Since I have been spending a great deal of my time playing in the field of 3D design and printing, I have only recently stumbled upon, and had time to read, “Privacy for Me and Not for Thee,” penned by Catherine A. Fitzpatrick, a human rights activist whom I first encountered in the virtual world of Second Life.
This brings me back to the Hundredpercent American. To some extent he is a pet of mine. I have always rather liked him, because he has some promising qualities. For instance, he has enormous hospitality. I used to feel personally complimented by the amazing warm-hearted hospitality showered on me by Americans.
[…]
When I realized it, I began to say to myself, “This is not a recognition of my own particular merits. Nor is it quite a mania. There is something bigger behind it. An enormous social instinct must be seeking satisfaction through it.”
Then I considered your rage for publicity. An American has no sense of privacy. He does not know what it means. There is no such thing in the country.
George Bernard Shaw
The future of political science in America
Metropolitan Opera House, NYC
11 April 1933
Rebecca Zook of Mashable penned a curious article, “Why Computer Engineer Barbie is Good for Women in Tech.” Curious, because she proceeds to explain why she feels Engineer Barbies are good for us. How they somehow open our eyes and minds to being more tolerant of women in Engineering. And while her claim makes a compelling sound byte, her view is rather… anachronistic.
Today, there is a new "old" buzzword: social software. By definition, it involves using "software" to engage in "social" activities. Of course, the idea of technology-based networking is not new and has appeared in various forms since the mid-1970s. And even earlier, depending upon your definition of technology based networking. Ever hear of citizens band (1945)? Or for that matter ham radio (1909)? It was not until the 1980s however that technology-based networking began making inroads with the public at large and was redefined within the spectrum of social software. And this was not for lack of interest, rather that doing so was largely cost prohibitive, from both the price of the equipment and the "time sharing" fee.
The term, “ageplay” has become synonymous with a form of BDSM role play where one individual (usually a sub) dons all aspects of a child (i.e., dress, demeanor, behavior) and the other (usually a dom) dons all aspects of an adult. This, however was not always the case. To better understand why there is such a division within the second life community regarding ageplay, it would behoove us to take a history walk to the origin of ageplay and explore its trajectory within the social landscape.
In the fall of 2007, several large corporations were jumping on the Second Life bandwagon. By October, CBS announced that they would feature Second Life on their popular television series, CSI:NY, along with a launch of a role play. Watch the show! Solve the mystery in Second Life! Or so the story went.
If you do a quick search for “eCampus,” you will find articles wherein the writer enthusiastically proclaims, “these are the campuses of the future!” While eCourses come in a variety of forms, just how much do people learn, anyway? Moreover, how can students be measured beyond the standard regurgitation that is required for passing tests?
There are, of course, a number of eCampus software companies. Although, no research to date has proven this type of long-distance learning actually works, I would proffer long-distance learning is questionable at best and an abysmal failure at worst. For a number of reasons, the least of which involves ensuring the student meet the minimum criteria of viewing lecture material, submitting acceptable work, and achieving comparable test scores to those of the sister courses where such things as cheating (google anyone?) are much harder to do. Enter tomorrow’s teachers.
In August of 2006, a girl met a boy. Where? On myspace, of course. The teen had been contacted by the boy who claimed to have moved from Florida to nearby O’Fallon. Their Internet relationship blossomed over the next six weeks, and the girl was on cloud nine. But then, the proverbial hammer fell and on Sunday, October 15, 2006, the boy contacted her stating he wanted to break off their relationship.
It has been stated that tragedies bring out the best in us. They also bring out the worst. This seems especially so when the tragedy involves a child. Unlike adult victims however, child victims are generally shielded from the media spotlight. For several reasons, the least of which involves the basic premise that we, as a civilized society, consider it extremely distasteful to feast upon our children’s pain. Or so we claim…
Trench of MyCrimeSpace posted an interesting tidbit regarding Massachusetts AG Tom Reillys challenge to myspace. I say interesting simply because I do not have a great deal of faith in myspace’s alleged commitment to tighten up security in an attempt to make their venue safer for teens.
On Wednesday, April 13, 2006, 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin was reported missing by her father. Investigators thought she may have been abducted by someone she met online. Oklahoma law enforcement suspected her abductor might be heading just across the border to Texas and requested Texas issue an Amber alert.
I have other articles I planned to finish however in browsing tonights news, I was distracted by the recent flurry over myspace. Here are just a few headlines culled from the last two weeks:
Seventeen year old Kehaulani Omakalapua Roberts of Eureka, California disappeared on January 26th, 2006. Police found her in Fremont, California, with a man she met on myspace. She was safely returned home and no charges were pressed. Omakalapua was lucky.
