Here Be Treasures

What is a browser?

Thursday, June 18th, 2009 | sociology | No Comments

Okay, you might have to refine your answer to make it succinct, or technically correct, but if you’re reading this, you probably are very aware what a browser is. Google asked Ji Lee to poll Times Square passers-by the question, “What is a browser”. Watching this responses in this video made me feel that I am on the cutting edge of technology, just cos I know what a browser is…

Scamming the Scammers

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 | sociology | No Comments

Hands up those of you that haven’t received a Nigerian 419 scam email. Thought so.
While most of us just delete the mail and get on with our lives, a questionable bunch of scam-vigilantes devote time and effort and cunning to try to scam the scammers.
This video shows just how far the baiting can go, as the hapless young Nigerian scammers perform their very own version of The Village People classic, YMCA.
Another video has the scammer try to injure himself in a stunt-video promo.

If this sort of thing tickles your bristles, then get on over to the master baiting HQ, 419eater.com.

Soldiers On Meds

Monday, June 8th, 2009 | sociology | No Comments

Melody Petersen, writing at MSNBC, brings up the issue of US soldiers serving while on heavy medication. We are all aware of soldiers being given amphetamines and the drug abuse problems that arise in arenas of war, but data suggest that over 10% of actively serving soldiers are on anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and tranquilizers. Given that it is questionable for a civilian to drive a car, let alone operate heavy machinery, how much sense does it make to entrust serious firepower weaponry to soldiers with compromised thinking ability?

The Ten Commandments of B-Society

Thursday, June 4th, 2009 | sociology | No Comments

B-Society is a group of like-minded people who have got together to try and change the dominance of the 9-5 culture mindset, and the lifestyle that follows from that. They want acceptance of the ‘night owl’ character and opening hours to suit too!

I can wholeheartedly agree, being a night-person myself, though I wouldn’t refer to myself as a B-person.

Invisible, Anonymous & Unaccountable Censorship

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 | sociology | No Comments

Censorship is a thorny issue. Innocently using Google (with safe-filter off) to search for water-sports, or latex paint bondage, or child models is likely to return some unexpected and unwelcome results. We have accepted that movies have a rating system, and that TV after the watershed will contain not-for-children content, but the internet is a vast and chaotic sea of content with no ratings system, and accessible by all, or so you thought.
So should a government approved agency work in secret to ban access parts of the web? While most of us are aware of the Great Firewall of China and censorship within Dictatorships and some fundamentalist Muslim countries, few realise that in the UK, 95% of the internet-accessing population are behind an invisible firewall. Wired tackles the issue in this article on internet censorship.

Bono Interviews George Clooney

Monday, May 25th, 2009 | sociology | No Comments

It’s good to see over-paid, over-recognized stars use their cultural status to do work that’s socially responsible. Bono and George Clooney are two such people who use their fame to try bring better living conditions to the less fortunate.
To mark their “World’s Most Influential People” special, Time set up an unusual interview situation. Bono interviews Clooney. Worth watching.

So All May Eat

Monday, May 25th, 2009 | sociology | No Comments

Cafe SAME is not your normal restaurant. They have committed to the philosophy of “pay us what you think your meal was worth”. If you can’t afford to pay with cash, you can barter with your time, offering a hour or two of labor for your meal.
(found via Seth’s Blog)