Greetings Quotaholics.

Today’s subject is public online privacy. Sort of, kind of, in a way, maybe, perhaps not at all. I don’t know. I know nothing…no-thing. I didn’t do it, nobody saw me do it, you can’t prove anything. That wasn’t me anyhow, that was my evil twin sister.

I am lucky. I get to use my computer in the relative privacy of my own home. Note I said ‘relative’ privacy. I post to Facebook nothing (I don’t Twitter or Tweet) that I don’t already consider public knowledge or else that I don’t give a rat’s ass if anyone knows about. But if it’s something that could be used as evidence against me, something on the order of 8×10 colored glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what the evidence is that could be used against me in court*…well I just don’t post those kind of things. I don’t even think about them unless I have my aluminum foil hat on to prevent ‘them’ from reading my mind.

But if you are using a computer at an internet cafe all the aluminum foil hats in the world aren’t going to do you any good. ‘They’ are really out there and they are really watching us, or trying to get someone else to help them watch us. The FBI and the Department of Justice are, that is. Or at least they are trying to.

http://publicintelligence.net/do-you-like-online-privacy-you-may-be-a-terrorist/

According to a flyer designed by aforementioned organizations if you are using a computer at an internet cafe and seem to be overly concerned about privacy…well, yoouu might be a terrorist.

The document lists several clues to be used in recognizing suspected terrorists such as logging into an account associated with a residential internet service provider such as Comcast or AOL, shielding the screen from the view of others or using encryption. They state that anyone engaging in those types of activities should be considered suspicious and potentially engaged in terrorist activities.

That means if you really feel the need to post pictures and blog from an internet cafe or other public computer about what you did on your recent vacation to Las Vegas, don’t do it. Leave it be. Big Brother, Uncle Sam or your local internet cafe worker just might be looking over your shoulder, literally.

Now one would think in this day and age that most of us by now have figured out that the concept of privacy, especially on the internet, is pretty much dead. Sadly, a lot of people are of the mindset that if you are concerned about keeping anything private, that you must be up to something or have some nefarious knowledge to hide. On the other hand there are a few dorkfish out there that think if they post something on Facebook they really can limit it to just friends and nobody else will ever know. Riiight…and they probably believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy too. But the reality is that even if you don’t Twitter, Skype, Facebook or do any of those other bazillion social networking things this old codger doesn’t do, there is little you can do to prevent someone else from finding out about you with just a few choice clicks. Try investigating yourself sometime. I did and although I didn’t find out anything to alarm me, I was uncomfortable with what was available.

I don’t have a lot of questions to ask today, but I just felt this was an interesting tidbit to pass on to those old fashioned folks out there who mind their own business and would like others to do the same. How do you feel about privacy, internet privacy and using online cafes? I strongly encourage you to use the link I have provided and read the whole article. There are some interesting links at the bottom of the page and some useful ideas about keeping your privacy on the internet.

GrammieSammie

*From Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie.

Relying on the government to protect your privacy is like asking a peeping Tom to install your window blinds. ~John Perry Barlow~

The things people most want to know about are usually none of their business. ~George Bernard Shaw~

If you say to people that they, as a matter of fact, can’t protect their conversations, in particular their political conversations, I think you take a long step toward making a transition from a free society to a totalitarian society. ~Whitfield Diffie~

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A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down. - Arnold Glasow

The future, according to some scientists, will be exactly like the past, only far more expensive. - John Sladek

Bathroom Break
[Thanks Bonnie]

Some carpenters were working outside the old house and Bill’s wife had just finished washing the floor, when one of the workmen asked to use the bathroom…

With dismay she looked from his muddy boots to her newly scrubbed floors. “Just a minute,” she said, thinking of a quick solution. “I’ll put down some newspapers.”

“That’s all right, lady,” he responded. “I’m already potty-trained.”

I am the inferior of any man whose rights I trample underfoot.

The darkest hour in any man’s life is when he sits down to plan how to get money without earning it.

The illusion that times that were are better than those that are, has probably pervaded all ages. - all from Horace Greeley, American journalist, editor, and publisher, born on this day in 1811

Speak right up!

Friends

Since the earliest of my life that I can remember, I have had friends.  Everyone does.  Unless we are a recluse or in an area so remote to prevent human interaction, we have friends.

Some will categorize friends on a scale.  An acquaintance is someone that was friendly that a person met but had no ongoing interaction.  An associate is usually a person who is friendly toward the person, but the interaction is only while working at a common workplace.  An associate can be simply someone with whom we interact at work, but, I use it in this reference for the sake of the topic.

Usually, when someone says someone else is their friend, there is frequent interaction.  That may be circumstantial.  The interaction may be attenuated by geography or careers which make the interaction less frequent than the friendship with a neighbor just down the street.  However, the feelings of friendship may be more intense for the infrequent interaction than for the neighbor we see daily.

Of course, there are romantic relationships that fall into the friendship range.  They may or may not include any sexual contact, but the more intense feelings fall into a whole different range.  The "best friend" would be one of these more intense relationships.  Usually these are same-sex associations, but it is not an exclusive gender bias.  There are many who have a "best" guy or gal friend.  Some have both.

Lovers take a higher step on the range.  This usually infers sexual contact, although it isn’t always a factor between lovers.  These days it is usually assumed if one says they are someone else’s lover that sex is the natural result.  We generally assume the highest step is the relationship between one person and their mate, or spouse.  The definition of a mated pair assumes a friendship of the ultimate devotion.

There are many factors we use to define these "types" of friends.  Whether the friend would loan us something we needed when we needed it, or if the friend would go out of their way to do something we needed done give us a definition of how important we are and our well-being is to them.  How we feel in the other perspective defines to ourselves how important the other person is to us.  Would we share something of value with them, or would we drive across town to make sure they were safe identifies our feelings toward them even though it is usually not a forethought,  but we realize that importance when a situation arises.

Here’s your quiz:
Do you have any friends with whom you stay in contact that stemmed from childhood?
Considering our language limitations, what other categories of friends do you perceive?
Do you have a "best friend" that either of you would do just about anything for the other if needed?

Friends - Those With Whom You Can Truly Rely
Cliff (the High-Tech Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’)

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Kirsten has lost an aunt in a traffic accident in South Africa.  She may be absent for some issues.  Join us in sharing some thoughts and/or meditations for her and her family.  It was an unexpected loss after a recent loss of 3 other elderly family members.

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http://gantdaily.com/2012/01/03/man-accidentally-shoots-himself-while-using-the-bathroom/

If you were a felon, and legally not permitted to carry arms, you might garner some understanding when you hide the gun you insist on carrying anyway. After all, you would want to have something on board if someone chose, or at least tried to choose not to give you your own way. In my opinion, the guy in the above story got just what he deserved.

You see, he forgot that he had moved his little friend, (I mean the metal one, not the — you know) from its place of honor in his pocket. (He wanted it within easy reach, and you can decide for yourself which little friend I mean this time). He stuck it in his waist band, probably drank a couple of beers, and had to do what all G-d’s chillen’ gotta’ do after consuming quantities of liquid.

He marched into the little boy’s room, and began the process. In his fog, he had forgotten where he had put his little metal friend, and it fell. On its way to the floor, it hit the urinal, and shot its load. Now, if I could make the facts more convenient, you know where the bullet would have landed. However, I’m not a member of Congress, and am not licensed to edit the truth for any reason, let alone just to enhance the humor of a story. So, I must admit, it hit him in the leg.

The man’s absent mindedness, (drunkenness?) stupidity found a place on the Internet, which gives him the thing RGQ has tried to offer for years, his fifteen minutes of fame. In addition, he has found his way into my imagination, which I assure you will become even more humiliating for him if this column goes viral. Can you imagine the conversation that proceeded his little adventure:

Him: “Well, I got to go see a man about a horse.”

wife: “Don’t forget what you have in your pants –”

Him, slightly offended: “What is that supposed to mean?”

Wife: (again hoping he’ll catch on without forcing her to announce to the whole bar that her idiot husband is illegally armed) “You know, the thing you should take out of your pants before you go.”

Him: “I hardly need your advice. I’ve been toilet trained for years!” Then, he stomps off in a huff.

“Bang! Bang!”

Bar patrons: “What the hell was that?”

Wife: “Well, at least I won’t be the one who has to make excuses tonight.”

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Turkey facts - Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the Bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States? Did you know that wild turkeys spend their nights in low branches of trees? Did you know that the "wattle", the flap of skin under the turkey’s chin, turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship? Did you know that the domestic turkey (the Thanksgiving variety) is twice as big as the wild turkey and is too heavy to fly?

Did you know that this issue’s "turkey" needs a name? You fill in the blank -

Let’s try this one:
I once had a turkey named ________

Hints:  Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool.  http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules.  http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm 

Submit Opening Line
Submit Limerick

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