The Internet is A Public Place

I'm not sure I approve of facebook. Yeah, I use it (for games!), but there is only one photo of me (and one of my poor short necked giraffe, and an avatar from one of my games), and my personal details are limited.

But I go onto other people's fb pages, and there are so many photos - of them, their kids, where they work, what school they went to, their birthday... It is really worrying that people don't see anything wrong with this.

A lot of people forget that the internet is essentially a public place. It's like inviting people in to your house, into your family.

Many people on the internet don't want to be your friend. Some of them may want to hurt you. To take your identity and commit identity fraud. To contact your children and/or to do a whole raft of dangerous and disturbing things.

So we need to stay alert. No one wants to give you that copy of Adobe CS5 for free - That's a $3000+ piece of software. If they tell you they want to give you one over torrent, it might be a copy... but it will almost certainly have some nasty additions on top of the regular stuff. It sounds pretty terrible, but part of being internet savvy is being suspicious. We've all heard of people meeting someone they met on the internet, and they don't look a thing like their photo. But things can be so much worse.

Someone I know recently had a scare. Their pre-teen, who is old enough to know better, met someone in a chatroom and told them everything. Where he lived, who lived with him, full name, about his family, everything. The person he told it to turned out to be an adult. But the worst thing is, the kid still has no idea why what he did was wrong. He was arranging to meet this man when his parents found out.

I was 12 the year we got the internet. I used chatrooms, but I was a wary child. The second anyone started saying anything appropriate, I blocked/reported them. This was after all, a children's chat room. People didn't know much about the dangers back then, posting full personal details online. But even then, I wasn't one of them. You have to be a conscious user of the internet. You can't just wander around without paying attention to what your doing, who you're talking to, what you're giving away.

I suppose my point is simple - would you tell someone you met down the shops/pub what you're telling the faceless sympathetic ear on the internet? If the answer is no, you probably shouldn't be telling them either.

(This is a bit disjointed. I wrote half of it earlier, so I may rework it tomorrow.)

I am not your

I am not your Lovey, your Darling, your Sweetheart. It's especially inappropriate for you to call me such things in front of your wife and child, and I didn't appreciate it.

When you come into my shop - the one I'm assistant-manager of, attempt to muscle in on my personal space, call me pet names the whole time, and ooze creepiness in my general direction, I will be crossing my arms, failing to smile, and standing as far away from you as possible.

And yes, my female co-worker noted your disturbing behaviour. I only wish I'd managed to tell you how unacceptable it was. Blah. Oh well, next time I will do so. Because I work there, and you have no right to make me feel uncomfortable in my own workplace, and I honestly felt harassed.

(ps. Gentle Old man who sometimes come into the shop calls me a pet name? It's okay. He's of a different generation, and I don't get "the vibe" off him. He talks to all "young" people the same way. Man who is approximately ten years older than me does it? creepy x 10.)

Dear Kim Hames, Health Minister

Dear Kim Hames, Health Minister.

Wednesday was an appalling display of disorginisation. So many ambulances left outside, patients waiting to be admitted, putting lives at risk.

What was your solution? To add extra beds to Joondalup and Rockingham, and to force people with private health insurance, and the elderly to private hospitals.

I have private health cover. I can afford a private hospital if I need one, choose my own surgeon and get my surgery within a reasonable time. But what about the people that scrimp and save for their health cover, but can't afford everything else? What about them, Mr Hames?

Some people who are very wealthy, neglect to take out private health insurance. They go to public hospitals on the tax payers dime because of course, that is how they are wealthy. Not having to pay for things like this. Why aren't you insisting they take out Private Health cover, Mr Hames?

Also, may I remind you that your government has been in power for years now. It is your Government that said they would honor the commitment to build the Fiona Stanley Health Campus. It is kind of late to be laying the blame at the door of the previous goverment - the one who lost power two years ago in 2008. Please just get on with it.

Regards

Julie

Dear 4WD Drivers

Dear 4WD Driver.

What is wrong with you? This morning I was driving along, minding my own business, when you suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, and decided to reverse parallel park into the parking spot I was stopped next to. This may surprise you, but you are a VERY BIG VEHICLE, trying to fit into a very tiny spot, and my car was in the way. Of course, I freaked out when you almost crunched my car. I like my car. And my health. So you acting in a way that theoretically endangered both was definitely a concern to me.

Please be more aware of your surroundings. You'll inspire less road rage that way.

Regards,

Julie

Open Letter to Oprah re her visit to Australia.

Dear Oprah.

All week I have been hearing about your Visit To Australia.

Well, your visit to Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, anyway. I understand why you aren't coming to Western Australia, which is of course one of the three other states (including Tasmania and South Australia) you aren't visiting. I mean, Perth is after all the most remote capital city in the world (and imo the prettiest, and probably the cleanest but anyway), but why aren't you going to Tasmania? It's not that far by plane from Victoria, and is supposed to be incredibly beautiful.

I was kind of bothered when I heard a soundbyte on the radio that you wanted to stay at a Real Aussie Family's house. It may surprise you, but "real" Aussies are in fact everywhere. Probably even in Chicago. Also, what constitutes a "real" aussie?

One other thing. You are (one of) the richest women in the world. And yet you can't even pay for your own trip?

I think I actually like you less now.

Regards

Julie

I think my brain just dissolved.

I'm at work. There are no customers. There is no work. There is barely any staff.

And I have another four hours left.

Fun, huh? :P

The Election is Over

As of yesterday, and Julia Gillard is our Prime Minister. Yay!

I am hopeful for the way things are going to go. It's kind of exciting that it is a minority government, because hopefully it will mean more voices for more people, so those of us who aren't in the inner city suburbs or in the eastern states will get more from our Government. Infrastructure is not a huge priority over here (for the Federal Government), and doesn't seem to be a big priority for State Government either. The roads near us have been being slowly improving (very slowly) for the past three years. But we still need more. We need public transport. Even the public transport currently available in our area is ridiculous. We are waiting for a new hospital in my electorate (we were promised) and several years later are still waiting. We aren't getting our local train line, because one of the first things our Liberal State Government did was cut funding and plans to build it.

I'm going to write to my Local MP about these things. I have no idea if it'll make any difference, but if I don't do it, I can't complain, because I haven't tried.

That's why when my coworker told me he had put in a blank ballot paper, I told him he would have no recourse to complain about the Government. Because he had no place in the process of electing them.

ps. we now return you to your regular viewing.

Stats

This Stats thing for Blogspot is a bit weird. I mean, I can see where people are reading from, what computer and what web browser. Which is a bit... yeah.

And the reverse is true, so if someone somehow finds me because I've been reading their blog... Welcome! :D :D