[waffle_ss]

Apparently I'm grumpy beyond my years but I find these lighthearted jabs at the NSA counter-productive as they just trivialize what happened. I'd much rather see creations that will help bring about change, like shining a spotlight on the representatives that support these programs.

For instance Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Senate Intelligence committee, who said "the authorities need this information in case someone might become a terrorist in the future."

[jb17]

You don't like "lighthearted jabs", but you call yourself waffle_ss!?

[kwantam]

Excuse me, do you really think now is the right time to trivialize the waffle issue?

[verelo]

stop waffling and get back to the topic...

[nulagrithom]

I didn't see it as lighthearted at all, more like a well presented and terrifying idea that obviously came to fruition. This is a bit more "in your face" than the tacky NSA slideshow.

[verelo]

I completely agree and actually would argue that it further pushes the point of why we should be concerned: They cant even make good slides, how can anyone be sure they're keeping the data they collect (legally or not - irrelevant for this point) safe?

I suppose you could also say they spend their time keeping the data safe and not producing quality slides, but i would consider it to be more of an insight into the quality of their overall architecture.

[advice4u]

>They cant even make good slides, how can anyone be sure they're keeping the data they collect...

When I was in university, my professors made and taught from slides of roughly the same quality. Does that mean they cannot do their jobs? Obviously not: they have proved important theorems, published significant papers, worked on interesting patents, and successfully trained their students (all the while updating and reusing shoddy slides for years and years).

I am a little surprised at the surprise/snobbery over the quality of NSA's slides, as if it mattered. In my mind, blustering about colors and fonts in a case of this import only serves to highlight the triviality of designers: they are a luxury.

[verelo]

Clearly a lot of people agree with you (including myself). I should clarify that I don't think its a hard and fast rule...but if this is something they consider to be acceptable then my point is simply that it doesn't inspire confidence in the work they'll put out in other areas of the organization.

[jsmcgd]

I disagree. Satire is a very effective form of political argument. There are probably many people in the politically apathetic masses who will have not followed recent developments. Unlike the regular media, gimmicks like this can effectively penetrate their consciousness.

[stevelaz]

I would disagree with what you consider to be an insight. There are plenty of great architectures that don't have well designed slide shows to go with them. Come now, look at some of the old school web sites that hard core *nix hackers kept. An example would be the old Linux kernel website was a single text page. Sure, they've upgraded it in this past year, but it was a simple ugly site many years before that. If your argument about slide show vs arch is true, then Linux would have failed long ago.

[newman314]

Next up, pre-crime per Minority Report.

Agreed, this is alarming beyond belief.

[chris_mahan]

This morning I heard Pink Floyd's The Wall.

We don't need no education...

We don't need no thought control... (Actually, per the United States Senate Intelligence Committee, you do.)

Stand still laddie!

[microcolonel]

All representatives support these programs, they're all part of the state; none of them are striking against it, get your head out of the sand.

Unless you're ready to remove the power structures, you're as much a part of the problem as any other taxpayer.