HN Theater @HNTheaterMonth

⬐ sleepychu

The actual punishment made me laugh so hard. "Mommy, is that real?"

⬐ mgv11

Smart girl to question to that!

⬐ internaut

With Troll Dad I think you get taught critical thinking at an early stage.

We should use the Asch Test in schools.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIh4MkcfJA

⬐ 6stringmerc

Ha! Very well executed and totally dig the 'having fun' part of it - eg. kiddo still could doubt it was real.

Reminds me of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure when they hide the cassette player on a timer to distract Ted's Dad at the police station, or of 'Soundboards' to call places with Arnold's voice. I do have a fondness for pranks.

⬐ megawatthours

> I am going to send over 15 cute boys for you to kiss

You're a cool dad.

⬐ ChristianGeek

You had me at "you better get your kissy face ready!"

⬐ kevin_thibedeau

I can see a future SO using that line on her.

⬐ gnicholas

Would love to see a bot that listened for my burglar alarm and then just played an audio file with a voice recording of an increasingly-worried security dispatcher: Hello, this is [blah] security, and we've just received a break-in notification from your home. Is everything alright? Hello? We are calling your emergency contact numbers and if we do not receive a response officers will be dispatched to [address]."

⬐ knodi123

Doesn't your burglar alarm already do that? Or is it an unmonitored alarm?

⬐ gnicholas

It doesn't talk out loud, which would strengthen the deterrent effect. It would also work even if our internet/phones were cut, which makes the alarm company unreachable.

But yes, it could also be used with unmonitored and very cheap solutions, like door-stoppers with built-in alarms. It might not fool every criminal, but compared to the cost of a full-blown, monitored system (thousands up-front and hundreds/year) it'd be a steal (pun intended).

⬐ agumonkey

I thougth he meant the Google Home app. Which can be either leaky or trolley, since every phone on the network will be able to be remotes for ChromeCasts, you can communicate through your playlist. Or get caught.

⬐ BWStearns

The Lady from Silicon Valley, v0.0.1

⬐ pbhjpbhj

So when are Google shutting down Google Home ...

⬐ macandcheese

I fear for the children of the future.

⬐ learned

Just curious, but what about this of all things makes you feel that way? It just seems like a fun moment between father and daughter.

⬐ macandcheese

Robots raising children? Nothing wrong with this, and it's cute, admittedly, but I can't help but think that in 20 years we'll have robot teachers instructing rooms of children who go home to their robot nanny and rarely, if ever, make human contact with their people parents.

⬐ tzs

On the plus side, when we reach a point where a child can be raised with no interaction with live adults, spreading humans to other habitable planets orbiting other stars becomes a lot easier.

We don't have the energy to travel fast enough for relativistic time dilation to make the trip short enough to make the trip in the working lifetime of the crew. The usual solution to that is the "generation ship"...a ship that takes hundreds or even thousands of years to reach its destination, but that is a self-contained ecosystem that can keep the crew, and their plants and animals, alive for the multiple generations it takes to get there.

Another proposed solution is to cryogenically suspend the crew, and then revive them when they arrive. The big problem with that is the "revive" part. Cryogenic suspension of a whole person is currently a one-way process.

While we can't do a whole person, we can do embryos and sperm.

That raises the possibility of sending a ship that is fully automated, with a cargo of embryos and sperm. When the ship finds a habitable planet it can land, unfreeze the embryos and sperm, and make some babies, and then raise them to be adulthood.

⬐ xg15

On the plus side, when we reach a point where a child can be raised with no interaction with live adults...

Depends what you understand as "can be raised". Seems to me that there is the potential for such persons to become mentally unstable or tuned to a highly different set of ethics than we are. If a person is only raised by robots, how do they learn dealing with actual humans?

⬐ tzs

I would expect their educational material to cover ethics and how to behave toward other humans. I'd expect their entertainment to include a good dose of movies and TV shows and written fiction that involves multiple humans interacting so they can pick up a lot from that.

I'd also expect that children raised exclusively by robots would be raised in the company of other similarly raised children that they would play and socialize with, giving them some experience and chance to practice what they learn formally in school and informally from movies/tv/books.

⬐ ars

> I would expect their educational material to cover ethics and how to behave toward other humans.

Kids need love, not that. Giving them instruction without love doesn't work at all.

The reverse works fine.

> in the company of other similarly raised children that they would play and socialize with, giving them some experience and chance to practice what they learn formally in school and informally from movies/tv/books.

Yikes. You would raise a generation of severely damaged psychopaths if you did that.

⬐ maxerickson

On the other hand, we already have children's television. Going from there to individualized, responsive content is probably a win.

⬐ JadeNB

> I can't help but think that in 20 years we'll have robot teachers instructing rooms of children who go home to their robot nanny and rarely, if ever, make human contact with their people parents.

Then they can talk wistfully to one another of "the fun they had!" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fun_They_Had

⬐ soylentcola

Not sure how this really relates to "robots raising children" though. More just having a laugh with tech that young kids sort-of understand but don't quite grasp the limits of yet.

I remember as a kid we got a Commodore 128 computer and I was teaching myself to write BASIC programs. I had two younger brothers (I was maybe 9 years old, they would've been 6 or 7) and while they generally grasped "computers", they didn't really know the difference between what they saw in movies and what our little home computer could do.

After seeing Wargames or something like that, I wrote a program that simulated dialing into "the government" and displaying menu options. Even had the Hollywood-style one character at a time by adding delays to my PRINT commands.

Basically it was just a bunch of menu options you could pick from but in the end you end up selecting an option that commands it to launch nukes or something like that. Like I said, I was a kid so my understanding of things wasn't very subtle either.

Still, it scared the shit out of my brothers before my mom told me to quit screwing with them. Hell, we didn't even have a modem hooked up to the thing... Mom was a big no-fun.

⬐ ansible

OMG, my friend pulled this exact prank on his younger brother and some of our other friends. He had a "hack password" command that looked like it was trying all the combinations and some other stuff.

I don't think he had a modem at the time either... though his dad did try to build an acoustic modem from plans in Circuit Cellar. I don't recall if they ever got that working.

Good times.

⬐ soylentcola

Well, we did have a modem (Dad had bought the computer used from a guy at work and it came with a load of cracked software on floppies and a modem) but I think my folks were worried about me getting into trouble so they kept it stashed away somewhere I couldn't access.

Looking back it was probably a good move. No "hacking" the DOD or anything but I'm sure I'd have at least ran up some phone charges once I discovered BBSes.

⬐ BuffaloBagel

Great troll but I would criticize using the cops as the Boogeyman.

⬐ msabalau

Cops kill about 1000 people a year in America. But evidently the problem is that people don't always and at every moment keep them on a pedestal.

⬐ icebraining

For those wondering about the number, it's at 1079 as of today: http://killedbypolice.net/

⬐ JWN1111

Eh, it depends on how you look at it. It's a lesson for both kids. The one sister is maybe learning to fear the cops, but the other sister is learning that the cops are there to keep things right and just.

⬐ geuis

It's teaching them a survival skill.

⬐ semi-extrinsic

Don't know why you're being downvoted. Having your kids be afraid of contacting the police (IRL or on the phone) in an emergency situation could be fatal for you or your kids.

⬐ ryandrake

I don't know--if you're worried about your kids' safety, teaching them to avoid interactions with the police whenever possible might be a wise move. Their job, after all, is to find a reason to put you in prison and/or confiscate your property, and they can kill you without repercussions depending on how the interaction goes. Instilling a healthy distrust is more likely to help than harm.

⬐ DanBC

This is a cultural thing.

In the US it's possibly a good idea to avoid police.

In the UK where they still work to Peelian principles we don't need to fear every interaction with the police.

⬐ neves

Never heard about these principles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peelian_principles#Nine_Princi...

A nice thing to learn.

⬐ sqeaky

In some parts of the US its just fine, but in other its not.

Sometimes it depends on other factors... Look at the city I am in right now, Omaha. If you appear to be white it is just about the safest city in the country. But if you have dark skin, run for your life.

⬐ Mindless2112

Sure, but even as a White person living in Omaha, the advice you get is "Don't go to north O[maha]. You're gonna get shot." (For those who don't know, north Omaha is predominately Black. Check it out on the Racial Dot Map [1].)

[1] http://demographics.coopercenter.org/DotMap/

⬐ icantdrive55

As a white guy who lives in a the wealthy county of Marin; I can honestly state, you only call the police if in imminent danger, and even then good luck.

I don't care if your wealthy, or poor, in my experience; they have always made a questionable situation worse.

Qualifications: High school diploma, and a few weeks in an academy. And usually a chip on your shoulder? That chip sometimes grows, and sometimes mellows with experience. The profession needs federal oversight. It needs consistent training, and not paramilitary training. Way too many Cowboys, and Revenue collectors. Maybe a licensing system implemented? You can't cut hair without a licence?

⬐ vkou

Having your kids contact the police in an emergency situation could also be life-threatening.

In just about any situation, I'd much rather have the help of a firefighter, then a police officer.

It's incredibly unlikely that introducing a scared man with a gun and broad extrajudicial power will make a situation better.

⬐ tzs

> Having your kids contact the police in an emergency situation could also be life-threatening.

That's very very unlikely. You are probably failing to take into account that an interaction with police only makes the news when it goes bad. You don't hear about the 99.99% of interactions that go fine.

Here's a list of the known police killings so far in 2016: http://www.killedbypolice.net

There are just over 1000 of them, out of tens of millions of interactions with police. Pick about 20 of those 1000 at random, and click through for the details. You will almost certainly find that the overwhelming majority of those are ones where the person who got shot was actively committing a serious crime, or threatening imminent harm to someone.

⬐ hdctambien

> http://hearphones.bose.com/

total - overwhelmingMajority == too many

⬐ vkou

You also don't hear about the interactions which don't kill anyone, but escalate into illegal searches, arrest, harassment, theft under the guise of civil forfeiture, court appearances, probation, breach of probation, or jail sentences.

If you can call the police, and can be absolutely certain that there will be no negative consequences to you as a result - great. This is not what life is like for many Americans - and any one of these outcomes can be enough to ruin a life.

⬐ basch

Who is an appropriate boogeyman for kids, the IRS? "Never talk to IRS cold calls." Could save them in an identity theft situation.

Side note, Dad sounds JUST LIKE Ron Howard.

⬐ semi-extrinsic

Round here we use trolls, goblins, and in particular the infamous Draugr (a marine type of undead creature):

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

⬐ Poiesis

I wish it weren't so, but depending on what you/your kids look like, not being afraid of contacting the police could be fatal for you or your kids.

⬐ woodruffw

My parents are both public attorneys. I was raised from a young age to minimize unnecessary interaction with the police.

That is, of course, an American (and urban) perspective.

⬐ sedachv

A friend of mine works as a public defender in Los Angeles (and prior to that, worked as a public defender in San Francisco). His advice is to never call the cops in all but the most extreme situations. The risk of them maiming or killing someone, performing unwanted illegal entries and searches, making an arrest based on unrelated things they see (suspected drug paraphernalia, etc), spurious complaints to child protective services, baseless detention and arrest, or just plain mistreatment and harassment is too great. In addition, if there is any person on parole or probation present when the cops show up, that person's chances of going to prison are very high, because a cop can say almost anything and have that be taken as a parole violation.

⬐ gshulegaard

Having called the cops in a Domestic Violence incident in CA, I will say that none of these horror stories happened to me. In fact, the Police handled the situation well, it was the District Attorney's office that failed to follow through with the case on a number of things.

I have a number of friends who ended up becoming officers and I sympathize with a lot of their struggles.

There are problems with our Law Enforcement system. There are bad officers. But let's try to not over-generalize, stereotype, and point fingers at a single point of failure. It's a complex issue with many parts.

As far as LA police go, I am motorcyclist which randomly lead me to find out about "OfficerRob" who motovlogs some of his on duty experiences as a motorcycle cop in LA:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2DeutGisK66k4JdomiiUyw

I personally like his motovlog...

⬐ yardie

Mistrust of the police in minority communities is over 60%. It didn't get that way from a few grainy YouTube videos. Abuse and corruption is endemic in the US justice system. The police are part of that system so, yes, they share the blame.

⬐ sedachv

> I have a number of friends who ended up becoming officers and I sympathize with a lot of their struggles.

Oh yeah, I am not saying that all cops are bad or that you will get killed if you call them. Just that there are risks to doing so. I should also mention that my father worked as a cop and has given me similar advice in regards to interaction with police (don't), based presumably on his personal observations of the job and his colleagues, and it did not even occur to me to mention that in the post above. I certainly don't mean to demonize cops.

⬐ lisivka

So what advice you will give to your kids? "Don't call a police at all" or "call police when dad is already dead only".

⬐ lojack

I have a friend who works in the cardiothoracic step down unit at a hospital. She constantly thinks she has developed some sort of heart condition to the point where she is for all intents and purposes is paranoid of this. It's a bias because she's around people with heart conditions day in day out, so it seems more common than reality.

Your friend has developed a bias because they're constantly around people who have been (or at least claim to be) wronged by the police. They see these people at a significantly higher rate than the people who have been saved by the police, or have otherwise been on the other side of the crime. There simply isn't a need to defend the other side of the fence.

⬐ sedachv

> Your friend has developed a bias because they're constantly around people who have been (or at least claim to be) wronged by the police.

Absolutely. Which is why I am glad he pointed these risks out to me - no one else who is unbiased does or is even aware of the worst-case outcomes. If there is a way to resolve a situation without calling the police, why would you take the risk?

Another thing my friend likes to do is post news reports of police abuse to social media. One of these is very relevant to the original post. In 2013 a father called the police on his son, after the latter drove off in the father's automobile without permission, to "teach him a lesson." The police response was to murder his son: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tyler-comstock-killing-iowa-poli...

Threatening your kids, family, neighbors etc with the police is not only distasteful but can end up in tragedy.

⬐ lojack

I mean, there's always a cost/benefit to calling the police. Wouldn't personally waste a call on many things. If I feel threatened, the benefit usually far outweighs the cost (personally, but I understand that this isn't the case for everyone). Closer to the original point though, if my kids felt threatened, I'd absolutely want them to call the police.

⬐ plttn

Vehicles are considered "deadly weapons" as far as application of force goes.

As soon as he backed into the cruiser on dashcam, I really don't see any way that ending well.

I saw at least two moving violations in the span of 15 seconds. Backing that trailer into the cruiser would generally be counted as assault with a deadly weapon, so application of force is "end the situation" at that point.

⬐ nitrogen

That sounds utterly ridiculous, and adds to the list of reasons not to call the police except in dire situations.

⬐ DanBC

"That guy's getting shot."

"Yeah, he's getting shot."

Scots Police Teach US Cops How to Avoid Gun Use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8qa5Wk_f7U

⬐ sammydavis

Police shouldn't be able to shoot someone merely because they "felt threatened" (as shooting someone in the back who wasn't armed who was running away), or if someone backs their car into a police car.

The problem with these cases is the police have attempted to carve out large categories where they can do anything ("they feel threatened") and that's unacceptable. They are licensed to carry guns, they need to use discretion.

Driving your car at high speed into a police car in an attempt to hit them is different than a fender bender at 5 miles an hour in the real world. When I have a fender bender and the car in front of me stops too suddenly and I hit them (happens 1000s of times per day), you don't get to shoot the person who hit you because it was "textbook vehicular assault". And it shouldn't be different if the other car was driven by a policeman.