solution. It is not an acceptable public policy decision in my opinion, as it is optimizing for the wrong thing -- but that's not the sort of call an engineer typically makes. He's just told "optimize for 'x'" by his bosses. If he's really good at his job, he'll already have submitted an analysis to his bosses explaining all the various consequences of doing what they want, but it's still their call.
On the post: Footage Of Lethal Beating Deleted From Seized Phone; Sheriff Asks FBI To Take Over Investigation
Re: Trust of breach
Indeed it is. Most people don't realize that county Sheriff is one of the, if not the, most powerful law enforcement position in the US.
On the post: Homeland Security's ICE Group Cuts Off Dwolla Bitcoin Transfers
Re: Re: Re: Re: Centrally controlled fiat currencies are a pyramid scheme
That's not preserving wealth, though, that's risking it. It's an important and valuable thing, to be sure, but there should be some way of being able to hold on to what you've earned without risk.
Preserving wealth is as important as generating wealth. Without that ability, we are all but indentured servants.
On the post: Restaurant's Facebook Goes Nuclear Over Reviews & Gordon Ramsay; Owners Cry Hack
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
That's a big gun to wield, though, and ends up hurting people who aren't at fault for your dissatisfaction as you're depriving the entire working staff, from cooks through servers all the way to the dishwashers.
But I do it. For me, a "crappy" tip is 15%. The tip I leave for adequacy is 20%. Exceptional service and/or food is somewhere north of 20%.
If things were so bad that leaving even 15% seems too much, I complain directly to the manager (and still leave 15% even if the check is comp'd).
On the post: Restaurant's Facebook Goes Nuclear Over Reviews & Gordon Ramsay; Owners Cry Hack
Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: Restaurant's Facebook Goes Nuclear Over Reviews & Gordon Ramsay; Owners Cry Hack
Re: Re: Re:
Whether this practice bothers me or not depends. If I'm at a low-end eatery, I expect it. If I'm someplace that claims to actually cook their own food (thus, I'm expecting the food to be actually good and lacking in industrial chemicals like preservatives and food colorings), or if I'm paying very much above grocery-store prices for it, this practice ensures I won't return to the restaurant.
It's all about the essence of good business: meeting the expectations that the business sets.
On the post: Aaron Swartz's Last Project: Open Source System To Securely & Anonymously Submit Documents To The Press
Re: Deadrop
On the post: UK Recording Industry Looks To Censor More Sites With No Trial Or Conviction
Re: Re: Re: censorship
On the post: UK Recording Industry Looks To Censor More Sites With No Trial Or Conviction
Re: Re: Re:
The rationale fails with all of these groups.
On the post: Homeland Security's ICE Group Cuts Off Dwolla Bitcoin Transfers
Re: Re: Centrally controlled fiat currencies are a pyramid scheme
Which simply underscores the pyramid-like nature of fiat money. (Although fiat money is not actually anything like a pyramid scheme, it does share a few attributes with them).
Or to put it another way, isn't there something wrong with a monetary system that provides no real way of preserving value?
On the post: Homeland Security's ICE Group Cuts Off Dwolla Bitcoin Transfers
Re: Re: Re: Bitcoin is essentially a pyramid scheme.
Personally, I'm kindof happy that serious investors are shy about it. Serious investors tend to ruin everything.
On the post: Copyright Holders Will Define Details Of UK's Orphan Works Bill, But Not The Public
Re: Re: Re: Shocking
Did you have as much difficulty maintaining a straight face when you wrote this as I had when reading it?
Politicians and those they appoint are definitely not representing the public. They are representing their donors.
On the post: DailyDirt: Life On Other Planets
Re:
So, it seems overwhelmingly likely that the briefing you attended, if it took place as you say, was 100% bullshit.
On the post: US's 'Cyberwar' Strategy: Making The Public Less Secure In The Name Of 'Security'
Re: Re: The reality of governing
On the post: Why ESPN's Offer To Pay To Have Its Content Bypass Data Cap Meters Plays Right Into The Hands Of Wireless Providers
Re: Win-win-win (or not)
That's because you're ignoring everyone who is not a sports fan, ESPN, or carrier. For them, it's not so good.
On the post: DOJ Unconcerned About The Constitution, Obtained AP Reporters' Phone Records
Re: Re: Re:
he did accomplish some good stuff (although a lot of what is credited to him was really the work of Congress).
However, a criminal president can never be a good president, regardless of the list of accomplishments.