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

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

Sabatticals

Blogging on a Sunday morning. Mike Tyson just fell to Lennox Lewis in 8 rounds to end what a lot of people think will be his last chance at the heavyweight title. I personally doubt it will be his last chance, but then again, I just don't care. Tyson is always going to get someone to pay $54.95 for a fight ... even if he didn't show up to box (like tonight), someone will pay it.

I don't have much to say tonight really. It's been a stressful couple of weeks and I've decided that I'm taking a long sabattical from reading Leoville. I know blogs are filled with this sort of stuff and then the person comes back the next day. In my case though, I won't say it unless I'm actually doing it. I was down to reading Laura Burstein's thread anyway and I just can't do it any more. It's pretty much mindless right now. Every day is the same. When it's not the same six posts over and over it's the same people photoshopping themselves into pictues of her and making the thread get even worse and worse. I just have so much going on with work and with other things that frankly, I have better things to do than go through blather.

That's coming from the guy who used to post a lot on Leoville, especially in that thread. Laura is also one of my best friends in the world. We're going to Canada on vacation together next month. I'm driving her to Montreal, and while there's nothing going on between us, she's one of my closest friends and I'm thankful that she's in my life. However, the thread is killing my interest in Leoville. The thread was the ONLY thing interesting left at that site and I guess, for now anyway, I'm joining the legions who have left Leoville in the past couple of months. I'll be back if things pick up, but god, it's just not a good place to be right now.

Am I making a big scene and saying I'm leaving TechTV fandom only to return a day or two later? Nope. Am I saying that I'm leaving forever or even thinking of shutting this site down? Nope. Do I hate anyone or am I going to spend all this time dissing anyone? Nope. I just want to make that clear. I'm leaving Leoville on my own accord because I find it pointless right now. It's just boring the heck out of me and there's nothing to save it right now. I *will* be back and I don't want this to be construed as an attack on Leo, Leoville, Laura or *anyone*. Got it? Good.

As far as this site goes, I have a lot planned. We're not changing our focus and we'll have a new bunch of strips up as soon as I can get to it. I've been very very busy for the past couple of weeks and life is going to calm down sooner or later. I'll probably shut down some of the lesser used areas to focus just on strips again (bye bye favorites, though the links will stay), and I'll probably shut down the guestbook since no one is using it anyway (you know things are bad when not even Moopie's signing it!). This season's seven strips have been the most fun I've had in quite a long time and I hope I can carry that fun over to the remaining nine and well into next season. As my friend Mandy put it "this must be a geek's dream site" and I hope it is. I really do.

On that note, I'm out of here. Hope to get time to blog again soon.

k9