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Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

richardosgood.com

121–130 of 396 posts

Re: Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

#121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a lie. Some entity somewhere banned them. It's vague, not inaccurate. You're just pissy because they aren't using your personal favorite parameters around "banned" for "by whom" and "for whom". You're pretending your opinion is fact and therefore anyone who disagrees must be a liar.

I'm curious of your take on one thing. Many of the sexuality oriented books (which your list is overwhelmingly composed of) tend to, unsurprisingly, have sexual content which is often rather explicit. Some of these books even have explicit artwork within them. I'm sure you'd agree that if books had ratings then many/all of these books would R, if not NC17, rated. And even in high schools screening R-rated movies is g…

> (which your list is overwhelmingly composed of

"My" list? I don't have a list. If you're talking about OP's list, I disagree with that. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are not sexual books. From what I know of many of the other more recent books people have tried to ban, I absolutely would not agree the ratings would be R/NC17 for those either. Here's a list of PG13 (And PG!) movies with nudity. https://www.imdb.com/list/ls548607223/

I agree that 7 year olds should not be shown sexual content. There exists content with sexual themes which are appropriate for teenagers.

Also, the comment you replied to is downthread in an argument over whether it's a "lie" to call books that someone banned, a banned book.

Re: Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

#122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I chose books that were out of copyright, available from project Gutenberg, and had been banned or challenged in the USA at some point in the past to use as examples. There weren't many options. It's designed so the user can include whatever books are important to them wherever they may live. They may live somewhere more oppressive where banned books are a common occurrence. I have no idea. It wouldn't be wise to inc…

In oppressive places a CCTV will detect you installing the bulb.

The mitigation here is to make it only turn on after 60 days. most places don't store cctv footage for more than a month, so if you have a dummy period, by the time it's noticed, the footage will be gone

Re: Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

#123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Banned books" is the colloquial term for these books Yes, many people are either unaware of, or willing participants in, this lie. That doesn't make it any less of a lie.

It's not a lie. Some entity somewhere banned them. It's vague, not inaccurate. You're just pissy because they aren't using your personal favorite parameters around "banned" for "by whom" and "for whom". You're pretending your opinion is fact and therefore anyone who disagrees must be a liar.

"Formerly banned books" would be more accurate.

We no longer say that "cannabis is illegal in California"; that would be factually incorrect. Instead we say, "cannabis was formerly illegal". In standard usage of English, the same pattern applies to banned vs formerly banned books.

Edit: wording

Re: Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

#124
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It wouldn't be wise to include copyrighted works in a public repository where I live. If you have a problem with storing illegal books in your "banned book library", you may be working on the wrong project.

As it stands it is a great example for others to learn from. If you include copyrighted books it’ll get pulled from GitHub and no one will learn from it.

> If you include copyrighted books it’ll get pulled from GitHub and no one will learn from it.

And how does that differ from including banned books?

Re: Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

#125
post #34

“As the Americans learned so painfully in Earth’s final century, free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last lose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to informatio…

GREATEST strategy and philosophical game I have witnessed in the past 30 years...

Peak of complexity and maturism in games...

Re: Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

#126

I'm surprised there are banned books with 1st amendment exists in America? I'm curious as to what these are. I think its rather silly that books can be banned.

You would be correct there are no "banned books" in America. When people say "banned book" they mean that a certain level of government such as a school board or municipality has "banned" them from being in a public (often school) library. But the headline "In [state I disagree with] they are banning books that have [ideas I agree with]" makes a lot more headlines and clicks. Then people run with the phrase "banned b…

Each state is part of the USA, and each state DOES ban some books.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_banning_in_the_United_Sta...

USA is ultra conservative on the average in comparison to just any European state for example.

Re: Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

#127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Put dollar store lamp with enabled lightbulb in backpack. Enter library. Scope out cameras. Find outlet in blind spot. Install lamp and bulb. Drop hints like qr sticky notes, or riddles like don't ban books, turn ur bulb on. WinRAR.

If you put something the oppressive regime really doesn't like, finding who went into the blind spot in the time that the lamp appeared is easily automated. Ingress & egress are covered. You may get lucky but you might be gambling your family on it too.

Freedom has a price, people outside the regime (refugees of the regime) could explain and pay friends outside of the oppressive regime, to sell them at a loss (below market rate).

People inside the oppressive regime will unwittingly buy smart bulbs, that only activate after enough were smuggled in at the same date, so that by the time the regime detects some, all bulbs will be traced to non-refugee sellers outside its jurisdiction, absolving any unwitting participants buying and powering them, so it's important the ad doesn't advertise any quirks or functionality added, as that would compromise the buyers.

By having the sellers be random foreigners (from the perspective of the oppressive regime), the regime can't punish the family of the refugees sponsoring this infiltration, if it doesn't know which refugee friends the seller has (so it should also be a low contact friend, so the refugee would have to convince a friend to do one large batch once, and never meet again..., which is a bit sad).

This assumes commercial entities aren't selling friend network data, or if they do, that oppressive regimes somehow can't get their hands on it. A rather dubious assumption in 2026...

Re: Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

#128
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Install it at night with gloves, wipe it to avoid fingerprints, and this hoodie https://hackaday.com/2023/03/06/adversarial-ir-hoodie-lets-y...

CCTVs operate in networks and use gait recognition, those hoodies are snake oil. You suggest to just teleport out after the installation, I presume?

Wouldn't you just need IR pants as well then?

Re: Banned book library in a wi-fi smart light bulb

#129

Some books deserve to be banned. I would put Kevin MacDonald's antisemitic trilogy The Culture of Critique, the Turner Diaries ( which calls for mass extermination of non-white groups in the USA ) and Mein Kampf in the realm of books that should be shunned.

Why would you ban Main Kampf? Have you ever even read it?

Its ultra important for historical/social and linguistic education.

I read it when I was 14, and I'm from Poland.

It is AWFUL and PAINFUL to read due to the horrible styling - which amuses me to this day. :) That's why no need to ban it hehehe

Nowadays books are for intellectuals, not for the masses... That's why I would be ok for any modern teenager to read anything 18+ or anti-whatever books :) It's net positive no matter of content IMO.

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