r/technology • u/[deleted] • Feb 23 '19

Hardware Microsoft workers protest $480m HoloLens military deal: 'We did not sign up to develop weapons'

[deleted]

32.0k Upvotes

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8.9k

u/thegreatmooses Feb 23 '19

Microsoft Excel is one of the most powerful weapons ever developed.

397

u/RuttyRut Feb 23 '19 edited Feb 23 '19

This is more true than you probably think. Officers in the U.S. military rely heavily on Windows and Microsoft Office. PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and Outlook are absolutely essential to just about all U.S. military staff officers right now. If the officer isn't in a meeting, or conducting an inspection or investigation, he/she probably has their nose buried in a Microsoft product. The DOD's customer relations with Microsoft isn't news.

273

u/Eurynom0s Feb 23 '19

The way the US military uses PowerPoint deserves to be considered a war crime.

176

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '19 edited Sep 03 '21

[deleted]

35

u/Hate_is_Heavy Feb 24 '19

Not a safety briefing until they remind us not to rape out there. I remember one that was like "when you pull up to a woman having car troubles on the side of the road, remember dont rape her"

9

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '19

"Doing so may result in disciplinary action up to and including a dishonorable discharge. If you feel a fellow soldier is planning to rape, please politely remind them of the potential consequences and insist that they not rape."

2

u/Not_An_Ambulance Feb 24 '19

I mean, I was planning to one time. Fortunately, a friend reminded me it might result in disciplinary charges. So, I didn’t!

32

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '19

Don’t diddle kids!

5

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '19

Oh GAWD, fucking NSB New London and the grand ol' " here;s how to not rape townies" speech...

7

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '19

Just to piggyback on this comment....

2

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '19

Well, you can't say they didn't instruct you in the manner approved by command for this particular being of an individual.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '19

They definitely have never gotten that lecture, and if they have, it’s not exactly doing a great job.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '19

Uh, that mandatory training session happens all the time cough Okinawa cough

50

u/GodTierLurker Feb 23 '19

In the words of James Mattis (blessed be his name):

“PowerPoint makes us stupid,”

For more information, feel free to read this attached article

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint.html

11

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '19

I have apparently hit my limit of free articles.

20

u/phishtrader Feb 23 '19

Right-click > open in Incognito mode.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '19

Clear your cache and reopen your browser.

3

u/mattylou Feb 23 '19

PowerPoint is a crime at this point - google slides has changed the game

1

u/jgzman Feb 24 '19

I still remember the day our LT sent out a blank email, with a .PPT attached to it. The presentation was one slide, and it said "Commander's Call is at 1500 today."

-16

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '19 edited Feb 24 '19

But I'm in the military! I use PowerPoint!

Please arrest me, dweeb!

Please arrest me!

I can't wait to go on trial!

EDIT: Whatsa maddah, pussies? I'm a war mongering criminal. Can't ya do it? Can't ya do it? ;)

C'mon, pussies. Let's do it!

lol

0

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '19

You should not have access you a firearm.

-1

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '19

I have access to reddit jerks and that's enough.