Internet Caucus on Youth Victimization Online

The Congressional Internet Caucus held a forum to discuss online youth victimization. The presentation included a panel of four social scientists who are studying online youth victimization followed by a Q&A session.

Here’s what danah boyd wrote about it. danah boyd is the panel presenter who gave the qualitative analysis portion of the presentation.

Here’s a YouTube playlist of video of the forum

And finally, here’s a PDF transcript of the forum

I haven’t watched the videos, and I only read the panel part of the transcript, but even in that sample there’s one part I found quite interesting:

Our research, actually looking at what puts kids at risk for receiving the most serious kinds of sexual solicitation online, suggests that it’s not giving out personal information that puts kid at risk. It’s not having a blog or a personal website that does that either. What puts kids in danger is being willing to talk about sex online with strangers or having a pattern of multiple risky activities on the web like going to sex sites and chat rooms, meeting lots of people there, kind of behaving in what we call like an internet daredevil.

Which, of course, I wouldn’t have thought to talk to the girls about (technically that should be "thought to talk to Kathy about HER talking to the girls about it"). So, now I’m marginally less ignorant. Yay me!

Is That Supposed To Be There?

This anti-piracy element is the subject of much emailing today.

As an employee of Microsoft, I'd just like to say "no comment" what with me not being a spokesperson or a lawyer or really anything other than a cog in the machine.

What Slippery Slope?

POUND (a short film by Evan Bernard)

Not that I fell out of my chair or anything, but it was pretty funny.

MUST! HAVE!

Oh dear, I'm going to have to buy a larger desk just so that I can display the flatbed scanner I'm going to have to buy/build.

I Cried, A Little

Paul Potts sings Nessun dorma

Now I know jack about opera. My expectations had been raised by reading what Seth Godin wrote about him, but the guy started off by saying he had confidence problems. When I heard that, I lowered my expectations because I figured the dude's got to know his own limitations.

But then he opened his mouth to sing. Once again, I know jack about opera but I got chills and my eyes got a bit moist. I'm a big pansy after all, I guess.

Blasphemously Good Fun

Bible Fight: It's like Mortal Kombat without the fatalities!

File Under Freaky-Slash-Cool

I don't know if it's art, but it's certainly cool.