By: David Elzey,
on 1/25/2012
by Susan Vaught Bloomsbury 2011 Three years after a school incident turns him into a felon, can Del find love and a life outside the graveyard where he works? Yeah, I said graveyard. Del is seventeen, and digging graves isn't just the only job he can find that doesn't do background checks, but it gives him plenty of time to think about how he got here. With a parole officer checking to
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 8/10/2011
The category of “school supplies” has expanded dramatically to include way more than pencils, paper, rulers, and calculators. Today’s students head into the classroom armed to the teeth with the latest technology. Laptops, cell... Read the rest of this post
By: Kirsty,
on 2/7/2011
In 1928 the iconic United States Supreme Court Justices Holmes and Brandeis dissented in a judgment that ruled the product of telephone conversations derived from “wiretapping” admissible. With characteristic eloquence, Mr Justice Brandeis held that “the confined criminal is as much entitled to redress as his most virtuous fellow citizen; no record of crime, however long, makes one an outlaw”. The judges could be forgiven for thinking that, at least in terms of the English law, eighty years on, things haven’t changed much.
There is a connection between the phone hacking row, which appears to be the preserve of celebrities who fear their calls may have been listened into and the changes to control orders, inelegantly re-named Terrorism Prevention and Investigatory Measures. On the one hand, there is a gaggle of media lawyers and their clients complaining that the Metropolitan Police has failed to take action against individuals eavesdropping on the most private of conversations and on the other the same material is secretly relied upon by the State to confine individuals, who have not been convicted of any offence, to effective house arrest and to impose other Orwellian sanctions. The apparent juxtaposition becomes manifest; the police and agencies rely on the material to counter terrorism, yet appear impotent in terms of investigating allegations of what is given the seemingly neutral term of phone hacking.
There needs to be some attempt to de-mystify what is meant by phone hacking, sometimes referred to as phone tapping. It is clear that practically what is meant is eavesdropping on voicemail messages.
Previously the police have asserted they could not rely on the evidence provided on the ground that it is not admissible. This is a reference to a legal provision in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 that prohibits the use of intercept product in court proceedings. However, it has been misunderstood. The prohibition largely relates to product of intercept warrants that the State obtains to protect national security and investigate other threats as well as serious crime – this is why terror suspects aren’t prosecuted in the criminal courts – the intelligence implicating them cannot be used for this purpose. It expressly does not apply where an illegal interception has occurred.
But is a third party listening to a voicemail an interception? The simple answer is that it might be, particularly if it has not been listened to (if it is, it is a criminal offence) but if it is not, it is almost certainly an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Where such offences may have been committed there is no question that the incident and evidence of interception or hacking is admissible and capable of being used by the police. Even if there was an argument to the contrary, the consent of the “victim” alleviates any remaining difficulty concerning the issue (if an individual consents to their calls being intercepted the prohibition on admissibility no longer applies).
To fair to the police, the highest courts in the land have found the question of what may amount to an interception “particularly puzzling” and the legislation “difficult to understand”. It is almost impenetrable but that is not really any excuse.
Add to this the fact that the law in this area is under review (again). A cynic could muse what all the fuss is about; surely the simplest thing would be to make the product of intercept admissible, even i
By: Beth,
on 5/6/2010
On April 20th, Pew Internet and American Life Project released a report on teen mobile phone usage. One of the facts the report revealed is that Teens are becoming more active cell phone users.
They discovered that “72% of all teens – or 88% of teen cell phone users — are text-messagers.” In 2006, Pew released a similar report that found about 51% of teens were texters. What is suprising is that the average teen texter sends about 50 texts a day or 1,500 texts a month. Some teens even send over 3,000 texts a month. In comparison Korean teens send about 15-20 text messages a day, and they are known worldwide for being heavy cell phone users. Pew also discovered that there are a significant minority of teens who opt to not be heavy texters. About 22% of teens send and receive just 1-10 texts a day, which is close to an adult texters average daily texts. It is estimated that the change in texting patterns is linked to a change in cell phone plans. More family plans offer users unlimited texting which allows these teens to send and receive as many messages as they want. Texting has now become the number 1 method teens use to stay in contact with friends, out ranking social networks, face to face, and calls on their cell or landline phone.
Teens take the cell phone with them everywhere including to school. A majority of teens (62%) say that they can have a cell phone at school but not in class, and another quarter of teens (24%) attend schools that forbid cell phones altogether. However 84% reported taking their phones with them to school multiple times a week. 60% of these teens say they turn their phones on while at school at least once a day and sometimes several times a day. I was fascinated by these statistics, which seem to say that at least 14% of the schools that forbid cell phones still have teens bring cell phones to school. While distracting during classroom lectures, I’m curious to know how teens are using their cell phones during school. Is texting the new way to pass notes in class? Are teens just using phones during lunch and passing periods or is there use during class as well?
Lastly I found it intriguing that cell phones might be helping to provide internet access to teens who do not currently have internet at home. Surprisingly 21% of teens who do not otherwise go online say they access the internet on their cell phone. When you look at ethnic groups the numbers rise to 35% for Hispanic teens and 44% for African-American teens.
Below is a list of activities teens reported using their phone to do beyond calling and texting:
Remember none of these statistics relate to teens’ iPod Touch usage, which isn’t considered a cell phone because it lacks the connection to a cellular telephone network. However this is the only distinction that separates an iPhone from an iPod Touch. So these numbers are actually larger for the teen population who frequently use their iPod Touch over wireless networks. 78% of iPod Touch owners
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By: Mary Cunningham,
on 2/4/2009
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 11/13/2008
In the true spirit of a Mashup, the crowd that gathered in Boston last week was a diverse intersection of marketing, media and educational professionals (Check out the Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup East site to see who attended in the Who's Coming... Read the rest of this post
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By: Thomas Kingsley Troupe,
on 1/10/2008
Because I'm trying to be a better blogger for 2008, I'm going to post something today. Also, there's this whole thing with me not wanting to knuckle down and do any sort of work just yet. I'm sure you understand.
So, in typical TKT fashion, here are random nuggets that are looking for some air time.
Cell Phone - So, I just got a new cell phone a month or so ago. It's an upgraded version of the Razr, so I wasn't ecstatic about it. The last one I had went south on me 3 times. Seriously. 3 TIMES. But, since I'm not into spending $200 or whatever on a new phone, I always just go with whatever one they'll give me for free. Anyway, long story somewhat shorter, my new phone went south on me. I'm talking dead in the water. No amount of charging, pleading, crying and swearing would bring it back to life. Dead.
So, I went to get it replaced and confounded the guy to no end. He confounded me a bit, too.
AT&T Guy: Hi Brian.
Me: Hi, I'm Thomas.
ATTG: (looking confused) Oh, you look like Brian.
(we're off to a great start)
Me: Nope. I'm pretty sure I'm Thomas. Anyway, my phone is dead. It just took a crap on me last night.
ATTG: Really? That's weird. Did you...?
Me: No, I didn't drop it in a lake or anything. (remember, I've had 3 phones replaced. I know what questions they're going to ask)
ATTG: Huh.
The dude proceeded to try three different batteries to see if he could get it going. He even tried plugging it in. No luck.
ATTG: Yeah, this phone is dead.
Me: I know. I even tried a difribillator.
ATTG: Huh?
Me: Never mind.
Anyway, ATTG told me I had to call some warranty place and that he couldn't just swap it out. I groaned and punched a wall (no, not really) and he agreed to let me use an old, abandoned phone until I got mine back in the mail.
ATTG: I'll just wipe this one's memory, toss your SIM card in and we're golden.
Me: Fantastic, then.
He did his thing, handed me a phone that looked like it'd been punted through the uprights and sent me on my way. As soon as I got in the truck and turned it on, I noticed a friend had sent me a text message about Orange Tic-Tacs (delicious). The weird thing, I noticed some numbers that didn't look familiar.
Guess ATTG didn't wipe it out completely. The right thing to do would've been to wipe it clean, right? Right. Well, if being nosy is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Indulge your vouyerism and enjoy the one-sided text messages I found on this old, beat up phone.
If i get one more obnoxious text from eyeliner, i'm going to get as mad as a digastricus when a raptor eats his baby!
Sorry had to work too late to call try tomorrow
U know i will girl dont get too wasted in margaritaville
No i would love to arrange this lets talk and thanks again talking to u is the high light of my day u r great
In line no stars yet except us sleep tight hot pants
Riding up hillside dr sweating bullets im on top of the hill looking at the bay. Wish you were here to see this.
you're a great person and a generous one too. we will have a better time than both can probably imagine. you are wonderful and im quite smitten with you x
Im only as good as the person next to me. Cant wait to hold you.
Does this make me a dirtbag for reading this stuff? A complete sack of garbage on legs with a head on top for posting it on my blog? I don't know. Part of me feels icky for doing it, the other part of me finds it wildly interesting. Call it the curious sponge-like quality of a writer who likes to create stories out of nothing at all. I now completely have this guy in my head as a character and I've got a weird little short story already forming in my head from these completely random texts.
Oh, hey. If for some reason these text messages happen to be yours and it's making you all sorts of crazy to read these here, let me know. I'll delete 'em post haste. Otherwise, thanks dinosaur-reference guy. You've just become a character.
Here's the funny thing: For laughs, I smacked the back of my defective phone (just after calling the warranty place) and it lit up. Huh. Guess it works after all.
Potty Chronicles Ver. 2.0 - So, last night, a big victory in the Toilet Trials 2008. After a pretty good streak of squirting a little potty where it belongs, Travis decided to take a break. He boycotted the crapper for a couple of days. Sure, he'd humor us and sit down on the john for a few minutes to show that he was willing to play ball, but as soon as we tugged a Pull-Up onto him, he'd fill those things fuller than a fat guy's lunch box.
But last night? Magic.
Just before going to bed, we sat the little champ on his throne and he began to peruse a boxing magazine. (Side note: My kid LOVES boxing. Seriously. He asks Grandma (my mom) who doesn't like boxing if she likes it. You like boxing, Grandma? My mom's answer never changes: No.) I told him that if he went potty tonight he'd qualify for a new car, to which I realized how much I sound like Bob Barker. When that didn't seem to do it for him, Laura came in and tossed down the biggest bribe of our potty-training career.
Laura: Travis, if you go potty, we'll take you to the boxing store tomorrow.
Travis: Today?
Laura: No, no. Tomorrow.
Travis: Tomorrow today?
I wanted to explain that tomorrow it would be today, but I figured that wouldn't help. He looked like he was going to try and we were all excited, but it wasn't happening. The boy was merely running down the clock and it was well past his bedtime. I told him he had two minutes and then we'd have to try again tomorrow. He stood up and I looked to see if there was any deposits made in the back-side bank. There weren't.
Me: It was a good try, buddy. Oh, well. No boxing store.
Travis: No, no! I want to go potty!
Me: Well, do it then.
Travis returned to his talking toilet (which we've long shut off) and parked his little dumper on the seat. He talked to me about the boxing store and how he wanted boxing shorts, a shirt, a jump rope and new gloves. I sat there and thought...He's almost 3, and he's ready for the sweet science.
After a moment, he smiled big and wide. I listened and could hear the sound of liquid victory.
Me: Are you going potty?
Travis: Uh-huh.
Laura ran in, Travis stood up sans pants and we looked. Sure enough, he did his business like a champ. We all cheered and high-fived the little kid who shouted his victory like he'd just delivered a knock-out punch. I went and got the car box and he selected one from the movie Cars (he picked the yellow pace car) and there was much to celebrate in our house last night. The kid is on his way.
I can still hear his self-congratulatory cheers now: I did it! I did it!
Meet the Robinsons - I think it's important for everyone to admit weaknesses every once in a while. My weakness as of late has been playing a $13 video game I'd originally purchased for my son to watch and enjoy. It's the game Meet the Robinsons based off the comuter-animated Disney movie. It was cheap, it looked somewhat decent and I thought the movie was pretty cool and original. I started playing it and immediately Travis wanted me to find "Bowler Hat Guy" who is the villian in the movie and game.
Let me say for the record that I still like games like Halo 3, Call of Duty, etc. I'm all about blowing stuff up, saving the world, that kind of thing. But I'll be gosh-darned if I didn't take to this Robinsons game like a drug addict to a cocaine smoothie.
So, to all my Xbox-in' friends who happened to see what I was playing online: Don't judge.
By: Amy C. Moreno,
on 10/31/2007
Check out Hanoch Piven's work on Drawger. He's got halloween images up of course. I am fascinated by his art.
Have a happy and safe Halloween all!
By: Amy C. Moreno,
on 6/8/2007
Hanoch Piven's work is something you've got to see. (I found out about him and last two posts/info on scbwi...thanks to all who posted this info.) Hanoch was featured in this link on Drawger, which I've blogged before.
Hi Mary!
Tweens are cool! And they are so smart and creative too. They are uber internet saavy. It's good to have a tween in the house when your seeking information on anything.
They are also expensive. Make sure to have an unlimted texting plan with cell phones...you'll need it.
Unfortunately - one thing has not changed from when I was a tween. They are still sooo self aware of appearances. sigh.
Love your comments, Word! So much has changed, but one thing stays the same..."how do I look?"
Wish we could tell them that it really does matter what's inside! But, they wouldn't listen. We didn't!
I'm not sure. Do I qualify as a tween? I feel like one some days.
But actually I'm a WOOFer who looks at tweens and tries to remember what it's like at that age.
One day they'll look back... and I guess all we as adults really want for them is that they look back with fond memories.
Signed: Tween a rocking chair and a hard mattress.
Tweens are pretty cool. My two oldest are past the tween stage and full on into the teen stage, which isn't always fun. My little one is only 8 and she thinks (and I agree) that the coolest thing in the world has to be horses!
Cheers,
Michele
http://www.michelescott.com
http://www.adventuresnwriting.blogspot.com
Ooooh, two teenagers, Michele. Have fun! And, good luck with the new book on Quake!
http://www.quakeme.com
Thanks for stopping by!
I have tween grandchildren now and I am much calmer and more tolerant about what they do than about what my own kids did. You see, I now know that everything is just a phase and, no matter what they are going through, there's a good life on the other side of the tweenage years.
Wonderful perspective, Fairy Lady.
I believe, as grandparents, we've learned to "pick our battles." Something that was hard to do as parents.
Thanks for stopping by!