Two non-substantial posts in a row, I know. But poking around my blog stats are just so interesting! Not just what keywords and who referred people here, but also what browser and OS did they use? Let’s find out!

As of today, my SlimStat tells me

Platform
Windows XP
Windows generic
Mac 68k
Linux
Windows 2000
Mac
Windows NT
Windows 98
Windows 2003
Windows 95
Mac OS X
Windows Vista
Mac PPC
Sun OS
Free BSD
Unix Irix

Not surprising, most people use Windows. I’m not sure why there is a “generic” category, since every release since Win95 is on there. Except ME, but I find it hard to believe there are that many people still using it, piece of crap that it is.

Amazing though, there are still Sun OS people out there! Nothing new has come out in almost 10 years, and that OS hasn’t been supported in 5. They’re holding on though! My one Irix visitor amuses me.

I wish I could find out more specifically what people looked at which content. I’m sure I could set that up somehow, like in Google Analytics, but my curiosity isn’t that great right now.

But if you’ve got a PC with an OS not listed, give me a hit! I want to get them all!

Technorati tags: site stats, os

I found this meme via Greta Christina’s Blog, and even though I usually don’t do memes here on MRP, this one looked kind of nifty.

The concept: Compose a poem, a more or less coherent one, using search terms that people used to arrive at your blog.

It’s actually kind of difficult, as I’m not much of a poet. I’ll have to go all freestyle, more like Beatnik comes to mind with black clothes in a smoky room, and hope it works out. I just keep seeing the scene in Tank Girl where T-Saint was doing the poetry, which is where I took my post title.

you think you’re cool, you think i’m not, you think you tough
by Jessika

aging punk blog
blogs special duties punk
punk creative commons
punk parents
punk programming
punk style baby bottles
punk writing

what is raged
what they say about arguing on the internet
arguing on the internet is a lot like running
arguing on the internet is like bush
raged tattoos

middle aged unemployed computer game geeks
eulogy for my computer
hello it have you tried
died in a xkcd accident
superest

women of ninja warrior pornstar first stage
worlds toughest transexual ninja warrior
ninja warrior prize

punk and geek sex
sissified husbands
plus size suicide girls
klutz porn

f i die does my spouse get ssi
faith not works

Technorati tags: writing, meme

It’s not unusual anymore for a child to have his or her own computer. As prices keep going down, and technology becomes more common, even non-tech centered families have more than one PC. One Slashdot reader handed down their old PC to a little sister, installed Linux, and posed the question about password security to the Slashdot masses.

As I explained password protection and encryption to her, I was pleasantly surprised when she insisted on protection measures being as strong as possible, so that no one else can screw with her computer. She knows that my younger brother has to endure strict parental control software that was installed on his machine without his consent. The significant problem is that she cannot permanently memorize abstract passwords, even if they are her own creation. I talked with a teacher who assured me that this is common at her age. My parents would probably be able to guess non-abstract passwords. What mechanism of identifying herself does the Slashdot crowd suggest?

While it is important to discuss security issues with her, no way in hell is it ok to help her password protect her computer so even her own parents can’t monitor what she’s doing. It’s their responsibility to know what she’s doing online, keep track of who she contacts and who contacts her, not to mention educate her on being safe and responsible when going online. And the younger brother who “has to endure strict parental control”? That’s totally within their right to monitor their kid’s internet activities.

Should she expect some privacy? Maybe some, but not as much as someone older, and definitely not as much as an adult. Seriously, she’s SEVEN, not seventeen.

Besides, what do you think would happen if she went online totally unsupervised and gave out all her personal info? Or started chatting with adults who weren’t very nice? Or even just started looking at porn or how to make bombs then started to experiment? Everyone would be looking to the parents, who would very much be the ones responsible for her safety.

Ok, that last bit was a little over the top, but realistically, no parent should let their child go online without some supervision, especially at that age. Make the girl her own computer account with its own password, but the parents should have the Administrator account password and use the tools available to keep track of where she goes. Or even better, make a white list of sites that are ok for her to visit and time restrict her access. Over time, as she gains experience and shows she is responsible, her privacy can be expanded.

I’m sure my Baby Grrl will try to hide things from me, which I understand, but when it comes to her internet activities, she’ll have to wait until much older than seven before she gets total privacy.

Technorati tags: privacy, parenting

Ever wonder what the Bible would be like if it were in manga form, and with robots? You did? Well, you’re in luck with the release of Mecha Manga Bible Heroes! It comes out in May, and sounds just dandy!

The 32-page, full color Mecha-Manga Bible Heroes series is filled with action-packed mecha-manga art and adventure-filled tales from the Old Testament – all for just $2.99! The characters, stories and themes remain the same. Only the setting has changed – to a futuristic world of robots, aliens and advanced technology!

But not to worry if you’re not religious and just want to read the cool robot stories.

“The series is designed to appeal to anyone, whether religious or not,” said Managing Editor Paul Castiglia, a veteran comic book writer and editor who has worked for Archie Comics, among other notable comic publishers. “Our aim was to create an all-ages series with broad appeal, so that even those who consider the bible ‘mythology’ on par with Greek and Roman legends may embrace it.”

Yeah, because the western mythology is just a perfect fit for robots and manga! I’d give them credit for originality, but it sounds more like them trying to cash in with the coolness factor of manga and robots to hook kids into Christianity. Come on kids, the first hit’s only $2.99. A cheap price when your soul is at stake.

Kids aren’t fooled that easily. When will people learn that adding religion into something doesn’t make it automatically cool? They’ve tried it with video games, not to mention music, for years, and it’s not caught on. Even Hank Hill gets it. His response to Bobby listening to punk-Christian rock: Can’t you see you’re not making Christianity better, you’re just making rock and roll worse?

Technorati tags: manga, lame

All of us in the Middle Raged Punk house have the flu. Started with Baby Grrl on Friday, with what we thought was just another cold, but by Monday morning, her fever was back. Her doc verified it was the flu with a test, and by last night both hubby & I had the textbook flu symptoms. We all stayed home from work today, and our doc called in some Tamiflu for us. But even after being home all day, drinking fluids, and taking my medicine, I still feel like crap. I’ve got a couple of posts I want to work on, but they’ll have to wait until I can focus on more than how achy, chilled/fever, and tired I am.

Sucky part? Baby Grrl and I both got the flu shot this year! I get it free at work, since I work in a hospital setting. But even with all my hand cleaning, and trying to avoid getting Baby Grrl’s runny nose on me, here I am. Anyone who has had a kid will tell you it’s nigh impossible to avoid your own kid’s germs. I knew I’d get sick when she turned into my face when she sneezed and I felt it all over my face, including my mouth. Hope you weren’t eating when you read that.

Anyway, that’s enough whining on my end. I’m off to catch up on my RSS feeds then veg out with some junk TV for the night.

You can’t read a tech news site without seeing at least one story per week about the RIAA. I saw the headline at both Ars Technica and Slashdot, but didn’t read it due to being super busy at work this morning. But David sent me an email about it, so now I’ve made time to read it and make a post!

At first I had the knee-jerk reaction to the headline, thinking that Oklahoma State University just gave in to the RIAA’s demands. But after actually reading the articles (blasphemy, especially at Slashdot), turns out it’s more than that. See, the RIAA been interested in OSU for several months, trying to get names of 11 students they accuse of file sharing on Peer-2-Peer networks. The students at first tried to quash the subpoena, but unfortunately a judge denied the request, ordering OSU to turn over the names to the RIAA.

But then things got interesting…

In a filing on Monday, the RIAA noted that OSU said it would provide the info in late November. Further requests by the plaintiffs’ attorneys in December, January, and “several times” already this month went unanswered, with one exception. On February 1, the university sent the RIAA’s attorneys an e-mail that referenced an attachment containing the data sought by the labels, but the attachment wasn’t actually attached.

It’s the old “Oh, the electric bill? I mailed that to you! Oh, I’m so sorry I forgot to sign the check, I’ll send another one” trick to bide more time, sounds like to me. Because now the RIAA can’t do it’s usual tactic of mailing the students settlement letters offering to let them off the hook for a modest few thousand dollars instead of a trial. Why?

Some of the OSU Does have hired an attorney, however, which makes sending out settlement letters difficult. “[A]t this time, Plaintiffs are simply unable to determine which of the Doe defendants are represented by an attorney without breaking the prohibition [against contacting represented defendants directly],” notes the RIAA in a filing. The attorney in question, Marilyn Barringer-Thompson, has so far refused to identify her clients either by name or IP address.

If that name sounds familiar, it may be because she represented Debbie Foster, one of the first defendants to triumph over the RIAA and win attorneys’ fees. Barringer-Thompson has a history of aggressively litigating file-sharing cases brought by the music industry, and the RIAA looks like it’s facing an another protracted and potentially costly fight here as well.

So hahahaha RIAA! First, OSU didn’t just cough up the student’s names and made you get a subpeona, so good on them. Then, thanks to the stalling (whether intentional or not), you now are going to be up against an attorney who has beaten you in court before. I sure hope she wins for the students. The RIAA needs to die. They don’t represent the artist’s or the people’s best interests, only the record companies bottom line.

Technorati tags: mafiaa, oklahoma state university

Remind me again why so many people voted in Democrats into Congress. To get some things done and change the way the country is going, right? Well, they have gotten some things done, more than the last Congress, but when it comes to politicians, they’re the same.

I haven’t blogged about the Dodd/Feingold amendment to the surveillance bill, one of those topics I kept meaning to on my long list of “stuff to blog about, so here’s some basic info.

In 2005, Americans learned that the President authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to wiretap phone and email communications involving United States persons within the U.S. without obtaining a warrant or court order pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). FISA prohibits unauthorized electronic surveillance. Shortly afterwards Americans also learned that the major telecoms participated in warrantless surveillance, handing over billions of their customers private communications and communications records. EFF later developed specific, undisputed whistleblower evidence demonstrating AT&T’s direct participation in the warrantless surveillance by diverting its customer communications to the NSA.

This bill isn’t good. It would expand the executive branch’s spying powers while granting immunity to telecoms that broke the law and assisted in the NSA’s illegal domestic spying. The Dodd/Feingold amendment would have stripped out the immunity given to the Telcoms, paving the way for them to be held accountable for breaking the law in giving out US citizen’s private information without a warrant.

But today, a chunk of Democrats voted against the amendment, along with every Republican of course, meaning the Senate’s version of the bill will protect the companies like AT&T. And also meaning that, if the bill passes and is signed by Bush, the EFF’s lawsuit against AT&T could be meaningless.

No surprise that my Oklahoma Republican’s voted against the amendment. I was happy to hear Obama voted Yea, but wondered why Hillary shows “not voting”. (See all votes at that link.) This is exactly what both candidates need to stand up against. I don’t want my country to continue toward 1984. “People shouldn’t be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people.” (To mix my dystopian quotes.)

When are people we elect going to actually stand up for what is right? I can only hope that whoever gets into the White House will actually change what’s been happening over the last 7 years, and get our country heading the right direction.

UPDATED:

Via Streak’s Blog, I signed a petition telling House Dems to stand behind their bill and not give in like the Senate Democrats.

Technorati tags: illegal wiretapping, spineless, no accountability, big brother

Anyone who has been online has, at some point, read a troll post. Some of us have even participated in flame wars, although if we lost we won’t admit it. The anonynimity of the internet makes it easy for people to say things they might not otherwise say if they were arguing in person. Combined with the ease of misunderstanding someone’s written word, emotions can run hot on forums and comment threads.

A ruling this week upheld the First Ammendment rights of trolls. Just like in the real world, just because a comment or post online says a person is an idiot, fat, a crook, etc, doesn’t necessarily mean you can sue them. It was good to see the ruling say:

The appeals court acknowledged that the Wild West of the Internet is still bound by rules about libel, and that especially in the corporate and financial arena, people’s reputations and entire companies can suffer damages as rumors spread over the ‘Net. Still, the judge ruled that what Doe 6 had posted were not assertions of “actual fact” and therefore not actionable under Florida’s defamation law, despite being “unquestionably offensive and demeaning.” Therefore, Doe 6’s statements are still protected under the First Amendment, and he is entitled to all costs involved in his appeal.

I hate trolls like anyone else, and mostly just try to find the humor in their wild generalizations and idiotic comments, but I strongly oppose anyone saying that just because I don’t like what they say, make it illegal.

But what happens when the person/people trolling the comments start saying things that go beyond insults? It’s one thing for a comment saying I’m a stupid bitch, but crosses the line at threatening or advocating violence. That is agaist the law and should be treated as such.

It becomes difficult though, when you’re dealing with forums and websites that allow anonymous comments. The two female Yale law students have found this out the hard way. They’ve come up dry on their search for the identity of anonymous commentors who weren’t your average troll:

[M]essages advocated punching the women in the gut while pregnant, raping them, and sodomizing them. The women were each accused of having STDs, having done sexual favors to Yale Law faculty or deans, and being lesbians, among other lurid accusations.

It doesn’t sound like they’ll ever find out who the people were at this point. Which isn’t too comforting to them, considering the comments were made on a law school site and forum. Those trolls are fellow students, and going to be lawyers. [Feel free to flame lawyers, it’s protected speech!]

Another issue to think about, is how much, if any, responsibility to place on website owners and forum moderators? Many sites do have policies in place where comments and/or posts can be reported if offensive, but many more are left to be free. In personal blogs like mine, I’ll approve any comment that’s not spam, so long as comments are kept away from threats. Being such a low-profile blog, I’ve not had to deal with flame wars or trolls, but their voice will be heard as long as they stick to that rule. And as long as they don’t swamp the comments too much.

But what happens if another commenter on my blog takes offense? I do say on my homepage that the comments are owned by whoever posted them, but am I required to give out the poster’s personal information if someone wants to sue? I’d probably consult an attorney, but my initial reaction is to say “Get a warrant.” Just because one person is offended doesn’t mean I’m going to give out personal info. That’s just wrong. To get back onto the original topic… What about the server where my blog is hosted and my ISP, could they get caught in the legal mess?

No questions I really have answers to, but just so much to consider. Makes me kind of glad I’m not an A, B, or even C list blogger when it comes to attracting trolls. (Athough after this post, I’m expecting some troll posts, just to see if I stick by my claims…)

Technorati tags: first amendment, trolls, online libel

I read about two different studies involving children and internet activities today. Basically they both end up saying to surf with your kids, talk with them about online safety, and blah blah blah. But before that, here comes the FEAR MONGERING! (They aren’t quite as bad as some articles, but still…)

Article one:

Thirty-six percent from the high school group admitted to meeting with a stranger they had met online. Nearly 40% of these children admitted to speaking with strangers regularly (within the past week).

Fewer than 9 percent of the parents knew that their children had been meeting with strangers, engaging in what could be viewed as very risky behavior.

Sounds scary, especially to a parent. But let’s think about this first. What did the study define as a “stranger”? I have many people whom I’ve never met in RL (real life), but talk to via email, IM, blogs, etc. Among high school kids, I’d guess that type of communication is very common. It’s not unreasonable for two kids who talk this way to meet in RL, especially if they live in the same area. Not the scary Stranger Danger the article tries to make.

The other part of the study focused on the knowledge gap between parents and children.

30 percent of children between the ages of 9 and 18 delete the search history from their browsers in an attempt to protect their privacy from their parents.

You know, if I were a teenager looking for information on topics such as birth control, drugs, sex ed information…I’d surely find a way to try and hide that from my parents, too. That’s the problem with a statistic like that, is the wide age range. I see no problem with older teenagers having some privacy. Would I want my Baby Grrl to come to me for advice? Of course! But I’d also want her to get current, and correct, information about any of those topics online from places like Planned Parenthood if she felt she couldn’t come to me.

I will give the researcher credit. In the end, she does try to play down the importance of the parent’s lack of knowledge:

“This lack of knowledge on the parents’ part may be no different than the situation before the advent of the Web. Parents don’t know what their children are doing on the Net, in the same manner that they don’t know what goes on at class, parties, or clubs.”

Exactly. Kids will find a way to hide things from their parents, technology or no.

On to article two. Sex predators and IM:

[T]he results from a new study in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Michele Ybarra and Kimberly Mitchell used data from 1,588 10- to 15-year-old Internet users to investigate online sexual harassment, and what they found was actually quite disturbing. In the last year, 15 percent of all the kids surveyed reported an “unwanted sexual solicitation online.”

With all the hype against social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, take note of the ages here. These kids are too young to use those sites, so instead they use more IMs and chat rooms.

At first when I was reading the article, I thought “I wonder if many of the unwanted harassments are from kids their own age, and the study doesn’t take that into account.” Well, that thought was wrong.

One curious side note in the report was the finding that those who do the harassing online don’t bother to hide their ages or intentions; in fact, they’re quite upfront with their potential victims. This was quite a surprise to the researchers, who note that “in the majority of cases referred to law enforcement (95%), adult offenders are honest about being an adult, and in 79% of the cases, they are honest about their intentions to have sex with the youth.”

Um…that’s good? Kind of? At least it makes it easier to catch the offenders, but it’s still a little disturbing.

In the end, if you’re a parent, you should know the drill. Talk to your kids, teach them about being safe, about using their common sense. And if you’re a computer geek, I probably don’t need to tell you all the stuff you can do to the computer to help you out. I know I’ll be doing several things to the computers when Baby Grrl get’s older. That is until she becomes smarter than her folks and figures out a way to get around the roadblocks.

Technorati tags: think of the children, online safety

In talking with friends over a good lunch (Happy Birthday, Sarah!), I realized I’ve never gotten around to updating my blogroll like I should have. I know of at least two blogs I need to add to both my feed reader and blogroll, but there’s got to be more!

So I’m asking anyone who reads this blog to drop me a comment! Give me a link to your blog, and I’ll add it. Do I already have yours? Then give me someone’s blog that you think I should add. (I’m not expecting anyone to add me just because I’ve added them, although it would be a nice thing to do!)

Let’s help out our fellow bloggers! Promote people who you think deserve a wider audience! I’ll start by suggesting Trav28’s blog. He lives in Birmingham, is an excellent photographer, and posts a daily photo.

Start referring people!