Illustration of Spamming

In relation to our topic on Computer Abuses, I got this joke from an officemate.
This is a very good illustration of the ridiculous idea of spamming...


What is Marketing?

You see a handsome guy at a party.You go up to him and say, "I'm fantastic in bed."- That's Direct Marketing.

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a handsome guy. One of your friends goes up to him and pointing at you says,"She's fantastic in bed."- That's Advertising.

You see a handsome guy at a party.You go up to him and get his telephone number.The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm fantastic in bed."- That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a handsome guy.You get up and straighten your dress.You walk up to him and pour him a drink.You say, "May I," and reach up to straighten his tie brushing yourself slightly against his arm, and then say,"By the way, I'm fantastic in bed."- That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a handsome guy. He walks up to you and says,"I hear you're fantastic in bed."- That's Brand Recognition.

You're at a party and see a handsome guy.You talk him into going home with your friend.- That's a Sales Rep.

Your friend can't satisfy him so he calls you.- That's Tech Support.

You're on your way to a party when you realize that there could be handsome men in all these houses you're passing. So you climb onto the roof of one situated toward the center and shout at the top of your lungs, "I'm fantastic in bed!"- That's Spam.

A no-holds-barred chat group?

Activity 10-2

If given the chance to join such a chat group, I will initially join as I am curious about the million probabilities of learning from other people. I presume that those who would want to join such a group would be teeming with ideas and raring to share them with others. I will join such group, confident in myself as a rational being with virtues and principles. Therefore, I will treat the other members with utmost respect, as my co-equals, or even more intelligent and with better things to share than I have.

However, I will leave the group at once, if I sense that the discussion or the thread of conversation is opposed to the principles and sensibilities I maintain. I will leave if and when I see that:

- respect for others’ feelings is disregarded
- hate campaign is obvious
- there is blatant disregard for laws or illegal acts in computing are encouraged

So, while it is a no-holds-barred chat group, I myself will put the limits to how far I can go with the group.

Examples of Violation of Privacy

Activity 8-1
Examples of Violation of Privacy

In the ongoing reality-based artista test (Starstruck) over at the Kapuso Network, there was an episode of a very typical violation of privacy related to computing. Some of the contestants looked into the computer files of that particular TV program which contains classified information regarding the actual standing of the contestants and other “surprises” of the show. The following two weeks saw the actual “investigation” into the incident and thanks to surveillance cameras, the real perpetrators of the misconduct were identified.

But that is a simple case of invasion of privacy compared to other examples that are prevalent these days in the internet. In a recent news item I read, the search engine Google has added a feature in its latest version of Google Desktop which allows a user to search across multiple computers by storing copies of the user’s documents in the Google’s servers.

This means that once a person’s personal information is in the database, the information is online and can be accessed anytime. According to the news item, government can even subpoena these information from the search engine, rather than acquiring a search warrant to obtain same information from the person himself.

This can become very scary as one will be at the mercy of government, especially if that government is repressive. There should be a way to protect users from such invasive technology. Others might even be clueless that they gave these information awaywhich can be used against them later on!

For the actual news item, go to: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6038086.html

Jonah of Upseville

Last Christmas, we were recipients of a beautiful dachsund from a generous officemate. The three-month old puppy came with a baby book and a certificate of registration with some Canine Society. My kids were ecstatic to have a living, moving animal allowed inside the house. It was Christmas, there were lots of food plus there was a riot everytime the puppy was allowed outside his dog house. In other words, Christmas in the Baniaga residence was full of activity and fun - thanks to the puppy.

Jonah of Upseville (that's his name!) is a very intelligent dog, emotionally sensitive and perpetually wears a facial expression that does not fail to elicit sympathy even from the hardest of hearts. He usually puts this expression on when he is inside his cage or is not allowed to enter the house.

Throughout our married life, my husband and I never had any pet. I do not know what got into me to accept my officemate's offer of a dog, when I was the one adamantly refusing to own one for the past nine years. But when i saw Jonah, I never regretted changing my mind. Never mind the hassles of caring for another creature.

Dogs can be very expensive and tedious to care for. Since he is a dachsund, Jonah has long ears that almost go all the way to the ground when he walks. Those ears need constant cleaning. We usually use 10 sticks of cotton buds every cleaning time. His multi-vitamins is more expensive than my boys' own. His immunization shots are more often than the boys' and a kilo of his dog food is almost three times more expensive than a kilo of Dinorado rice.

But we will keep Jonah. He keeps us reminded that life can be fun. He is the only creature I know who derives so much pleasure from the simplest of things like merely walking around the neighborhood or chewing on a rag. In his silent way, he displays so much passion especially when he chews his rag. He also shows me everytime that I need not be abrasive and loud to get people's attention and cooperation. Jonah merely puts on that "facial expression" and he usually gets what he wants, particularly sympathy. Lastly, Jonah inspires a lot of loving and giving from me and the whole family - including the yaya. No wonder he made me change my mind. He kinda changed my outlook in life as well.