MidKnight Gallery

Saw the latest in the Harry Potter installments tonight. It was a worthy installment in the series, and has taken a significantly darker turn as it follows the arc set by the books. The story is more intense, the romantic aspects of the story are well handled, and most of the shortcuts taken to condense the story are well thought out and graceful. Most, I say, because the whole plot thread with the obnoxious reporter was simply left dangling.

The one real complaint I do have was the pacing and the choppy editing. It didn’t flow as effortlessly as Azkaban did.

This will be the first in a series of short articles to help inform people on computer topics. While it’s not precisely the A+ course that I teach (yet), it’s not intended to be for aspiring computer geeks. It’s intended for people like those I help every day at work. As a result, we will start with the basics.

For all intents and purposes, there are three basic types of computer “bodies” these days: desktops, laptops, and all-in-ones. They all have several things in common; namely a keyboard, a pointing device (mouse, trackpad, etc), a display, and a “chassis” or main body.

The keyboard is how you type things into the computer, such as your name, or a letter.

The pointing device is usually a mouse. In the case of laptops it is usually a trackpad, but eraser-style nubs in the middle of the keyboard are still common mouse substitutes for some laptop brands. “Trackballs” are also common add-ons that have a dedicated following. They are all used to move a pointer around the screen. When you click on a button, the location of the pointer determines what happens next. Clicking on text selects it or changes the cursor to a blinking insertion point, telling you where anything you type will show up. Clicking on buttons tells a program to do something.

The display shows you what the computer is doing. Whether a TV-style screen, or a thin, flat panel like that of a laptop, it and your speakers are the two main ways your computer lets you know what’s happening. You’ll usually hear it called the “monitor.”

The “chassis,” or case, is what holds the main electronics of the computer, and usually holds the hard drive that stores the operating system controlling your computer and programs, and your information. The chassis usually has a variety or places to plug extras into the computer, often called “ports.” Places to insert internal add-on cards are usually called “slots.”

Desktops usually come in four pieces, with cables connecting them together. The monitor and chassis both have separate on-off switches. Turning the monitor off saves power by cutting off what is for all intents and purposes a giant light bulb, but does not shut off the computer. If the computer is completely shut down the switch on the front of the case will start up the computer. You can also turn the computer itself off using this switch. Depending on your settings this will usually put the computer to sleep or tell the system to shut down gracefully, though I recommend using either the start or apple menus to tell the computer to shut down.

In a real emergency, where the computer is completely locked up and will not respond to anything, holding down the case power button for a little over five seconds will force it to shut down. It should only be used as a last resort as it’s the equivalent of pulling the plug, and you may lose files, pictures, or other information.

The cases themselves come in a variety of sizes. “desktop” cases are usually intended to sit flat on your desk, while the various towers (“mini” and otherwise) stand upright on or under your desk.

Laptops are truly all-in-one units. They are designed to be portable, and the display folds up against the case. The keyboard and trackpad are built into the body of the computer, and the whole package can be slipped into a convenient carry bag. They come in various sizes, with bigger ones being referred to as “portable desktops”, and “sub-notebooks” being stripped down, extremely lightweight laptops. Tablets can use a special pen to write directly on the screen, and the display can flip over so that it can be held like a normal writing pad. There is only one power button on a laptop, and it turns the whole computer on and off.

All-in-one’s aren’t, really, as they usually still have a separate keyboard and mouse. This category refers to desktop computers like the iMac, some older Macintoshes, and a small percentage of Windows PC’s where the display and the main case are in the same body. The keyboard and mouse are still separate. Like the laptop, there is only one power button.

Via Sound Politics, I learned of this , where a high school student in Spokane was suspended after he created a Web site bypassing the school’s internet content filter.

There may be longer rants on this later, but the long and the short of it is that these filters are just another crutch to be used by uninvolved parents and officialdom, to give the appearance of being concerned and “safeguarding our children”, while leaving them unsupervised with an electronic babysitter that doesn’t truly work.

Let me rephrase that. They “work.” Getting them to work the way you as a parent want them to is difficult at the very best.

Why is that?

The first set of problems involves what is blocked. There are several basic ways that these “nanny” programs decide what web sites to block. There is a “blacklist” of blocked websites provided by the makers of the software. The person setting up the software can decide to block specific sites, or allow specific sites. Last but not least, the software can look for specific key words, and block any page that has those.

The second problem is the question of whether or not the software really can successfully prevent access to sites that it has been told to block.

Many critics of the software like to concentrate on the canned blocklists. Supposedly, the company automatically combs through all of the available webpages, and marks the ones with questionable content. They then review them to see if these sites are truly inappropriate, and, if so, put the site on the blocklist.

Given the number of sites in these blocklists, it truly is questionable as to how thoroughly these sites are actually independently reviewed, because blocked sites include or have included organizations such as Amnesty International, congressional representatives, and Banned Books Online. Some in truly paranoid fringe sometimes wonder if there is a conspiracy to block certain political views. Given the odd choices it is a valid question as to what degree the mores of the creators and perceived desires of the clients/parents bias the terms used to generate these blocklists.

Key words have their own problem. While it may not be an issue when the user is a five year old, teens at least will legitimately need access to websites on biology, etc. that may contain blocked key words. Both the “key word” method and the canned blocklists tend toward a significant false positives, sometimes over 50 percent.

A privately generated block list created by the parent or administrator is the only method that blocks exactly what the person buying the software wants (you can go everywhere but here), or conversely, allows access only to the places allowed (these are the only places you can go). The only problem is that setting up and maintaining these block lists can be very time consuming.

Maintaining these programs can be time consuming in general. If a site you want to allow access to, either for yourself, or generally, is blocked. you have to take the time to add it to an “allowed” list, or bypass it that one time.

All this aside, it still leaves open the question of whether or not this vast overkill prevents access to pornography and unwanted information in general, as well as whether or not the software can be bypassed for specific sites.

As the article I referenced above shows, the answer is a resounding “no.”

Face it. Just like books, TV, and anything else in life, the only way to make sure your kids stay safe online is to keep an eye on what they do, and teach them how to handle themselves.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Lars Kongshem:

Equally important, many educators say, is..(teaching) students…to use the filter that lies between their ears…this analogy offered in the National Research Council report is…apt: “Swimming pools can be dangerous for children….one can install locks,..fences, and…pool alarms….but by far the most important thing….is to teach them to swim.”

I couldn’t wait to get started on my website, so this is getting posted a bit prematurely, but I had a few things that I absolutely had to put up and explain.

If you hadn’t gathered already, I’m a huge fan of Sci-Fi. One place I regularly get my fix is from Baen books.

Why?

Well, I like their stuff. My reading covers a broad range and their stuff often satisfies my cravings for adventure, military action, pulp, etc. when I’m not looking for something more overtly ‘thoughtful’ like Neal Stephenson’s (Snow Crash, Quicksilver, Cryptonomicon) or Dan Simmons (Hyperion).

My favorites? Overall, John Ringo, whom I’ve met, and even provided an illustration in one of his books (Hells Faire). Also included are John Dalmas, Dave Weber (known for the “Honor Harrington” books), David Drake (Hammers Slammers), and others. Though heavily ‘conservative’ and libertarian, it’s not exclusive and there is an interesting mix of political viewpoints in the mix along with a vast backcatalog that has accumulated over the years.

So why do I know so much of their stuff is stuff I like, and if I’ll likely enjoy the book or not before plunking down cold hard cash?

Simple.

The publisher has a dirty little secret.

Wait for it…

They give books away.

That’s right.

Go online here and you will see their “Free Library,” with many many books from their authors available for free download, to put on your Palm-pilot, your computer, a CD-ROM, print out, whatever.

Interestingly, not only do they not make it difficult to make backup copies for yourself, or for your friends, they encourage you to do so. Check out the notes on the back of There Will Be Dragons or several other recent Baen hardcover releases which include a CD full of free, unprotected material that they beg you to hand off to your friends.

Their “webscription” e-books are also similarly unprotected, and almost any title has a significant chunk of the book online even if it isn’t in the free library in its entirety.

They do this, interestingly enough, because it makes them money.

I enjoy it because it gives me the chance to check out new authors and freely carry along electronic copies of books I’ve already bought from the convenience of my laptop, my palm pilot, or anywhere I can get on the internet. They treat me like an honest, valuable customer who will pay them a reasonable cost when I can, are willing to cultivate my business when I can’t, no strings attached, and open my eyes to new things at their expense.

And that is why I spend my cash on them, and how they make money.

Check it out at http://www.baen.com.