Ethical vs Policy Crisis

This past Christmas I read a lot of posts from my friends about their kid's love of Harry Potter and their Harry Potter themed Christmas gifts. It is pretty awesome that they were able to have this shared interest. So when I read this past Penny Arcade comic, https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2018/04/30/hogwash, I was shocked and angered. This hits close to home: My friends might be experiencing this extortion. If the comic doesn't provide enough information (it didn't for me) then read (or skim) https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-04-27-harry-potter-hogwarts-mystery-is-ruined-by-its-in-game-payments.

Summary: There is a scene in the game where the player (your child) is getting choked by a vine. They can either pay real money in order to stop it or wait for their energy to recharge (many minutes of watching their avatar get choked). And there are many other things like that.

This comic strip is so spot on; panel 2, especially so. I've read several articles in the last few months calling for Computer Science to include ethics in more classes instead of the traditional capstone course on ethics. In the Jan 2019 issue of CACM, Moshe Vardi pointed out that more ethics in classes will be nice but that it won't change anything. The only thing that will force these companies to change is public policy -- regulation that bans these practices that target children. (Sorry, I have to say it for the sake of completeness.) If this stuff* matters to you then you need to write to your state representatives.

* stuff being any unethical practice being carried out via a computing device.

Android Incoming Call Fence

I had lunch with a friend a few weeks ago. During the course of chatting he complained that his cell service provider has a add-on service that is a bit extreme where they block incoming calls from anyone not in his contacts list for $5/month. He pays it because he gets a lot of spam calls but he's not happy about it. There are several apps available that will do the same thing but I guess he doesn't trust them. The best ones I looked at appeared to be Russian. *shrug* Anyway, for the enterprising developer here are the three components that you need to create your own app to create a incoming call fence.

1. Recognize when a call is coming in.
   https://developer.android.com/reference/android/telephony/PhoneStateListener#onCallStateChanged(int,%20java.lang.String)
2. Access the contacts list.
   https://developer.android.com/training/contacts-provider/retrieve-names
3. End the call.
   https://stackoverflow.com/questions/18065144/end-call-in-android-programmatically

There you go. Yes, there is a bunch of other stuff to do to make an app but that is mostly handled in template code that is provided by many instructional sites. Please, go forth and create.

Wonder Woman: Mythos

Wonder Woman: Mythos by Carol Lay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good story. As usual the Batman is awesome! It was a little stereotypical with the woman vs men subplot. It seems that most of the Wonder Woman stories are Greek myth themed as is this one. I'd like to read one where Wonder Woman is the star without any Gods or magic.

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Saving Artifacts During Building Boom

I start most days by listening to NPR. Today an excellent story about Japan's development of hotels to handle their increased tourism was on. It talked about how the city of Kyoto is having to work quickly to do archaeological research in conjunction with building projects because of all the artifacts that are uncovered during development. And it also talked about the loss of some historic buildings to new developments. The story concludes with details of how one temple owner is developing a hotel with the ground floor divided between the lobby and a new temple. When I heard the story I thought they were building the hotel around the existing temple which reminded me of the Cafe in the Crypt at St Martin in the Fields Church in London. The cafe profits support the church as a way to keep up with times and space constraints of a heavily populated city. Hopefully many of the projects are able to incorporate existing buildings into their new developments. It would be very sad if they destroy the very things that are drawing tourists in order to make room for the tourists. Historic preservation is more more than just keeping old things around and untouched but also relevant to the current population. It is a balancing act that has long lasting to permanent consequences on both sides.

Superman: The Never-Ending Battle

Superman: The Never-Ending Battle by Roger Stern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm finding that Batman is the key figure in many of the Justice League books, which is fine with me. Superman was only a focus to answer the question of how to keep from abusing power. The answer seemed to be to make sure that your personal life is happy and fulfilling enough to prefer it over power. In that regard, I enjoyed the emphasis on Clark Kent's personal life.

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Hero: Being the Strong Father Your Children Need

Hero: Being the Strong Father Your Children Need by Meg Meeker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you want some additional motivation to stand strong as a father, this is a good book to read. Hero is packed with good advice and stories of strong fathers.

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Batman - The Stone King

Batman: The Stone King by Alan Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book demonstrates how Batman can hold his own amongst the other senior members of the Justice League. There is a big focus on Earth magic and psychic powers. The GraphicAudio version is very well produced and fun.

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Cold-weather Imposed Imprisonment

A lot my friends and coworkers are stuck indoors today due to cold weather. Here's some ideas to make the most of the cold-weather imposed imprisonment.

1) Make an awesome breakfast!

Have you taught your kids how to make french toast or cook bacon?! Don't have kids? More bacon for you.

2) Plan your summer vacation!

I've been having a lot of fun with https://roadtrippers.com/.

3) Take an online class or tutorial!

I know many of my FB friends have access to Skillsoft. There is some good stuff in there. For those without access to Skillsoft there are still a ton of free courses. For example, https://modernstoicism.com/introduction-to-online-course/

4) Humble Bundle!

Humble Bundle has book, comic, audio, and game bundles. This is a great opportunity to get some stuff and have the proceeds go to charity.

5) Family TV!

Check out The Librarian franchise for family friendly adventure.

6) Hot Chocolate/Cider!

Gather in the kitchen to make and drink your hot beverages together.

7) House cleaning!

I've had a couple piles of books in my living room that have been staring me down. Today, I will find them a new home. And I don't want to hear anything about whether they "spark joy."

8) Lunch!

Fix a food that you crave when it's cold out. Grilled cheese, chili, pot roast, etc. Again, get the kids involved. I've seen a lot of posts of people saying they wish they learned X in school. If you know X then your kids don't need to learn it in school. And cooking is one example of X that I've seen people complain about.

9) Pan popcorn and a movie!

Pan popcorn is the best! Let the kids or your spouse pick the movie and just soak in being with people you love.

10) Magazine catch up!

I've been cutting back on the number of magazine subscriptions I have and still I have a pile of unread magazines. This will seem wasteful but something I've do to get myself to read more of my magazines is to skim through a magazine and tear out the long articles that I want to read then put the rest in recycling. I'll usually end up with 3 articles that are ready next time I'm ready to read. It is all about divide and conquer.

11) Mix tape!

When was the last time you made a mix tape?! Okay, in this day and age I realize that few people use tapes anymore. Make your music mix in whatever format you use - tape, CD, playlist, etc.

12) Make something!

A friend posted pictures of a cold weather cat house she made for a stray near her office. In December, I made a geodesic dome cat house out of cardboard for my girlfriend's indoor cats. That would have been a really good project to do with kids.
http://www.domerama.com/calculators/2v-geodesic-dome-calculator

13) Write a letter!

Revive the lost art of letter writing.
https://www.ted.com/talks/lakshmi_pratury_on_letter_writing
If that's too hard then send a postcard.

14) READ!

When else can you truly enjoy a good book then on a snow day?!

15) Board games!

Board games are a great way to socialize and build logic skills.

The Flash - Stop Motion

The Flash: Stop Motion by Mark Schultz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. The Flash. Green Lantern.They are the world's greatest super heroes, fighting endlessly against corruption and injustice. Each of them is a formidable opponent of evil, but banded together their powers are unmatched. Ever ready, they stand united as the --
JUSTICE LEAGUE of AMERICA

As the Flash, Wally West may be struggling to find his place within the ranks of the JLA, but he knows he has one great advantage over every trial he has ever faced: he is the Fastest Man Alive. Now, for the first time, he has met his match. A scientist has created something that can move even faster than Wally West -- and it's killing people in Keystone City. Forced to battle the one foe who can truly stay one step ahead of him, the Flash soon learns that the consequences of the creature's actions reach far beyond Keystone and threaten the future itself with annihilation.

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Sorry, no review this time. I pasted in the publisher's summary instead. I didn't want to provide any spoilers.

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters Devotional

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters Devotional: 52 Devotions Every Father Needs by Meg Meeker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wish I could convince more fathers to read this book. Think of this as your weekly guide to a better father, daughter relationship.

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