Unlisted Terms of Service

Use this forum to discuss the December 2022 Book of the Month, "Terms of Service: Subject to change without notice" by Craig W. Stanfill
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Nemanja Jankovic
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Re: Unlisted Terms of Service

Post by Nemanja Jankovic »

I think it's okay that the unlisted Terms of Service were also found in the book. The initial list of 10 Terms of Service only prepared readers for the society of the future.
Aisha Yakub
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Post by Aisha Yakub »

What is listed or not listed makes little impact. I would however point out that it wouldn't be required to create another list. The fact that some Terms of Service were not included earlier in the discussion has no bearing on their importance or contribution overall.
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Post by Chinazo Anozie »

Grace Elkana wrote: 07 Dec 2022, 08:19 At the beginning of the book, there was a list of 10 Terms of Service. This did set the tone for me to see how they played out in the book. However, I noticed that there were other Terms of Service in the book that weren't listed. For instance, Kim was tempted to dump her destroyed Tofu into the bin but refrained from that because it was a violation of The Food Company's Terms of Service. Do you think it was okay that there were Terms of Service that were not listed earlier in the book? Should the author have created another list for those Terms of Service? If you were the author, how best would you have presented it?
I think the author did a wonderful job with the listing. I think the fact that he didn't list all of them just goes to show how arbitrary the terms of service where, especially when they could be changed or created without giving their users notice or even a chance to agree with or challenge them.
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Post by Sarah Sonbol »

I think this list was added at the beginning for a better understanding of that strange world. I think it would be difficult to include all terms of services as they were numerous and the reader would forget them. But I think that it would have been better if it was stayed that the list was not a comprehensive one and that others terms do exist.
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Post by Carlos Mata Saenz »

I think it was clever to not make a too-extensive list at the beginning of the book, just putting some and then introducing other minor terms during the story. It made it progress easier than if you make a list of 20-30 terms of service and expect people to remember them.
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Post by Catalina Isabel »

Anna_Hernandez wrote: 14 Feb 2023, 18:37 I do think it was okay that ALL the Terms and Services throughout the book were not listed. Part 1 presented a unique and thought-provoking perspective on a potential way of life, and understanding the insights was already complex enough without having to remember more than ten Terms and Services.

Additionally, in Part 1, the book introduces the concept that all rules are subject to change without notice. This keeps people on their toes, constantly having to watch out for updates and be on their best behavior. The same applies to the reader, who will be kept guessing along with the characters, hopefully enhancing their reading experience and connection with the altruistic society. I wouldn't change a thing when it comes to the initial 10 Terms and Services :)
I totally agree with you here. I think that having some initial rules set the tone for the reader to imagine the kinds of laws. However, it would have been quite distracting to read so many more rules, or for them to have been updated as the book goes. I think it goes without saying that these rules can change, especially due to the clever title!
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Sophia Damilola Ajayi
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Post by Sophia Damilola Ajayi »

In my opinion, I creating another list was more like a pointer for readers. It made me realize how much effort the author put into creating this dystopian story. I still do not fully understand the sub topic "subject to change"
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Post by Claire Twy »

Grace Elkana wrote: 07 Dec 2022, 08:19 At the beginning of the book, there was a list of 10 Terms of Service. This did set the tone for me to see how they played out in the book. However, I noticed that there were other Terms of Service in the book that weren't listed. For instance, Kim was tempted to dump her destroyed Tofu into the bin but refrained from that because it was a violation of The Food Company's Terms of Service. Do you think it was okay that there were Terms of Service that were not listed earlier in the book? Should the author have created another list for those Terms of Service? If you were the author, how best would you have presented it?
I think the author created a clever loophole for himself by adding in the title 'subject to change without notice', allowing him to add new rules and terms throughout the book. It also showed how artificial intelligence was constantly growing harsher and stricter to exert more rigid control such as during the crisis at the start of the book with numerous laws and terms of service that previously were not mentioned.
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