The Google Eyes Are Watching

The following is a conversation I will soon be having with some Young Republican Person. I don't know which one, living out here in the "Burbs", there are a plethora of them from which to choose .

Me: "Don't you miss the days when the only people who were watching were the private dicks your wife hired and J. Edger Hoover? The days when privacy was not only allowed but protected?

"Now everyone is looking at your credit report, at satellite images of your neighborhood, even at the image scans from your hometown paper that show a picture of you dancing up a storm at that Olivia Newton John concert. Google has even introduced Street View actual images from addresses that you can ID by search. If technology were a person, you'd call them a stalker the way they keep track of us."

Young Republican Person: "Privacy? What the hell is that? What are you some sort of liberal throwback, some technology Luddite who fails to see the greater good that the Internet and it's great gatekeeper Google have provided? I, for one, am thankful for our new Google overlords and you'd be smart to feel the same.

By the way, who's J. Edger Hoover?"

Basically, this new feature from Google Maps called Street View lets you look up an address and then gives you a picture from the street of the said address. Being the Luddite that I am, I think this is an invasion of privacy. Apparently, I'm not the only one.

NYTimes: Google Zooms In Too Close for Some

MSNBC.com: Google hits streets, raises privacy concerns

Before you get started, I know, it is a public street, anyone can walk along and take a picture of just about anything including me or my house. But the content of the picture isn't the issue, it's the distribution.

Look what happened to Allison Stokke. She had her picture taken by some guy, the picture gets up on the Internet and suddenly lechers from around the world are sending her e-mails and posting on message boards about how they'd have sex with her. Is that the price she pays for being attractive, the collective prurient obsession of the net? Suddenly being hot justifies endless e-mails, phone calls and ever multiplying Internet postings about your actions and activities? She didn't ask for it, it just happened, and she doesn't deserve the fear and aggravation that goes with it.

So now, by merely existing, Google can post a picture of you or your house on the net and that is just the price you pay for living in a free society? I don't buy that at all. Along with freedom of speech goes the right to privacy, and that right doesn't end because Google wants to provide the world with a cute gimmick that helps pad their corporate pockets. If they have an image of my house or my person, they should have to ask to use it and provide me compensation if I agree.

I am not a public figure, I have a reasonable expectation of privacy that does not end just because my house isn't surrounded by a privacy fence or because I've ventured out beyond the threshold of my front door. The value to public discourse and the general good to society of having those photos available is next to nil while the damage to my right to privacy is not only clear, but potentially dangerous.

But don't take my word for it, just take a moment to wonder how this guy feels about Street View. I'm willing to bet he was comfortable with being seen on the street, but visible to the entire world is a whole different thing.

Google may be watching so be sure you don't scratch your ass in public, you might find yourself the object of the world's attention. Like that blond in the Google photo above. Don't those pants make her ass look fat!

The Internet Is Scary, Just Ask Allison Stokke

This MSNBC article should be a must read for all pre-teen girls. It's a story about a successful high school athlete who has suddenly found herself the object of the Internet's affection and prurient desire.

You should read the story, but you can probably guess from the photo what has happened.

On a lark, high school gymnast Allison Stokke joined the track team as a pole vaulter. Not only did she get good at it, she broke five national records and was the 2004 California State High School Champion. That success even earned her a scholarship to the University of California. Still, she was far from a celebrity outside of the track and field world.

That changed early this May when a year-old photo of her at a meet began showing up all over the Internet. It started simply enough. A fan posted her picture on a UC message board. That photo was noticed by a popular New York sports blogger and he posted it. Next thing you know, her MySpace page had more than 1,000 messages waiting for her and a YouTube video of her at a track meet had recorded more than 150,000 views.

Now, she gets stared at, the phone is constantly ringing and she is getting interview requests from as far away as Brazil.

That may seem great to some, but for a 18-year-old A+ student who just wants to compete in her sport, it's scary -- particularly when you start to read the sexual comments that men are making about what they would like to do to her.

"Even if none of it is illegal, it just all feels really demeaning," Allison Stokke said. "I worked so hard for pole vaulting and all this other stuff, and it's almost like that doesn't matter. Nobody sees that. Nobody really sees me."

A lot of young teen girls would die for this kind of attention and affirmation. They think it would be great if the world thought they were attractive and were constantly writing about them. But one look at what Allison is dealing with should give those girls pause.

She doesn't feel safe. She doesn't go out alone. Her father is constantly on the look out for stalkers. She is living in a fish bowl and feels like the world is staring in at her. And she's afraid that one of them might try and stick a net in and take her.

Warn your teens, in particular your girls. Allison didn't go looking for attention from the Internet, it found her. If your teen and pre-teen girls are posting pictures on the Internet, are playing in MySpace, you need to know what is on those pages and who is contacting your child.

But more importantly, you need to educate them about the beast that is the Internet. It has a collective consciousness that can develop unhealthy obsessions for attractive young women. And that obsession can jump from cyber-space to the real world. Teach them to be smart about what they post on the net because once it's out there, it's too late to take it back.

Just google "Amanda Wenk" if you don't believe me.

Yahoo.com seems to be feeding the fire a bit.

UPDATE: The Washington post covered this story and here is a little discussion about that coverage with reader reactions. The Debate: The Allison Stokke Story

Shrek Sucks

If you are a parent of a child under the age of 12, you are constantly looking for entertainment opportunities that can work for both you and your kid. That is why movies like The Incredibles, Toy Story and the rest of the computer animated film Renaissance have done so well. They really are fun for the whole family. Adult yucks in a story that appeals to kids. Unfortunately, the latest in the Shrek series of films disappoints. The story is thin and the jokes are few. My 6-year-old seemed to like it, but there was popcorn and candy involved so from her standpoint, how bad could it be.

If you have to see it, wait for the video. You certainly don't want to pay theater prices for this uninspired piece of film making.

Payday For The Uber-Tarts

In an earlier post I talked about how much more money Paris (Look at my Cooter) Hilton might make after she does her time in the pokey. Well here is a report on the appearance fees for various "celebrities." Yes, I know, that Hung guy from American Idol shouldn't count, but in a world where a drunken, herpes-infected hotel heiress gets that label, then some tone-deaf moron can live the American dream and get paid just to show up places.

NYPost: STARBUCKS
WHEN CELEBS PARTY, IT’S THE CLUBS THAT PAY

If there's a heaven, does Jerry Falwell get through the gate?

As my wife can tell you, I'm probably the last person who should be asking this question, being the heathen that I am, but whenever a high profile religious figure with polarizing views dies, it's the first question that pops into my mind.

If the cover charge for Club Heaven is a strong faith and belief in God, then yes, I suspect he gets his great reward. Of course, I have no idea what was in his heart. For all I know, he was the greatest con man in the history of the religious right. But I'm predisposed to give people the benefit of the doubt. I might not agree with you, but I'll rarely question if your convictions are genuine, particularly when they come from a position of faith.

However, if you figure in the actions and public positions of Falwell, you have to wonder whether or not Jerry gets that Fast Pass through the Pearly Gates. A quick look at Falwell's Wikipedia entry is enough to give one pause. During the Civil Rights Movement, Falwell supported segregation and gave segregationist politicians air time during his TV program The Old-Time Gospel Hour.

He later claimed to have changed his position, but did he? In the 1980's Falwell was a supporter of South African President PW Botha and his apartheid regime. He went so far as to encourage Christians to purchase South African gold to help support Botha's segregationist government. Odd for a person who had seen the light on civil rights.

If God's black, I think Jerry might have some 'splain'in to do.

He also filmed "The Clinton Chronicles: An Investigation into the Alleged Criminal Activities of Bill Clinton." Despite the theories being discredited by all major investigations, this video (according to Wikipedia) connected Bill Clinton to a conspiracy theory involving Vincent Foster, James McDougall, Ron Brown, and an alleged cocaine-smuggling operation.

Creating smear videos based on heresay and innuendo doesn't sound like a responsible thing to do. In fact, just a couple of years ago, Falwell himself refused to vouch for accuracy of the information presented in that video.

In an interview for the 2005 documentary The Hunting of the President Falwell admitted, "To this day I do not know the accuracy of the claims made in The Clinton Chronicles," but failed to condemn the poor research.

Some how, that doesn't sound like the kind of thing that Billy Graham or most other mainstream religious leaders would do.

And there are the rumors about his take over of Heritage USA from Jim and Tammy Bakker. Nasty stuff involving deceit and backstabbing, but they are just rumors so who really knows the truth.

These are just a few things but they make you wonder. If the final judgement actually exists, will Jerry Falwell get a passing grade?

Did Brit Hume Just Drool?

Please, let this be true. Not because I care where Dick Cheney's dick has been and whether or not he had to pay to put it there. No please let this be true so that we can finally have a true poster boy for the hypocrisy of the political right wing nuts.

From:http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/

May 10, 2007 -- WMR has received a third well-placed confirmation that Vice President Dick Cheney, while CEO of Halliburton, was a client of the escort service of DC Madam, Deborah Jeane Palfrey. In addition, one of Cheney's closest military advisers and friends was also a client of the DC Madam's Pamela Martin & Associates escort service. Cheney used the escort service while he was a part time resident of the posh Ballantrae section of McLean, Virginia.

After intense pressure from the White House and Disney executives, ABC News killed the DC Madam client story after having been given exclusive access to Palfrey's ten years' of phone call records.

Cheney made an unscheduled visit to Iraq during his tour of the Middle East.

I have no idea who or what the WayneMadsenReport is, but wouldn't this just make tremendous street theater. Can't you just see Bush stammering through the questions? Listening to Rush Limbaugh defend this stuff would be precious. Yo Rush, crow goes down better with a little catsup! Not that he'd ever eat any, truth is a punchline to guys like him.

The Bitch Of It Is, It Might Actually Help Her

I am so torn. The thought of the heiress/cooter-flasher going to jail makes me so happy. It's almost as if she is doing penance for being the pure attention whore that she is.

She drinks like a fish, dopes with the best of them, sucks cock on camera, flashes her girlie bits to the waiting paparazzi and spends her daddy's money like he just craps it every morning after his coffee and bran muffin. And for this she is famous, a damn celebrity. Famous enough in fact that she gets paid just to show up at events. Not to actually do anything, just to show up because showing up means a pile of cameras and instance news.

I wonder if the event organizers have to pay extra for her to have a cat-fight with Lindsey Lohan or to suck face with some poor, misguided schmuck who is dumb enough to risk herpes for a piece of her action. I can almost hear it now...

Event Planner: "So, Paris will be here at our new Bumpin' Uglies nightclub at 10:30, right?"

Paris' Publicist/Pimp: "Provided your check for 100K clears, Paris will pull up at the front door at precisely 10:33. She's doing a quick cameo at the tatoo/massage parlor up the street as a favor to a friend, but that shouldn't take but a minute."

Event Planner: (in a hopeful tone) "She's bringing Marcos, right?"

Paris' Publicist/Pimp: "No, she's not bringing Marcos. You didn't buy the Super Slut package, so you don't get the whole boy-toy blow-up scene or the gratuitous sex in the men's room.

"No, you bought the basic Visible Vagina package and a side of Durty Dancin'. If you want a top performance, you have to pay top dollar my friend and frankly, that 100K I charged you was a pre-jail discount so be happy with what you get."

And this is why I'm torn. I bet 45 days in the L.A. County Jail will add 20% to her asking price. In other words, the attention slut will actually end up getting rewarded for her jail time. I'm not the only one who thinks so. Just check out this AP article quoting a long-time publicist describing how this is actually good for her "career":

Paris Hilton's jail time may up her fame

So, I have to decide if 45 days of orange jumpsuit wearing, low sodium poultry-based dining, no blackberry living makes up for the fact that she's going to be more famous than ever.

It's what I used to call the "sleep with a stranger" dilemma. (I'm happily married so I no longer have this issue.) Imagine you're at the bar and some anonymous hottie is more than willing... should you? You know it will feel awfully good while you're doing it, but you'll likely regret it for a long time to come.

That's just what this feels like except we don't actually have a choice.

No, I'm afraid we're stuck with this mattress-backed debutante for quite some time. That is until someone new comes along and out depraves Paris. Then she'll have to either up her game or settle for sitting in the center square with her tumbler of Cosmos and a stack of pre-written witty retorts. Either way, I think the joy we'll feel watching her do time will be just as fleeting as a one night stand when we realize just how much this is going to help her celebrity.

Related Previous Posts:
Heros? Not.
The Paris Hilton

"An A-hole who went DEFCON1"

I am not a big fan of his books, life is scary enough thank you, but Stephen King has been writing a regular column for Entertainment Magazine and has recently penned a short editorial on the Virginia Tech shootings. In it, he briefly discusses using the writings of student as an indicator of their likelyhood to commit violence. Frankly, if there is one author who understands the mind of a writer who puts horror on the page, it is King.

According to King, his own college writing would have certainly earned him a tag of "mentally ill." I'm not surprised, what little of him that I have read certainly put that thought in my mind. But trying to diagnosis the demons in the heart of an author through their writings and then holding them accountable to that diagnosis is a failing exersize that would stifle the creative process.

However, as King points out, there is a difference between being a writer and writing. To quote King's editorial:

Cho doesn't strike me as in the least creative, however. Dude was crazy. Dude was, in the memorable phrasing of Nikki Giovanni, ''just mean.'' Essentially there's no story here, except for a paranoid a--hole who went DEFCON-1. He may have been inspired by Columbine, but only because he was too dim to think up such a scenario on his own.

Well said from someone who ought to know.

On Predicting Violence

No shit, aren't they always.

The school shooting in Virginia was an awful thing, a parents nightmare. But when I saw this quote, I just had to do a quick post.

"He was a loner, and we're having difficulty finding information about him," school spokesman Larry Hincker said, a day after the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.

People who aren't loners don't do this sort of thing. If you are attached to people through friendships, family and work, you learn to respect life. Those people who are incapable of those types of connections soon find ways to lash out against those around them, sometimes with devastating consequences.

My condolences to everyone affected by these terrible events.

Yahoo.com

Fun Stuff I've Found.

One of the great things about the Internet and blogging is the interconnectedness of it all. You never know what is going to lead to what. But with the endless number of sites out there, you often find yourself clicking on a lot of crap before you find that diamond. So, as a service to my readers, all six or seven of you, I'm going to periodically share some of the sites I've found that showed some merit. If you come across a site that you want to share with others, just let me know and I'll pass it along...if it doesn't suck.

Happy clicking!

Fark.com

Fark is a list of user submitted news stories with headlines rewritten by the submitters. The content tends to run to the ridiculous or the asinine. Stories about teachers sleeping with students, the woman found dead with 50 cats in the house, famous people being arrested and the like. Each story has a comment section where the community can vent or crack wise. Beware, some of the comments run to the adolescent, particularly those stories that involve sex.

PostSecret.com

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. It is such a simple idea and yet the postcards posted on the site are strangely compelling. I think it goes to all of the secrets and fears that reside in each of us. Reading the cards allows a safe place to feel like you aren't alone, to share the hopes and dreams, fears and regrets of others. They post new secrets every Sunday. Give it a look.

BoingBoing.net

BoingBoing describes itself as a "directory of wonderful things." That might be a bit of an over-statement. However, I do find a lot of neat things posted on BoingBoing, even if they run to the geeky. Personally, I have to feed the inner geek from time to time. Who doesn't think that a link to a history on Coney Island is interesting, or plans on how to build a potato gun, or a link to one of the vintage Alka-Seltzer commercials is cool? Quick, easy to read blurbs make this site a easy gateway to stuff you might never see on your own walks across cyberspace.

Dooce.com

Heather Armstrong got fired a few years ago for blogging about her job. She said she got "dooced". Since that time, she has turned a window into her life as an ex-Mormon, depression battling wife and mother into a full-time gig. She's pretty famous in the blogging world so if you've already heard of her, I'm not surprised.

I love the easy manner with which she writes. It is just irreverent enough to be engaging but genuine enough to keep you coming back. Now, I happen to think the monthly newsletters to her toddler daughter Leta are a bit much, but the rest is well written and quite funny. Give it a read for a week or two and I dare you not to get hooked.

RudePundit

This is not for the faint of heart. For those of us who lean left and get so angry that cussing a blue streak is the only way to truly express how we feel, the Rude Pundit is a good place to stop in for a dose of political commentary.

And I quote:

[Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid] must have special pants made to accommodate his gigantic balls. Really. There's legends around Las Vegas of mob bosses, ready to have Reid whacked back in the day, who were shown pictures of his balls and, in deference to such titanic testicles, called off the hits. It's said that Reid's already had his soccer-sized nuts molded in 24-carat gold and sent to the President with a note that read, "Suck on these." Ken Mehlman, in the Oval Office at the time, passed out.

And that's his way of giving a compliment. Even if you find his politics unappealing, if you like smart blue humor, this site is worth a try.

Youre-boring-me.com

Simply put, this is funny stuff. If you are a Christian or a mother, you can relate. If you are a father or an atheist, you'll love the humor and the insight into a world you'll never know. From the stories about her Bible study group that demands a certain dress code (Funny, how her Reggae Sucks shirt doesn't quite qualify.) to why celebrating grade school graduation is just stupid, Carolyn will have you laughing.

Well, there is the first installment. Leave comments for the sites that you've found so that all might share your discovery...or mock your taste, whichever is most appropriate.