HAHA!

If you've never visited icanhascheezburger.com, I highly recommend it.

Children's Safety on the Internet - Blog Prompt Response

So I got to thinking about the idea of "child-proofing" the internet. I can see the good in it and I can also see the harm that it might have for the adults that use the internet. Now, I know I would rather not come across "adult" themed sites when I search for something as mundane as a disney cartoon character. Yes, yuck, its gotten that bad.

But what happens when sites word things too close to something less tame, so that filters remove it form a search? Does that mean that there is more of a chance that safer searches will result in less results? Oh does it mean that per chance site will start catering their sites to be more family friend to save face when it comes to business. I am not saying that all porn related activity online will stop, because it is unfortunately too lucrative a business venture for that to happen.

Granted that is the first thing that I think of when I think of what we have to safe guard against when it comes to the internet. However, because this has become a playground for the sexual uncontrollable (no offense meant, but I mean come on and learn to control impulses already - its part of growing up). Since this is something that is accepted by society it leads to the possibility and reality of more deviant behavior - first branching out to child pornography and then sexual predators, though really the two seem to go more hand in hand as time passes by.

Whether or not people feel that these things are connected are up to them. But so long as businesses are able to keep their sites family friendly I don't see how there could be issues with the internet going more child friendly.

Now there is the "but" to all of this. It would drive me insane if the internet turned into a child's playland. Parents should take responsibility for their children before the rest of us are made to sift through dumbed down and flowery (literally decorated) information that has been pulled together by designer who are focused on making eye-catching designs that suck up the budget that don't allow for good copy-editing. So perhaps its the neurotic part of me that wants people to return using real language - words that are longer than two syllables would be an amazing achievement, especially if you understand them.

Ok, enough of being off track and ranting.

I think that making the internet safe for children is a priority. I also think that, as with everything, there is also moderation with everything. To take precaution with the changes that people do to their sites, so that that safety procedures that they take don't leave open loop holes that make the changes entirely usually.

I think that I've gone on too long. Good night.

Week Four

So I've been trying to think of what I would want to post about for this weeks blog post. I don't do a lot of surfing on sites relating to things other than art and art supplies and even those are places that I have been able to visit much recently with my class schedule.

There is one thing that I have found interesting recently that should allow me to expound for the minimum numbers of words, though I know that isn't and should be the main focus. Here goes.

With the increasing price of gas, food, and pretty much everything under the sun, I am finding fewer and fewer people that tend to have cable, satellite TV, or pretty much any sort of provider that gives them anything more than the internet and a land line (and even the land line is extremely rare). There are however - or maybe its just because I now have no money or no brain power and thus time to kill to be able to manage to write things that make sense - an increase in sites other than YouTube that offers television programs to people that either live in a country other than where the program runs, or somewhere financially where people can't afford to have cable.

Some people, like myself, do it because I also don't like to hassle with the commercials that air between the shows. I've found that after being able to watch programs online at a couple different sites, that I get the shows that I want to watch when I am able to watch them. Now there are still shows that I pay for, since I like the clean quality of the iTunes versions, as well as the fact that I'll always have access to them, but those are also worth the cost since I don't have to worry about commercials.

So hopefully that all makes sense, since I just sort of went on a long winded cirlce without meaning to, but now I have to go to the dentist or decide what I want to do about it, so I'm out.

Sites to try if you want to see shows and movies on a college kids budget?
Try Here
And Here

Follow-up to last post

So I was thinking last night as I was falling asleep. If you think about the digital divide from an international level and end up allowing more people in more countries to access the internet that it could play a large role in stimulating the US economy. Think about it. With the value of the dollar being so low at this point, it makes sense that other countries who exchange rates make them wealthy state-side could purchase items from US companies and still be saving money even with the customs fees and taxes. Now I'm not an expert on this sort of thing, so it might not work out in the long run, but I think it's at least an interesting idea to explore.

Response to Digital Divide

Okay. So we had talked about the digital divide in class. We kinda of went over pros and cons of the program from a national level, which was interesting to hear, since there seems to be a relatively diverse group of students in the course when looking at it from an economic and profession angle.

I can see as a future educator and artist how it would make the work that I do in the future more accessible to the world. I can in the same thought though, see how it might hamper how things work as well. For people who have not been exposed to the internet as much as American consumers have there are some tips, tricks, and risks that they might encounter without someone giving the warning that they need to be careful.

By this I mean scam spam and such, as well as the hope that there are really get rich quick schemes that could bring their family out of poverty. There is also the whole fable that if its published online its true. With this there is a whole 'nother can of worms that can be opened - I already know of relationships that have been ruined, etc. because someone has chosen to believe what was in type rather than the words coming out of their best friends mouths.

I digressed, I apologize. I'll get back to the real question/issue at hand.

Back to looking at it from the idea of equality, I think that over all it is a wonderful idea that the entire world be connect. That regardless of a person's nationality (and thus location) or their financial status, they can connect with like minded individuals across the globe.

Even though fear is hindering the sense of global unity, I think in the long run it is going to be for the best and that by allowing people who wouldn't otherwise afford it to feel like they belong - then I don't care how much more I have to give, so that others can benefit. Wouldn't you want someone to do the same for you??