Happy Halloween

What do you get when you mashup Tim Burton, Vincent Price, and stop-motion animation? This.

Filed under: Uncategorized

A Personal Milestone

I’m pretty excited right now. I’ve just scored my very first letter publication in a Top-50 newspaper! Here’s the link – it’s in the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Letter of the Day, even!).

Oh, and this is what’s currently on my reading list, if you couldn’t tell.

Filed under: Politics, campaign, Politics, publications

Internet, Teens, and Cyber-bullying

At the risk of losing several coolness points, I’m writing in response to yesterday’s episode of Dr. Phil. The topic was cyber-bullying among teenagers, with the take-home message being that the internet has significantly changed the nature in which kids handle their disputes with each other. Videos of schoolyard fights can be found on youtube. Rumors that were once written only on bathroom stalls are broadcast across Myspace for anyone to read. And of course, we’ve all seen the poor Star Wars Kid, whose public embarrassment and ridicule led his family to file a lawsuit against his peers. Without a doubt, the internet has transported an unfortunate, occasionally tragic, yet very common part of adolescence into a public arena where insults are traded anonymously and can have potentially serious results.

I’m usually skeptical of appeals made using anecdotal evidence, but I think the examples in this case illustrate the dangers and distress kids are causing each other and themselves through the internet. One young woman on the show found her Myspace page had been hacked into by a former friend, who had changed the profile to portray the girl as a “woman of low moral character” (my words). To add insult to injury, said “friend” posted the girls private cell phone number, publicized the page, and reset the login info, leaving the girl unable to repair the damage. She reported having to change phone numbers after receiving a slew of sexually offensive phone calls from strangers. Another young man on the show had recently found a fraudulent website depicting him (using his real name and his photos) as a drug user, attempted rapist, and general lowlife. The page had been around for months before he was even aware of it, and his concern now is that the phony information will keep him out of college, should any university admissions boards ever stumble upon it.

Internet harassment was very recently publicized last year with the Megan Meier suicide. Parent and teachers’ groups are demanding laws on the books that protect “the children” and empower law enforcement officials to apprehend and punish internet harassers. Opponents blame the parents, saying it is their responsibility to undertake the (admittedly impossible) task of supervising their teenagers 24-7. And free-marketers/free-netters correctly warn that laws that police internet behavior will put us on the slippery-slope towards content regulation and free-speech violations.

So, how to balance the safety of “the children” with the freedom and anonymity of the internet? First, I think it’s important we admit something that we tend to overlook: parental controls don’t work very well for teenagers. The average parent lacks both the time and the technical know-how necessary to supervise their children’s online behavior. And a tech-savvy teen can circumvent internet-nanny software in no time. It seems that parents’ only recourse at this point is to spring for a WoW subscription, in hopes that the addictive gameplay of MMORPGs will distract their children from the rest of the internet’s offerings.

It’s also important to remember that, as a group, teenagers are probably the dumbest population segment in America. Yes, I’m being a bit hyperbolic, but it’s pretty close to the truth. Teens’ preferences are 99% based on popularity, rather than actual usefulness, form, functionality, quality, etc. This means that crappy, terrible, garbage-ridden internet applications like Myspace, once they have a critical number of other teen users, will beat out superior apps like Facebook (which has much better privacy controls, user interfaces, and design) for the coveted “teen demographic.” Moreover, teens have virtually no understanding of the concept of “three-to-five years from now” (five years ago I wholly expected to be a rock star by now), and their decisions, not to mention their emo-heavy videoblogs, often reflect this.

Having said that, online harassment carries huge costs: public humiliation and emotional distress are the most obvious, but the above examples illustrate the serious safety threats and long-run negative effects of cyber-bullying. No adolescent should have to deal with these consequences. Yes, ideally parents should be responsible for teaching their kids about internet safety and monitoring their online activity, but the reality is that most parents aren’t reasonably capable of effectively doing so.  However, constitutional rights to free speech and the mostly-unregulated nature of the internet must be protected, too. Those parties emphatically calling for legislative action clearly don’t understand or realize 1) the unintended consequences of internet regulation, and 2) the importance of constitutional protections for free speech. Are we, then, at an impasse?

How about a market solution? I can think of a few:
1. A website that allows parents to register their children and create official profiles that the parents and kids can modify. Users would be charged a small fee for the service, and access to the site would be granted to college recruiters, youth-oriented service programs, and the like.

2. Internet erasers. Actually, I believe these already exist to some extent. These firms would essentially operate like credit counselors/information sharks, googling the client’s name, contacting any websites hosting harmful information about the client, and negotiating the pages’ deletion.

3. AOL re-brands itself as family-friendly, all-ages internet. Its mostly-ISP business model could be refashioned back into the “walled garden” service that only provides certain kinds of content: webmail, educational sites, sports and finance, news, etc. (perhaps this time they should leave out chatrooms, which seem to attract pedophiles like bureaucrats to power). Sure, it’s not “real” internet, and content could be heavily monopolized by AOL and its affiliates, but I think parents would pay a pretty good price for a high level of safety. If not AOL, maybe Disney? It might fare better than Disney cellular service did.

Does anybody have any other solutions? Comments are open.

Filed under: Internet, harassment, Internet, kids, myspace, online harassment, privacy

Minnesotans for Global Warming

To celebrate Minnesota’s first snowfall of the season, please enjoy this video from Minnesotans For Global Warming.

MN4GW – “If We Had Some Global Warming” (to the tune of the Bare Naked Ladies’ “If I had a Million Dollars.”)

Filed under: Humor, Off-Topic, Global Warming, Minnesota, Snow

Andrew Keen is wrong, wrong, wrong!

Culture-snob Andrew Keen is at it again. Earlier this week, he predicted that the trend towards more and more “free” stuff on the internet – software, social applications, media – is coming to an end with the approaching recession. As you may have guessed from the post title, I think he’s wrong.

His first and most obvious error: Keen assumes that people consider blogging, open-source coding, developing social networking websites as “labor” in the conventional sense. Might not people do these things because they consider them leisure activities? (Disclosure: I used to be a programmer – it’s kinda fun).

Keen’s analysis also falls short by ignoring the underlying economics of the situation. In a competitive labor market where many workers are competing for few jobs, firms look to hire the best people they can get for the wage they’re willing to pay. In the software industry, developing or contributing to open-source software is commonly how young programmers gain experience and build portfolios, and is a good way to advertise their skills and entice prospective employers. If more programmers must compete for fewer jobs, one would expect to see more, not less, open-source software in the future, as young coders scramble to augment their skill sets. Similarly, aspiring web designers, internet moguls, and youTube auteurs ought to be creating more web pages, social apps, and internet films. And up-and-coming journalists and writers would – you guessed it – write and blog more. It’s called “human capital,” Andy.

My human capital-accumulation plan: graduate school!

Filed under: Economics, Internet, andrew keen, human capital, Internet, labor economics, open-source

Frustrations with Blogging: Where’s the Content?

Author’s Note: Technagora is going off-topic once again today, this time for a good purpose. I need to address my concern about some bad practices that I see currently plaguing the blogosphere.

I’ve grown frustrated with the increasingly mind-numbing pastime of reading blogs. Everyday, my Google reader is overflowing with blogposts, most of which I have no choice but to “mark as read.” What is often touted as the modern-day equivalent of relaxing with the morning paper has devolved into a repetitive process: select a feed, scan more headlines than my brain can realistically process, clear out the feed until the reader is satisfactorily emptier than it was when I started (I never even zero it out anymore). However, I’ve noticed that a “Quantity-over-Quality” pandemic seems to have infected the blogs I read. I see too many short, insubstantial, forgettable posts, and too few analytical, organized write-ups. My concern is the very large number of posts which have unoriginal content, little informational value, and are over-reliant on hyperlinks. Many bloggers are guilty of either 1) saying the same damn thing as twenty other bloggers, (frequent “hat-tipping”) 2) extensively using blockquotes to simulate a point-counterpoint-style response to another blogger, or 3) abusing the blockquote by copy+pasting another article, and capping it off with a pithy closing remark. Also, link lists are a particularly grating format of blogpost that I must also address.

I see a lot of posts that take an issue or current event and offer the author’s commentary, and often the same arguments that all the other bloggers have already written. Whether or not the author is doing this intentionally (or knowingly), the result is that I end up reading almost the same post in four or five different feeds. This is where the “hat tip” is most often utilized. When you see “hat-tip,” it means one of two things: either the individual receiving the tip has notified the author of blog-worthy news that few other bloggers have heard yet, or the author has pulled a story from another blog and is attepmting to put their own “spin” on it. Writing about a hot topic requires a fresh angle, or an analysis of a certain aspect that’s been overlooked. Regurgitating standard arguments just doesn’t cut it.

Another tedious post format is the simulated point-by-point counterargument. This format includes a long blockquote, usually written by an “intellectual adversary,” broken into pieces by the author’s interjected arguments. The author’s arguments are typically littered with links pointing to either documented evidence supporting their claim, or more likely posts they’ve previously written on the subject. Again, a lot of repeated material, and seemingly no thought given to constructing a compelling, well-organized argument. An essay response to an article, or an op-ed piece is not written this way – blog posts should not be, either. This is just plain and simple bad form.

One of the lazier kinds of posts I’ve seen is the long-blockquote/quick-closer formula. These posts take the form of “So-and-so over at (Hyperlinked blog name) has this to say about (some current event): [Long blockquote followed by author's short and unconvincing analysis, an appeal to please 'read the whole thing,' or a clever closer].” These posts are, let’s be honest, completely redundant and unnecessary. There’s no real content to them. If it weren’t for the fact that every damn blogger uses this format all the time to link to a usually well-known blog, I would be much more forgiving. However, if I cared about what so-and-so had to say, I would read his blog. Already-prominent bloggers don’t need free advertising; save the linking for up-and-comers.

Finally, I’ve got a bone to pick with link orgies. You know, when the author compiles a list of “interesting” or “relevant” things they’ve read that morning. I have friends and bloggers whom I respect who use this format – I’ve even tried it myself – but it just doesn’t do it for me. These virtual feed-readers-within-feed-readers could be of value if the author includes short and concise summaries, or even humorous remarks, regarding said links; most often, they’re literally a list of hyperlinks. The author is essentially increasing the already unmanageable number of stories delivered to my reader! The nerve!!!

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Blogging an amusing picture, chart, or other graphic is great! Some of the funniest pictures I’ve seen have been on blogs. Videos should ideally be short, preferably with a summary (more than just “Trust me, it’s a hoot”). Finally, if you simply MUST do the list of links, please include a concise, yet compelling description for the page you’re linking – don’t just tell me what it is, tell me why I would want to read it.

I confess, I’ve been guilty of all of the above offenses at Technagora. I’m still a novice in the blogosphere, and in fact, I originally started blogging because I hoped that it would improve my writing. However, I’ve realized that a lackadasical approach to blogging will only make me a worse writer. That is why I’m making a declaration tonight to end these bad blogging practices, and to hold Technagora to a higher standard. Things will be changing around here. No more echoing other bloggers, no more abuses of blockquotes. No more heavy reliance on hyperlinks. No more posts that lack content (or at least base entertainment value). My weekly post-count may decline, but I’d rather expend my efforts each month writing a couple of good pieces that I can be proud of, rather than be prolific each week with a few listless, passing commentaries.

Before wrapping up this post, I’d like to give credit to some good bloggers whom I recommend:
Tyler Cowen and Megan McArdle are both very good writers and analysts, (though both are guilty of employing the quantity-over-quality approach, with too many short/link-y/inconsequential posts), Gene Healy, Tim Harford, PolicyBeta, Will Wilkinson, and my current favorite, Agoraphilia. I’ve noticed that the blogs I love the most tend to post the least. When the authors do post, they don’t just rehash the same old material that all the other bloggers have been writing about. Rather, they write engaging, analytical, substantive pieces that provide the authors’ reasoned insights into an issue, and I know exactly what to take away from the post. I wish I could say the same for the rest of my reader feeds.

Filed under: Off-Topic, blogging

It Would Be Easy to Complain About Paul Krugman

…and his 2008 Nobel Prize. However, I don’t think that politics == academic merit.

But since economics and politics go hand-in-hand (/sigh), and because I’m sticking to a “bright side of life” theme today, recall Bryan Caplan’s MR post where he pointed out that “The world’s most famous left-wing economist. . . publicly and articulately advocates free trade without hemming or hawing.”

That’s a pretty important silver lining, don’tcha think?

Filed under: Economics, free trade, krugman, nobel

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

Gotta love the recession-level gas prices. In the last week, the price of gas has tumbled in southern MN. $2.65 last night at Kwik Trip!!

Filed under: Economics, gas, recession

The Funniest Thing I’ve Read Today

And it’s only 7:30 AM!

[Post Title] “I Would Just Like to Point Out that John McCain Tonight Proposed Nationalizing All Bad Mortgages.

Just wanted to see if that looked any saner on the page. Nope, no it doesn’t.

Courtesy of Matt Welch at Hit & Run (and for the record Matt, I would totally be on board with nationalizing Starbucks).

Filed under: Economics, Humor, Politics

Update on DHS Laptop Search Policy

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) released a press release today outlining new legislation to rein in the DHS and its invasive border search procedures:

“The chief responsibility of the United States Government is to protect its citizens, and while doing so it is critical that we do not overshadow the obligation to protect the privacy and rights of Americans. This legislation will provide clear and commonsense legal avenues for the Department of Homeland Security to pursue those who commit crime and wish to do our country harm without infringing on the rights of American citizens. Importantly, it will provide travelers a level of privacy for their computers, digital cameras, cellular telephones and other electronic devices consistent with the Constitution and our nation’s values of liberty,” said [co-sponsor Rep. Adam] Smith [D-WA].

The Travelers Privacy Protection Act requires Department of Homeland Security agents to have reasonable suspicion of illegal activity before searching the contents of laptops or other electronic devices carried by U.S. citizens or lawful residents, and it prohibits profiling travelers based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin. The bill also specifies that after 24 hours, a search becomes a seizure, which requires probable cause and a warrant or court order. Information acquired during an electronic border search is protected through strict limitations on disclosure, with narrow exceptions for sharing information about possible criminal violations or foreign intelligence information. Finally, the bill contains provisions ensuring that DHS provides information on its border search policies and practices to Congress and the public.

Surprisingly lucid, no? While I don’t particularly like Feingold’s previous disregard for the constitution (the pro-campaign finance reform speech I made in 11th grade notwithstanding… ), the Travelers Privacy Protection Act is a big step in the right direction towards protecting Americans’ privacy.

Still… 24 hours is long enough for the DHS to steal my copyrighted music and movie files. Would being stopped, searched, and seized at the US/Mexican border fall under “fair use,” I wonder?

H/T: Slashdot

Filed under: Computers and Software, Politics, DHS, Feingold, illegal search, privacy