tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post8018566075458990403..comments2024-03-27T23:12:08.917-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: The Arrival of Face Recognition Apps… and more transparency newsDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-56955474573522014742014-01-12T12:28:52.268-08:002014-01-12T12:28:52.268-08:00onward
onward<br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-65804555523648711962014-01-12T11:05:58.506-08:002014-01-12T11:05:58.506-08:00Being branded by your social reputation (SQ) is no...Being branded by your social reputation (SQ) is not just 'similar to racism', it is racism.<br /><br />We measure 'Social reputation' in multifactorial fashion through a combination of social indicators which include employment, occupation, income, level of education, credit score, cultural background, physical health & presentability, all of which are racially derived. <br /><br />All social indicators break down along racial lines irregardless of culture, so much so that if you are poor, unhealthy, uneducated, unemployed or incarcerated, than you are most likely (statistically speaking) the member of an ethnic, racial or cultural minority wherever you may reside.<br /><br />In the USA, although people of color make up about 30 percent of the United States’ population, they account for 60 percent of those imprisoned, including 1/3rd of the adult black male population over the course of their lifetime. <br /><br />The male unemployment rate in France averages about 20%, excepting that 80% of all male Muslim 'people of colour' are either unemployed or unemployable. <br /><br />Even in places like Denmark, the social paragons that they are, practice a form of 'beneficent' racial segregation, turning a blind eye toward the homeless (Roma) gypsy minority, not even bothering to count them as 'people' (let alone 'homeless people') even though their sleeping forms carpet the sidewalks of Copenhagen.<br /><br />Of course, these facial recognition apps will streamline & modernise this entire process, allowing us to protect our daughters from unsavory influences while we discriminate indiscriminately in the most PC of fashions, by changing the name of the snake through a ban on all racially or gender insensitive terminology, all while institutionalizing its discriminating venom into our software. <br /><br />Then, we can all become 'Good Germans', obeying our Apps in a guilt-free fashion, as our smartphones instruct us to avoid or eliminate the unsavory social element, in the manner of "MLK's own approved alternative". <br /><br /><br /><br />Best.locumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-56459367189910724502014-01-12T10:46:07.472-08:002014-01-12T10:46:07.472-08:00I suppose fake beards for women traveling alone mi...I suppose fake beards for women traveling alone might appear.<br />http://jumpersbloghouse.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post.htmlJumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-35890178961919187752014-01-12T09:26:57.790-08:002014-01-12T09:26:57.790-08:00Is Cory Doctorow an idiot?
http://blog.plover.com/...Is Cory Doctorow an idiot?<br />http://blog.plover.com/politics/prying.html<br /><br />Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-40256326665848063712014-01-11T17:31:47.153-08:002014-01-11T17:31:47.153-08:00I got a chuckle from LR's "coloreds"...I got a chuckle from LR's "coloreds" riff. But MLK actually wanted his "four little children" to be judged by the "content of their character"(**) rather than their skin melanin levels. So being branded by your social reputation is not "similar" to racism, but is MLK's own approved alternative.<br /><br />But it does make for an interesting bit of SF what-if. "No Irish or social-Reds" (One David has partly covered with his "probies" in the Uplift series, and the subsequent breeding-rights cards.)<br /><br />(** And if you're wondering, selfish greedy jerks from what I've seen.)<br /><br />Re: MYOB.<br /><br />This is the name of a popular business accounting package. So colour this little bookkeeper occasionally confused by this thread.Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-22771111436308922322014-01-11T12:18:27.269-08:002014-01-11T12:18:27.269-08:00The biggest problem I have with the proliferation ...The biggest problem I have with the proliferation of information available about myself is the fact that it is still possible for someone else to impersonate me ("steal my identity") by claiming to know some of that information.<br /><br />The idea that anyone who knows my social security number and birthdate can be <b>presumed</b> to be me is insane if anyone's google-glasses can display that information at a glance. The solution isn't for me to protect those data points (which is not possible) but to lose the presumption. Of course, that begs the question of how one <b>does</b> establish one's bona-fides in this brave new world. I've got no answers there.<br /><br />But even before Tru-Vu (tm) and such, the presumption was always precarious. I know my brother's SSN and birthdate, and we even resemble each other facially. I'd never use that information nefariously, but others in the same situation might do so. I know the birthdates of all my daughter's friends whose birthday parties she attends every year. The idea that one can keep that sort of information close enough to the vest to work as a password is absurd.<br /><br />I remember the line from Star Trek TNG where a time-traveling Picard laments that he didn't get to know Mark Twain better, and Twain replies "Read my books. It's pretty much alll there." Good writers try to communicate who they are to their readers. 'Twould be a terrible shame if they have to start engaging in a degree of self-censorship because of what someone might deduce from a passage in a book that could be used to steal their identity.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-84700962322872571912014-01-11T12:17:28.328-08:002014-01-11T12:17:28.328-08:00My mistake! I now realise that the facial recognit...My mistake! I now realise that the facial recognition app will be a boon for both public safety & the PC agenda.<br /><br />All we need to do is tweak the app with a color-coded 'sociability' rating scale. For instance, the screen would blink 'green' if the scanned individual is safe for David's daughter to associate with, 'yellow' if that person represents a moral hazard or even 'red' if that person represents a real & present danger.<br /><br />Then, being empowered & forewarned, David's daughter can cross the street to avoid associating with suspect persons of color. We could even label safe areas & certain drinking fountains 'Green Only', making the occasional exception for 'high yellows'. <br /><br />Sounds familiar, don't it?<br /><br /><br />Best.locumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-79471719027493272302014-01-11T11:50:46.294-08:002014-01-11T11:50:46.294-08:00I note that there has been no attempt to reconcile...I note that there has been no attempt to reconcile the libertarian ideal of 'MYOB' with informational transparency, leaving one to assume that it can't be done.<br /><br />And, rather than arguing that 'failure modes are compulsory', I merely argue (as any scientist familiar with pure research should) that failure is probable because success is the exception rather than the rule.<br /><br />If only it were otherwise. Then, I too could argue that the morally exceptional Denmarks are less rare and therefore more prevalent than a plethora of Italies. Then, I could dedicate myself to the PC 'zero tolerance' on intolerance policy with brown-shirted impunity. Then, I too could quip that 'what empowers also deters' until all words lose their meaning.<br /><br />My children will also want to use that facial recognition app as much as possible ... assuming, of course, that so much selfish empowerment does not deter them from pursuing college.<br /><br /><br />Best. locumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-19109098862558704362014-01-11T11:40:54.310-08:002014-01-11T11:40:54.310-08:00We had a taste of this without face recognition wi...We had a taste of this without face recognition with the iPhone app - "Girls near me" or something like that. People who checked in with the website had their location and social media information fed to others. It was considered rather creepy. The creepiness may be due to the information asymmetry, rather than the information per se. <br /><br />However, how can I stress this. I really, really dislike having a hole poked in my anonymity by checkout staff addressing me by name to be "friendly". This would be even more irritating if I was engaged by sales staff about would I like to buy that item I was looking at last time. Nor do I want random strangers approaching me even if I have reciprocal information about them. If we are going down this "inevitable" path, then we need social protocols to telegraph availability. Alex Tolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01556422553154817988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-81125433597850649502014-01-11T11:01:39.359-08:002014-01-11T11:01:39.359-08:00Larry,
Re: Christie's bridge problem.
I wonde...Larry,<br />Re: Christie's bridge problem.<br /><br />I wonder how that Ft Lee Mayor and other Dems in the affected region are polling at the moment?Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-25980967324483429252014-01-11T10:28:42.753-08:002014-01-11T10:28:42.753-08:00There will be cases where stalkers are empowered b...There will be cases where stalkers are empowered by these face-recog systems and very bad things will happen that cause outcries. Our civilization might teeter over whether FIRST folks start discovering - hey, this is a great way to catch and deter stalkers. And I want my daughter to have this app at college.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-72717003730992029992014-01-11T07:24:10.664-08:002014-01-11T07:24:10.664-08:00I suspect that the facial recognition tagging apps...I suspect that the facial recognition tagging apps will prove to be too popular and generally useful to be widely banned. There will be some attempts at garden-walling, but I think that they will mostly be swept away by the first widely-used, integrated app that comes along. I suspect that this is also when we see the first suscessful "reputation" scoring system as well. Call it the cocktail party app.matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-4470252176224428342014-01-11T00:52:29.961-08:002014-01-11T00:52:29.961-08:00Oh, and for the writers in the audience...
The ch...Oh, and for the writers in the audience...<br /><br />The cheif of staff or whoever who ordered the lane shutdowns is named BRIDGE-t Kelly? You can't make this stuff up.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-81690740449673827492014-01-11T00:48:05.227-08:002014-01-11T00:48:05.227-08:00The short version for now...
Whether or not Chris...The short version for now...<br /><br />Whether or not Christie personally ordered the lane shutdown, it's disturbing that his administration is such that subordinates expect that the way to get in good with the boss is to use political office engage in petty vindictiveness.<br /><br />The Ft Lee Mayor was being punished for not being one of the many Democrats to cross the aisle and endorse Christie for governor, right? The cross-aisle endorsements supposedly show how inclusive Christie would be as a presidential candidate, right? I wonder how many of those endorsements were made fearfully--in expectation of retaliation if they didn't go along.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-73195845004089093652014-01-11T00:18:06.398-08:002014-01-11T00:18:06.398-08:00Heh.
Of course, I meant "inappropriate under...Heh.<br /><br />Of course, I meant "inappropriate underneath a non-political posting".<br /><br />Or maybe more to the point, will Dr Brin be posting about the subject himself soon?LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-5732300215588395522014-01-10T18:54:56.933-08:002014-01-10T18:54:56.933-08:00Speaking of giant dicks. The company responsible f...Speaking of giant dicks. The company responsible for the heathcare.gov failure (CGI Federal) looks like being axed from the contract. I mentioned in a previous thread that when the botched a state system, their "punishment" was to have their contract doubled to fix it. Looks like incompetence was finally recognised and dealt with accordingly.<br /><br />Rumours say that the government is instead looking at Accenture as a replacement. A company internationally notorious for botching large government systems.<br /><br />Sigh.Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-44057143409015226332014-01-10T18:44:56.017-08:002014-01-10T18:44:56.017-08:00...Unless you plan to use that as a segue?
"......Unless you plan to use that as a segue? <br /><br />"Oh, speaking of giant dicks..."Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-39345357616351226652014-01-10T18:42:24.041-08:002014-01-10T18:42:24.041-08:00Larry,
"Inappropriate" in this blog. Or ...Larry,<br />"Inappropriate" in this blog. Or "Inappropriate" immediately after a string of "penis enlargement" gags?Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-46654890103095617882014-01-10T18:19:15.411-08:002014-01-10T18:19:15.411-08:00@LarryHart: I already have mentioned him. Go for i...@LarryHart: I already have mentioned him. Go for it, if you feel you must.Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-29797531930270906272014-01-10T17:43:37.157-08:002014-01-10T17:43:37.157-08:00Is it inappropriate to talk about Chris Christie h...Is it inappropriate to talk about Chris Christie here? Because sooner or later, you know I'm going to have to. Right?LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-3224171995147113132014-01-10T15:02:03.678-08:002014-01-10T15:02:03.678-08:00The enlargement may refer to the arousal the selle...The enlargement may refer to the arousal the seller feels when thinking of sales of these pills. <br /><br />'much ngcymm' - is this the active ingredient?Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-18434677273622183792014-01-10T11:11:27.588-08:002014-01-10T11:11:27.588-08:00"A pill that would give your unborn male offs...<i>"A pill that would give your unborn male offspring a larger penis by altering the epigenetic control of development might work too. (Side effects on female offspring?)"</i><br /><br />I would hope there would be a corresponding effect on (other people's) female offspring, otherwise if it works too well your sons might have trouble producing offspring of their own.John's Secret Identity™https://www.blogger.com/profile/03415668996117415753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-11255445278151603462014-01-10T09:41:02.957-08:002014-01-10T09:41:02.957-08:00[How exactly would a penis enlarging pill work? I ...<i>[How exactly would a penis enlarging pill work? I mean, if it worked, wouldn't it increase your risk of cancer?]</i><br /><br />Targeted cell lengthening might work. (YMMV with side effects) :) <br /><br />A pill that would give your unborn male offspring a larger penis by altering the epigenetic control of development might work too. (Side effects on female offspring?)<br /><br />Alex Tolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01556422553154817988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-14594480869686441752014-01-10T08:40:03.243-08:002014-01-10T08:40:03.243-08:00[How exactly would a penis enlarging pill work? I ...[How exactly would a penis enlarging <i>pill</i> work? I mean, if it worked, wouldn't it increase your risk of cancer?]<br /><br />Re: NSA.<br /><br />It would be nice if they could give me a copy of my phone records. Hell, my bank's online account listing only goes back 9 months, and doesn't let you sort by the name of the payee/payer. I'd love to be able to bring up my bank records, click on my last rent payment, say, and get a neat filtered list of every single payments to my landlord's account.<br /><br />At least Google gives you something back for their universal surveillance.<br /><br />Re: Nametag universal face recognition.<br /><br />Once, alcoholic drinks were consumed at any time. Alc.Vol was low (typically lower than modern beer), and it was safer than water because alcohol killed parasites & bacteria. But getting roaring drunk took an effort. When cheap distillation was invented, it was much easier to get vomitingly drunk. So a culture of not drinking before an arbitrary time (say, just before lunch) was created.<br /><br />But weirdly, our society seems to resist developing similar voluntary social habits in response to universal surveillance. Instead it's left to the weirdos and activists to try to subvert the system, and thus stand out even more.<br /><br /><i>"Trains deliver ads directly into your head: [...] When a commuters rest their heads against a window, [...] via bone-sonic induction through the glass."</i><br /><br />That deserves a punch in the groin for the inventors. They didn't just play loud obnoxious ads to a trapped audience, they specifically saw people trying to rest, to sleep, and thought, "Wow, I could totally ruin that, and get paid for it!"<br /><br />To have that much contempt for your fellow humans without earning equal contempt from humanity in return, seems unfair.Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-56149764949465539912014-01-10T07:22:59.984-08:002014-01-10T07:22:59.984-08:00The Philosopher's Magazine (tpm) issue 22 has ...The Philosopher's Magazine (tpm) issue 22 has a nice set of articles in the Forum about the morality of surveillance. The article on "Untargeted Surveillance" is interesting as it separates the act of surveillance from the uses of it. The use of surveillance by the East German Stasi - very negative consequences - was the problem that resulted in a stifling of culture. When I was a lad, British schoolteachers could still cuff you around the head to control behavior in class. The Stasi was like that in spades.<br /><br />Harper Valley PTA. It is a fun song, but it only works because Mrs Johnson was prepared to make a public stand. Had she been like most people, she wouldn't have been able to do that. Had she been one of the 25% introverts, she probably would have been forced out of town. And while various targets may have been hypocrites, that wouldn't have stopped the majority from bullying her to make her conform to local social norms. If she had traits that couldn't be changed - race, religion, etc, no amount of fighting back would have ensured that the community accepted her. Human interactions are way more complex than simple power relationships based on knowledge.<br /><br />$38 UbiSlate 7Ci. THINK ABOUT IT. A computer with keyboard and screen in the same price range as a Raspberry Pi or Arduino board. It only gets cheaper from here too. Think of the potential market for peripherals that can be semi-permanently connected for this price. This has the potential to drive a huge ecosystem of software and devices that benefit from a screen and some basic connectivity when needed. I see this as a potential disruptive technology.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Alex Tolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01556422553154817988noreply@blogger.com