Archive for February, 2012

BAM this morning in my feed there are two separate articles on censorship, though for different reasons.

First there’s Evo’s link to ZDnet‘s Paypal article:

On Saturday February 18, PayPal began threatening indie book publishers and distributors with immediate deactivation of the businesses’ accounts if they did not remove books containing certain sexual themes – namely, specific sexual fantasies that PayPal does not approve of.

And then Friendly Atheist has a post about YouTube pulling “religiously offensive” videos with little notice.

First of all, private businesses can set guidelines and do what they want when you break those guidelines. I get that. BUT…

When you are the place, the #1 go-to for eCommerce or shared creativity then you have a certain responsibility to be transparent and fair.

Make the rules clear. None of this we-might-not-like-what-you’re-doing-today bullshit. If you want to say “we won’t support bestiality stories” then say that.

Know the difference. There’s is a HUGE difference between religious criticism and hate speech or between illegal sexual acts and fantasy ones. I find many religious videos on YouTube offensive but unless and until they’re hateful I don’t act offended. When something is obviously wrong (like when reddit killed the r/jailbait subreddit) it’s pretty clear, but fantasy stories about having sex with a guy who happens to turn into a wolf are hardly bestiality. Any content with consenting adults involved should be allowed.

Allow mediation. If content is reported as offensive then have some sort of compromise position between ignoring it and deleting it. Get independent opinions. If 600 people like something and 3 people complain, consider the source.

Either stand behind independence or cave to the offended and make it clear to everyone else what side you want to be on.

YouTube, eBay, Facebook, flickr, Amazon, PayPal… we all love these #1 companies because they’re like the WalMarts of the Internet. They’re the big boxes we default to because that’s where people are looking for content. Sure there are alternatives – but who knows them? And with power comes corruption, I know that. But the Internet needs to keep its independence and those providers need to take that responsibility to heart.

And people? People need to stop thinking of their own personal feelings and really consider before clicking that “report” button. Is it hate speech or do you just not like it? Is someone really hurting another person or are you just too uptight. Do you really need to report something as offensive or can you just never go back to that content again? If you feel NOBODY should EVER have to innocently come across that story or video feel free to report it, but if it just makes you feel squidgy then move along.

censorship

When you don’t know

Feb 24th

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know everything, that I’m lazy and that when it comes to research I generally stop after the first 3 pages on Google.

So how do I form my opinions? I surround myself with people who are smarter than I and who are passionate about being informed – and I listen to them.

Usually.

I have a friend Dani who feeds me links to political stuff, I visit the Skepchick blog for skeptic and science and women’s issues. I have a feed from Jezebel that – although it’s mostly celebrity fluff – sometimes has very good editorials on women’s issues, politics and bluntly calls people out. I check out r/atheism though most of it is just mean but occasionally someone posts something funny or important. And I adore the Friendly Atheist.

I have real life friends whose opinions matter. My friends are generally atheist or science-minded, are for equality for all races and sexual orientations, and are just plain intelligent. They can put together complete sentences, are entrepreneurs and are always trying to better themselves and their communities.

What I have learned in the last few years? Here are a few keywords:

Citations. You don’t pass along information unless you trust the author and even then you make a cursory search to verify. I don’t believe something unless I can find it from a trusted source – which is a big step for my gullible self. So many of my previous opinions have been changed by considering the sources.

Collaboration. People are more successful if they work together. Which is why I love Gangplank, Podcamp/TechPhx, WordCamp, and Ignite. All of them are regular people working together (usually for free) to offer their experience and knowledge to those around them. I volunteer so much of my time to these organizations because I’ve learned so much and want to share.

Credit. The people around me are sure to give credit to those who help them. They refer, they review, and they make sure everyone is thanked. I need to work harder on thanking people.

Positivity. *sigh* I’m naturally a negative person so this is harder for me. If you can’t say anything nice and all that. I’ve had so much positive reinforcement from my friends that I’ve GOT to get better at passing that along.

Change. As I said above my opinions have changed on many subjects. You have to be open to change. If intelligent learned people think your opinion is whacky, then chances are you need to do more research and find out if you’re right.

I’ve battled my natural gullibility and laziness by surrounding myself with people better than I. What have you done?

I now know you must vaccinate your children, that homosexuality is not a choice and therefore they deserve every right that heteros have including marriage, and that women should have complete autonomy over their own bodies. I mean, I think I always agreed but now I know. Also 911 was not an inside job but was caused by religious extremism, man did walk on the moon and oil and coal production are fucking up our earth. Duh.

So if you’re looking to validate your opinions, maybe you should consider from whom you’re getting your information. Are they smart people who write in complete sentences with proper grammar? Are their statistics and/or test results from reliable trusted sources? Do they work in the open or in secrecy? Is your opinion based on current facts or projected outcomes? Do people look at you funny when you express them?

Why I Vote for Obama

Feb 23rd

Well… one reason anyway.

You can read the entire excerpt here but this is the part I like:

Moreover, given the increasing diversity of America’s population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.
What our deliberative, pluralistic democracy demands is that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals must be subject to argument and amenable to reason. If I am opposed to abortion for religious reasons and seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or invoke God’s will and expect that argument to carry the day. If I want others to listen to me, then I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.

Exactly.

Throughout this excerpt he admits he’s some sort of a Christian, though he’s not on any particular bandwagon. Still searching or not quite ready to go completely to the religion dark side:

This is not to say that I’m unanchored in my faith. There are some things that I’m absolutely sure about—the Golden Rule, the need to battle cruelty in all its forms, the value of love and charity, humility and grace.

Personally I”m absolutely sure about those things too but I don’t need an imaginary friend to lead or make me feel that way.

At least he’s trying to keep up the illusion of Separation of Church and State.

With the current GOP’s obsession with sticking their noses (and legislation) into the bedrooms and bodies of everyone else the idea that Obama thinks with his brain instead of his bible is a relief to me.

abortion, politics, religion, secularism

I’m asking you

Feb 21st

Posted by spellwight in Personal

A few weeks ago I posted an update on my niece Brittany, right? So she posted this on Facebook today:

Finally got the test results back from the lab. It is Melanoma in my lung. Although Im scared, Im glad that I finally got the results back so I can start treatment. Hopefully I will be starting treatment tonight or tomorrow and be home by this weekend. Thank you to all my friends and family that have been coming to see me. You guys keep my spirits high and I love each and every one of you for it. ♥

She’s 23 and this ain’t her first battle. She also had skin cancer at 16 among other trials and tribulations in her young life. Here’s the thing: she doesn’t have insurance. Florida doesn’t appear to have a health back-up plan like our AHCCS so she’s going to end up footing the bill for likely hundreds of thousands of dollars. She’s already been in the hospital (two actually) for almost a month.

So I’m asking you, and I’ve never really asked anything of you guys before. If you can would you please go HERE and donate what you can to help her out.

Please.

I will be as soon as payday comes around next week. There’s not much else I can do.

Please.

Brittany, cancer, Miss B

Spam Spam SPAM!

Feb 21st

I have this blog set up so I can peruse the spam before it deletes and occasionally I come across one that’s kind of interesting. For instance:

I don’t write a comment, but after browsing a few of the comments on TechPhx Kickoff Meeting! | Telling it like I see it. I actually do have a few questions for you if it’s allright. Is it simply me or does it look like like some of the comments appear as if they are left by brain dead visitors? And, if you are writing on other places, I would like to follow you. Could you list of the complete urls of your shared pages like your Facebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?

Grammar aside, this cracked me up. First, this is a spam comment on this post and you’ll notice there are NO COMMENTS at all much less any from brain dead visitors – unless you count the 5 spammers on that post. Like saying shit about the other people here will, you know, make me want to check out your link?

Secondly, my facebook, twitter, AND linkedin are linked right on my blog page, dumbass.

7,522 Loser spammers at this time. Why can’t these idiots get a real job?

spam

WordPress Fail

Feb 16th

I don’t begin to understand all the nifty things you can do with WordPress. I mean, I managed to put together this site by myself but that’s about it. I’ve attended WordCamps for years and it’s all mostly over my head.

I gave up on figuring out Google Analytics by myself. I just can’t seem to get it to work. I’m sure all my WP friends are rolling their eyes but I know what I know and I don’t know that. So I downloaded this WP-Statistics plug-in and let it run for a few days. According to that I’ve had 1271 hits today and 1433 yesterday.

I’m really, really… really having a hard time believing that.

Apparently I have 1200+ people reading my blog every day and yet I get maybe one comment every third post.

C’mon people, speak up!

I’m not talking to myself here.

Speaking of WordCamps, I’m so impressed by the volume of information available at our Phoenix WordCamp (even though it’s all greek to me) that I’m volunteering there all day Saturday. That way someone who can get something out of it will be freed up to attend. Maybe I’ll pick up a pointer or two.

blog, statistics, volunteering, wordcamp, wordpress

What tips the scales?

Feb 15th

Nowadays this question is more in our face than in the past.

When does a bad thing a person does outweigh the good they’ve done?

Just a few examples:

Michael Jackson was one of THE most talented singer/songwriter/dancers in the world. People either loved his music or at the very least respected his talent. But as tales of his bizarre behavior and then allegations of child molestation surfaced, opinions changed. Though I personally believe the allegations, I still believe he was an incredible talent that opened the door for so many changes in dance and music.

The Penn State coaching staff that was apparently (I know diddly about sports) beloved by their community but then basically covered up for a child molester by not reporting it.

Whitney Houston with a voice like an angel (if I believed in angels, that is) still gives me goosebumps whenever I hear her recordings, chose to destroy that voice – and ultimately her life – through years of drug abuse.

Some Chris guy beats the shit out of his girlfriend last year but this year receives two Grammys. Another celebrity athlete is found involved in dog fighting – goes to prison – and now all is forgiven/forgotten. Mike Tyson is accused of beating and raping his wife, bites the ear off another fighter and yet now he’s acting in stupid comedies. Tiger Woods can’t keep his dick in his pants, which has nothing to do with his incredible ability to golf but has everything to do with publicly screwing over his wife. And will Charlie Sheen ever be taken seriously again? Probably.

I’m sure you can think of more examples. Child molesters, wife-beaters, rapists, drug addicts, law-breakers of all sorts. Some are forever shunned and some are forgiven and continue on their merry way.

Why is that? When is a person forgiven for bad deeds? I honestly can’t say. Is it when the person sincerely admits to the wrongdoing and makes amends? Is it when a certain amount of time has passed? Is it when their talent is too good to let go of?

You can’t just write people off forever when they screw up. The dog-fighter sports guy has to my knowledge completely reformed. And look at Robert Downey Jr. He finally kicked the drug monster and came out on top. People can change. Some. Child molesters, murderers, rapists… when you physically hurt someone else you should not be forgiven. That’s where I draw my line.

Here We Go Again

Feb 11th

Over and over I see the religious argument boiled down to this simple trite:

Atheists don’t believe in anything!

An Atheist is simply someone who doesn’t believe in any gods. That’s it.

And I certainly do believe in many things.

I believe in personal responsibility. If you choose to screw up, you take responsibility. You don’t blame it on the devil or the voices in your head. Conversely, if you choose to work hard, you take the credit. Sure, some people have natural talents in a certain direction, but if you’re working it and things pan out, it’s because of that not some supernatural force.

I believe in honesty. You tell the truth no matter what. You don’t go along with the crowd if you don’t agree. You stand up for what you believe in and not let others shut you up.

I believe in personal freedom. As long as you’re an adult and what you choose to do doesn’t hurt anyone else, you are entitled. You can do what you want with your body, you can do what you want in your bed, you can believe whatever myth you want. Live and let live as long as nobody is getting hurt.

I believe in science. The best thing about science is honesty. If it’s real science it’s repeatable, testable, and provable. If someone makes a claim, others can take their research and prove it again. Peer review is a wonderful thing. We know the earth is millions of years old. We know all 600 dog breeds can be traced back to one original type of canine. We know humans and apes had a common ancestor, not that monkeys suddenly turned into humans.

I believe in respecting our planet. Whether you buy global climate change or not really doesn’t matter. Using oil destroys the planet. Using up the rain forests destroys the planet. Dumping shit into our water destroys the planet. We should really stop doing that.

I believe in protecting the innocents. Children should always be protected. They should have education and health care. They should be raised by someone who loves them. The elderly and disabled should not have to worry about living on the street.

I believe in equality. What makes one person doing the same thing as another wrong? Nothing. Then they should have equal pay and equal rights.

I could continue listing my beliefs but I think you get the point. I’m a decent human being and I pretty much follow the rules set down by society though I object when the rules are out-dated or unfair. It’s unfair to deny LGBT people equal rights. It’s unfair to force a woman to incubate a child she doesn’t want. It’s unfair to risk other children because you believe some bullshit about vaccinations. It’s unfair that not everyone has basic health care. It’s unfair that some righteous holier-than-thou big mouths can control the decision making for everyone else.

I’m Debbie Walker and I’m an Atheist – among other things.

atheism, beliefs, morals, rights

My 4th Divorciversary

Feb 10th

Posted by spellwight in Personal

Brings on much introspection.

I’m so much happier. I feel like a more complete person than I have in years. I have peace within myself, I have financial stability, I volunteer much of my time, I have a great bunch of kids that I’m really close with, and I bought myself a brand-spankin’ new HDTV and a pretty cabinet to set it on.

But I have this constant nagging thought that my kids should have some sort of relationship with their father. I periodically suggest to one or the other that they should make contact. He should have some relationship with his granddaughter but Casey’s not interested. Max’s wife would like to meet Buck but Max has no desire to have that happen. Ginnie, well she has her own reasons not to. I really had no idea back when I was married that the kids were already so estranged from their father. How could I not notice? None of them want anything to do with him. Maybe I’ve painted him badly here but he really wasn’t a bad person. Just set in his ways and distant. Sort of anti-social. It was only in the last few years that the drinking (and the personal shit that went with it) got too bad for me to tolerate.

So… is it just because of some old-fashioned blood-is-thicker-than-water reasoning that I keep pushing this? I mean, I still maintain a relationship with my mother and I don’t even like her. Or maybe deep down I’m just proving to myself that it’s not my fault they’ve chosen to cut him off. My issues with him shouldn’t be their issues but apparently they have issues of their own.

Whatever, I wish I could let it go. I’ve always thought that blood didn’t mean anything to me but that’s not how I act. I wish I did. Maybe it’s too ingrained by society.

Other than that I’m doing great.

buck, divorce, family

TechPhx Kickoff Meeting!

Feb 7th