Since When is Schoolyard Fighting a Crime?

In Lynn, Mass., 29 teens have been suspended because of a fight a few days ago, where no weapons were involved, and neither of the female combatants was seriously injured. One of the girls had allegedly called the other one a "whore".

Someone had the bright idea to videotape the after-school affair, and post it on Facebook.   Authorities got involved.  Now, the the combatants may be facing criminal charges, and the onlookers are punished with suspensions because they did not step-in to stop the fighting. Huh?  I always thought the famous  Seinfeld episode -where the callow friends were tried for not interfering with a carjacking-- was based on fictitious legal grounds..

I did not realize that two kids (minors) duking-it-out in a fair fight was a criminal offense. This is the way the world has worked since schoolyards were invented. It is the natural way for most living creatures to resolve conflicts of turf, romance and dignity. Yes, someone always gets hurt, maybe even bloodied. Someone wins and someone loses. And often, the former enemies - who have gained respect for each other in combat - become bonded friends. The use of weapons is not acceptable of course, but 1 on 1 fighting with fists of evenly matched opponents rarely results in serious harm.

In today's bubble-boy mentality, even the spectators are considered guilty. What about people who attend boxing matches, wrestling, hockey games? Are we obligated to run out on the ice and break up any altercations lest someone get a bloody nose?
I fear that we are becoming a nation of wusses - in a world where there are some pretty tough players. The horror which should be reserved for gun-toting shooters seems to be directed at the Lynn kids who were doing what kids do: working through an unsettling rite of passage.

Fun With Photoshop

 This was school vacation week, and I was scheduled to spend the day with my 7 yr old grandson, who is at that awkward age - too old for day care and too young to be trusted home alone.  Everyone else had work to do and I had no valid excuse, so I agreed to spend the day with little D. 

The forecast on Wednesday was unseasonably warm for February in Metrowest Boston, so it was agreed that we would go down to the Charles River for an early season fishing opportunity.   Little D was excited. no doubt remembering his amazing success at the pond last summer when he caught several good sized 2-3lb largemouth bass.  He claims to have caught 4 but I only remember 2 so I am sure he is on the road  to become a typical fisherman, most of whom exaggerate their experiences.

I got the camera out and yelled "Pretend you have cought something."
He mugged with the appropriate expression.
I posted the photo on facebook, so his working parents could see that we had gone fishing as planned

Within an hour,  his dad,  reposted the picture with a small addtion from photoshop gallery:

Pretty funny.

Thud!

I have been writing on Blogger since 2003, and it has always mystified me that Blogger/Google has provided storage space free to any moron who can figure out how to post text.  The service does not require the author to make the blog public or to include advertising.  So why do they do it?

For years,  I've been wondering when the next shoe would drop.  Yesterday, I got a message that Blogger "no longer supports [my] browser," which happens to be Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  Hmm.

Somewhere, I heard the thud of a size 12 brogan hitting the floor.

The message suggested that I start using the Google (Blogger's parent) Chrome browser.  And sure enough, I had problems accessing the editing features for blogger posts until I caved-in and downloaded Chrome.

I fear we will be seeing more of this sort of extortion in the future, as the competition between Google and Microsoft becomes more intense and forces users to "choose a side."  This competition may keep the act of blogging to remain free for a while longer, but eventually someone has to pay....

I recall the early years, when Cable providers assured the public that "Pay TV" would be commercial free.  How's that working-out?  Most  cable and "free" TV today is unwatchable - unless you have a DVR and can skip through the commercial breaks.    Even "commercial-free" PBS is loaded with sponsored blurbs - which thankfully are run between shows and not in the middle of them.

I find it unsettling that most futuristic visions from Hollywood and in print literature portray a tomorrow that is either post-apocalyptic ( e.g., "The Road",  "Book of Eli")  or a society dominated by commercial advertising ( e.g. "Idiocracy", "I Robot").    

Don't forget to click on the ad that appears just below this post.  I make money when people click on my ads.
Daddy always said: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Sponsored Interruptions

Don't we all hate pop-up ads?

By their very nature, they are intrusive, annoying and ineffective as a means to get my interest.
The underlying intention of a pop-up ad is to interrupt whatever you are doing to make you read a not-so-subtle marketing message.  If you invoke the option to disable pop-up ads it also prevents you from getting information you might have thought you wanted when you clicked on a link.

Most odious of all are those ads that spawn when your cursor rolls over a word on the screen. Seldom does the window contain any relevant information.  Usually it is a sales pitch for teeth whitener or penis enhancement.

Now it is probably true that many men could use some penis enhancement, but no sane person is going to order it from some unknown source on the Internet.  Next thing you know, all your twitter and facebook "friends" will get a message: "(yourname) likes Pump-It-Up gel!"

My point here is that online marketing has spun out of control.  It defies logic to assume that you can create a sense of trust when you sneak your message into the sight line of your targets, and the annoyance factor drowns out any pitch that might create a sense of need in the mind of the consumer. 

No one seems to be listening to the universal groan of users when they are assailed by these flashing, jiggling, pop-ups with no x in the corner so you can close the window.

Then there is the devious method employed by the Globe.com and dictionary. com for example.  When you go to their landing page, you get a hidden set of cookies install ed on your machine without your permission to tack your Internet use and you get at least one ad opened as a separate window surreptitiously placed on the bottom status bar. 

Small minds will reply that these trivial annoyances allow the vast information on the Internet to be delivered free to your browser.  Some one has to pay.

Well, I have hit the wall. My indulgence to accept these intrusions is worn thin.  I am erasing all the cookies on my machine, and vowing to  stop using any website that continues to require me to enable pop-ups.  If it takes me back to the dark ages, then so be it.

As Shakespeare said, "Kill all the Marketers." Well, if he had been writing on a laptop, I am pretty sure that's what he would have said.