back to article Star Trek's Wesley Crusher blasts Google+ landgrab

A former Star Trek: The Next Generation actor, who is plastered all over the internet, has blasted Google for trying to force people into signing up to its social network. Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher, son of chief medical officer Dr Beverly Crusher in the popular TV series, attacked Google after he discovered that …

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  1. BristolBachelor Gold badge
    Thumb Up

    Get's my thumbs up!

    (although why did I have to register here to click the thumbs up?)

    1. Bakunin
      Big Brother

      But at least you didn't have to use your real name to do so.

      1. Doug Glass
        Go

        What social sites ...

        ... force you to use your real name? Do you actually believe that's air you're breathing?

        1. sabroni Silver badge

          Re: What social sites ...

          umm, is it Google+?

        2. Steven Roper
          FAIL

          Re: What social sites ...

          Both Facebook and Google+ clearly state in their ToS that they will terminate your account if they find out that you've supplied a false name, and they won't allow you to use a single nom-de-plume; you have to supply a first and last name.

          1. JEDIDIAH
            Linux

            Re: What social sites ...

            So? Do you really thing they are going to waste resources enforcing this? They are a lazy and greedy corporation like any other.

      2. Seele
        Devil

        Real name?

        Just use a fake name:

        http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/

        1. MacGyver
          Trollface

          Re: Real name?

          Now you got me wondering if "Supporting Atheists" was their REAL name after all.

    2. mamsey
      Thumb Up

      The post is required, and must contain letters.

    3. Matthew 3

      "...why did I have to register here..."

      Read the name of this website, pal.

  2. Patrick O'Reilly
    Thumb Up

    All Hail!

    And that is why he is our king.

  3. ukgnome
    Black Helicopters

    Hmm

    Even though I am a Google consumer I do agree!

    It seems to me that Google think they own the internet.

    1. Ian Michael Gumby
      Trollface

      Re: Hmm

      Well if you use them for mail, search and shopping... they do.

      Bing!

      1. TheRealRoland
        Happy

        Re: Hmm

        Ned? Ned Ryerson?

        1. bolccg
          Thumb Up

          Re: Hmm

          Awesome reference man!

          Am I right? Or am I right? Or am I right?

          1. Great Bu

            Re: Hmm

            They say our love won't pay the rent

            Before it's earned, our money's all been spent

  4. Martin 47

    a little research would have revealed the info that google has only rolled out this 'improvement to about 1% of its users so far, so I don't his rant has much to do with el reg still seeing the old upvote arrows.

    1. Craigness

      And you can't use the old thumb icons if you're not logged in. Youtube uses handles instead of real names, even for G+ users, and a G+ profile does not have to be searchable. So really there's no change here except that you apparently can't downvote a video any more. Oh, and the buttons which previously existed to let you...errr FORCE YOU...to share on Facebook and Twitter after thumbing something on Youtube were not shown in the screengrab the ageing Ensign posted.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Wil who?

    and why is he in any way relevant?

    1. Sklar

      Re: Wil who?

      WHEATON!!!!1!!

      His appearances on TBBT are excellent.

      1. FartingHippo
        Flame

        Re: Wil who?

        Excellent on TBBT. Utterly, utterly punchable on NG.

        1. Aaron Em

          Re: Wil who?

          Good on him for not ending up another Gary Coleman, tho.

        2. Darryl

          Re: Wil who?

          I agree with FartingHippo... My favourite quote from Sheldon on TBBT: "Well, if it isn't Wil Wheaton, the Jar-Jar Binks of the 'Star Trek' universe."

          But yeah, Wheaton's been great on that show. Back in the TNG days, I was always hoping he was going to get the redshirt treatment.

          1. Graham Dawson Silver badge

            Re: Wil who?

            Wouldn't that make Jar Jar the Wesley Crusher of Star Wars?

            I don't care if he was an annoying pr... character in Star Trek, he's a bloody great guy in real life.

    2. TheRealRoland
      Angel

      Re: Wil who?

      Sigh...

      alt.wesley.crusher.die.die.die ?

    3. Atonnis
      Thumb Down

      Re: Wil who?

      I recommend you go look him up on IMDB or something. He's a very experienced actor with a long list of credentials...with a very high respectability rating thanks to his well-known good nature.

      1. Thing

        Re: Wil who?

        Wil... is that you?

        or perhaps Wil's mum

    4. hplasm
      Happy

      Re: Wil who?

      He has been a commentard here too- so watch it...

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Wil who?

      He's famous for being "The Wesley Crusher," but also for being 'one of us' he's on the big bang theory because, despite his fame, he's as big a geek as the rest of us. He goes to sci-fi and gaming conventions, not as an exhibit... and is currently running a YouTube series on playing board games with his friends, ok he is friends with a lot of celebrities!

      He knows how annoying Wesley crusher, his foot in the door, was and accepts it. And now does stuff he enjoys for his fans.

  6. Jeebus
    Thumb Up

    Well said Wil Wheaton. Funny fellow, well worth a read, certainly more relevant than any anon poster.

  7. Hooksie
    Happy

    Wheatoooooooooooooooooooooooooon!

  8. Dr Insanity

    So let me get this straight... Wesley Crusher saves the day again?

    1 finger: Captain says "make it so" or a Redshirt dies

    2 fingers: Data doesn't get the joke or Worf doesn't get the joke

    3 fingers: Geordie reverses the polarity of something

    4 fingers: Wesley saves the day

    Everyone take a drink!

    1. Z-Eden
      Trollface

      "Everyone take a drink!"

      As long as its earl grey

      1. hplasm
        Happy

        Earl Grey-

        Hot or not?

        1. Crisp

          Re: Earl Grey-

          Real men drink prune juice.

  9. Inachu
    IT Angle

    I agree with Wil 100%

    When will google stop this crap!?!?!?!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Linux

      Re: I agree with Wil 100%

      Google will "stop this crap" when n00bs STOP trading with them.

      1. Shakje

        Re: I agree with Wil 100%

        n00bs is so 80s

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who?

    Never heard of him.

    There are plenty of bigger stars that DO like Google+ Perhaps you should give them equal airplay?

    1. EyeCU

      Re: Who?

      He didn't say he doesn't like Google+. If you bothered to read the article he doesn't like the way Google are trying to force users of their other services to sign up for it

    2. Greg J Preece

      Re: Who?

      Is there anything more painfully boring than someone commenting on an article to say "Never heard of them"? Thanks for your superb contribution to the debate. Perhaps, given that this site is fulla nerds, they'd be more interested in the opinion of another nerd than that of the latest chart rapper?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      RTFA!

      If you had you might have noticed the text in bold, here a clue if you still can't find it.

      "I like Google Plus. Some of the smartest people I've ever read are on Google Plus, and the Hangout is amazing. But Google is doing everything it can to force Google Plus on everyone, and it's pissing me off."

    4. Seanmon
      Stop

      Re: Who?

      You're pronouncing it wrong, that's why. It's "Hwhil Hwheaton".

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Who?

        You're pronouncing it wrong, that's why. It's "Hwhil Hwheaton".

        Individually its Will and Wheaton, but together it's Hwill Hwheaton... Just like cool hwhip :)

    5. Doug Glass
      Go

      Re: Who?

      Yeah right, like you for instance?

  11. mnwild_pete
    Thumb Up

    G+

    Way to go WW!

  12. Uncle Slacky Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Time to resurrect the Usenet group...

    ...alt.great.ass.wheaton ?

    1. Greg J Preece

      Re: Time to resurrect the Usenet group...

      Naaaaah.

      alt.shut.up.wesley

  13. Rob 5
    Thumb Up

    He's been in Eureka a few times, too.

    Playing Dr. Isaac Parrish, described by IMDB as "The head of the Non-Lethal Weapons Lab at Global Dynamics Also a complete Tool."

    1. Tom 13

      Re: He's been in Eureka a few times, too.

      I got to see him and most of the Eureka cast at DragonCon in 2011. He was funny as hell. At one point during the panel Wheaton said he was disappointed nobody had yet asked him to sign their boob. Without missing a beat Colin Ferguson asked somebody to give Wil a pen and started taking off his shirt. It was one of the best panels I've ever seen at an sf convention.

  14. Paul_Murphy

    >yet another fucking social network they don’t want or need.

    Yep - that's the problem with nerds, no social life == no need for social network

    I have a G+ account but don't really bother with it, I've been busy finding a 'hack'* for the UK National Lottery that lets me log in because it thinks I am not in the UK, though when pressed they also said it was because they couldn't see my web page history.

    I had a Facebook account, but deleted all the content that was on there after getting inundated with request to become a zombie, pirate, zombie-pirate, mafiosa and all sorts of similar crud.

    ttfn

    *turns out that opening a second tab does the trick in Chrome or FF

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @Paul_Murphy

      So you think you are intelligent for not using facebook, G+ etc...

      But then you lose all credibility by admitting you partake in the idiot tax of the national lottery?

  15. 0765794e08
    Happy

    Trekkie Spaghetti

    I’m sure that Mr Wheaton is making a valid argument, but let’s face it, if it was Marina Sirtis that was doing the jumping up and down, we’d all be paying a lot more attention.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Trekkie Spaghetti

      Though not necessarily to what she was saying. All that jumping up and down would cause mightily distracting bouncing of her twin moons...

      1. Shakje

        Re: Trekkie Spaghetti

        I find jokes are always better when they are thoroughly explained. Thanks anon.

  16. Greg J Preece

    I follow Wil on FB and this is exactly why. In this case at least, he's absolutely right.

  17. Select * From Handle
    Thumb Down

    Wil Wheaton, Douch...

    Not a raging fan of StarTrek and i think Wil Wheaton is a Douch on TBBT.

    1. James Hughes 1

      Re: Wil Wheaton, Douch...

      You do realise that TBBT is a TV sitcom, not a documentary - right?

    2. Vic

      Re: Wil Wheaton, Douch...

      > i think Wil Wheaton is a Douch

      I exchanged a few emails with him a couple of years ago. He's a decent bloke IRL.

      Shame about his Wesley Crusher character...

      Vic.

  18. llewton

    your presence dishonors g+, child actor!

    i think i'll wait until some former klingon offers his opinion. or some cardassian badass. this guy has no cred xD

  19. Si 1
    Big Brother

    So what's going on with the Like/Dislike buttons on YouTube?

    They disappeared for me about 2 months ago to be replaced with the G+ button, but then about a month ago they came back. Are they appearing/disappearing for people at different times or am I missing the point about what's going on?

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  20. jason 7

    Ermmm hang on....

    (adopts Stewie Griffin incredulous voice)....you 'hang out' at these places?

    I always thought the use of the word 'social' with such services was tenuous but 'hanging out'?!

  21. AlexS
    Meh

    Pot Kettle Black

    Everytime I see him on repeats of Star Trek.... I want to press a dislike button. But there is no DISLIKE button. Urghhhh!

    I blame the parents.

  22. John Sanders
    Linux

    "You don't get people to enthusiastically use your services by forcing them to. In fact, that's probably a great way to ensure that a huge number of people who may have been interested in trying out your service never even look at it."

    That is exactly my case, and I will add that I do not want Google to have my f*****g mobile number.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      To be honest I'm happy for Google to have my phone number as I use it for their two factor authentication.

  23. chris 48
    Thumb Up

    The like button on YouTube is a minor inconvenience

    .. compared to the way Google+ has utterly fucked picasa

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    He's also a programmer

    It's a shame that the overly embellished description of Wheaton, with all the tabloidesque shoe-horning of his previous acting rolls and exactly who he was in Star Trek, fails to mention he is also a computer programmer, and has made more of a living out of that than acting in recent years.

    Of all the things to leave out about him on a computer-centric IT news site...

    1. diodesign (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

      Re: He's also a programmer

      Cheer up, grumpy. It's nearly Friday.

      C.

  25. Atonnis
    FAIL

    Hang on....

    ...did you really have to focus on the oh-so-long-ago role of Wesley Crusher? Why not more mention of his more recent roles in Eureka, or games like Fallout: New Vegas and DC Universe Online?

    Christ, he's known as an all round good guy as well as a very experienced and skilled actor, FFS.

    1. Sooty

      Re: Hang on....

      Because, despite being an all around decent guy, he is, and always will be, Wesley crusher!

      It's one of those roles the will define someone for their whole life due to how bad it was* and being in a popular series.

      *the character, not the portrayal.

  26. cs94njw
    WTF?

    I spent most of my childhood hoping he'd die in a transport accident. Now I've got to start liking him again :(

    1. Roger Stenning
      Trollface

      * Blink* hang on...

      ... "again"? You mean you DIDN'T want him to wind up incorrectly reassembled in the first place, then?

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    OH MY GOD !!!

    Will Weaton makes a positive contribution to mankind....

    WWill wonders never cease!

    :)

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    Wil Wheaton saves the day!!

    And curse you, Reg! I had almost forgotten about "Weasel"-y Crusher. Now I am stuck with a vision of the future's fresh-faced greatest argument against single motherhood!! Couldn't he have been blown out an airlock, or gone missing during an away team mission to the pedophile colony of Gamma-Snuff IV?

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    To quote Jean-Luc Picard

    "Shut up Wesley".

    Partly meant as a joke but still: Google is doing everything it can to force Google+ on everyone? Guess they missed me then. You get what you pay for and if you don't like it (this includes me btw) then don't use their services and move on to something else. THEN you're making a statement.

    1. Graham Bartlett

      Re: To quote Jean-Luc Picard

      I'm amazed it took until the second page before someone said that!

  30. TRT Silver badge
    FAIL

    Yet another chocolate factory fail...

    at providing an enterprise service.

  31. Shannon Jacobs
    Holmes

    Evolution of Google to the EVIL side

    I used to think the trend towards evil wasn't the Google's fault, but then I read that Google has become a major customer of Washington lobbyist firms.

    Background: In America, most businesspeople are nice folks who just play the game of business by the rules. Meanwhile, the LEAST ethical businessmen hire lobbyists. The lobbyists bribe the CHEAPEST politicians, mostly through campaign donations (AKA SuperPACs since Citizens United). The corrupt politicians then write laws to protect the quasi-legal business models of the least ethical businessmen. The final result is American companies must become more and more cancerous and EVIL just to survive.

    It can be restated as a philosophical version. Do you think that a business is in business soley to make money? I disagree. I think a business should be in business to stay in business, but if a business loses too much money, then it will go out of business. However, the rules of the game as encoded into American laws now require American businesses to grow like cancers (just to avoid being crushed or swallowed).

    The greedy out-of-wedlock children who are driving this process now think their "wealth" is insured by being too big to fail. In the sad reality, a cancer always kills its host--and then the cancer also dies, so have a nice day. Google has simply joined the cancer club--and is now paying lots of money to lobbyists. Google is now increasingly at fault for the problems.

    My philosophy: Government should act as an impartial referee encouraging fair competition that increases FREEDOM in the form of meaningful and unconstrained choice, while the same competition also drives innovation and improvement. The referees should get a cut of the gate (in the form of taxes) in a system that also encourages the referees to make the pie (and the total gate) bigger. However, what America has now is like a baseball game where the umpire is paid by a few of the richest teams.

  32. Delbert
    Thumb Up

    Google = evil empire?

    I'm very careful about revealing any info on a Google service it gets stored away indefinately get in to dashboard and delete it away and why do they want my mobile number? they won't get it .!

    Respect to Wil having been a child star it takes a lot of fortitude to become a respected adult actor. There is a huge list of child stars that never achieved their potential with that particular Albatross hanging round their necks, plus he seems to enjoy playing the darker characters great in both TBBT and Eureka

  33. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ohh dear

    Look hes a Knob who care what he does. He Irritated me on ST TNG.

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