The Off Topic Topic

[Admiral Yi]

I think that's a bit serious and 90% of it is humour.

But part of it is as that article says all of the things Millenials are killing in that photo  (https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/millennials-are-killing), plus the whole "snowflake" thing. And I think there's an element of the dynamic of Al Gore explaining the internet - ok boomer.

Nobody asked you, millenial.

[Sheilbh]

[Malthus]

It's the latest thing for some folks to dismiss any argument by someone who is or appears to be older than them with "ok, boomer".

Meaning being - every problem today is caused by self-righteous, entitled older folks, who easily got good jobs, houses etc. while cheerfully screwing up the environment, and then turn around and classify everyone younger as whiny layabouts; so there is no point in even debating anything with them.

I think that's a bit serious and 90% of it is humour.

But part of it is as that article says all of the things Millenials are killing in that photo  (https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/millennials-are-killing), plus the whole "snowflake" thing. And I think there's an element of the dynamic of Al Gore explaining the internet - ok boomer.

It's the completely unprecedented phenomenon of a younger generation finding the older one is smug, responsible for many (if not all) current ills, and out-of-touch. While resenting the older generation's characterization of it as a bunch of whiny layabouts.

Never in human history has that ever happened before! 

... but with a side-order of dismissively shutting down social media debates. For that, it is often used without humour, at least on Reddit. 

[Syt]

It's also reflected in my sisters' (born in '61 and '63) Facebook posts that go with the "Young person: My generation will ..../Old person: Your generation can't even ...."  format.

[Eddie Teach]

Never in human history has that ever happened before! 

Yes, but previously most of the complaining was done orally to sympathetic contemporaries, not stored on the internet for the world to see.

[celedhring]

Spanish intelligence believes that Anonymous is going to try and hack the recount of the general election taking place this Sunday. Presumably as support to Catalan separatists.

If they succeed they wouldn't really affect the results (the recount is still paper-based, all the electronics are used to report the results live), but it would be quite the scalp for them.

NOTE: This is the kind of crap that makes me squirm at the thought of electronic voting.

[Oexmelin]

paper ballot all the way.

[Sheilbh]

Agreed. And no complicated systems. Paper and pencil works fine

[Admiral Yi]

Online voting no, physical voting machines yes.

[Oexmelin]

Online voting no, physical voting machines yes.

At some point, 1) you have to connect the voting machine to some network and 2) you leave machines and they can be tampered with.

[Admiral Yi]

At some point, 1) you have to connect the voting machine to some network and 2) you leave machines and they can be tampered with.

1) You connect them to the same network that tabulations of paper ballots are recorded in.

2) You leave machine results unattended to the same extent you leave paper ballots unattended.

[DGuller]

I wonder if anyone invented a voting system that can be audited on the voter side.  No matter how you vote, there is always a chance that your vote will just be ignored.  I guess the problem is that if voters can confirm for themselves how their vote got counted, then they may be coerced to prove to somebody in position of authority over them how they voted as well.

[Josquius]

Agreed. And no complicated systems. Paper and pencil works fine

Remember the "take a pen" paranoia?

[Sheilbh]

1) You connect them to the same network that tabulations of paper ballots are recorded in.

2) You leave machine results unattended to the same extent you leave paper ballots unattended.

I mean in the UK there is no network tabulating votes - but then we're small enough to have a single counting centre in all seats (which is why the constituencies with islands tend to announce the next day). And paper ballots aren't left unattended once the ballot boxes are open.

But that's vulnerable in itself. The big Target data hack of credit card data for example didn't affect the machines or the network, they targeted the point of connection (which Target didn't protect anywhere near as well).

Remember the "take a pen" paranoia?

I feel like we've had a few rounds of that over the years.

[Admiral Yi]

But that's vulnerable in itself. The big Target data hack of credit card data for example didn't affect the machines or the network, they targeted the point of connection (which Target didn't protect anywhere near as well).

I don't know what this means.  Voting machines are stand -alone.  They're not interwebbed to anything.