This isn't a suicide issue. It's an abuse issue. There would be no suicide in this case without the willful, malicious intent to construct a false friendship created by a knowing adult. There was no reason for it. This was murder, plain and simple. Who knows what Ms. Meier might have done with her life. She could've become a doctor, a pilot, or even a Slashdotter. But we'll never know. No. No it was not "murder, plain and simple." Murder, plain and simple, is when someone walks up to someone else and starts shooting. That's "murder, plain and simple."
In this case, the adult did act irresponsibly and maliciously. There is no doubt about that. But, did she actually murder the Meier girl (or, in this case, lead her to suicide)? Hmmm...that depends on what she knew about the girl in the first place.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not trolling or trying to start a war here, but the premise is innocent until proven guilty. Jumping on the bandwagon of "THE ADULT SHOULD DIE!" is passing up a very tried and true legal system which, for all its failings, is far better than a burn-the-witch mentality.
Okay...I'll bite.
Why not just outlaw internet use for those under 18? Assuming you are actually serious (and I think you are), how would this actually work in the real world. First, assuming you could even implement something like this, how would you monitor it? With the prevalence of internet-connected technology, there is no way.
Youngsters don't need the internet to do research as they could go to a library and do their research the old-fashioned way. Youngsters have cell phones and text messaging, and if they don't have that then they could play sports or participate in a myriad of activities for social bonding. And what happens when those youngsters grow up and have never been exposed to this technology. They're not going to know what the heck is going on. Additionally, saying something like, "they can do their research the old-fashioned way" is akin to saying, "You can get to your job, 30 miles away, the old fashioned way. Walking." It makes absolutely no sense. There is no need to be scared of the technology and respond with a THINK OF THE CHILDREN mentality.
The better step to do is educate those children. Make sure they understand what is out there. Make sure they understand that anything they put on the internet STAYS THERE and could have far-reaching repercussions. And, even better, parents need to monitor what their children do on the internet. I know a lot of parents out there want to be their child's best friend...but you can't be. Be a freaken parent and tell your child "No" once in awhile. Be a pain in the butt by making sure you know what they are doing at all times and only give them freedoms as they prove that they have earned it.
The internet is like a playboy magazine: it has articles totally unrelated to sex, and it has the pictures - would you let a minor get a playboy as long as they promise to "just read the articles"? No. The internet is more like the real world. There are bad things, absolutely. But, there are also wonderful and interesting things. You can't remove access to the beneficial things for fear of some of the bad things. Again...education and monitoring.
But if shit happens then then the youngster can take the blame and the punishment. Not their parents, not their ISP, not MySpace or Facebook. An ISP or a website should not have ultimate responsibility unless they showed extreme neglect. Parents, on the other hand, should have responsibility. They are raising children...not "mini-adults." They are responsible for the care and upbringing of those children.
With that said, yes, I do agree that children (especially as they mature and age) should most definitely start holding responsibility for their actions. It annoys me to no end when I see that a parent has to pay for what a child has done and the child gets off with no penalties.
Although you may get modded as a troll, you actually hit on some issues that could greatly be improved in the FPS world that would (in my opinion, anyway) bring a sense of realism to FPS that has been missing for quite some time.
For example, your issue with requiring a key to open the access code. Personally, I'd love to blow a hole in the wall when I know I can. And, a game should allow it too. Of course, that will bring the monsters running to you because they now know where you are...
Realistic hits should also exist. As you said - if you kneecap an enemy, they should NOT (for ANY reason) keep running towards you.
As for the environment, this is one area I disagree with. Have you ever looked around at your typical office/city/town/etc. The world is a relatively bland place (at least the world created by humans). I prefer the extra realism of a bland world. Now, Doom 3 was pretty bland...I think HL2 hits it a little better without making it downright boring.
Either way, I personally look at the realism of a game (respectively speaking - it is still a game) when I am playing a FPS. And, unfortunately, games have a long way to go before they really hit that sweet spot.
(and WTH is with that "premier multi-protocol instant messaging client" remark? Nobody uses that on Windows and Mac OS X). What, pray tell, do people use? (I'm specifically curious about Windows. I know Adium is supposed to be good on OSX.) I do not like the clients available for Windows. Google Talk would be great if they could move AIM support into the actual client. Pidgin is ugly and cumbersome, IMO.
So, the sheer fact that there is a device that can do this also means that anybody can do this because the methods are in place for bypassing security. It's only a matter of time before someone spends enough energy to develop a device that can do this (outside of Microsoft).
The implications of a device like this are scary to say the least. Although I'm not a Microsoft hater, this alone is more than enough to make me take a second look at options other than Microsoft Windows.
I'm being pedantic, but it doesn't prove that at all. Maybe those monkeys haven't had enough time yet. As the saying goes, "Enough monkeys, typing for enough time, can recreate the works of Shakespeare."
Unless you wait for an infinite amount of time, you can never know for sure...
From a cursory reading of the forum thread, it seems like IIS was attacked because, once the SQL Injection was made, the attackers relied on ActiveX vulnerabilities (which, I will absolutely agree - ActiveX is crap) and specific Windows applications (Real Player, Yahoo Messenger) to continue the attack.
That, IMO, is why IIS was the focus. Not specifically because of IIS, but an IIS machine is guaranteed to be running on a Windows box.
Again, this has nothing to do with IIS. I'm being redundant, and MS has done some crappy things in the past, but this is due to poor web site development (specifically SQL injections) and nothing to do with IIS.
Parent -1 Flamebait. (Actually...it's more Article -1 Flamebait.)
Anyway, as it has already been noted, this problem has nothing specifically to do with the IIS servers.
Two other notes: FOSS is good, I agree. But FOSS, by default, is not always better than closed source solutions. Making a blanket statement like that is being just as close minded as the opposite camp.
Using M$ to represent Microsoft is soooooooo 1990s.
Which label do you work for again, Mr. Cpward? Sony-BMG? If so, there's a special place in hell for you. ...where "Hit Me Baby One More Time" is on an infinite loop...
Work in Progress - Vista Edition To: Alan Jackson - Work in Progress
Okay, look, I'm a pile of trash But I give the boys at Slashdot something to bash. My older sibling was good; He was born in 2003 Alright I admit, my development was cursory And I can easily understand why you all curse me. I'm such a big thing; you might as well use XP
You get tired and disgusted with me When I can't be just what you want me to be. I know I'm not held in high regard I leave all my users bumbling and scarred I even asked the coders to try and help me But they quickly responded, "Just use Linux, it's free." Just by patient, I'm a work in progress.
I'm sorry you get mad, 'cause I'm slow as f*ck I think that my code has run all amok You didn't need to get work done, you have all night. I really hope that there are no hard feelings between us I just wiped out your files, there's no need to cuss But I'm starting to see now, what you been saying is right.
You get tired and disgusted with me When I can't be just what you want me to be. I know I'm not held in high regard I leave all my users bumbling and scarred I even asked the coders to try and help me But they quickly responded, "Just use Linux, it's free." Just by patient, I'm a work in progress.
I know they meant well with my security But there's something damn annoying about UAC I'm getting in touch with, my old Unix roots. I should probably do the health thing that you want me to do Slim down around the center; lose a "feature" or two Now you're probably right, sir But it's all good, so what should I exclude?
You get tired and disgusted with me When I can't be just what you want me to be. I know I'm not held in high regard I leave all my users bumbling and scarred I even asked the coders to try and help me But they quickly responded, "Just use Linux, it's free." Just by patient, I'm a work in progress.
Oh Steve B, just be patient now, I'm a work in progress.
Oh, I need a major tune up. Maybe Windows 7 will do it.
Sadly, after the grades came out, it seemed that chatting and porn viewership had a low correlation with scores. (i.e. I actually took notes but was middle of the road for grades) This is what I find interesting. I had a couple excellent professors when I was in school. But, when I say a couple, I mean a couple. Very few did anything other than read off PowerPoint slides and spit back what was in the book. So, I started bringing my laptop to class. I would type some notes here or there, but I would use the time to do research, catch up with friends and other crap like that. I would save the time outside of class to actually get real work done. When I was outside of class, I'd read the books, get involved with discussions among classmates and do my "real" learning there. I graduated with a 3.81 GPA doing this.
Class, much of the time, was a big waste of time, IMO. The only thing it really did was introduce me to new ideas. If I was interested, I'd keep learning more.
I might agree, except - what determines a "business" on the web? Amazon is obviously a business. What about some guy just selling stuff off of his personal site? Does he have to provide handicap access?
The internet is such a fluid place (and constantly growing) that it's damn near impossible to define who should follow the rules and who shouldn't.
What if your neighbor decides to start downloading some bad stuff using your open network. AFAIK, you leaving your network open is not an excuse for what goes on on your network. You would be in deep s*it. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)
That is true, but the thing to remember is that everybody is a newbie in something that they interact with day-to-day. Honestly, other than the basics, I couldn't tell you the first thing about how my car works. Living where I do, it's much more convenient to take it into a shop and not worry about it.
Not knowing how to do something doesn't give those people who do the right to look down upon that person. Then again, that's not going to change - everybody wants to feel important. Looking down upon the "computer n00bs" is just a nerd's way of feeling important.
Haven't you ever wondered what happened to your best friend from Elementary school? Your favorite acquaintances from college? It's not about chat. It is about keeping a link to people that would otherwise get left behind. This I don't disagree with. It's kind of fun hopping onto Facebook and checking up on old friends and just seeing how people are doing in general. It's also a great way to get in touch with a bunch of people very quickly. I just planned an Ultimate Frisbee tournament and I reached far more people than I ever could by dialing every person on my cell phone.
Of course, some people will argue that if you weren't keeping in touch with these people anyway, who cares what happened to them. It's a valid point.
As (at least in the U.S.) society becomes more mobile there is a strong desire to keep those ties. There's a lot of lonely people out there who treasure reading the blogs, hearing the music, and looking at pictures of former in-the-flesh friends. THIS. This is what I find wrong with Facebook and the internet in general. There *are* a lot of lonely people out there. I'll agree with that. However, GET OUT OF THE MOTHERF(*&ING HOUSE/APARTMENT/BASEMENT and actually go out and meet people! Get involved in groups and activities. This whole, "living and dying by Facebook and the Blog" is a whole bunch of garbage. Is your life that sad that you have to live vicariously through your "friend's" pictures and status updates on a stupid website?!
Facebook should be about making contacts only. Life should happen outside of Facebook.
Slashdot Mirror
In this case, the adult did act irresponsibly and maliciously. There is no doubt about that. But, did she actually murder the Meier girl (or, in this case, lead her to suicide)? Hmmm...that depends on what she knew about the girl in the first place.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not trolling or trying to start a war here, but the premise is innocent until proven guilty. Jumping on the bandwagon of "THE ADULT SHOULD DIE!" is passing up a very tried and true legal system which, for all its failings, is far better than a burn-the-witch mentality.
Please be quiet and keep your opinions to yourself, Mr. D. Maul. You're just bitter that you're movie got a crappy review.
The better step to do is educate those children. Make sure they understand what is out there. Make sure they understand that anything they put on the internet STAYS THERE and could have far-reaching repercussions. And, even better, parents need to monitor what their children do on the internet. I know a lot of parents out there want to be their child's best friend...but you can't be. Be a freaken parent and tell your child "No" once in awhile. Be a pain in the butt by making sure you know what they are doing at all times and only give them freedoms as they prove that they have earned it. The internet is like a playboy magazine: it has articles totally unrelated to sex, and it has the pictures - would you let a minor get a playboy as long as they promise to "just read the articles"? No. The internet is more like the real world. There are bad things, absolutely. But, there are also wonderful and interesting things. You can't remove access to the beneficial things for fear of some of the bad things. Again...education and monitoring. But if shit happens then then the youngster can take the blame and the punishment. Not their parents, not their ISP, not MySpace or Facebook. An ISP or a website should not have ultimate responsibility unless they showed extreme neglect. Parents, on the other hand, should have responsibility. They are raising children...not "mini-adults." They are responsible for the care and upbringing of those children.
With that said, yes, I do agree that children (especially as they mature and age) should most definitely start holding responsibility for their actions. It annoys me to no end when I see that a parent has to pay for what a child has done and the child gets off with no penalties.
I'll still visit. I have to have SOMETHING to do at work. /just kidding //don't fire me ///wait...where am I again?
Although you may get modded as a troll, you actually hit on some issues that could greatly be improved in the FPS world that would (in my opinion, anyway) bring a sense of realism to FPS that has been missing for quite some time.
For example, your issue with requiring a key to open the access code. Personally, I'd love to blow a hole in the wall when I know I can. And, a game should allow it too. Of course, that will bring the monsters running to you because they now know where you are...
Realistic hits should also exist. As you said - if you kneecap an enemy, they should NOT (for ANY reason) keep running towards you.
As for the environment, this is one area I disagree with. Have you ever looked around at your typical office/city/town/etc. The world is a relatively bland place (at least the world created by humans). I prefer the extra realism of a bland world. Now, Doom 3 was pretty bland...I think HL2 hits it a little better without making it downright boring.
Either way, I personally look at the realism of a game (respectively speaking - it is still a game) when I am playing a FPS. And, unfortunately, games have a long way to go before they really hit that sweet spot.
Queue: "I'm in ur courtrooms, denying ur lawyers."
Wish it was Caturday.
Hmmm...misspelt isn't a word, but apparently ROFLMAO is. Sweeeeeeet...
So, the sheer fact that there is a device that can do this also means that anybody can do this because the methods are in place for bypassing security. It's only a matter of time before someone spends enough energy to develop a device that can do this (outside of Microsoft).
The implications of a device like this are scary to say the least. Although I'm not a Microsoft hater, this alone is more than enough to make me take a second look at options other than Microsoft Windows.
No mon. 'sall good, all the time.
I'm being pedantic, but it doesn't prove that at all. Maybe those monkeys haven't had enough time yet. As the saying goes, "Enough monkeys, typing for enough time, can recreate the works of Shakespeare."
Unless you wait for an infinite amount of time, you can never know for sure...
From a cursory reading of the forum thread, it seems like IIS was attacked because, once the SQL Injection was made, the attackers relied on ActiveX vulnerabilities (which, I will absolutely agree - ActiveX is crap) and specific Windows applications (Real Player, Yahoo Messenger) to continue the attack.
That, IMO, is why IIS was the focus. Not specifically because of IIS, but an IIS machine is guaranteed to be running on a Windows box.
Again, this has nothing to do with IIS. I'm being redundant, and MS has done some crappy things in the past, but this is due to poor web site development (specifically SQL injections) and nothing to do with IIS.
Parent -1 Flamebait. (Actually...it's more Article -1 Flamebait.)
Anyway, as it has already been noted, this problem has nothing specifically to do with the IIS servers.
Two other notes:
FOSS is good, I agree. But FOSS, by default, is not always better than closed source solutions. Making a blanket statement like that is being just as close minded as the opposite camp.
Using M$ to represent Microsoft is soooooooo 1990s.
Work in Progress - Vista Edition
To: Alan Jackson - Work in Progress
Okay, look, I'm a pile of trash
But I give the boys at Slashdot something to bash.
My older sibling was good; He was born in 2003
Alright I admit, my development was cursory
And I can easily understand why you all curse me.
I'm such a big thing; you might as well use XP
You get tired and disgusted with me
When I can't be just what you want me to be.
I know I'm not held in high regard
I leave all my users bumbling and scarred
I even asked the coders to try and help me
But they quickly responded, "Just use Linux, it's free."
Just by patient, I'm a work in progress.
I'm sorry you get mad, 'cause I'm slow as f*ck
I think that my code has run all amok
You didn't need to get work done, you have all night.
I really hope that there are no hard feelings between us
I just wiped out your files, there's no need to cuss
But I'm starting to see now, what you been saying is right.
You get tired and disgusted with me
When I can't be just what you want me to be.
I know I'm not held in high regard
I leave all my users bumbling and scarred
I even asked the coders to try and help me
But they quickly responded, "Just use Linux, it's free."
Just by patient, I'm a work in progress.
I know they meant well with my security
But there's something damn annoying about UAC
I'm getting in touch with, my old Unix roots.
I should probably do the health thing that you want me to do
Slim down around the center; lose a "feature" or two
Now you're probably right, sir
But it's all good, so what should I exclude?
You get tired and disgusted with me
When I can't be just what you want me to be.
I know I'm not held in high regard
I leave all my users bumbling and scarred
I even asked the coders to try and help me
But they quickly responded, "Just use Linux, it's free."
Just by patient, I'm a work in progress.
Oh Steve B, just be patient now,
I'm a work in progress.
Oh, I need a major tune up.
Maybe Windows 7 will do it.
Class, much of the time, was a big waste of time, IMO. The only thing it really did was introduce me to new ideas. If I was interested, I'd keep learning more.
...because it was a stupid arrrrrrrrrrgument.
I might agree, except - what determines a "business" on the web? Amazon is obviously a business. What about some guy just selling stuff off of his personal site? Does he have to provide handicap access?
The internet is such a fluid place (and constantly growing) that it's damn near impossible to define who should follow the rules and who shouldn't.
What if your neighbor decides to start downloading some bad stuff using your open network. AFAIK, you leaving your network open is not an excuse for what goes on on your network. You would be in deep s*it. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)
That is true, but the thing to remember is that everybody is a newbie in something that they interact with day-to-day. Honestly, other than the basics, I couldn't tell you the first thing about how my car works. Living where I do, it's much more convenient to take it into a shop and not worry about it.
Not knowing how to do something doesn't give those people who do the right to look down upon that person. Then again, that's not going to change - everybody wants to feel important. Looking down upon the "computer n00bs" is just a nerd's way of feeling important.
Of course, some people will argue that if you weren't keeping in touch with these people anyway, who cares what happened to them. It's a valid point. As (at least in the U.S.) society becomes more mobile there is a strong desire to keep those ties. There's a lot of lonely people out there who treasure reading the blogs, hearing the music, and looking at pictures of former in-the-flesh friends. THIS. This is what I find wrong with Facebook and the internet in general. There *are* a lot of lonely people out there. I'll agree with that. However, GET OUT OF THE MOTHERF(*&ING HOUSE/APARTMENT/BASEMENT and actually go out and meet people! Get involved in groups and activities. This whole, "living and dying by Facebook and the Blog" is a whole bunch of garbage. Is your life that sad that you have to live vicariously through your "friend's" pictures and status updates on a stupid website?!
Facebook should be about making contacts only. Life should happen outside of Facebook.
I'm just a poor boy