Click here to Skip to main content
15,893,814 members

Welcome to the Lounge

   

For discussing anything related to a software developer's life but is not for programming questions. Got a programming question?

The Lounge is rated Safe For Work. If you're about to post something inappropriate for a shared office environment, then don't post it. No ads, no abuse, and no programming questions. Trolling, (political, climate, religious or whatever) will result in your account being removed.

 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
Maximilien18-Mar-20 12:05
Maximilien18-Mar-20 12:05 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
Mark_Wallace18-Mar-20 13:51
Mark_Wallace18-Mar-20 13:51 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
Cp-Coder18-Mar-20 14:04
Cp-Coder18-Mar-20 14:04 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
Mark_Wallace18-Mar-20 14:19
Mark_Wallace18-Mar-20 14:19 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
RossMW18-Mar-20 14:34
professionalRossMW18-Mar-20 14:34 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
ZurdoDev19-Mar-20 1:53
professionalZurdoDev19-Mar-20 1:53 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
#realJSOP18-Mar-20 14:59
mve#realJSOP18-Mar-20 14:59 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
kalberts18-Mar-20 15:49
kalberts18-Mar-20 15:49 
In Norway, population information has "for ages" been continously updated in electronic registers. Every childbirth is reported, and if you haven't registred a name for the kid within a certain period, you receive a reminder from the register that you must file a name for the baby.

Other registers are going all digital as well. About fifteen years ago, I was stopped in a routine check for drunk driving (not because my driving was dubious; it was a general screening), and it took me a few seconds to dig up my driver's license. Before I found it, the police officer told me: "Don't worry; we've got it here, over the radio. Everything OK". Today, you don't need a physical driver's license at all.

It is the same with lots of other public archives (and private/commercial ones as well). I am not perfectly happy with it; it makes us very dependent on network techology being 100% stable. And datacenter technology. Besides, some excuses for it are questionable from a privacy point of view: E.g. the Norwegian state provides some state support for religious coommunities based on their membership count. Churches were required to submit membership lists electronically, and there were cases of people requesting support in up to five different churches! I very strongly question the very idea of the state supporting religious societies (it can only be understood because we had a tax financed 'state church' up until a few years ago), and the authorities demand for electronic lists did reveal what could certainly be called fraud. But my real worry is thinking of how the authorities in central Europe in the late 1930s could have used such a register. Or some future power may use it.

We have, maybe for nostalgic/romantic reasons, retained some "census-like" activities: It is more like a nationwide gallup poll. Once every ten years, they select some aspect they would like to know more about. Like, "The official register tells that you are living here - but are you living most of your life somewhere else, e.g. because you are a student or commuter?"

The census is all like "non-essential information", "things we are curious about". I do not know about US cencuses, but I suspect that is to a far greater degree is a real collection of basic information about the population, because the authorities do not know.

I think that there is a lot of information about me that is nobody's business - not even the the authorities. But I cannot keep secret where I live, how may kids I have, and how old I am. The authorities must have that information, e.g. to pay me my old age pension when that day comes. Why should they have me report it every ten years? They might just as well keep an always-updated archive of it. Then we don't 'need' the census.
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
Nelek18-Mar-20 21:14
protectorNelek18-Mar-20 21:14 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
kalberts19-Mar-20 4:35
kalberts19-Mar-20 4:35 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
  Forogar  19-Mar-20 4:34
professional  Forogar  19-Mar-20 4:34 
GeneralRe: US 2020 Census Pin
Dr.Walt Fair, PE19-Mar-20 10:21
professionalDr.Walt Fair, PE19-Mar-20 10:21 
GeneralPropagation Perspective Pin
W Balboos, GHB18-Mar-20 9:55
W Balboos, GHB18-Mar-20 9:55 
GeneralRe: Propagation Perspective Pin
BillWoodruff18-Mar-20 11:46
professionalBillWoodruff18-Mar-20 11:46 
GeneralRe: Propagation Perspective Pin
W Balboos, GHB19-Mar-20 1:09
W Balboos, GHB19-Mar-20 1:09 
GeneralRe: Propagation Perspective Pin
Mark_Wallace18-Mar-20 13:40
Mark_Wallace18-Mar-20 13:40 
GeneralRe: Propagation Perspective Pin
Rick York18-Mar-20 14:51
mveRick York18-Mar-20 14:51 
GeneralRe: Propagation Perspective Pin
W Balboos, GHB19-Mar-20 1:31
W Balboos, GHB19-Mar-20 1:31 
GeneralRe: Propagation Perspective Pin
Dan Neely19-Mar-20 2:36
Dan Neely19-Mar-20 2:36 
GeneralRe: Propagation Perspective Pin
W Balboos, GHB19-Mar-20 2:53
W Balboos, GHB19-Mar-20 2:53 
GeneralRe: Propagation Perspective Pin
Dr.Walt Fair, PE19-Mar-20 10:25
professionalDr.Walt Fair, PE19-Mar-20 10:25 
GeneralRe: Propagation Perspective Pin
W Balboos, GHB20-Mar-20 1:57
W Balboos, GHB20-Mar-20 1:57 
GeneralComing up in 2033 Pin
Jörgen Andersson18-Mar-20 8:36
professionalJörgen Andersson18-Mar-20 8:36 
GeneralRe: Coming up in 2033 Pin
Mark_Wallace18-Mar-20 13:43
Mark_Wallace18-Mar-20 13:43 
GeneralRe: Coming up in 2033 Pin
Chris Maunder18-Mar-20 14:19
cofounderChris Maunder18-Mar-20 14:19 

General General    News News    Suggestion Suggestion    Question Question    Bug Bug    Answer Answer    Joke Joke    Praise Praise    Rant Rant    Admin Admin   

Use Ctrl+Left/Right to switch messages, Ctrl+Up/Down to switch threads, Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right to switch pages.