What would you do if you had a holodeck in your home?

[Dilandu]

But then why does the flagship allow its holodecks to create sentient holograms on-demand? Seems a bit of a security flaw.

Because flagship MUST have more adaptable programming. Just because it may be useful in some situations. The Federation flagships are usually long-range explorers with elite crews; they tended to stuck in troubled situations pretty often, and they need all resources that may help. Including the ability to create sentient AI's, if the situation demand that.

 

[Dilandu]

^ If all the holo-characters are basically avatars of the ship's computer, why was it "necessary" for the computer to create a self-aware Moriarty? Why would the computer create a entity entirely separate from itself to be the mind of the holo-chracter that the holodeck emitters were projecting?

Well, because Federation programming are flawed. They have such AI-phobia, that they basically stopped working on software, instead making better hardware. So, their starships are running on the ultramegacomputers with the operational system worse than Windows2000.

 

[The Wormhole]

The Federation flagships are usually long-range explorers with elite crews; they tended to stuck in troubled situations pretty often, and they need all resources that may help. Including the ability to create sentient AI's, if the situation demand that.

1) The Enterprise D is the only ship in the Prime Universe to be identified as the Federation flagship, and their duties rarely took them outside the Federation core. Indeed, in the eight years the ship was in service, they returned to Earth four times, and dropped off at Vulcan twice, a planet which is almost Earth's "neighbour" so to speak. They didn't do long term.

2) Even if we accept they do have the ability to create sentient holograms on demand, than they are really lax in their security protocols if all one need to say is "computer create a villain that can defeat the smartest guy on the ship" and it goes and does just that. You'd think there'd be safeguards in place preventing the casual creation of something that poses a significant threat to the ship and crew.

 

[Dilandu]

2) Even if we accept they do have the ability to create sentient holograms on demand, than they are really lax in their security protocols if all one need to say is "computer create a villain that can defeat the smartest guy on the ship" and it goes and does just that. You'd think there'd be safeguards in place preventing the casual creation of something that poses a significant threat to the ship and crew.

Well, again: the Federation's phobia of AI led them to basically stop all the software development. They used primitive software on the highly sophisticated hardware. There are limits to what number of safeguards could be effective here.

 

[drew]

I would walk through the holodeck right onto the set of star trek and see every episode in VR, that'd be so tight....

I'd walk into the recording studios of the beatles, pink floyd, radiohead (etc etc etc) and watch the magic happen.

I'd play the original Everquest IRL, ugh, I'd never leave!

there's plenty of illegal things that would be fun as hell too but I don't want to get too controversial. living all fav books, games, movies, music would be good enough. there'd be a ton of past to revisit as well.

 

[DeepSpaceYorks]

If you're married and indulge in holodeck sex, without your partner knowing, is that cheating? Is it cheating if you get the holodeck to recreate your wife/husband for sex because she doesn't want to anymore? Just asking, you know.

 

[Dilandu]

If you're married and indulge in holodeck sex, without your partner knowing, is that cheating? Is it cheating if you get the holodeck to recreate your wife/husband for sex because she doesn't want to anymore? Just asking, you know.

Is masturbation/sex toys for married men/women cheating?

 

[Spot261]

Is masturbation/sex toys for married men/women cheating?

Yes.

And the holodeck is the work of the devil.

You'll go blind just having one in your living room.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Moriarty's sentience was more a bug. For Vic he's self aware and an adaptable program but the show never said he was sentient. They just formed emotional attachments to him because the program was really effective.

My interpretation of computer programs becoming sentient is that nobody knows how to do it intentionally but it happens through unsupervised learning algorithms having too much access to information outside the original scope of the program.

 

[Forbin]

^ If all the holo-characters are basically avatars of the ship's computer, why was it "necessary" for the computer to create a self-aware Moriarty? Why would the computer create a entity entirely separate from itself to be the mind of the holo-chracter that the holodeck emitters were projecting?

Shouldn't the computer remain the mind of Moriarty the entire time?

This. This is why I could never accept the Doctor. If the Doctor is sentient, then Voyager's computer must be sentient to create and run his program.

 

[Forbin]

Looks like a waste of time and energy. Why not rather do something positive and healthily enjoyable? I don't know what rocks your boat, but I am sure you can think of something.

It's a type of therapy, of course. Taking one's anger out on a effigy of the person who angers you is perfectly acceptable therapy.

 

[The Wormhole]

If you're married and indulge in holodeck sex, without your partner knowing, is that cheating? Is it cheating if you get the holodeck to recreate your wife/husband for sex because she doesn't want to anymore? Just asking, you know.

Depends. Tom Paris didn't seem to think so, but Tuvok did.

 

[locutus101]

It's a type of therapy, of course. Taking one's anger out on a effigy of the person who angers you is perfectly acceptable therapy.

Yes, and I suppose that explains historical absurdities like the witch hunts for example. (The need to incarnate everything that's wrong in your life in a person.)

 

[The Wormhole]

Yes, and I suppose that explains historical absurdities like the witch hunts for example. (The need to incarnate everything that's wrong in your life in a person.)

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems like quite a leap in the conversation, talking about therapeutic methods for venting frustration and anger to wrongfully persecuting and executing people out of ignorance and fear. Please tell me I've missed something here.

 

[locutus101]

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems like quite a leap in the conversation, talking about therapeutic methods for venting frustration and anger to wrongfully persecuting and executing people out of ignorance and fear. Please tell me I've missed something here.

You don't see a link between these two things? Why are the politics so often using that trick then? Nothing calms the people like the feeling that the "people guilty of everything" are being chastised. They're even likely to forget about their protestations for a while after that, even if their situation hasn't improved one bit.

 

[The Wormhole]

Umm okay. So about the moral implications of having holodeck sex while married...

 

[locutus101]

Umm okay. So about the moral implications of having holodeck sex while married...

To me that looks like a sophisticated form of masturbation. No big deal.

 

[The Old Mixer]

"It's cheating in your mind!"

--The ex-wife​

 

[Captain Rob]

So if the wife allows for a ultra precise holographic scan of herself. In order to create a holographic avatar for her husband to have sex with. Is that still cheating? She doesn't actively control the avatar but it's actions are based on an approximation of her personality.

 

[locutus101]

So if the wife allows for a ultra precise holographic scan of herself. In order to create a holographic avatar for her husband to have sex with. Is that still cheating? She doesn't actively control the avatar but it's actions are based on an approximation of her personality.

Well, it a tough question. On the other hand, I hear that the best we can do, to this day, is a rubber doll. So no need to be too concerned about the moral implications.