I'm in Ireland, which is under different legislature. But anyway: Here, public video cameras are seen as a measure for public safety. I've yet to see ANY account of abuse of these facilities, but I've seen numerous accounts of thieves, muggers, pickpockets, and shoplifters being caught because of video footage from CCTV systems. I'm certainly more comfortable with them around.
The attitude here seems to be "I'm not doing anything wrong, so I don't mind people looking at me." We don't always understand the Americans screaming about violation of privacy...
jd, I can't find your email, but might I forward this post to a mailing list that I'm on? With full credit, etc, of course.
Also of use for online RPG rules
on
GPL for Books?
·
· Score: 2
This concept might also be of use for things like online RPG or LARP rules - as better mechanics/concepts come to mind, they can be integrated and included in the whole. Of course, RPG rules tend to branch a little more than software...:)
First hand report, from the fourth row. The Irish Times article (no wonder I couldn't get much of a response from ireland.com) covered his subject matter fairly nicely, so I won't go into that. ESR gave an excellent talk, and people were highly entertained. Most people wanted the talk to go on longer... there were plenty of good questions and good answers, most notably one guy who maintained that wealth implies exploitation, which ESR got quite annoyed about, and shouted, Lorax-like, "I reject your premise!"
> Goths >Of the 'goth' types that I know I see a common >thread of 'Oh my god, everybody hates me, nobody >loves, so I'm going off to school >to kill everyone when high on drink and drugs >that alter my perception of reality'.
There's something odd here. I'm a goth, and the symptoms you're describing there sound like abject depression, not a subculture. Most of (if not all of) the goths I know are well-adjusted people, who would not be inclined toward violence. You're perpetrating a stereotype here, which is fundamentally flawed. Take a look in on the alt.gothic.* hierarchy at some point, or check out uk.people.gothic. We're reasonable people, same as the rest of ye.
"the remaining humans were apathetic, lassitudinous (is that a word?) beings incapable of anything. This is far more likely -- and far more worth consideration -- than the 'machines will take over' cry that's been popular since the first issue of 2000AD."
As I read Katz' article, I thought this was the point he was trying to get across? The possibility that humans will be outsmarted by machines, to the point where we don't do anything anymore.
>Printing them on paper solves a lot of these >problems. (For most people, journals are freely >accessible, if not convenient: it's just a >matter of finding the closest university >library.)
That may be the case in America, in cities. Here in Ireland, however, I have no personal access to that kind of library, except through friendly students who might photocopy stuff for me. My father, living 80 miles away in the country, knows few enough students, and is not even close to that standard of library. He has 'net access, though, and E-biomed would be accessible immediately. I take your point on archiving, though...
http://www.omg.org was hacked this morning. Banner said "Free gH" - I have a screenshot if anyone is interested... also included instructions to restore normal site. (Site is currently down)
OK, here's a copy of the letter I wrote to the principle of my old school, which Katz mentioned above.
Dear Principal;
This is an open letter, of which I have sent copies to several other staff members. It concerns the recent shootings in Littleton, Colorado, and the reactions to them of high- and secondary-school principals and administrators all over US, Canada, and the world. I assume you've seen some of the media reports.
I'm not concerned that Bunclody FCJ is going to, for instance, ban black trenchcoats, or stop the students from listening to Marilyn Manson. You know as well as I do how pointless that is, even though many schools worldwide are doing just that.
This letter is to draw attention to a situation that exists within the halls, corridors and classrooms of Bunclody. This is the merciless bullying of those who are clever, intelligent, individual, or just plain different.
The shootings in Colorado were committed by two teenagers who, throughout their school lives, had been bullied, pressured, beaten, and verbally abused by the "popular" students. They had reacted by withdrawing into a group of likeminded people, and this only exacerbated the situation. Eventually, they snapped.
I can't condone what they did; nobody can. But they did it for reasons which I am and was all too familiar with.
In first year in Bunclody, I was miserable. I got verbal abuse for being intelligent, for reading, for not having money. I got physical abuse in the form of my books and food being stolen and thrown about. I was pushed into lockers, locked into cupboards, and tripped up. Even some of the teachers made negative comments, in public, about my religion, since I was Church of Ireland, and the abusive students didn't stop at comments.
In January of my first year, I think, I too snapped. At being pushed by one of the more persistent bullies, I went crazy. I hit everything in a five foot radius, and finished up by biting the bully in question quite hard in the forearm.
After this, I had peace and quiet. I never reported the incident, or any other, since it was perfectly clear that if I did, I too would be in trouble, both with the administration and with some of the other students.
I got out early, and was left to indulge my geekish nature thereafter, studying sciences, playing in the Orchestra, playing with computers, and even playing Dungeons and Dragons in Room 51 during lunchtimes. For this, I thank all of you, it's the part of school that made me what I am today.
What came close to making me someone very different, though, is something that probably still exists. It is the attitude that "hard knocks" are just a part of school. Daily, there are events in classrooms and school corridors all over this country that are violations of privacy, and of basic human rights.
Do not ignore these. Nurture the outsiders - they are the ones who go on to be the movers and shakers of the world. Provide places for them to take refuge - libraries, computer rooms, science labs, canteens, music rooms. Make these areas supervised, but nothing more, no rules of silence or study. Just the presence of a teacher or other staff member is all that is necessary.
Further, allow them access to books, to computers and computer games, to the internet, to board games and role playing games, to musical instruments, and to crafts and art tools. Do not make this compulsory.
Finally, there is one other point, and I know this will be a thorny subject in Bunclody. Games, particularly hurling and hockey, should not be compulsory. I dreaded the changing rooms and sports fields more than any other area in the school, and still feel uncomfortable when I think of them.
I hope that I've made some impact with this letter. Letters like it are being posted to many other schools, newspapers, and other fora. Hopefully, we can learn from the Littleton shootings.
Finally, thank you again for providing me the opportunities I mentioned above. Due to the Orchestra, the computer room, and the D&D games, I am now the Senior Webmaster for IONA Technologies PLC. Should you wish to publish this letter to the students - a move I would heartily endorse - please remove the identification, as both of my brothers still attend the school, and I would not like undue attention brought onto them, for all the reasons above.
Katz writes: He allegedly named his virus after a topless dancer in Florida.
As I understand it, the virus was named for part of the registry modifications it makes. I could be wrong, but the CERT advisory FAQ says: "It was named Melissa by the antivirus software vendors."
Anything that you can tell someone else, or that can be communicated in any manner, for that matter, is information.
(Matter + Energy + Information = Universe)
To comment on another thing - "Denver is 5,183 feet above sea level". It took someone quite some time to figure that out. Centuries of development, I would have said. Yet you just told me that for free. Don't you - don't I - then owe that person?
Slashdot Mirror
I've put together a site to track news on this at fireflymmo.com.
I'm in Ireland, which is under different legislature. But anyway: Here, public video cameras are seen as a measure for public safety. I've yet to see ANY account of abuse of these facilities, but I've seen numerous accounts of thieves, muggers, pickpockets, and shoplifters being caught because of video footage from CCTV systems. I'm certainly more comfortable with them around.
The attitude here seems to be "I'm not doing anything wrong, so I don't mind people looking at me." We don't always understand the Americans screaming about violation of privacy...
From what I can see above (and not having read the book, this may not be accurate) Lockard's point can be reduced to:
Internet communities are not physical.
This is hardly surprising, really...
jd, I can't find your email, but might I forward this post to a mailing list that I'm on? With full credit, etc, of course.
This concept might also be of use for things like online RPG or LARP rules - as better mechanics/concepts come to mind, they can be integrated and included in the whole. Of course, RPG rules tend to branch a little more than software... :)
First hand report, from the fourth row. The Irish Times article (no wonder I couldn't get much of a response from ireland.com) covered his subject matter fairly nicely, so I won't go into that. ESR gave an excellent talk, and people were highly entertained. Most people wanted the talk to go on longer... there were plenty of good questions and good answers, most notably one guy who maintained that wealth implies exploitation, which ESR got quite annoyed about, and shouted, Lorax-like, "I reject your premise!"
If he gives a talk here again, I'm there.
> Goths
>Of the 'goth' types that I know I see a common
>thread of 'Oh my god, everybody hates me, nobody
>loves, so I'm going off to school
>to kill everyone when high on drink and drugs
>that alter my perception of reality'.
There's something odd here. I'm a goth, and the symptoms you're describing there sound like abject depression, not a subculture. Most of (if not all of) the goths I know are well-adjusted people, who would not be inclined toward violence. You're perpetrating a stereotype here, which is fundamentally flawed. Take a look in on the alt.gothic.* hierarchy at some point, or check out uk.people.gothic. We're reasonable people, same as the rest of ye.
"the remaining humans were apathetic, lassitudinous (is that a word?) beings incapable of anything. This is far more likely -- and far more worth consideration -- than the 'machines will take over' cry that's been popular since the first issue of 2000AD."
As I read Katz' article, I thought this was the point he was trying to get across? The possibility that humans will be outsmarted by machines, to the point where we don't do anything anymore.
>Printing them on paper solves a lot of these
>problems. (For most people, journals are freely
>accessible, if not convenient: it's just a
>matter of finding the closest university
>library.)
That may be the case in America, in cities.
Here in Ireland, however, I have no personal access to that kind of library,
except through friendly students who might photocopy stuff for me.
My father, living 80 miles away in the country, knows few enough students,
and is not even close to that standard of library.
He has 'net access, though, and E-biomed would be accessible immediately.
I take your point on archiving, though...
http://www.omg.org was hacked this morning. Banner said "Free gH" - I have a screenshot if anyone is interested... also included instructions to restore normal site. (Site is currently down)
Dear Principal;
This is an open letter, of which I have sent copies to several other staff members. It concerns the recent shootings in Littleton, Colorado, and the reactions to them of high- and secondary-school principals and administrators all over US, Canada, and the world. I assume you've seen some of the media reports.
I'm not concerned that Bunclody FCJ is going to, for instance, ban black trenchcoats, or stop the students from listening to Marilyn Manson. You know as well as I do how pointless that is, even though many schools worldwide are doing just that.
This letter is to draw attention to a situation that exists within the halls, corridors and classrooms of Bunclody. This is the merciless bullying of those who are clever, intelligent, individual, or just plain different.
The shootings in Colorado were committed by two teenagers who, throughout their school lives, had been bullied, pressured, beaten, and verbally abused by the "popular" students. They had reacted by withdrawing into a group of likeminded people, and this only exacerbated the situation. Eventually, they snapped.
I can't condone what they did; nobody can. But they did it for reasons which I am and was all too familiar with.
In first year in Bunclody, I was miserable. I got verbal abuse for being intelligent, for reading, for not having money. I got physical abuse in the form of my books and food being stolen and thrown about. I was pushed into lockers, locked into cupboards, and tripped up. Even some of the teachers made negative comments, in public, about my religion, since I was Church of Ireland, and the abusive students didn't stop at comments.
In January of my first year, I think, I too snapped. At being pushed by one of the more persistent bullies, I went crazy. I hit everything in a five foot radius, and finished up by biting the bully in question quite hard in the forearm.
After this, I had peace and quiet. I never reported the incident, or any other, since it was perfectly clear that if I did, I too would be in trouble, both with the administration and with some of the other students.
I got out early, and was left to indulge my geekish nature thereafter, studying sciences, playing in the Orchestra, playing with computers, and even playing Dungeons and Dragons in Room 51 during lunchtimes. For this, I thank all of you, it's the part of school that made me what I am today.
What came close to making me someone very different, though, is something that probably still exists. It is the attitude that "hard knocks" are just a part of school. Daily, there are events in classrooms and school corridors all over this country that are violations of privacy, and of basic human rights.
Do not ignore these. Nurture the outsiders - they are the ones who go on to be the movers and shakers of the world. Provide places for them to take refuge - libraries, computer rooms, science labs, canteens, music rooms. Make these areas supervised, but nothing more, no rules of silence or study. Just the presence of a teacher or other staff member is all that is necessary.
Further, allow them access to books, to computers and computer games, to the internet, to board games and role playing games, to musical instruments, and to crafts and art tools. Do not make this compulsory.
Finally, there is one other point, and I know this will be a thorny subject in Bunclody. Games, particularly hurling and hockey, should not be compulsory. I dreaded the changing rooms and sports fields more than any other area in the school, and still feel uncomfortable when I think of them.
I hope that I've made some impact with this letter. Letters like it are being posted to many other schools, newspapers, and other fora. Hopefully, we can learn from the Littleton shootings.
Finally, thank you again for providing me the opportunities I mentioned above. Due to the Orchestra, the computer room, and the D&D games, I am now the Senior Webmaster for IONA Technologies PLC. Should you wish to publish this letter to the students - a move I would heartily endorse - please remove the identification, as both of my brothers still attend the school, and I would not like undue attention brought onto them, for all the reasons above.
Drew Shiel.
Katz writes:
He allegedly named his virus after a topless dancer in Florida.
As I understand it, the virus was named for part of the registry modifications it makes. I could be wrong, but the CERT advisory FAQ says: "It was named Melissa by the antivirus software vendors."
"Software is not information", you say.
But it is.
Anything that you can tell someone else,
or that can be communicated in any manner,
for that matter, is information.
(Matter + Energy + Information = Universe)
To comment on another thing - "Denver is 5,183 feet above sea level". It took someone quite some time to figure that out. Centuries of development,
I would have said. Yet you just told me that for free. Don't you - don't I - then owe that person?
The difference is not clear.