This reminds me of one of the most heartbreaking projects I've ever stumbled across: http://photorequestsfromsolitary.org
Jeeeeze, "heartbreaking" is the right word.
I'm not sure if thanks is the right word, but thanks.
Prison Company Patents VR to Give Inmates Brief Taste of Freedom
51–60 of 75 posts
Re: Prison Company Patents VR to Give Inmates Brief Taste of Freedom
#52This is your regular reminder about Preaching To The Choir.
Telling each other about the evils of software patents might be satisfying, but it has zero effect. The proof is that they're still there after almost 30 years, and programmers have hated them from the start.
Here's the problem:
(1) lawyers, as we know, don't want to solve problems -- they want to make them part of their practice.
(2) your corporate managers have already spent millions on patents, and they listen to their lawyers.
(3) your professional associations (ACM & IEEE, looking at you here) are not on your side either. I don't know enough about their reasons to speculate here but you're free to.
Do a search on "abolish software patents." There are organizations devoted to doing that. Join one.
The EFF has a lengthy article [1] and note the date: 2012.
When I was at Google an engineer / lawyer (yes, there are a few of those) wrote up a one-page bill for Congress, declaring all software patents obvious. I picture you all asking a Congressional candidate at a town hall "Do you support abolishing software patents?" and watching him or her panic and stall, and direct their staff to look into it.
Finally, I got the "file wrapper" for this patent. It was amazingly quick: less than two years. The PTO rejected it and then they amended it, and that's pretty much all there was. These things are incredibly boring to read and I can't summarize the details in any quick way.
[1] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/06/want-abolish-software-...
Re: Prison Company Patents VR to Give Inmates Brief Taste of Freedom
#53This is your regular reminder about Preaching To The Choir. Telling each other about the evils of software patents might be satisfying, but it has zero effect. The proof is that they're still there after almost 30 years, and programmers have hated them from the start. Here's the problem: (1) lawyers, as we know, don't want to solve problems -- they want to make them part of their practice. (2) your corporate managers…
Lawyers both create and solve problems.
Re: Prison Company Patents VR to Give Inmates Brief Taste of Freedom
#54This reminds me of one of the most heartbreaking projects I've ever stumbled across: http://photorequestsfromsolitary.org
Is this a thing where inmates in solitary want to see a specific thing, and we take pics of them and send it to them? Or is this an AI training thing? Edit: This breaks my heart. I found the hand written notes from inmates. One guy just wants to see his kid he doesnt know, one guy wants an aerial shot of his old neighborhood so he can stroll mentally down his street, and another just wants a photo of, as he put it, "…
Imagine you during covid lockdown with no TV, no internet, no phone, moldy food and no one to talk to. That's how I imagine solitary is. We put people in that situation for years. It makes them literally crazy. Modern day Gulag.
Re: Prison Company Patents VR to Give Inmates Brief Taste of Freedom
#55Can you really patent the reason you are using an existing technology?
Re: Prison Company Patents VR to Give Inmates Brief Taste of Freedom
#56A brief taste of freedom may be more cruel than kind, though I doubt it's cruel enough to trigger the eighth amendment. On the other hand, it does meet the standard of "unusual". The Pythons pioneered the "comfy chair" torture technique, which was supposed to be a joke. But if got the brief use of a comfy chair then had to go back to a hard bench it would be worse than before.
Yes, but is it profitable?
Re: Prison Company Patents VR to Give Inmates Brief Taste of Freedom
#57This is evil, and everyone working on these sorts of things are irredeemable.
This shouldn't be allowed. They charge an arm and a leg for these special privileges. It's totally exploitative of both the inmates and their families.
Re: Prison Company Patents VR to Give Inmates Brief Taste of Freedom
#58I can imagine Charlie Brooke frantically taking notes for the next season of Black Mirror.
I saw something like this on Youtube.
It was a video of a woman basically going through the stages of raising her daughter and having her boyfriend come back into her life.
The end is basically her only having 30 minutes to decide for abortion and would have to sit through it again for another chance at abortion.
Re: Prison Company Patents VR to Give Inmates Brief Taste of Freedom
#59Sounds very cruel, another sign that we can't control our technological growth at all. I have a friend, a former FAANG veteran that has dedicated his life to destroying what he calls "techno-Satan", maybe he's on to something. I have also noticed that programmers have a tendency to sometimes distrust the stuff they make. I for one will never install "smart" home devices, I'm happy with my classic light switch that wo…
People often conflate technological progress and some sort of overall bettering of society. Science/Technology have nothing, inherently, to do with morality, and people have not changed much. The future may be published by technology, but it will be written by our impulses.
Re: Prison Company Patents VR to Give Inmates Brief Taste of Freedom
#60I haven't looked into this specifically... But anytime some new prison tech or "service" comes up, take a look at who the inventor / investor / company is or belongs to. It's usually the warden or someone similar.