In the larger scheme of things, it does not matter if someone is caught and convicted. Right is right and wrong is wrong. I had kids once tell me that stealing and traffic violations and such were only wrong if you get caught. Such an absurd attitude will bring complete ruin to a society. If it is wrong when people know you did it, then it is wrong when they don't know you did it. There are moral absolutes.
That to me is where the waters get very muddied. And I think the only way to accurately express my views on this without getting in trouble for violating forum terms of service is that IMO this subject is using criminal and law-abiding in place of moral and immoral. I reject that premise because far too often laws and morality are at odds, yet we are quick to brand somebody a criminal for doing the right thing, or brand somebody law-abiding for doing something clearly exploitive/immoral. Throughout history the "haves" are the ones in position to write the laws, and those laws tend to be written not to reflect morality but to keep the "have nots" from approaching a level playing field.
This to me is why I feel better branding somebody a criminal if they have been judged by a jury of their peers, because that verdict reflects the morality of the society far better than the laws that were put in place by an authority with a high probability of conflict of interest. Just one example of this using the traffic violations, but when a city starts to run low on money and they change a traffic law or speed limit for the purpose of catching additional violators to increase their fine collections, I have a hard time branding an offender as the problem.
I was with you until the end. Cities change speed limits because lower speeds are safer for pedestrians. And when cities install speed cameras and red light cameras they are catching people already breaking the law. But people claim the cameras are just a money grab instead of recognizing that the people being ticketed are breaking the law.
It happens all the time. For example, in my uncle's town they changed a section of road from 40 MPH to 25 MPH in an arbitrary place conveniently very close to a speed trap location. And it is not just traffic laws, I just stuck with that since that was the example everyone kept using. Just look at how Congress came down hard on "meme investors" last year. The laws were written and changed to benefit the hedge fund managers who are actively exploiting the system for their own benefit, but the second a bunch of average joes got together and tried to use the same system suddenly THEY were the problem?
I do not want to get bogged down in minutia, this is already off topic enough, I just wanted to express that there is a big gap IMO between being seen as lawful and being moral, and vice versa. How many times did Captain Picard break the Prime Directive? That is the most important law of the Federation and yet he broke it many, many times because doing so in each case was the right thing, does that make Picard a criminal? In every case his actions were reviewed and he was given a pass, and I think we should be holding Archer to the same standard here. That is all I am trying to say.
You can choose to always do what is legal. You can choose to always do what is moral. But, you cannot choose to always do both!
"The truth is like a lion; you don't have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself."
In the larger scheme of things, it does not matter if someone is caught and convicted. Right is right and wrong is wrong. I had kids once tell me that stealing and traffic violations and such were only wrong if you get caught. Such an absurd attitude will bring complete ruin to a society. If it is wrong when people know you did it, then it is wrong when they don't know you did it. There are moral absolutes.
That to me is where the waters get very muddied. And I think the only way to accurately express my views on this without getting in trouble for violating forum terms of service is that IMO this subject is using criminal and law-abiding in place of moral and immoral. I reject that premise because far too often laws and morality are at odds, yet we are quick to brand somebody a criminal for doing the right thing, or brand somebody law-abiding for doing something clearly exploitive/immoral. Throughout history the "haves" are the ones in position to write the laws, and those laws tend to be written not to reflect morality but to keep the "have nots" from approaching a level playing field.
This to me is why I feel better branding somebody a criminal if they have been judged by a jury of their peers, because that verdict reflects the morality of the society far better than the laws that were put in place by an authority with a high probability of conflict of interest. Just one example of this using the traffic violations, but when a city starts to run low on money and they change a traffic law or speed limit for the purpose of catching additional violators to increase their fine collections, I have a hard time branding an offender as the problem.
I was with you until the end. Cities change speed limits because lower speeds are safer for pedestrians. And when cities install speed cameras and red light cameras they are catching people already breaking the law. But people claim the cameras are just a money grab instead of recognizing that the people being ticketed are breaking the law.
It happens all the time. For example, in my uncle's town they changed a section of road from 40 MPH to 25 MPH in an arbitrary place conveniently very close to a speed trap location. And it is not just traffic laws, I just stuck with that since that was the example everyone kept using. Just look at how Congress came down hard on "meme investors" last year. The laws were written and changed to benefit the hedge fund managers who are actively exploiting the system for their own benefit, but the second a bunch of average joes got together and tried to use the same system suddenly THEY were the problem?
I do not want to get bogged down in minutia, this is already off topic enough, I just wanted to express that there is a big gap IMO between being seen as lawful and being moral, and vice versa. How many times did Captain Picard break the Prime Directive? That is the most important law of the Federation and yet he broke it many, many times because doing so in each case was the right thing, does that make Picard a criminal? In every case his actions were reviewed and he was given a pass, and I think we should be holding Archer to the same standard here. That is all I am trying to say.
I completely agree that there is a big difference between what is legal and moral. I would just prefer to use Rosa Parks as my example. It was illegal for her to sit in the front of the bus, but it was moral for her to be able to sit wherever she wanted. Similar for white only restaurants and the rest of the civil rights movement.
But I refuse to say it's moral for a driver to speed and put other road users at risk.
I completely agree that there is a big difference between what is legal and moral. I would just prefer to use Rosa Parks as my example. It was illegal for her to sit in the front of the bus, but it was moral for her to be able to sit wherever she wanted. Similar for white only restaurants and the rest of the civil rights movement.
That is a wonderful example. I wish I had thought of it, the only thing I could come up with was the EXACT reverse example from Kenosha, WI.
The legal ambiguity can often stress me out and make me want to move to a private island.
To break it down to the most simplistic statement: if a society has a certain set of rules (a.k.a. laws), and whether by intent or not, you commit an act that breaks those rules or laws, you have committed a "criminal act". However, as @Bylo Band points out, you are not labeled a "criminal" unless you are convicted of said act.
Surely we have seen at least dozens of times where our beloved ST captains have "broken the rules", but they are merely reprimanded and not tried in court, usually for the sake of the greater good, and therefore never labeled "criminal". (with a couple exceptions of court martials...)
Not sure about the rest of the world, but here in the States, there are over 100,000 laws that conflict or contradict each other, so it is sometimes impossible to discern if you have broken a law or not! And the ridiculous answer to that is you may have done both depending on where you are!
How justice works: Convince the judge or jury of your story to win. The best story wins.
So why not take all possible results of a trial, spin the wheel and be done with it.
"Call Me" — Blondie
"Close Encounters" (presumably, "of the Third Kind") — John Williams
"Dancing on the Ceiling" — Lionel Richie
"Somebody's Watching Me" — Michael Jackson Rockwell
"The Way It Is" — Bruce Hornsby and the Range
"Titanium" — David Guetta (featuring Sia)
"Who I Am" — Jessica Andrews
Kudos to the lead writer listed in the game credits, whose name also is Jessica (coincidence?), as well as the rest of the @WRG Team . 🖖
If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is around to hear it, did it make a sound?
In a society where people are considered innocent until proven guilty, if somebody does something considered illegal but is never tried and convicted, can you call them a criminal?
"Bad Reputation" — Joan Jett
"Come Together" — The Beatles
"Globes and Maps" (?) — Dawn Taylor?
"If I Could Turn Back Time" — Cher
"[Let's] Do the Time Warp Again" — cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
"A Moment Like This" — Kelly Clarkson
"Rumor Has It" — Adele
"Bad Reputation" — Joan Jett
"Come Together" — The Beatles
"Globes and Maps" (?) — Dawn Taylor?
"If I Could Turn Back Time" — Cher
"[Let's] Do the Time Warp Again" — cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
"A Moment Like This" — Kelly Clarkson
"Rumor Has It" — Adele
"Bad Reputation" — Joan Jett
"Come Together" — The Beatles
"Globes and Maps" (?) — Dawn Taylor?
"If I Could Turn Back Time" — Cher
"[Let's] Do the Time Warp Again" — cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
"A Moment Like This" — Kelly Clarkson
"Rumor Has It" — Adele
"Rumor Has It" is also a country song by Clay Walker.
When I got up this morning, I did not anticipate seeing Clay Walker name dropped on the Timelines forum. Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. (Though I should hasten to add that Reba McEntire also has a song called "Rumor Has It".)
"Bad Reputation" — Joan Jett
"Come Together" — The Beatles
"Globes and Maps" (?) — Dawn Taylor?
"If I Could Turn Back Time" — Cher
"[Let's] Do the Time Warp Again" — cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
"A Moment Like This" — Kelly Clarkson
"Rumor Has It" — Adele
"Rumor Has It" is also a country song by Clay Walker.
When I got up this morning, I did not anticipate seeing Clay Walker name dropped on the Timelines forum. Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. (Though I should hasten to add that Reba McEntire also has a song called "Rumor Has It".)
It was the title track for the album. "Fancy" and "You Lie" overshadow it some. I gravitate more towards "Climb That Mountain High High" off that one. I also like the music to "You Remember Me" thought the lyrics could be tighter.
My musical taste is the definition of eclectic. Music is meant to be FELT. If I feel it, I like it. I literally have a playlist with Beethoven, Liszt, Bob Seger, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Bill Withers, The Eurythmics, Roxette, Sammy Kershaw, Callum Scott, The Bellamy Brothers, and Gloria Gaynor in it in that order running.
You never know what you'll hear. Had a classmate prank the professor and me both by tying my laptop to the Bluetooth speakers and putting my media player on random when I ran to the bathroom between classes...2600+ tracks. Do you have any idea just random my random is? I think "The Man with The Golden Gun", "Shake the Sugar Tree", and "In Flight: Arabic- Asking Directions" played before I got it shut down.
Anne-Marie and The Score also both have songs called "Who I Am".
Bit of fun- My favorite song is off a Diamond certified album by one of the best selling artists of all time and most people have never heard of it. It went to number 13 on the UK charts and 7 on the Irish ones, though it was the worst charted single in the US. It was an ACM award winning video. It is intensely sensuous by my reckoning. Listen to the piano and guitar on the bridge with the guitar being "masculine" and the piano "feminine". I tell people that and get crazy looks until they hear it and think about it.
W.W. CarlislePlayed since January 20, 2019Captain Level- 99 (May 9, 2022)VIP 14Crew Quarters: 485/485Most recent/Lowest- Anbo-jyutsu Kyle Riker (1/5* Lvl 30) 5/29/23Immortalized x-866 5* x184, 4* x 490, 3* x91, 2* x62, and 1* x27Most recent Immortal - Tearful Janeway 4* 5/25/23Current non-event project- Improving my Science base skill. Retrieval Project- Mestral 1/5*
Community Premium Pull gave two FF Beholds. But, I got a few stars added to Legendaries and a couple new Legendaries last night doing the Campaign Pulls. {Not counting Laris.}
EDIT TO ADD: I love all kinds of music. The titles are cool!
"The truth is like a lion; you don't have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself."
"Bad Reputation" — Joan Jett
"Come Together" — The Beatles
"Globes and Maps" (?) — Dawn Taylor?
"If I Could Turn Back Time" — Cher
"[Let's] Do the Time Warp Again" — cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
"A Moment Like This" — Kelly Clarkson
"Rumor Has It" — Adele
"Rumor Has It" is also a country song by Clay Walker.
When I got up this morning, I did not anticipate seeing Clay Walker name dropped on the Timelines forum. Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. (Though I should hasten to add that Reba McEntire also has a song called "Rumor Has It".)
It was the title track for the album. "Fancy" and "You Lie" overshadow it some. I gravitate more towards "Climb That Mountain High High" off that one. I also like the music to "You Remember Me" thought the lyrics could be tighter.
Gotta be entirely honest: I've never really gotten into Reba. I could put together a playlist of songs I dig, but there'd be no deep cut album tracks in it because I've never explored that far.
Do you have any idea just random my random is? I think "The Man with The Golden Gun", "Shake the Sugar Tree", and "In Flight: Arabic- Asking Directions" played before I got it shut down.
I maintain "The Man with the Golden Gun" is a criminally underrated Bond title song. Top 5 for me.
Back on topic, I realized two Galaxy events ago if I'm not chasing rank, I'm better off waiting until the community has unlocked the free copy of the new 4*. They're useless at 1/4 or even 2/4. That second threshold copy, though, becomes a 3/4. Then they do typically become the best choice--particularly if the bonus crew pool is small. That's rarely the case during a mega-event, but even if it's just a 3% advantage, I'll take that to help expedite getting to that last copy. Plus, with both bonus traits that can be 8%.
I'm an insomniac at times, so I sometimes spend hours with ear buds in with whole albums playing. I never really got into Reba either. I prefer Exile, Restless Heart, TG Shepherd, Suzy Bogguss,...I just have a really good memory.
My high school had a sophomore on varsity that had the highest free throw percentage in the state. It was nearly perfect and they played "The Man With The Golden Gun" every time he went to the line. You knew he was up to the line even if you weren't a fan or paying much attention to the game. You'd be in a business in town somewhere with the game on in the background and you'd hear that brass fire up and everybody would be like "Oh, Weigel must be up for a free throw". I hate basketball, but even I knew what that meant.
I almost always wait for Community Rewards to start unlocking to join a Galaxy Event. I usually have to juggle to start playing event seriously when it does. Typically, I open it, watch the opening, build whatever I have inventory for, turn in one recipe or two, do whatever I need to do for the rest of the day, an, then, come back, collect rewards, pop a Kit and hit it hard. A Skirmish will see me use that initial Intel and watch the opening, before I do the same. Now, a Faction will see be kick start and build up the length of a shuttle before I leave it.
W.W. CarlislePlayed since January 20, 2019Captain Level- 99 (May 9, 2022)VIP 14Crew Quarters: 485/485Most recent/Lowest- Anbo-jyutsu Kyle Riker (1/5* Lvl 30) 5/29/23Immortalized x-866 5* x184, 4* x 490, 3* x91, 2* x62, and 1* x27Most recent Immortal - Tearful Janeway 4* 5/25/23Current non-event project- Improving my Science base skill. Retrieval Project- Mestral 1/5*
My job involves hearing testing. I cannot stress enough that whole spending hours listening to earbuds, you keep the volume as low as you can. Long-term exposure to loud sounds and bas thumps or even short exposure to very loud sounds causes permanent damage. Hearing aids only go so far. When I was younger I never believed those who said such things, but I know a lot more now. The more testing people need, the more jobs I get, but I'd still rather people take care of their hearing.
Bit late for that. I had the beginning of hearing loss in my right ear in my early twenties and, at 38, the whole world is muffled when I sleep on my left side. Seriously, I sleep on my good side so I block out noise. I have to be tapped if I'm laying that way.
I had a run in with one of these a nineteen. (Lots of earaches in it didn't help. It squelches when I yawn, rub it, et c.) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NKVXzFW9AXI
I had a hang fire during a demo. It didn't discharge when it should. Tried lighting it three or four times. I put it back on the rest. Took off the muffs and shooting glasses. I was getting ready to dump the contents and retry. It went off as I was leaning across it for the cleaning tools. Touch hole was directly under my ear and my head was cocked talking to someone. Backwash blew my hat off and my ear rung for days. The ball just rolled out. Problem with the wadding, I think.
Now, half or more (probably way more, like 65-70%) of my hearing is gone out of it and I have regular tinnitus in it. Max with an ear bud in it is like 30% in the good one. Haven't had it tested in fifteen years. Probably should. @DavideBooks Do they make ear buds with dual volume? I'd go for a pair.
W.W. CarlislePlayed since January 20, 2019Captain Level- 99 (May 9, 2022)VIP 14Crew Quarters: 485/485Most recent/Lowest- Anbo-jyutsu Kyle Riker (1/5* Lvl 30) 5/29/23Immortalized x-866 5* x184, 4* x 490, 3* x91, 2* x62, and 1* x27Most recent Immortal - Tearful Janeway 4* 5/25/23Current non-event project- Improving my Science base skill. Retrieval Project- Mestral 1/5*
Bit late for that. I had the beginning of hearing loss in my right ear in my early twenties and, at 38, the whole world is muffled when I sleep on my left side. Seriously, I sleep on my good side so I block out noise. I have to be tapped if I'm laying that way.
I had a run in with one of these a nineteen. (Lots of earaches in it didn't help. It squelches when I yawn, rub it, et c.) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NKVXzFW9AXI
I had a hang fire during a demo. It didn't discharge when it should. Tried lighting it three or four times. I put it back on the rest. Took off the muffs and shooting glasses. I was getting ready to dump the contents and retry. It went off as I was leaning across it for the cleaning tools. Touch hole was directly under my ear and my head was cocked talking to someone. Backwash blew my hat off and my ear rung for days. The ball just rolled out. Problem with the wadding, I think.
Now, half or more (probably way more, like 65-70%) of my hearing is gone out of it and I have regular tinnitus in it. Max with an ear bud in it is like 30% in the good one. Haven't had it tested in fifteen years. Probably should. @DavideBooks Do they make ear buds with dual volume? I'd go for a pair.
Sorry to hear that. I know they make hearing aids that control only the frequencies and amounts absolutely necessary. And they can be set for specific ears. So you can have a hearing aid that basically only acts as an earbud on one side while the other compensates for the damaged frequencies. My boss has some like that.
Thanks. I might have to look for something. Looks like I will be replacing my glasses in the near future. The ear piece came off while cleaning them this morning.
W.W. CarlislePlayed since January 20, 2019Captain Level- 99 (May 9, 2022)VIP 14Crew Quarters: 485/485Most recent/Lowest- Anbo-jyutsu Kyle Riker (1/5* Lvl 30) 5/29/23Immortalized x-866 5* x184, 4* x 490, 3* x91, 2* x62, and 1* x27Most recent Immortal - Tearful Janeway 4* 5/25/23Current non-event project- Improving my Science base skill. Retrieval Project- Mestral 1/5*
Comments
You can choose to always do what is legal. You can choose to always do what is moral. But, you cannot choose to always do both!
I completely agree that there is a big difference between what is legal and moral. I would just prefer to use Rosa Parks as my example. It was illegal for her to sit in the front of the bus, but it was moral for her to be able to sit wherever she wanted. Similar for white only restaurants and the rest of the civil rights movement.
But I refuse to say it's moral for a driver to speed and put other road users at risk.
That is a wonderful example. I wish I had thought of it, the only thing I could come up with was the EXACT reverse example from Kenosha, WI.
If anyone is interested in purchasing a criminal polestar let me know. I will throw in your choice of Human, Starfleet, or Federation.
To break it down to the most simplistic statement: if a society has a certain set of rules (a.k.a. laws), and whether by intent or not, you commit an act that breaks those rules or laws, you have committed a "criminal act". However, as @Bylo Band points out, you are not labeled a "criminal" unless you are convicted of said act.
Surely we have seen at least dozens of times where our beloved ST captains have "broken the rules", but they are merely reprimanded and not tried in court, usually for the sake of the greater good, and therefore never labeled "criminal". (with a couple exceptions of court martials...)
Not sure about the rest of the world, but here in the States, there are over 100,000 laws that conflict or contradict each other, so it is sometimes impossible to discern if you have broken a law or not! And the ridiculous answer to that is you may have done both depending on where you are!
So why not take all possible results of a trial, spin the wheel and be done with it.
"Call Me" — Blondie
"Close Encounters" (presumably, "of the Third Kind") — John Williams
"Dancing on the Ceiling" — Lionel Richie
"Somebody's Watching Me" — Michael Jackson Rockwell
"The Way It Is" — Bruce Hornsby and the Range
"Titanium" — David Guetta (featuring Sia)
"Who I Am" — Jessica Andrews
Kudos to the lead writer listed in the game credits, whose name also is Jessica (coincidence?), as well as the rest of the @WRG Team . 🖖
EDIT: Thanks to @Legate Damar for the correction. 👀
Drone footage says it makes a sound & fell
"Bad Reputation" — Joan Jett
"Come Together" — The Beatles
"Globes and Maps" (?) — Dawn Taylor?
"If I Could Turn Back Time" — Cher
"[Let's] Do the Time Warp Again" — cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
"A Moment Like This" — Kelly Clarkson
"Rumor Has It" — Adele
Rock on, @WRG Team , rock on. 😛
"Rumor Has It" is also a country song by Clay Walker.
When I got up this morning, I did not anticipate seeing Clay Walker name dropped on the Timelines forum. Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. (Though I should hasten to add that Reba McEntire also has a song called "Rumor Has It".)
My musical taste is the definition of eclectic. Music is meant to be FELT. If I feel it, I like it. I literally have a playlist with Beethoven, Liszt, Bob Seger, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Bill Withers, The Eurythmics, Roxette, Sammy Kershaw, Callum Scott, The Bellamy Brothers, and Gloria Gaynor in it in that order running.
You never know what you'll hear. Had a classmate prank the professor and me both by tying my laptop to the Bluetooth speakers and putting my media player on random when I ran to the bathroom between classes...2600+ tracks. Do you have any idea just random my random is? I think "The Man with The Golden Gun", "Shake the Sugar Tree", and "In Flight: Arabic- Asking Directions" played before I got it shut down.
Anne-Marie and The Score also both have songs called "Who I Am".
Bit of fun- My favorite song is off a Diamond certified album by one of the best selling artists of all time and most people have never heard of it. It went to number 13 on the UK charts and 7 on the Irish ones, though it was the worst charted single in the US. It was an ACM award winning video. It is intensely sensuous by my reckoning. Listen to the piano and guitar on the bridge with the guitar being "masculine" and the piano "feminine". I tell people that and get crazy looks until they hear it and think about it.
EDIT TO ADD: I love all kinds of music. The titles are cool!
Gotta be entirely honest: I've never really gotten into Reba. I could put together a playlist of songs I dig, but there'd be no deep cut album tracks in it because I've never explored that far.
I maintain "The Man with the Golden Gun" is a criminally underrated Bond title song. Top 5 for me.
Back on topic, I realized two Galaxy events ago if I'm not chasing rank, I'm better off waiting until the community has unlocked the free copy of the new 4*. They're useless at 1/4 or even 2/4. That second threshold copy, though, becomes a 3/4. Then they do typically become the best choice--particularly if the bonus crew pool is small. That's rarely the case during a mega-event, but even if it's just a 3% advantage, I'll take that to help expedite getting to that last copy. Plus, with both bonus traits that can be 8%.
My high school had a sophomore on varsity that had the highest free throw percentage in the state. It was nearly perfect and they played "The Man With The Golden Gun" every time he went to the line. You knew he was up to the line even if you weren't a fan or paying much attention to the game. You'd be in a business in town somewhere with the game on in the background and you'd hear that brass fire up and everybody would be like "Oh, Weigel must be up for a free throw". I hate basketball, but even I knew what that meant.
I almost always wait for Community Rewards to start unlocking to join a Galaxy Event. I usually have to juggle to start playing event seriously when it does. Typically, I open it, watch the opening, build whatever I have inventory for, turn in one recipe or two, do whatever I need to do for the rest of the day, an, then, come back, collect rewards, pop a Kit and hit it hard. A Skirmish will see me use that initial Intel and watch the opening, before I do the same. Now, a Faction will see be kick start and build up the length of a shuttle before I leave it.
My job involves hearing testing. I cannot stress enough that whole spending hours listening to earbuds, you keep the volume as low as you can. Long-term exposure to loud sounds and bas thumps or even short exposure to very loud sounds causes permanent damage. Hearing aids only go so far. When I was younger I never believed those who said such things, but I know a lot more now. The more testing people need, the more jobs I get, but I'd still rather people take care of their hearing.
Carry on with your music.
I had a run in with one of these a nineteen. (Lots of earaches in it didn't help. It squelches when I yawn, rub it, et c.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NKVXzFW9AXI
I had a hang fire during a demo. It didn't discharge when it should. Tried lighting it three or four times. I put it back on the rest. Took off the muffs and shooting glasses. I was getting ready to dump the contents and retry. It went off as I was leaning across it for the cleaning tools. Touch hole was directly under my ear and my head was cocked talking to someone. Backwash blew my hat off and my ear rung for days. The ball just rolled out. Problem with the wadding, I think.
Now, half or more (probably way more, like 65-70%) of my hearing is gone out of it and I have regular tinnitus in it. Max with an ear bud in it is like 30% in the good one. Haven't had it tested in fifteen years. Probably should.
@DavideBooks Do they make ear buds with dual volume? I'd go for a pair.
Sorry to hear that. I know they make hearing aids that control only the frequencies and amounts absolutely necessary. And they can be set for specific ears. So you can have a hearing aid that basically only acts as an earbud on one side while the other compensates for the damaged frequencies. My boss has some like that.