Lemming Tracks: Erin Andrews, Policing the Internet, and Power to the People

"ESPN's Erin Andrews: 'No One Is Policing' Internet, Which 'Needs to be Regulated' "
CNS News (July 29, 2010)

"ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, a victim of stalking, appeared with members of Congress on Tuesday to announce the proposed 'STALKERS Act.' Andrews -- whose stalker posted a video online that he had secretly recorded of her nude in a hotel room – told CNSNews.com that 'no one is policing' the Internet and it 'needs to be regulated.'

" 'It needs to be regulated. It's not. I mean, that's the bottom line. It needs to be regulated. There's no policing of it,” Andrews told CNSNews.com after the press conference on Capitol Hill.

"CNSNews.com also asked Andrews if the government should monitor content on certain Web sites.

"She said, 'If somebody could think of something, I mean, they'd be a hero because, you know, there's just a lot of stuff that needs to be policed; that needs to be looked at. No one's held accountable for what they put on the Internet.'..."

First of all, I think that what was done to Erin Andrews was wrong. It wasn't right. The fellow shouldn't have done what he did.

Stalking isn't nice. People shouldn't do it.

Erin Andrews is quite understandably upset.

Rescuing a Spunky Girl Reporter, Controlling What We Say Online

There's a distinction between stalking, what was done to Erin Andrews: and posting something on your blog that the establishment doesn't like.

The Sixties, the Establishment, and - Finally - Power to the People

If "the establishment" sounds terribly sixties, I'm not surprised. It's closely associated with peace protests, flower power, and kids who didn't like gray flannel suits.

I was there, and there was a - shall we say certain coolness? - between the folks who were perfectly content with being in charge and having things pretty much their way, and the rest of us.

After a half-century, a fair number of the screaming kids now wear three-piece suits and are solidly "establishment" themselves. And that's almost another topic.

Not quite, though, because the folks in charge today still get annoyed when everybody doesn't agree with them. They're particularly ticked off when somebody has the effrontery (from their point of view) to criticize their policies in public.

It's easy to see disagreement as a threat. I remember the trailing edge of America's McCarthyism, I endured the years when political correctness was in bloom - and I'm very concerned about efforts to "protect" people from those bad guys on the Internet.

You know, the ones who don't agree with the establishment.

I've discussed this in other blogs:

• "What is an Information Gatekeeper?"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (August 14, 2009)
• "Fear of Right-Wing Extremism: Commie-Hunting in Reverse"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (April 19, 2009)
• "DC Gun Ban, Online Censorship, Individual Rights, and Power to the People"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (June 27, 2008)

Bottom line?

I think freedom of expression is important.

I also think freedom of expression is important for people who don't fully support the views of whoever is in charge at the moment.

Ready access to the Internet has given people who aren't part of the established order the power to speak their minds, be heard - and maybe make a difference.

That, finally, is real "power to the people."

'Something's Gotta Be Done' - But 'Be Careful What You Wish For'

I agree that enforcement of 'stalking laws' and the emerging sanctions against producers of malware is somewhere between inadequate - and a sick joke.

But I am very concerned about emotional pleas to regulate what people do online.

Remember, I think that stalking isn't nice and that people shouldn't do it.

This isn't about stalking.

I think that "freedom of expression" is useless, if the only people you're allowed to communicate with are the ones within a few yards of you.

Today, you can get your message published, even if you're not a member of Congress. You don't need to have a personal relationship with the editor of a major metropolitan newspaper, or be best-buds with a network executive.

You don't even need to have the wealth it takes to buy advertising space on a national network, or buy a publishing house.

Most importantly, you can get your message out: even if you don't support today's establishment, and their policies.

All it takes is time at a keyboard, and access to the Internet.

Today.

I agree that attractive young women in high-profile careers should be allowed to express their opinions.

I also think that the rest of us should be allowed to express our opinions.

'First They Came for the Jews/Socialists/Communists...'

Martin Niemöller's poem has been re-written enough times. You've probably heard or read at least one version of it. (December 11, 2009))

Yes, online behavior "needs to be regulated." To the extent that we need to have sanctions against people who take inappropriate pictures of Erin Andrews and others in her position.

I hope, sincerely, that Erin's emotional plea doesn't lead to the rest of us losing our freedom to say things that the powers-that-be don't like.

Google Earth Gets Wet

"Dive into the new Google Earth"
Official Google Blog (February 2, 2009)

"As you read this, I am at the beautiful California Academy of Sciences, announcing the launch of the newest version of Google Earth. This launch is particularly special to me because it marks the moment when Google Earth becomes much more complete — it now has an ocean.

"Didn't Google Earth always have an ocean? Technically, yes, well, sort of. We have always had a big blue expanse and some low-resolution shading to suggest depth. But starting today we have a much more detailed bathymetric map (the ocean floor), so you can actually drop below the surface and explore the nooks and crannies of the seafloor in 3D. While you're there you can explore thousands of data points including videos and...."

This is a little more exciting for me than it may be for you: I remember when the first detailed maps of the seafloor started coming out, four decades ago. Being able to Google "the nooks and crannies of the seafloor in 3D" lets me re-live a bit of my youth. This time, interactively and in 3D.

Outer Space Guide

"Outer Space Guide"

Animated diagram of the first few miles up from Earth's surface.

Four things to click on.

Each clickable brings up a little card (looks like a window, but it's part of the picture) with a cartoon and a factoid.

The page gets points for imagination: Earth's center is toward the top of the screen, the deeps of space are on the bottom.

Fun - for maybe 10 to 45 seconds.

But, you might find yourself coming back, later.

CoffeeQuick by Paws, Inc: Short, Silly, Funny

www.coffeequick.com is a URL that Garfield visited, in a comic strip back in 2001.

It's also a real mini-site, run by Paws, the Garfield company. I recommend visiting it when you don't mind disturbing others: this site is wired for sound. Don't believe the "technical difficulties" sign, by the way. The nerdy narrator will get the menu up in just a few seconds.

Don't go to CoffeeQuick if you're looking for cutting-edge graphics and AI. It's a simple, click one; click the next; and so on; set of Garfield animations.

He starts out with a cup of Limp Latte, and goes up to - I'll let you discover that.

(My coffee preferences are somewhere between Old Train Whistle and Lava Java.)

Enjoy.

Think You Can Outpaint Picasso? Here's Your Chance!

Mr. Picassohead

Ever look at modern art and think, "I can do better than that?"

Here's your chance. Mr. Picassohead is a simple bit of online software that lets you drag and drop Picasso-like elements of a face - plus blotches and squiggles - on to a canvas. There are tools to change each element, too.

It's made by Ruder - Finn Interactive.

Here's a look at the 'painting' I made:

Pensive Quandry

(I used a nom-de-pixel for this work.)

Dress This Squirrel

"Virtual Paper Squirrel," with drag-and-drop clothing and accessories, is just plain fun.

And, with a little work, printable.