Podcast Interview w/ Pirates of the Burning Sea

The 2007 New York Comicconmade the 2006 look like an idiot; well, it sort of was in certain ways.  This year, the planners anticipated tens of thousands of registrants and actually set a cut-off number at 40,000.  As unlikely as it seems that kind of attendence could be reached, the Saturday tickets were sold out well before the actual date.  The planners also put Artist Alley in a whole other part of the convention center and enlarged the walkways about three feet to help traffic.  Considering the fact I felt like I was on a subway during rush hour last year, I never felt crowded this time… and mind you, that was with 40,000 other people in the same place!

 Sellers, artists, and distributors took the convention much more seriously this year.  The gaming industry game out in huge numbers.  The front portion of the display hall was packed with various consoles and games, there was even a gaming hall in the downstairs room.

While looking through all the gaming booths, I came across a company that caught my eye, Flying Lab Software.  They were promoting a new MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online Game) called Pirates of the Burning Sea.  Personally, I am not a huge fan of MMOs, but I was pretty hooked after they encouraged me to sit down and play for a few minutes.  In fact, I was so impressed that I asked if I could hold a podcast interview with one of the staff members to help promote the game.

 Click on the Play button to be forwarded to the interview.

 

 A total bonus for just trying the game at the Comiccon was a free t-shirt.  It was a tough choice; I passed on the “Support Piracy” shirt in favor of “Getting Booty Since 1720,” which I wore to work the following Monday!

 

 

 

I know it took a while for me to post another podcast.  If I am to make a long story short as to the reason why, let’s just say that some wounds take longer to heal than others.  Just before John Iliff lost his life, he and I were preparing a small series of podcasts together.  When he passed it made sitting down in front of the mic, alone, tough to bear and so I didn’t.  I figured I would know when I was ready to move along.  Once I sat in front of this game, I knew the time was right.  So, thank you to Flying Lab’s Content Director, Jess Lebow, for this opportunity.  May Pirates of the Burning Sea acheive wonderful success!

Is Accessing Open Wi-Fi Illegal?

In Palmer, Alaska, Brian Tanner was arrested for using the public library’s wi-fi in their parking when the library was closed. Local police had tired of chasing Tanner from various locations where he was accessing open ended wi-fi and arrested him. They confiscated his laptop to see what files Tanner had downloaded as well.

Is this really a legal issue or the responsibility of the people who hold the access points? All wi-fi hardware/software allow their owners to create password protected access so that only selected users may take advantage of it. If an owner fails to opt for this protection, does it mean they can still say “no, you can’t use it” and be legally binding?

We really haven’t set up ethical rules for the digital age yet. We still argue over ideas like privacy for users in public settings, rights applied to digital information, what can/cannot be written over emails and whether we should have some sort of program in place to restrict content to certain users on public computers.

Our computers are designed to find hotspots now and even default to open wi-fi networks when available. My Nintendo Wii has actually picked up two other open networks near my house along with my own wireless system. If an upgrade was placed into the program to access the fastest network or default to another open network when my wireless went down, would it make me criminally liable?

It seems this is more of an ethical question over a legal one. I certainly wouldn’t argue that Tanner seems to have a lack in ethics and common sense but it also seems that there were protective measures the library could take to prevent his access as well.

In the physical world we have many different legal words for the various types of theft as it is not simply a black and white issue. Are we going to find ourselves at a point where we need to do the same for the digital world as well?

On a semi-tangent; is his being chased from point to point really enough evidence to confiscate the laptop?

Cyberbullying and Libraries

There is often a really fine line between what is funny, what is offensive and to what degree someone is offended. 

Make no mistake, there is some joy to be had in bullying.  It is about empowerment, positioning, status, hierarchy and the pleasure is the solidification of one’s place through the bullying act.  In other words, it is largely about attention and acceptance.

And if someone is looking for attention, then the Internet is a heaven for their needs.

As much as I am a fan for social networks and social technologies I can understand peoples’ concern about its bullying potential.  Text messages, Instant messages, photoshops, podcasts and blogs (forgive me if I left a few tactics out) don’t just make a myriad of methods to bully with, but also encourage the creativity of the bully… and the reward is the hundreds to thousands of hits their post may receive.

Example?  Check out Ghyslain Raza, better known as the Star Wars Kid.  He filmed a solo light saber sequence as part of a school project but when some of his classmates got a hold of the film, Ghyslain became an overnight cyber-celebrity.  When the Canadian news source, National Post, asked him how he felt about all the ‘attention,’ he responsed “I want my life back.”

A hell for Gyshlain but incredible empowerment for the kids who posted it!

Rather than make this post solely about cyberbullying, lets think about what it could mean for libraries.  Certain states have made blanket anti-bullying policies that go as strict as zero-tolerance.  As sites like Myspace gain notoriety more for their negative aspects, and stories about unfortunate cyberbullying and suicide become more popularized, there is a possibility that state and federal legislature may push through DOPA-esque policies.

But before we go down that slippery slope, I’d like to ask some more some questions for us to think about:

-If we market our library as a “Safe Zone,” how safe are our teens within the library’s cyber-walls?  Do we, or should we, take this into account of a Safe Zone policy?

-What will happen when someone can confirm the cyberbullying took place inside of the library?

-What, if any, measures should libraries take in order to prevent cyberbullying?

-What proactive steps can we take against cyberbullying right now?

-If we consider ourselves as a cultural center, does that mean that we consider excessive bullying as part of our culture?   This one if for the Sociologists out there!

As much as I am an advocate for Freedom of Information and Freedom of Speech, I also spent many years working with teens who have been greatly affected by bullying, physically and mentally.  And because I have worked with teens in a counseling setting before I became a librarian, I greatly struggle with where the line is drawn in a library.

To an extent, being bullied is a part of growing up.  For some, they grow up and walk away unscathed; for others, they live an entire life around it’s effects.  So where do we, as libraries, take our stand in the issue?

Sad to say… this is what I think about at 2a.m. when I can’t sleep.

Weekend in the ER

I suffer some pretty bad migraines.  On this past Sunday, I think my brain was going for the record.  It danced past the Maxalt, barely took notice of the codine I took, and proceeded to cause my body to shake uncontrollably.  I begged my wife to take me to the hospital and, being the sweet lady she is, complied.  She didn’t even give me a hard time about what I was wearing in public.

It must’ve been a bad episode because when I walked in to sign up, the nurse took me straight into the back, put me in a dark room and gave me a blanket.  Then I felt a kiss on my cheek and was momentarily confused… it was Tress, my wife… thank god for moments of clarity among potentially social awkwardness!

The nurse came in and gave me an IV and showed me a needle.  She called the contained fluid something that started with a D and told me it was a “heavy narcotic.”  Five seconds after injecting it, I had no doubt that she was right.  The migraine was gone and so was my ability to stand up, hear clearly or talk without pausing to say “ohhhh man.”  In my head I began to prepare an acceptance speech for the med, it went like this.

 ”Thank you all for being here today.  Tress, my lovely wife, looking beautiful as always.  Didn’t we have a kid somewhere?  Do you know where we left her?  I imagine whoever will want us to pick her up eventually…. maybe not…. she’s great.  What a great kid!

I’d like to thank Nurse geh…. jhe… janine?  Sure, that sounds right.  I’m sorry I forgot your name, we only met briefly before you stuck my arm full of whatever that was.  Let’s give her a round of applause for the great work she does.  Hey, don’t go losing that smile of yours… it helps the needle go in softer.

Nurse Shana, you took me to the CAT scan room and told me I look how you felt last week.  I’m hoping that means ‘sick, but still good looking.’

CAT scan lady… thank  you for not making me do anything other than lay there.  Somehow, you must’ve read my mind and knew that was EXACTLY what I wanted to do!

Doctor wassername?  I’ll call you Audrey as you look like the Audrey from the Little Shop of Horrors… No, not the plant!  The person the plant was named after.  Anyhoo, I don’t care what that dentist thinks of you, you’re alright in my book, despite asking me all those annoying “tell me about your migraine” queries I’ve answered for every other doctor over the past seven years.  Keep your chin up and your eyes in that Homes & Garden magazine… you’ll get that Tupperware party someday.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the FDA for making this a controlled substance.  Had it not been for you people with your forsight to control a highly addictive chemical, my college days might have turned out quite differently.

Ummmm…. I think I’m gonna go to sleep now.”

A few hours later, I began to crash.  I had to ask my wife if I said anything stupid; nothing more than usual it turns out.  Good, that means I don’t have to write anyone an apology card. 

And now, as I am off the meds, I understand why they call it a “crash.”  I feel like I must’ve been in one.  My head is funky and lightheaded while my legs feel like they were part of some marathon the rest of my body knew nothing about.  I’ve known that sick days can occur from migraines but I never thought I would have to take one for the medicine they give to get rid of one!

Bye bye Napster, hello any other method…

When I got my mp3 player, I decided to go ahead with the free trial of Napster that came with it.  At first, I was pretty happy; unlimited downloads for most music (some was still purchase only), free streams, and an easy but slow audio-to-device transfer software.  So when my free trial was over, the $20 per month fee seemed a good deal and I kept the membership.

Then the updates came.

Actually, the recommended update was meta-data that helped Napster keep track of what was on my mp3 player.  If I did not link my device once a week, my device would give me a message saying I needed to synch the device to Napster and then refused to play the music.  So, if I didn’t pay attention to when I last synched my device, I would find myself on a trip with all the desired music and no way to play it.

 My kingdom for a horse…

But I figured, what the hell, it’s still a good price and I just had to condition myself to make a habit of synching my device. 

Then the transfer device went funky, dinosaur slow too.  It would take 5 minutes to load an album and only one album per logon!  I couldn’t tell if it was a software problem but Napster’s support center didn’t seem to have any more clue than I did.  So, I had to log out after each album if I wanted to download more than one.

But it was still cheaper than buying each individual albuml, so I stuck with it.

And then they installed more meta-programs.  If I wanted to play one of my music files on a different, better sounding, software than Napster’s player, a prompt would pull up asking if I wanted to check for user rights to play the song…  it would pop up after every song!  So, there was no point in trying to play an album on anything other than their player as they took away the convenience.

It was the final straw, I called them up and told them I was finished with their product.  The representative asked me why I wanted to end my contract with them and the answer was long, but simple. 

I paid for the music, it was legal.  However, it seemed that anytime I tried to listen to the music I was being prompted, blocked or checked up on; almost like I was on some sort of parol.  Sure, I could listen to music but it was under their terms as trying to listen with other products, while still being legal, were made to be extremely inconvenient.  The inconvenience that came with the service was not worth the price, no matter how seemingly cheap it was.  Music is about fun and feeling, not user rights, legal obligations or checkups.

And some wonder why people choose to download music illegally.  At least the only time you get hassled is if you get caught.

My Next Tattoo

For my next tattoo, I think I am going to get a six pack put on my stomach.  That way, no matter how big my gut gets, I’ll always looked totally ripped!

Reasons Why Librarians and Libraries are Important

Here we go, someone who get it! As many times as I have heard my friends ask me why I chose a “dying profession,” I

have never worried about my job security. Personally, my reason for this was because of the old saying:

 If people, in general, thought rationally there would never be a need for librarians. Since history has proven this not to be the case, librarians’ job will always be secure.

My friend sent me this article on the Library profession which gives 33 Reasons Why Librarians and Libraries are Important.  Yes, many of the reasons are arguments against the Internet.  For the rationale thinkers out there, who are picky about who and where they get their information from, this is not really a surprise but for the other 46% of Americans who consider Wikipedia a reliable source of information, it might give them something to think about and, who knows… perhaps even get a library card.