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ValueSubtracted

@ ValueSubtracted @startrek.website

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377
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199
Joined
3 yr. ago

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Have you ever considered that the Prime Directive is not only not ethical, but also illogical, and perhaps morally indefensible?

  • PM Carney says Conservative MP Jeneroux crossing the floor to the Liberals

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  • It'll be interesting to hear what he has to say for himself.

  • Apparently Canadians are notorius cheaters in the sport of Curling

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  • Having been the one to originally use the word "accident," I should probably amend that to "habitual." A bad habit that people generally don't call, that the Swedish team doesn't appreciate (and is technically correct about).

  • Apparently Canadians are notorius cheaters in the sport of Curling

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  • Check out the article I shared - many high-level curlers don't consider it an infraction at all, let alone a major one. Even Oskar Eriksson, who made the original accusation, doesn't seem to think it's exclusive to Team Canada:

    For us, it’s been a problem the last couple of years, so we think it’s good that everyone can play with the same rules. Hopefully it’s just getting better from this.”

    It's a dumb thing to do, though, and I'd be happy if people cleaned up their acts across the board.

  • Apparently Canadians are notorius cheaters in the sport of Curling

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  • Yeah, as the article I linked indicated, a lot of players simply don't consider it an infraction, and therefore don't give a damn whether they do it.

    And for probably the fifth time, I have no problem with the rule being enforced.

  • Apparently Canadians are notorius cheaters in the sport of Curling

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  • I would love to see someone go to a curling rink and demonstrate this this is remotely possible.

    There is no reason to be pointing a finger on release.

    I completely agree. There is absolutely no reason to do it, because there is no chance it will do anything.

  • Apparently Canadians are notorius cheaters in the sport of Curling

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  • I have said several time that I have no problem with the rule being enforced.

    a slight drag will prevent over -rotation of the stone.

    I really don't think so, especially the light touch that I've seen on video (which, to be fair, was Homan's throw on the women's side). Again, these things are damn heavy, and you're not going to push them around with a finger without making a visible effort.

  • Apparently Canadians are notorius cheaters in the sport of Curling

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  • Look, I find extending a finger to give the stone a boop after release completely baffling...but there's no chance at all that it affected the trajectory of the thing. You might as well "cheat" by blowing on it.

  • Apparently Canadians are notorius cheaters in the sport of Curling

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  • The brooms affect the ice in front of the rock, which changes the rock's behaviour as it moves over the swept patch. You have to exert quite a bit of force to push the rock directly.

    And if it had no effect why do they do it?

    Sometimes by accident, I'm sure. And probably more relevant, sometimes out of sheer laziness.

  • Apparently Canadians are notorius cheaters in the sport of Curling

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  • this is a common strategy among cheaters in curling

    Very confidently stated, but I really don't think it is.

    it is illegal to do for precisely that reason.

    It's illegal because it's way simpler to implement a "no touching" rule than to try to define game-changing and non game-changing touches in a way that would be enforceable.

    And again, I have absolutely no problem with the rule being enforced, even though I don't think for a hot second that it impacted the game.

  • Apparently Canadians are notorius cheaters in the sport of Curling

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  • Having curled myself, I can assure you it does not...and if it did make a difference, it would almost certainly be negative, since you're giving up any semblance of control that you had on the actual throw. There's not going to be some "precision poke" that magically steers it where it needs to go. But don't take my word for it.

    Does it make any difference?

    "No. The double-touching that I've seen has been incidental contact, and that's fingers brushing or hand brushing on a 40-pound piece of granite," said Eugene Hritzuk, a Canadian curler based in Saskatoon who has been involved in competitive curling and coaching for more than 60 years.

    "What can fingers brushing against a 40-pound piece of granite do in any event? You need the palm on your hand against that stone to do anything."

    Delivering a stone entails acute skills to slide on line and on pace, he said.

    Once sliding on target and at the right speed, releasing the stone and then touching it with any force would cause it to veer off its intended line and speed, Hritzuk said. "That would not be advantageous to good execution."

    Canadian curling commentator John Cullen, who hosted the CBC podcast Broomgate: A Curling Scandal, said most top curlers will say that double-touching has no effect on the stone.

    As well, most top curlers will double-touch at times and don't think it's a foul, he said.

    "The idea that a top curler would let a rock go and then want to try to adjust it with their finger —it doesn't seem like there's any way you could get an advantage from that. It feels like it would be worse."

    But as I said, the rules are the rules, and I don't think it's wrong to enforce them.

  • Apparently Canadians are notorius cheaters in the sport of Curling

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  • ...if said billiard ball weighed 40 lbs.

    A little finger poke ain't gonna do shit.

    But, the rules are the rules.

  • New drones provide first-person thrill to Olympic coverage

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  • I think they're cool (but obnoxiously loud) on the slopes, and completely useless on the speed skating and luge tracks.

  • 6 dead, shooter dead, 25 injured in Tumbler Ridge B.C. school shooting

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  • Up to 10 dead, including the suspect, now.

  • [PC] Star Trek Online: Corruption - Coming February 17

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  • Oh, interesting - not that I know of, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did some sort of tie-in.

    The Chimerans were introduced about a year ago, though it's been a pretty thin year since then, and we still don't know much about them.

  • [PC] Star Trek Online: Corruption - Coming February 17

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  • Additionally, we'd like you to join us in welcoming Thomas Marrone as the new Executive Producer of Star Trek Online! Formerly the Art Director for Star Trek Online, Thomas Marrone will be leading its current and future development.

    Holy crap, what a career trajectory...

  • Former minister Bill Blair appointed to diplomatic post, expected to resign as MP

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  • Between this and Freeland, I wonder if we'll see an election called in the near future.

  • Pierre Poilievre wins leadership review with 87.4% approval

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  • True, but I assume that if there were an obvious successor waiting in the wings, the result would have been...at least less lopsided.

  • Pierre Poilievre wins leadership review with 87.4% approval

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  • I look forward to analyses. Was it a lack of clear alternatives, or is their base so far gone that they genuinely think he's their guy?

  • Eby calls reported meeting between Alberta separatists and U.S. official ‘treason’

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  • I would be fine with that - "shit is fucked" isn't a crime with a specific legal definition!