[Hobbes]

Straight up Mind Control works for a lot of this too.

"Yes I'm disputing the 10,000 Nuyen charge at Troggs'a'poppin.  I was Mind Controlled I tell you!"

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

If we use your "you can't do that because there's no explicit action for it" logic we can break the game in all sorts of ways. There's no action for sleeping. There's no action for eating.

There's no action for using a grapple fist to fly over your enemy's head while shooting down at them with a gun in your other hand. There's no action for sneaking up behind two goons then pushing them out of a window. There's no action for pulling a troll-sized pair of trousers down over a hostile anthrodrone's head. There's no action for lots of crazy cool things. Should we tell players their characters can't do these things either? Because when my players did these things, I let them do it, and I made up a dicepool and I made up a modifier, because the fiction demanded they be able to make an attempt. (They succeeded at all three.)

If we're only going to let players do things we already have rules for, we might as well play boardgames.

You make some reasonable sounding points, but I'm going to call you out on a false equivalency.

Things like eating, how often one needs to visit the toilet, and pantsing-an-enemy all don't have rules, but that does NOT mean there's a parallel in making a matrix persona icon perform an action against its will.  (note that sleeping... or rather the penalties for NOT sleeping, do have rules....)

The reason is: actions like eating, pooping, and pulling cloth over the optical sensors of some device are all physical actions that take place in a physical world that is modelled on the real and objective world.  We can fairly make assumptions that because something is true and/or possible in the real world, it is therefore also true and/or possible in the fantasy world modeled on the real world.

Shadowrun's two other worlds, Astral and Matrix, do NOT have this working in their favor.  The Matrix is not the TCP/IP protocol network we call the Internet. Hell, one might even infer from the Noise rules that the Matrix doesn't even comply with physics.  One CANNOT imply that just because something is true about the Internet, it must therefore also be true about the Matrix.  That parallel simply is no longer true in the way it is for the physical world(s).  So in the case of the Matrix, you don't get to color outside the lines.  (Ditto for the Astral).  It works the way it says it works.  That's the beginning, middle, AND the end of the rules argument.  Now, sure some things might come up that aren't covered by the rules.  A player might ask, "How do I set up my own host to coordinate the killbots, maglocks, and security cameras guarding my safehouse?"  And, alas, there are no rules for that.  Yet we know hosts HAVE to exist- corps and organized crime use them all the time, right?  That's the kind of thing that's fair game for the GM to just start making rules up for.

OTOH, "how do I hijack someone else's persona" is asking to do something that the rules don't cover AND has no precedent.  Now of course nothing's stopping you from coming up with house rules to do such a thing.  I'm not even saying I think it's a bad idea to make up house rules to cover that.  I'm only saying it's flatly not a concept that's possible under the rules. 

[penllawen]

I disagree with pretty much all of that.

The reason is: actions like eating, pooping, and pulling cloth over the optical sensors of some device are all physical actions that take place in a physical world that is modelled on the real and objective world.  We can fairly make assumptions that because something is true and/or possible in the real world, it is therefore also true and/or possible in the fantasy world modeled on the real world.

That's true until it isn't. For example, I have a cyberarm that has +4 strength compared to my meatbod. I try to pick up something heavy, or pull myself up the side of a building, or break a door down. To what extent does my arm help me?

I am sitting at a table with my arms resting on the tabletop. My gun is in my holster. Someone is staring me down with a gun pointed right at me. In the real world, there's no way I can clear my gun from the holster and take a shot before I get shot myself. But in Shadowrun, I have wired reflexes, and my opponent does not. To what extent do my synthetic nerves give me an opportunity to outdraw them?

There's all sorts of ways that Shadowrun's physical situations get away from our real world and require judgment calls that are not, can not, be based on our experiences. It wouldn't be a very good fantasy game if that weren't true.

Shadowrun's two other worlds, Astral and Matrix, do NOT have this working in their favor.

And thus it is the job of the authors to create in all our minds a shared understanding that is internally coherent enough to give us the ability to reason about it intuitively.

Is that easy? No. But it's important.

And it's funny because you bring up magic. Shadowrun's magic system has been praised for thirty years because actually, it does exactly this -- establish a base of ground rules from which you can intuit behaviours that feel natural. This is not an impossible problem.

The Matrix is not the TCP/IP protocol network we call the Internet. Hell, one might even infer from the Noise rules that the Matrix doesn't even comply with physics.  One CANNOT imply that just because something is true about the Internet, it must therefore also be true about the Matrix.  That parallel simply is no longer true in the way it is for the physical world(s).

This is a total cop-out as well as a straw man argument. The Matrix doesn't need to resemble real-life computers, nor have I said anything like that. It just needs to make sense on its own terms, like Shadowrun's magic system does. And to do that, the in-game fiction has to align with the game mechanics. If something is mechanically impossible -- particularly something players are naturally going to want to do - that should be impossible in the fiction too.

So in the case of the Matrix, you don't get to color outside the lines.  (Ditto for the Astral).

Then what would you say you are doing here:

That being said, the question of physical spells and astral projection is a thorny one.  One one hand, the spell only has to modify your brain, because your brain generates the mind/aura.  On the other hand, the aura can't be touched by physical spells after it leaves the body and therefore it can't benefit from increase attribute.

RAW says nothing (that I am aware of) to address this issue directly. But what you did here was: you started with what RAW does say, and extended it to consider the problem. Now, you don't have a concrete answer. But you do have the basis to make a ruling, to explain that ruling to the rest of your table, and everyone nod and say "makes sense, cool."

Your own posting history has many more examples of this sort of thing. I could post quotes here all day.

All I want is for the matrix to make as much sense as the magic system does. I do not think that is too much too ask.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

I disagree with pretty much all of that.

The reason is: actions like eating, pooping, and pulling cloth over the optical sensors of some device are all physical actions that take place in a physical world that is modelled on the real and objective world.  We can fairly make assumptions that because something is true and/or possible in the real world, it is therefore also true and/or possible in the fantasy world modeled on the real world.

That's true until it isn't. For example, I have a cyberarm that has +4 strength compared to my meatbod. I try to pick up something heavy, or pull myself up the side of a building, or break a door down. To what extent does my arm help me?

I am sitting at a table with my arms resting on the tabletop. My gun is in my holster. Someone is staring me down with a gun pointed right at me. In the real world, there's no way I can clear my gun from the holster and take a shot before I get shot myself. But in Shadowrun, I have wired reflexes, and my opponent does not. To what extent do my synthetic nerves give me an opportunity to outdraw them?

There's all sorts of ways that Shadowrun's physical situations get away from our real world and require judgment calls that are not, can not, be based on our experiences. It wouldn't be a very good fantasy game if that weren't true.

The examples you give may not be translatable in a 1:1 ratio to real life experiences, but they're still rooted in real life. Having one arm massively stronger than the rest of your body, or having impossibly quick reflexes are situations that we CAN imagine and extrapolate upon if necessary when the rules don't address something.

Contrast this to the situation you mentioned: trying to hijack someone's matrix persona by (per your example) subduing them and forcibly making them log in to the matrix but then controlling what they do somehow via control of the commlink.  I told you not only is there no matrix action that covers this or even anything categorically LIKE this.  This is unlike the scenarios just listed above in that we're not even beginning our hypothetical context in a real world analogue.  We have the Matrix rules. We have SOME fluff, but not very much this early in an edition.  Hell, the "brainwave technobabble" may or may not even be correct anymore as that's from a prior edition.  Things get retconned.  Things get outright changed (Crash 2.0...).  Until there's some indication that what you're suggesting is even possible, it's not a fair assumption to say that just because it can be imagined then it must be possible.

EDIT: that concluded a little more harshly than I intended.  As I said upthread, if you want to house rule doing such a thing, great!  It's just not a concept that's allowed for under the published rules.

Shadowrun's two other worlds, Astral and Matrix, do NOT have this working in their favor.

And thus it is the job of the authors to create in all our minds a shared understanding that is internally coherent enough to give us the ability to reason about it intuitively.

Is that easy? No. But it's important.

And it's funny because you bring up magic. Shadowrun's magic system has been praised for thirty years because actually, it does exactly this -- establish a base of ground rules from which you can intuit behaviours that feel natural. This is not an impossible problem.

And yet, if someone came up with some concept that was impossible under either the rules AND the fluff of this and prior editions, you wouldn't argue that it should still be possible, would you?

For example: A player familiar with D&D wants to create a perfect translation of a Ring of Three Wishes for Shadowrun. There are concepts here that just flatly are not allowed for under the lore and the rules.  Even if you were to try, it runs up into all kinds of mechanical problems (how does a mundane even activate the ring? how are the effects of the "wish" sustained? etc etc)  Sometimes what you want to do is just outside the scope of the rules.  (looking at you, "hijacking someone else's Matrix Persona")

The Matrix is not the TCP/IP protocol network we call the Internet. Hell, one might even infer from the Noise rules that the Matrix doesn't even comply with physics.  One CANNOT imply that just because something is true about the Internet, it must therefore also be true about the Matrix.  That parallel simply is no longer true in the way it is for the physical world(s).

This is a total cop-out as well as a straw man argument. The Matrix doesn't need to resemble real-life computers, nor have I said anything like that. It just needs to make sense on its own terms, like Shadowrun's magic system does. And to do that, the in-game fiction has to align with the game mechanics. If something is mechanically impossible -- particularly something players are naturally going to want to do - that should be impossible in the fiction too.

I'd be careful wishing the Matrix were as coherent as the magic realm.... I'd say the better state is the reverse   For example: 6e forgot to say you can't just snipe people from astral space with manabolts.  Obviously it's IMPLIED you can't since it's always been that way (even in the bad old days of bridging through an active focus), but they forgot to say it.  So is 6e doing away with that age old rule? RAW, it's impossible to say thus far... even if the intent is "obvious".

Anyway, moving on:

So in the case of the Matrix, you don't get to color outside the lines.  (Ditto for the Astral).

Then what would you say you are doing here:

That being said, the question of physical spells and astral projection is a thorny one.  One one hand, the spell only has to modify your brain, because your brain generates the mind/aura.  On the other hand, the aura can't be touched by physical spells after it leaves the body and therefore it can't benefit from increase attribute.

RAW says nothing (that I am aware of) to address this issue directly. But what you did here was: you started with what RAW does say, and extended it to consider the problem. Now, you don't have a concrete answer. But you do have the basis to make a ruling, to explain that ruling to the rest of your table, and everyone nod and say "makes sense, cool."

Your own posting history has many more examples of this sort of thing. I could post quotes here all day.

Ok so let's deconstruct that.

You're referring to a post I made in another thread entirely.  For context, that thread (or that tangent of that thread, as the case may have been...) is about the ambiguity IN THE MAGIC SYSTEM regarding whether physical spells can continue to affect an astrally projecting character, and if so, does the spell only affect the empty body or somehow "go with" the astral aura.

While the magic rules are full of holes, it does still say that Physical Spells only affect the Physical realm (pg. 131). 

Ergo you cannot benefit from the spell AFTER you've begun projecting.  However, if you're NOT projecting, you're in the physical realm (if you're a metahuman, which is the assumption here) and can therefore be affected by, say, an Increase Logic spell. So what happens if you subsequently project?  You can't point to the relationship of the mind to the physical body for any number of reasons.  Of course foremost among them, and perhaps ironically this is exactly relevant to the conversation at hand rather than being an example of a case of inconsistency on my part, is that the rules simply don't establish that the pineal gland links your aura to your physical body.

So again, we're seeing a case of "toss out the 'real world', and go by what the rules say and don't say".  Unfortunately in this case, the rules fail to adequately cover so the official answer is "GM decides."  Of course that's not a suitable answer for SRM where you have multiple GMs, so SRM has a "for SRM purposes" answer for that particular issue.   

All I want is for the matrix to make as much sense as the magic system does...

Between you and me: You make one of us

[0B]

• I agree that you should be able to use things that are outside of the scope of the rules in SR (IE, impersonating someone's persona). Credential abuse and credential phishing are the top ways that hackers and even APTs get into systems, it's a little weird that someone cannot impersonate a persona within SR. I don't think the Matrix needs to replicate real life, but it does need to make sense.
• I disagree that biometrics are so easily fooled, re: scanning someone's brainwaves and replicating them.

If you want to fool biometrics, there are 3 ways you can do it:

• Fool the scanner (IE, use a picture of someone's face for facial recognition). I'll explain why I don't think this would work in a SR setting in a bit
• Intercept the encrypted/encoded biometrics data, and set up a program that just sends the data, pretending to be a scanner (A la "pass the hash"). This means that you don't need the biometrics, only what the biometrics looks like to the computer. This can be mitigated IRL, but is tricky. Shadowrun never really mentions running updates or patching software, so we might assume that the OS on commlinks and decks is bug-free at purchase. I highly doubt this, personally, but for now let's assume that either the encrypted data is secure (Might be padded with a timestamp, inaccessible to the local admin, etc), or that SR Matrix uses some spooky future-method that renders pass-the-hash obsolete.
• Exploit the credential management system. If you can't get it from the device asking to be authenticated, and you can't intercept it in transit, then you exploit whatever is giving the credentials. Again, we can assume that SR Matrix uses some spooky future-code that makes this impossible... but if this is the case, why doesn't everything use it? I digress. Let's just assume that whatever system that authenticates personas is well-designed, and possibly open-source, ensuring that any bugs that do pop up are found and squashed.

The reason I don't think fooling the scanner would work is because the Matrix is not fully understood by the people who use it. A lot of facial recognition technology is based on machine learning, I think it's reasonable to assume that SR uses this or a similar method. If this is the case, then the data points that persona verification is relying on may be unknown, or at minimum, are kept private to very few people. There would have to be a lot of data points, too, to compensate for changes in moods and well-being (Pregnancy and illness will change a retina scan, I think it'd be worse on a brain).

I don't think you'd have a high level of "collision" on this, either. Under lab conditions, retina scans cannot be fooled. Iris scans can, if you are able to get the iris code and reverse-engineer a match, but there's more data points in retina scans (I'll bet that it's mathematically possible, but not feasible. I digress). If brainwaves use even more data points than retina scans, or if the program stores the brainwave code in such a way that it cannot be reverse-engineered, then it is unlikely that someone would be able to copy it.

Given that e-ghosts and technomancers exist, but are not fully understood, we can assume that the computer programmers of SR do not fully understand how brains interact with the Matrix, and it's also reasonable to say that they might not understand how brains authenticate with the Matrix, either. "Security through obscurity" is a terrible philosophy, but in this case it might work.

So, in order for personas to be a 1 to 1 match to the user with no chance of someone stealing a persona:

• The methods used to transmit and store the "brainwave code" must be secure and impenetrable. This is technically possible: As of right now, I know of no way to get someone's SSH credentials using just PCAP (And you don't have the private key). However, it's always feasible that something has a design flaw. (you mean RC4 isn't a good idea in 2080?)
• In order to account for differences in someone's thoughts and behaviors from day to day, persona authentication either has to be using a large amount of data-points, or a large amount of variance tolerance. If it's the latter, then you're going to have a lot of people matching up to the same persona. We know this isn't the case, since nobody reports these issues under normal use of the matrix, so it must be the former. I think it would have to be an immense amount of data points to both account for variance and ensure that there isn't "collision," where two distinct brains authenticate to the same persona. With the amount of time people spend on the matrix, I would say that the authentication system probably tracks "drift" as well and updates itself. IE, someone with a developing brain tumor will have slightly different brain patterns on day 1 of the tumor than on day 2, but they will be greatly different between day 1 and day 100. If persona authentication tracks these changes over time, then it can keep up with predictable variance.
• The data-points used are unknown, AND/OR the brainwave code is transmitted/stored in such a way that it cannot be reverse-engineered.

Given all of this, I think it's possible for there to be personas that cannot be impersonated, even using real-world logic. I find it highly unlikely in any scenario that all software everywhere that uses personas is up to date with the latest patches, and that no manufacturer has taken any shortcuts by caching credentials. However, it is technically possible for this to be true.

There are quite a few paths where you could adjust things to make it possible, if that's what you want for your campaign. Perhaps low-quality commlinks cache the encoded/encrypted brainwave data, and you can use the cache to reverse-engineer a pattern that will create the same data. Or perhaps there are black market trodes that simulate the persona authentication system and can grab the necessary data points from someone's brain, and store them for later use.

[Reaver]

In the 4e matrix book, they talk about Personas.... And how you buy them..

I wish I could find the section, or even remember it correctly (I have the book in DTF, and am away from them). But the section talks about buying Personas.

Basically Personas are just a digital "wrapper" for your actual mental presence. You can swap out your persona's look at any time you want by just buying and customizing a Persona program. (which were listed without a price, so not something overly important).

Tired of looking like a Molten Samurai? Buy the "Pretty Pink Panda" persona, slap a minigun to its back, and bam! New Persona!

BUT, that doesn't change the fact it is YOUR brain that is still sliding on the electron  string... So that means that unless the matrix has fundamentally changed since 4e (and with 2 editions out,, that is possible), Then Matrix Security relies on something more then the color of your Persona... And it might be down to your brainwave pattern (which is unique to the individual) that acts as your Digital Passcode.

Further support for this, is the fact that ALL your info and passcodes are automatically transferred to whatever device you are using. THIS is pointed out both in the 4e CRB, and the matrix book, and carries over (in passing mention) in 5e CRB and 5e matrix book.. This implies that again, it is more then the digital persona (which is just an icon to interact with) going on when one logs into the matrix.


AS to why you can't copy and use someone's brain pattern... well.... lets just say, "invasion of the body snatchers". In the electronic ether of the matrix, you ARE that electronic brain pattern... you change that, you cease to be you, and you become him... every memory, every love, every fear, like, dislike.... you effectively mind wiped yourself
(Dystopian world... nothing good comes from Rabbit holes )

[Xenon]

Perhaps think of your matrix persona as your on-line identity?

Your steam account. Or your xbox/microsoft account. Or your Blizzard account. Your gmail account. Your facebook account. But all merged into one single account which is used everywhere. It is used when visiting microsoft store. It has your steam wallet. Your games are tied to it. Progress in the games are tied to it. You receive your slack messages via it. You use it when checking your mail. Your drop-box. Your one-drive. When checking Jira tasks. When you do face time. When using a dating app. When buying an electronic device the matrix ownership will be tied to it.

And you can also at any time change or modify your profile picture. Your on-line avatar. The representation of 'you'. This is covered with the Change Icon Simple/Minor action (which doesn't require a test).

[penllawen]

BUT, that doesn't change the fact it is YOUR brain that is still sliding on the electron  string... So that means that unless the matrix has fundamentally changed since 4e (and with 2 editions out,, that is possible), Then Matrix Security relies on something more then the color of your Persona... And it might be down to your brainwave pattern (which is unique to the individual) that acts as your Digital Passcode.

What if I am using AR via image link to some glasses? My commlink can’t read my brain patterns now, but I still have a persona that has correct permissions over my gear.

[0B]

Basically Personas are just a digital "wrapper" for your actual mental presence. You can swap out your persona's look at any time you want by just buying and customizing a Persona program. (which were listed without a price, so not something overly important).

Ah, I see- so it's a mistake to think of a persona as a credential in the first place. A persona isn't the same as a "user," in fact based on your description, it'd be more like a device, as weird as that sounds.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

BUT, that doesn't change the fact it is YOUR brain that is still sliding on the electron  string... So that means that unless the matrix has fundamentally changed since 4e (and with 2 editions out,, that is possible), Then Matrix Security relies on something more then the color of your Persona... And it might be down to your brainwave pattern (which is unique to the individual) that acts as your Digital Passcode.

What if I am using AR via image link to some glasses? My commlink can’t read my brain patterns now, but I still have a persona that has correct permissions over my gear.

Why can't the AR glasses read your brainwaves? We have (at least in 5e) lore establishing that things like glasses and wigs can incorporate trodes and therefore DNI.  "Just being able to read biometrics" is surely a step down in complexity than full DNI.

And for that matter, why can't your commlink read your brainwaves even without benefit of a readout from something being physically worn on your head?  Who's to say that "in your pocket" is too far away for a fictional technology to read your brainwaves?

[0B]

BUT, that doesn't change the fact it is YOUR brain that is still sliding on the electron  string... So that means that unless the matrix has fundamentally changed since 4e (and with 2 editions out,, that is possible), Then Matrix Security relies on something more then the color of your Persona... And it might be down to your brainwave pattern (which is unique to the individual) that acts as your Digital Passcode.

What if I am using AR via image link to some glasses? My commlink can’t read my brain patterns now, but I still have a persona that has correct permissions over my gear.

Why can't the AR glasses read your brainwaves? We have (at least in 5e) lore establishing that things like glasses and wigs can incorporate trodes and therefore DNI.  "Just being able to read biometrics" is surely a step down in complexity than full DNI.

And for that matter, why can't your commlink read your brainwaves even without benefit of a readout from something being physically worn on your head?  Who's to say that "in your pocket" is too far away for a fictional technology to read your brainwaves?

I think the physics might break down after a certain distance. There will be too much noise to measure something like that accurately enough to both perfectly authenticate (Match biometrics to the correct persona) and provide nonrepudiation (The biometrics can only come from this person). Consider how much care goes into avoiding interference with MRI machines, or how matches can be reverse-engineered for iris scans without being an "exact" match of the original iris.

Matrix chapter in SR5 also mentions that you don't need DNI for AR.

On the other hand, perhaps the commlink only requests the credential once? Some systems require continuous authentication (The "what you have" security models with USBs or smartcards you plug into a computer). Maybe you just tap your head with your commlink when you turn it on, and it reads it then? (Much like logging into a computer with a password)

If that's the case, though, then after authentication, anyone with physical access to the commlink will be able to use it as you (Like leaving a laptop screen open), but perhaps it'll timeout if it notices a change in temperature (IE, is no longer worn or in someone's pocket).

[Reaver]

BUT, that doesn't change the fact it is YOUR brain that is still sliding on the electron  string... So that means that unless the matrix has fundamentally changed since 4e (and with 2 editions out,, that is possible), Then Matrix Security relies on something more then the color of your Persona... And it might be down to your brainwave pattern (which is unique to the individual) that acts as your Digital Passcode.

What if I am using AR via image link to some glasses? My commlink can’t read my brain patterns now, but I still have a persona that has correct permissions over my gear.

Why can't the AR glasses read your brainwaves? We have (at least in 5e) lore establishing that things like glasses and wigs can incorporate trodes and therefore DNI.  "Just being able to read biometrics" is surely a step down in complexity than full DNI.

And for that matter, why can't your commlink read your brainwaves even without benefit of a readout from something being physically worn on your head?  Who's to say that "in your pocket" is too far away for a fictional technology to read your brainwaves?

I think the physics might break down after a certain distance. There will be too much noise to measure something like that accurately enough to both perfectly authenticate (Match biometrics to the correct persona) and provide nonrepudiation (The biometrics can only come from this person). Consider how much care goes into avoiding interference with MRI machines, or how matches can be reverse-engineered for iris scans without being an "exact" match of the original iris.

Matrix chapter in SR5 also mentions that you don't need DNI for AR.

On the other hand, perhaps the commlink only requests the credential once? Some systems require continuous authentication (The "what you have" security models with USBs or smartcards you plug into a computer). Maybe you just tap your head with your commlink when you turn it on, and it reads it then? (Much like logging into a computer with a password)

If that's the case, though, then after authentication, anyone with physical access to the commlink will be able to use it as you (Like leaving a laptop screen open), but perhaps it'll timeout if it notices a change in temperature (IE, is no longer worn or in someone's pocket).

The problem is, we just don't know what the "log in" process entails. Its never covered beyond the fact its a simple/free action.

But, its also clear that you always log in with your pass-codes and accesses intact, no matter what device you are using...

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Yep, that goes back to the "you're you, even when using a burner phone" phenomenon.

[Xenon]

The problem is, we just don't know what the "log in" process entails. Its never covered beyond the fact its a simple/free action.

But, its also clear that you always log in with your pass-codes and accesses intact, no matter what device you are using...

Yep, that goes back to the "you're you, even when using a burner phone" phenomenon.

Right.

...but (just like the concept of Magic, Astral Space and Binding) perhaps we don't need to know "how" its done, just accept that it "is" done ;-)

After all... even if the authors lived in 2080 and actually knew how it worked... and then time traveled back to explain it for us here on the forum... it would be similar to traveling back to 1970 and then try to explain the concept of OAuth... It would sound like pure fiction for the audience, in both cases.

[penllawen]

...but (just like the concept of Magic, Astral Space and Binding) perhaps we don't need to know "how" its done, just accept that it "is" done ;-)

My comfort level with "it is what it is" handwaving comes down to how important it is to the game. In my experience, players have never needed more explanation of how magic works than the game supplies. But players have wanted to steal personas, as this is a game often concerned with high-tech thievery, and stealing someone's digital identity is an obvious tactic. I'm not telling you you should care; if you're comfortable with it, that's cool. But it bothers me.