Interesting article thread

[Red Devil]

everyone already has a tracking device called a, "smart phone"

[Red Spot]

everyone already has a tracking device called a, "smart phone"

As long as I still need to do it all myself I will call it 'a slightly less dumb phone' (asldp?) ..

[MrTwosheds]

They have some inherent design flaws like an off switch. A smart person would realise than modern communications technology is actually a really great tool for education and encourage its use for work by pupils and teachers. They would take their I pads almost everywhere with them in school as they would not want other kids to get hold of it. The Spy-Master could then passively monitor them all without it being made obvious that it was being done. The rfid solution is ineffective, it does not work for intelligent subjects, it is being done, only to make it clear that it is being done! and that compliance is required and non compliance will be punished...A calculated act of oppression in other words. This is of course completely normal in schools, one of their prime functions being to deliver fully functioning "good citizens" for the rest of society to cynically exploit

[Red Spot]

Huh? .. errr .. sure ...

One thing, somewhat inline with your story, I found hilarious when I found out about it.
My employer lets 'blue collar' employees follow educations along the line of steelworker, basic logistics, etc. But all these educations have the same core ..
It involves questions like: 'do you post work related items on facebook and the likes?'
Thats what people find interesting to teach to people who already have been employed for 10 years(average) in an effort to make them more interesting for the company involved.
"I am a good employee, I did not post any work related info on facebook!"

[MrTwosheds]

We have a government that likes to do much the same thing. In order to keep my hgv and pcv licence entitlements that I acquired at my own cost by passing driving tests half a lifetime ago, I now have 1 year to complete further training and have to repeat that training every 5 years, in order to keep them. Just in case my poor little retarded-worker-brain cannot retain that sort of useless information. This will of course not be cheap, but it will be very very boring, uninformative and entirely unnecessary.

This has made me want to start a campaign to force all politicians to become "qualified" before they are permitted to take up the posts they have already been elected to hold... This actually seems like a really good idea considering the importance of their positions, and the incompetence many of them clearly exhibit as they make mess of our lives/economy/nations/world. The problem is, how would we force them to bring in such rules over themselves?

[Nielk1]

Student tracking gives me mixed feelings. I wonder how a private vs public school situation would effect it? Also, what about parents doing it to their own kids, how is that different from it being done by the school? I will have to look into it more before I ahve an opinion, my first thought is 'WTF' but knee-jerk reactions are never good.

[Psychedelic Rhino]

I have a friend who just returned from the U.K. last weekend. She said the streets of London feel unsafe, and also said she saw what appeared to be mini-mobs on several occasions.

Mr.2sheds, what's your feel on the manufactured unrest in the mideast working its way into the streets there?

[MrTwosheds]

At first look it seems like a good idea, but as the article pointed out, RFID allows anyone to track them! A very bad idea.
They have also not considered the psychological effects on the students/children. Children already feel like their entire lives are mostly controlled by someone else, as they grow into their teens this becomes an issue, always has done. Technology like this might increase the tendency to rebellion and thus have a detrimental effect on their education and steer their overall psychological profile towards paranoia.
And to be honest, if a school needs this to keep track of their children, then they are already getting it wrong at a very basic level.

[MrTwosheds]

I have a friend who just returned from the U.K. last weekend. She said the streets of London feel unsafe, and also said she saw what appeared to be mini-mobs on several occasions.

Mr.2sheds, what's your feel on the manufactured unrest in the mideast working its way into the streets there?

Its a common perception that our streets are unsafe, facts don't support it really. The mini mobs are almost certainly pubs (bars)
Smoking has been banned in all of them, so sizeable crowds now tend to form on the street outside them. This can be quite intimidating to passers by who do not love the company of drunken people, unfortunately drinking is our national pastime.

I think its unlikely that any attempt to manufacture unrest in the Muslim communities will work, and if it did I know that the police will enjoy "controlling" it immensely. The Muslim population here is only too aware that things could easily go very badly wrong for them if they do stuff like that here.
There is quite a sizeable problem of "forced marriage" I think we should consider recognising Sharia marriages, so then we can lock up their clerics with our pedophile's.
If they pull too many extremist stunts here, they will find themselves in a very bad position, the English are generally a very unholy bunch, we also have large populations of Hindu's, Sikh's, and others who traditionally, don't like them quite a lot. We are a very tolerant Nation, mostly.
Where is this video anyway?

[Zenophas]

I have a friend who just returned from the U.K. last weekend. She said the streets of London feel unsafe, and also said she saw what appeared to be mini-mobs on several occasions.

Mr.2sheds, what's your feel on the manufactured unrest in the mideast working its way into the streets there?

Its a common perception that our streets are unsafe, facts don't support it really. The mini mobs are almost certainly pubs (bars)
Smoking has been banned in all of them, so sizeable crowds now tend to form on the street outside them. This can be quite intimidating to passers by who do not love the company of drunken people, unfortunately drinking is our national pastime.

I think its unlikely that any attempt to manufacture unrest in the Muslim communities will work, and if it did I know that the police will enjoy "controlling" it immensely. The Muslim population here is only too aware that things could easily go very badly wrong for them if they do stuff like that here.
There is quite a sizeable problem of "forced marriage" I think we should consider recognising Sharia marriages, so then we can lock up their clerics with our pedophile's.
If they pull too many extremist stunts here, they will find themselves in a very bad position, the English are generally a very unholy bunch, we also have large populations of Hindu's, Sikh's, and others who traditionally, don't like them quite a lot. We are a very tolerant Nation, mostly.
Where is this video anyway?

Gah, my brain... it burns.... agghhh~~~!!!

[Ded10c]

It's a confidence issue, mostly. I imagine your friend is somewhat easily intimidated (by our standards, anyway).

[Iron_Maiden]

What are you looking at?:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... onkey.html

[MrTwosheds]

Mr.2sheds, what's your feel on the manufactured unrest in the mideast working its way into the streets there?

Apparently 150 people staged a protest in London, where they burnt US and UK flags. Lets hope the intelligence service where paying attention, I don't suppose they will be brave enough to offer some polite advice to those concerned about their choice of Nation to reside in though. Someone needs to do it.

[Ded10c]

they burnt US and UK flags

I fail to see how this could be an effective form of protest.

[AcneVulgaris]

Mr.2sheds, what's your feel on the manufactured unrest in the mideast working its way into the streets there?

Apparently 150 people staged a protest in London, where they burnt US and UK flags. Lets hope the intelligence service where paying attention, I don't suppose they will be brave enough to offer some polite advice to those concerned about their choice of Nation to reside in though. Someone needs to do it.

Crate them up and ship them back to whatever hellhole they crawled out of. Give them a few flags to burn when they get there, so they have something to keep them warm.