World of Trash Talk

Larry Frum wrote an article for CNN.com about Rift, a brand new MMO that has been advertised as the “World of Warcraft killer”. I don’t have much to write about Rift, since I only got to play it during its Beta phase, but I will say the following:

Aion, Warhammer and Age of Conan were all advertised and promoted by media and their player base as the “World of Warcraft killer”…

Good luck, Rift. You’ve got a very steep hill to climb! (fyi, calling out your competition before your product makes that steep hill even larger)

Wax On… Log Off… Wax On… Log Off…

I stumbled on this story over at CNN.com about Facebook users who use the “super logoff” option, rather than just logging off when they are done with their sessions. What does “super logoff” mean? It means they deactivate their accounts each time they log out, and reactivate when they log back in. It takes a few extra steps, but deactivating your account still keeps your friends, posts, and information. You won’t lose a single thing. Why are people doing this? According to the story, it’s an added sense of security when using the super-popular social network. One example they used was citing how users might not want a friend of a friend digging around for their profile while they’re not ‘around’, or logged in… and this is where the idea of  the “Super Logoff” started to lose its purpose.

I get it. Everyone wants to feel more secure online. But if you’re going to share personal and/or private information online, you need to realize something. The internet is not and has never been 100% safe. Why? Users. If you don’t take advantage of a website’s security options and decide to take a few extra steps to ‘secure’ yourself, you may be putting yourself in jeopardy. Don’t want “friends of friends” snooping around your profile? Facebook has an option to limit your profile information to “friends only”. Don’t want to be seen online? Facebook has an option to turn the chat feature off. Don’t want certain people to see your posts in their news feeds? Facebook has an option to block specific people from every aspect of your “Facebook Life”.

Before you get freaked out by someone’s status that reads, “FACEBOOK IS NOT PRIVATE! EVERYONE CAN SEE YOUR PROFILE! PASS THIS ALONG SO MORE PEOPLE CAN SEE HOW BAD FACEBOOK IS!”, take some time to get to know your privacy settings. This applies not only to Facebook, but to any online community you are a member of. Instead of using the Super Logoff method, try using the Super Privacy method. Don’t publish any information you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with the entire world (because everything is hackable), and get to know your community’s privacy settings.

Your social networking experience can be a safe and stress-free experience with a simplified security strategy, without adding unnecessary steps. If you’re still feeling uneasy about taking the ‘simple’ approach, take a little advice from Mr. Miyagi.

No Band For You… Six Months!

Top o' the mornin' to ya, Gov'na!

Browsing around CNN.com this morning, I found a particular story that further proved how ridiculous we’ve become in America. John Coleman, the drum major for Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes & Drums, quit after some hard to handle and (what I call) unnecessary publicity.

At the Inauguration of President Obama, the CFMP&D (try pronouncing that 10 times fast) marched in the parade. Obama reportedly smiled directly at John, and then waved at the band. Doing what any polite person would do, John nodded in acknowledgement and gave the President-to-be a slight wave in return. Sounds like a non-issue, right? Think again… According to Ken Rybka, the band’s Manager and Web Page Editor, the band rehearsed over and over, and knew it was a military parade. “Protocol and proper decorum had to be followed”, he said, according to CNN.com. For breaking “protocol”, John Coleman was suspended for… count it… six months. What I can’t grasp is the idea that a nod of the head, a smile, or a wave would be gestures that warrant any kind of suspension, regardless of the “protocol”. Sure, the band has rules, I get that. It’s definitely not my place to say someone was wrong here, but I can only imagine the amount of excitement, pride, and joy that Mr. Coleman felt when Obama looked right at him. What’s even better, is that Rybka is quoted to say that Coleman’s resignation “comes as a shock and surprise.”

Seriously?… Shock?… Surprise?… Would you like your name to be thrown all over national airwaves for something as minor as a wave, smile, and a nod of the head? Give me a break! Nobody needs this kind of attention for something so unimportant. To Mr. Coleman (and this is just my opinion here), he had a chance to connect with the oncoming President of the United States for just a moment, and that’s excitement that many would be foolish to pass up. It’s unfortunate that this country’s media, yet again, doesn’t fail to impress with the amount of non-stories out there, making Mr. Coleman an “innocent victim” (I put that in quotations because George Carlin, RIP, had a lot to say about the term ‘Innocent Victim’).

In review: Obama looked at Coleman. Coleman was excited. Coleman nodded, smiled, and waved at Obama. Coleman was suspended for breaking “protocol”. Coleman’s suspension became a national story. Coleman quits due to the publicity becoming a bit much to handle.

What have we accomplished?: Nothing positive. My thanks go out to the national media, who never fail to impress me with their lack of important stories, making me blog about this when I could be blogging about the Mets!… wait… nevermind… as long as Citibank has their name plastered all over the Mets franchise, I’ll pass.

Barkley 2014

Alabama, according to this interview, this could be your leader in 2014!

( Insert Sarcasm Here )

Leaf Me Alone!

Thanks to CNN’s “Funny News“, today’s post covers a story about a Bank Robber with unusual style. Stop and think about this for a second: Think of a good disguise to wear if you were to attempt a bank robbery (in your mind, of course, because robbing a bank is bad!). Keep thinking… a little more… got it? Great! Now, compare your answer with our Bank Robber Model of the day:

Not quite the outfit you had in mind, huh? So, why in the world would someone attempt to rob a bank dressed up as Leaf Man? And how did he actually get away with it without someone laughing at him? Check out this award winning description of the robber:

Genious! I think I saw that guy down the street from my office… no… wait… that’s just a tree!

Well, all of this nonsense is putting me in the mood for some Zen. How about you? Yes? Great! Hey Peter, what do you feel like robbing today?

Choo Choo!