Tweens posting tell all video diaries on YouTube is nothing new. It’s unfortunate that Jessi has been exposed to some of the things she discusses at such a young age (she’s 11), but that has little to do with the meme itself. However, it does relate to her ability to behave in this manner without full awareness of what she was exposing herself to. Specifically, her parents had absolutely no idea what she was up to online, and regardless of their individual Internet prowess (or ignorance), they seemingly ignored some red flags that should’ve alerted them to dig a little deeper.
First, the fact that she was spending so much time on a web cam that’s connected to the Internet. Now, I don’t expect them to fully understand the culture and inner workings of the Internet, it’s not their thing and I get that. But, if your 11 year old daughter is spending time on a camera attached to something you don’t fully understand, isn’t that a clue that you might want to engage with her? Yes, it can be difficult as someone approaches the teenage years, but still…Some of this could have gone a long way.
Let’s face it, her parents aren’t solely to blame. Everyone involved carries some of that weight. /b/ is certainly responsible for a good portion of the outcome here.
But none of this is what confounds me. What confounds me is that we are all somehow involved in the perpetual meme play that drives this sort of thing in one way or another. I’m not saying this directly drove the bullying and harassment of Jessi Slaughter, but the need for “watercooler” conversations in the forms of links to memes that can be shared to friends does help push this sort of thing along.
My initial reaction to /b/’s involvement here was, “Well, what do you expect from /b/?” But that’s not right. In fact, it’s dismissive in a way that allows this type of behavior to persist. Granted, not all memes are harmful. But an anonymized crowd’s decision to punish an 11 year old girl, regardless of what she’s said or done online, is a frightening concept, and it’s something that we as a culture need to recognize and address.
Quite frankly, Barton’s actions align with something that has troubled me throughout the first year and a half of the Obama administration — Republicans do not want to let go. I can’t blame them. But at some point they need to stop acting like someone will eventually step in and say, “Oh, you were right. Obama, you’re out.” It’s not going to happen.
Yes, I’m aware that he placed a caveat by prefacing his statement with a claim that he speaks for himself, and not for the Republican Party. However, he also inserts agenda into his “opinion” by claiming that the same “shakedown” could occur to citizens as well as corporations. The truth is, Obama and Hayward came to an agreement, and despite criminal investigations, BP is still on the hook for damages that have been done to the gulf coast, it’s inhabitants, etc. They needed to be held accountable, and the decision to put $20 billion towards recovery was an attempt at good will, not a shakedown. It’s called accountability, folks.
I know this is completely unrelated, but it astounds me that we are capable of rallying together to find solutions to annoyances like the Vuvuzela bzzzz during the World Cup, yet we are unable to collectively sort through the damage occurring daily to the gulf coast eco-system. Don’t even get me started on the people complaining about their ability to afford the iPhone 4 despite such horrors as AT&T server failures or delayed shipping.
Update: Barton made another statement this afternoon, clarifying his remarks from this morning. He insists that he holds BP responsible, and does not want his apology to cloud that. Whatever, the damage is done. Let’s not ignore that Oil & Gas industries were the #2 contributors to your campaign funds.
That is to say, if you read comics in the first place. Those of us dipping our quills in the digital ink traditionally consume our comics in rather shady means — torrent downloads. Yes it’s ugly, but until recently that was the only presentable option, and not a very good one at that. Reading a PDF gives you the gist of what is going on, but it takes away the fundamentals — touching the uniquely textured comic book page, smelling that unique comic smell (especially the classics…mmm), and tasting…well, no tasting. But you get the point.
Tactile response will always be lost in the move to digital, but PDF fails to enhance any of the other aspects of comic consumption. Pouring over the page in meat space somehow feels different than reading a comic book PDF. Until recently, the PDF/Torrent scene was the only option, but now we have digital comic books. A whole other beast unto themselves.
Digital comics are recreations, and while they are fantastic recreations, they are still modified versions of the medium. They are hybrids — part comic and part animatic. Many have just enough movement to feel animated, but retain the look an feel of a panel. Many of the bigger productions actually go as far as adding voice over narration and character line readings, removing the need for text boxes and speech balloons. Enhancement? Defilement? This falls to the eye of the beholder, but in this comic lovers book the digital comic is a welcomed addition to our options.
But it’s not the solution to the main problem — reading comics in a digital era.
Even if things are moving the way of the digital comic, I still don’t want to have everything done for me. I want to retain some of the illusive emergence, the imaginative play that was so rooted to my love of the form.
Graphic.ly is the brainchild of Kevin Mann — a comic lover who grew frustrated with the disappointing availability of comics at local shops while living in the NorthEast of England. Mann wanted to build a comic distribution platform, a community built on the ability to purchase and discuss comic books with other readers and creators/publishers.
Mann teamed up with Micah Baldwin to build the first phase of Graphic.ly, an app built for Windows 7 and Adobe Air which allows you to download, read, and discuss comics in a digital format. Make no mistake, these are comics in every sense of the word, but they are also slightly enhanced in a way that completely retains the medium. Well, if you exclude all the tactile stuff I was waxing poetic about earlier.
The concept is simple, you purchase and download comics from the Graphic.ly comic book store, and then you read them. But you’re not simply reading a comic, you’re flipping through each page. Nay, each panel! With each new full page you get a macro view of the layout, and when you flip to the next section, you fully focus on panel #1. The art and text take center stage here, and this is what makes Graphic.ly so monumentally intriguing — this app pulls you into the process of comic book reading.
The Graphic.ly team is still beta testing the Windows 7 and Adobe Air versions of the app (full disclosure: I’ve been in the beta since the release of the Air app on 1/22). Next up, the team plans to build an iPhone and Android interface. Yes, you read that correction — comics delivered to your phone.
So far I’ve torn through the first two books in the beta: Spartacus Blood and Sand #1 and #2, and next up is Berserker. Not necessarily my cup of tea, per se, but the promise here is phenomenal. Needless to say, although it is still working out the kinks, Graphic.ly has me hooked. If you’re interested, sign up to check out the beta.
If you’ve been paying attention, the geo-location scene is growing increasingly more crowded lately. The big three, in terms of check-in location-based services, appear to be foursquare, Gowalla, and Yelp. Yes, Yelp. I add it here, mostly because the company forced it’s way into the check-in scene by simply adding the features and functionality made popular by foursquare to its existing app, which is already quite popular. And let’s not forget about brightkite. Or, should we?
Amidst all of these very public check-in services comes to new apps centered on geo-location, but in a different way.
Rally
Several months ago, a friend of mine reached out with a quandary. He was planning a trip with a group of friends, and wanted a way to keep the entire group in the loop in a simple yet mobile way. Here’s the catch: the group didn’t want their activity made public, so Twitter and foursquare style apps were a no go. Enter Rally. This app comes from the good folks over at 12seconds.tv, and the inspiration behind the app tells all. The team wanted to build an app that would help real people connect at real locations with people they really, truly know.
When you think about it, the concept actually makes a lot of sense. I’m a bigtime advocate of foursquare — I love the app, and it has me completely hooked. Chances are, I won’t be budging from that service. Sure, it let’s me pick whether or not I’m checking in publicly or privately, and I’ve done a pretty decent job of keeping my contact list trimmed down to people I actually know in real life. But that doesn’t remove the need for something like Rally.
You see, when you choose to go “off the grid” in foursquare, what you’re really saying is, “I don’t want most people to know where I am right now.” Chances are there are still people close enough to you that you don’t actually mind knowing where you are at any given moment. By keeping Twitter out of the equation, Rally keeps things pretty simple and personal — connect with people you actually know, and share your location and activities with those people only. On Rally I find myself checking at places I would ordinarily keep “off the grid” — home, friends houses, etc. If you routinely hang out with the same set of people, letting them know that you are at one persons house versus another could be quite useful. Or think of it’s uses at public events — keep chatter off of Twitter, and keep your location secure. Then you only check in on foursquare at locations you don’t mind being public.
In addition, Rally offers a really slick interface that mixes Google powered maps and images taken by the folks checking in on your friends list. Your feed displays the person and location, along with the image taken upon check-in. The app is only available in Santa Cruz, CA for now, but I could see this being extremely useful (and even complementary to foursquare in some ways).
Like Rally, Blockchalk seeks to simplify the geo-location space. Where Rally dumps the overbloated nature of facebook/Twitter friend collecting, Blockchalk eschews the whole “profile” approach altogether. Instead, the location is put front and center. Every location becomes a block, and your check-ins are actually just messages (or chalk) posted on the block. Get it? Pretty genius.
Essentially, locations become message boards on Blockchalk, and whenever you fire up the app you will find yourself on a new block with a new set of chalks to read through. You set a home location, and always have access to home. Additionally, anyone can respond to your chalks, so you will gather replies and feedback from others in the neighborhoods you frequent.
In an even cooler addition, Blockchalk allows you to check out the chalks on any block of your choosing. All you need to jump to a block is an address, a cross street, or a zip code. However, the app (and chalks) remain pure by limiting the power to chalk — one must be at the location in order to author and submit a chalk.
This poses some interesting community aspects. Imagine reporting issues in your local neighborhood? Participation is restricted to your location, so in order to chime in one must actually be in the vicinity of the block. Essentially, in order to act out one must do so while visiting a different location, or risk misbehaving in their own neighborhood. I love the idea of neighborhood interactions taking place in a space like Blockchalk. Strange behavior on your block? Concerns about abandoned vehicles or other community concerns? Try Blockchalk.
I’ve attempted this in my neighborhood already, and I really hope to see it take off.
As the geo-location space continues to expand, it’s refreshing to see that some are offering unique ways to make geo-location more useful. I think both Rally and Blockchalk have great potential, but both suffer a little right now from limited participation.
Rally is, by design, restricting use to Santa Cruz residents for the time being. But in order for Blockchalk to be truly useful more people will need to adopt it in their local communities. It could become an insanely powerful community building tool in the local sense of the word, but it will require a wider adoption to get there. I imagine a future where neighbors leave chalk for each other on their block. “We’re planning a garage sale this Sunday, whose in?” or “Who is interested in a summer block party?” Picture the considerations involved in moving into a new neighborhood. If put to full use, one could check Blockchalk and see exactly what kind of world exists on that block.
As you can tell, I’m pulling for both of these apps. So check them out and let me know what you think.
Chalk it up to personal preference, but modern horror is completely underwhelming. Sure, much of the moralty found in classics of the genre delves into the realm of extreme fundamentalism, but the best films sink into the slow and steady build to a level of chaos that is equal parts sensually visceral and psychologically disturbing. If a film leaves me questioning, “How could this happen?” then it’s typically hit it’s mark.
Modern horror, increasingly referred to as “nu-horror,” rarely touches upon these fundamentals. Instead, they substitute plot, tension, and character-development for senseless gore and violence. True, the house that Saw built harkens back to aspects of older gore-heavy classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but it sacrifices the macabre, the gothic Americana if you will, that somehow justified the gore. Even the remakes of these classics eschew substance over piles of defiled and carved-up bodies.Which is a long-winded way of getting to director Ti West‘s latest film, The House of the Devil.
A few days ago, a group of friends emailed me about a horror movie night they were planning. They’d compiled a short list of films to consider, and I added to their list. While it ran through the pre-requisite canon of horror, it still lacked anything recent worth watching. In hindsight, I should have included The Strangers, but spaced on it at the time.
Unable to attend, I found myself scrambling to work in some horror film viewing over the Halloween weekend. After re-watching The Gate on cable, I decided to crack open The House of the Devil, which is available in limited release and more interesting Video On Demand (Comcast, U-verse, and more).
West is gaining traction with his retro throwback style and approach, but to his credit the proclivity to homage never crosses into style over substance — think more Death Proof than Planet Terror here. He continues the trend with Devil, and never wavers throughout the film.
My early dalliances with online communities were not job related. I’ve participated in online forums, groups, and blogged in some capacity for far too many years to count. There is nothing particularly unique about this tidbit, except that the roles I typically opted to take on within these communities were clear indicators in hindsight.
These roles typically involved mediation, moderation, organization, and guidance. But when I think about these things, I’m reminded that these aspects extend well beyond online interactions for me.
Growing up, I was the kid on the block that plotted out complex daily story lines for the other kids growing up in my neighborhood. One example: I created a map, with points of interest around the neighborhood. We grew up in a court, so we had a nice amount of space, including front yards, backyards, etc. to play around with. I aged and buried the map in an open space, then I planted clues that led to the discovery of the map. Each point of interest offered either a reward, or another clue. For a solid week that map drove many backyard adventures, spurned arguments, resolved disputes, produced puzzles to solve, and centered on discovery and participation. As the game progressed, I changed my plans to cater to the needs of those involved, and finally planted prizes to be discovered at each point of interest on the map.
I was, to put a label on it, an obsessive geek.
I could dig deeper into examples, but I think you get the point. In college I became a Resident Advisor, and eventually an Asst. Resident Director. There is something about the mix of entertainment, participation, and problem solving that allures me to these types of roles.
this Labor Day weekend comprised of a long road trip out to Visalia for a family gathering. road trips = music, and since my daughter has been on such a They Might Be Giants kick lately i decided to spool up anything from the self-titled pink album all the way through their latest release, Here Comes Science. (incidentally, if you haven’t listened to the new album yet, it’s excellent).
at some point along the way home we were knee deep into John Henry when I Should Be Allowed To Think popped on. inadvertently, i thought of work — specifically how the song relates to online community entitlement issues.
Julia spends all of her time making hilarious web comics that are absolutely amazing for FREE. that’s right, you…me…that guy over there that never pays for anything…we all get to reap the benefits of the fart party without dropping so much as a dime. well, recently Julia racked up a medical bill that needs to be paid, and so she’s holding an art show/fundraiser/comic reading/medical horror story sharing event in Brooklyn (again, for FREE — she’s even ponying up for cookies).
so, if you’re new to the party, take a look at some of her stuff — it’s wildly fart-tastic, deeplypersonal, reflexive, and most of all addicting. if you like what you see, journey out on a September night, and consider dropping some hard earned cash on some of her original artwork.
I typically rotate my search behavior — cross-referencing SERPs between Google and Yahoo!. I find that comparing the differences between both makes my searching behavior more rich. For a query, I might find one set of results via Google, but notice a nugget or two in the Yahoo! results. Or vice versa.
Today I ran a query via the new Yahoo! toolbar while spot checking for source quality, and was met with this new SERP UI.
Definitely a step away from the previous version, making use of the left rail in a much more dynamic fashion. It reminds me of a project involving real-time “live” search from back in the day. Here’s the same query with the present UI for comparison:
In light of the recent Bing news, it’s nice to still see some tweaking going on behind the scenes. The first two related concepts seem totally appropriate, but the last two seem a little garbage-y to me. What do you think? Does a left-rail of dynamic modifications help balance out the page? Does it improve discover-ability?
