What About Privacy?

I've pretty much given up on MT blogs. It's like a status symbol or something that I have no clue about. MT blogs are all the same. No one bothers to have any sort of creativity when they create them. They all use the same template and frankly, the only thing you're going to have different from blog to blog is the daily content in the blog itself, what picture they put up to "jazz things up" and what inane MT blog devices they put down the right side of the screen.

The current trend is to set up webcams and screencams. Get this, yes, apparently these people think that they're so important that everyone has to see what they're looking at on their computer screen. It's like some sort of reverse spyware, instead of having a hidden program on their computer capturing every keystroke, these people want to broadcast every keystroke to the web out of some sort of ego trip. "Come see what I'm seeing! I'm cool, I'm hip! I'm so important you need to monitor me every second! Hello? Anyone? Anyone?"

Two things about this they don't realize. Number one: any sort of privacy on their end is out the window. Let's say you have a boyfriend, wife or a parent reading. They can now go to your website and see everything you're doing. Talk to someone they don't like or you're not supposed to? Ta-da it's up on the web for all to read. Go to a web site or pull up an image you're not supposed to? Too bad! You should have turned the capture off first (dumbass!) because it's on the web and everyone knows what you're doing. It's your decision to do this and if you get caught doing something you're not supposed to do it's your own fault.

Number two, it is YOUR decision to do this, however it is not MINE. I have no intention on broadcasting anything to the web other than this blog. If I know that a person has a screen capture cam up I'll be careful talking to that person and I will not IM if I know that they're not careful about it. Why? Because it is YOUR responsibility to notify the person that you're IM'ing with that your capture cam is on. It's just like recording a phone conversation, it's illegal in most states, and when it is legal you HAVE to tell the other person that they're being recorded. If not, you butt gets sued and you lose that friend.

In the past week parts of conversations I've had (and good lord, my WORK screen name) has been captured on these idiotic captures cams because people either didn't bother to tell me they were on or refused to turn them off. Each time they say "oh, it's too small to read" or "no one reads this anyway" well that's bull crap. I've seen capture cams so clear that you can read the entire conversation. I've also had my name put up on a very popular capture cam without my knowledge or consent. Why? Because over my privacy concerns these people have it in their heads that it's somehow okay. That screen capture cams are "cool" and "neat" and that "coolness" and "neatness" justifies violating personal privacy laws. Who cares as long as it's neat!

I've already had one friendship severely damaged by this. I am about to have another one severely damaged by this. Why? Because the need for attention is more important than the friendship, I guess. I don't know. I don't understand nor do I care about their reasoning. All I want is some peace and quiet and you won't get that when all your keystrokes are logged and broadcast to the web ...

k9

Going Dvorak

The term "Going Dvorak" means, in essence, getting up in a really bad mood and going off on the world without a care because you're angry, you're upset over an issue and you are, at least at that moment, a meanie head beyond compare.

This morning I think I went the ultimate Dvorak. I knew I shouldn't go near a computer or write anything. Thankfully, I stopped myself from going off on folks at work ("James, you're gonna start some stuff today, you better NOT lose your job," I told myself.), and I limited my Dvorak attack on something that really was ticking me off -- screen capture cams.

I took the experiences of several of my friends and several people that I know about and summed them up. It was mean, it was pretty vicious, and frankly, while I do bring up some good points (especially the fact that you DO owe the person you're talking to in IMS the knowledge that they're being recorded out of respect to their privacy), had I been in a better mood, I wouldn't have written it as strongly as I did.

The reaction so far is a general agreement to my assessment that the things are evil and that common sense needs to be used when folks have them on. However, I inadvertently hurt someone who took it as an attack on that person and for that I apologize. My rant was not directed at one particular person and shouldn't be taken that way. I apologize if I offended anyone.

Also, please know that I don't hate all MT blogs, but I can't understand why it's always one template. I do my blog here from scratch. While it ain't pretty, I try to be unique and I can't see why a lot of people stick with the awful MT blog style and don't go crazy with their own stuff. I live to design. A bad web site makes me cringe and IMODO MT blogs designs are like fast food restaurants ... they're not pretty and a dime a dozen.

But that's my opinion. Everyone has an opinion. Much like an ass. Everyone has an ass and everyone has the right to be an ass from time to time and, from the opinion of most involved, today was just my time.

k9

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