Rex White’s Blog

For 8 years now I’ve had a Microsoft Trackball. Actually, my wife used it mostly when we first got it - I had a Logitech roller ball mouse. But it went kaput and I’ve been using the Trackball for some time.

Why the Microsoft Trackball?

Because I hate the touchpad mouse that most laptops have. It makes my finger feel weird… I always envision having tumors growing inside of my digits, running up my arm, through my neck, and into my brain (I have issues, I know.) The Trackball is cool… I just roll my pointer around and never move my hand! Sweet, sweet technological nirvana!

Yes, I’ve gotten joked about it on multiple occasions. In 2008, it’s a bit of an oddity, the ole Trackball! It’s big, bulky, and has a 4 buttons - 2 on each side. The 2 on the left side of the mouse (I’m right handed) are my left and right click buttons. There’s a wheel that my thumb can use to scroll up and down. The 2 buttons on the right side, don’t ask me what they do. I’ve never taken the time to figure out nor to edit the settings. The only thing I know that occasionally if my pinky finger hits one of them while I’m in the web browser, it’s takes me to the previous page, which is reeaaallly annoying. So I guess it serves as a back button (and forward, maybe.)

But in spite of it all, I love the Trackball!

Did I mention the cool, bright, marble-like, red and black ball? And the red light that shines all around the hypnotic orb that is the actual roller ball?

I take it everywhere I go - if I’m out of town, the Trackball goes with me. The Trackball is my friend. The Trackball is my co-worker. The Trackball is my… well, suffice it to say, I love-livity-love it.

It was just time for the Trackball to move on

Now my Trackball is dead. My sweet, gray, smooth-from-years-of-use-and-love Trackball bit the bullet. It… just. stopped. working. No lights. No nothing.

Time of death: 6:49 PM, EST.

Not sure if I can move to the newer, smaller models on the market. Not sure how I can ever really go on. Not sure how long the pain will…

Farewell, Microsoft Trackball Explorer USB mouse. I hope you’re happy on that big mouse pad in the sky! Oh wait, you’re a TRACKBALL… you don’t need no stinking mouse pad.

I tweet on Twitter. So do countless others. Now I’ve been checking out a similar site, Plurk. It has a lot more going on than Twitter. I’ve heard people complain that it’s too busy and others rave about it’s “outside the box” thinking.

The jury is still out on that one for me. However, something else caught my eye and I wanted to put it out there because it just bugs me big time.

What Protects Naive Minors on Social Media Sites like Plurk?

I checked out Plurk’s “Most Interesting Plurkers.” What stood out to me, as a guy, was this small avatar photo of what appeared to be a woman (1  from the screen capture to the right). So, as a guy, I clicked.

When I landed on her Plurk page, the first thing I saw was was that the woman was a girl… her profile clearly stated, “13 years old, Female from London.” (2)

I was about to leave when I couldn’t help but notice all of the fans and friends she had (4 & 5). Plurk is still pretty new; people are still figuring out how to utilize it (and if they even care to.) A lot of people that I follow who have large followings on other sites Plurk don’t have that many friends and fans yet on Plurk.

This girl had over 200 hundred friends (4) and almost 100 fans (5). That just seemed odd to me. If you’re a Danny Sullivan, an iJustine, a Stephen Spencer, or one of many well-known persons on the web, then that wouldn’t be alarming. But that’s a lot of peeps for a new user of a social media site.

Then I noticed that her profile had been viewed almost 1500 times. Like me, some people could have clicked over not thinking she was a minor. But at least 200 decided to become a friend and 86 decided to just watch as “fans”. Asking to be a friend is easy, you just have to click a link and hope they approve you (3). Following someone is easier because, unless you go in and change the DEFAULT setting, anyone can click on “Follow” (3) and VOILA! They’re following you. Also, everyone can read everything you say, again by default. They don’t have to be a friend and they don’t have to be a follower. 

That isn’t a problem for adults, but it certainly is for an unassuming and naive minor.

While I’m sure some of her friends and followers are kids her age, a quick view of the avatars reveals that a great majority of them are guys over the age of 18. Some WELL over the age of 18.

Reading her “plurks”, she’s obviously giddy about the number of people following her. But if she really is 13, it’s obvious she’s naive (to me at least.)

My question:

How do these sites protect minors from being followed and in some cases, befriended, by people they don’t know and people who, frankly, have no business following and reading the plurks, tweets, rants, posts, etc. of a young girl?

How do you do that while still maintaining freedom on the web and keeping the too-often overreaching arms of government out of it?

My other question:

As parents, how restrictive do you get with the sites your child visits and who interacts (even follows) your child online?

For my sake, as the father of a 5 year old who will be online much sooner than I would like, I hope website owners and developers figure out a way. For the sake of my daughter, I hope her dad figures out how to help her enjoy the online experience, learn things, have fun, but yet be protected.

Thoughts, anyone?

Dad,

It’s funny… I was meaning to get to bed early tonight. One thing led to another, and now it’s a little after 1 AM. Suddenly, it’s occurred to me that it will have been 3 years since you passed when the clock hits 1:34 AM. The years get easier, but this particular day doesn’t.

This year I’m thinking about all of the things that I wish I had told you. I guess that’s pretty normal. I’m thinking about all of the things I wish we could have done together. All of the things you wanted to do that you never got a chance to. And most of all, I wish you could see my kids. They’re just so amazing… you’d be so proud of them. At 4 and 5, they’re swimming pretty much on their own. Maryn is so sweet and thoughtful, and Dylan can make you laugh in a heartbeat. I wish I could bottle them up so they stay the way they are now forever. But I know I’d just be missing out on their changes, their growth. But I talk to them about you. They know who you are, and they know how much you meant to me.

It seems that this year I’m learning a lot about what it means to decide to be a mature man. That’s really one of the last lessons you tried to teach me, and I think I’m only beginning to get it. It’s been an odd 6 months or so, but I think / hope / pray that things are coming into focus. It’s really a decision you have to make - to grow up and put the needs of those you love in front of your own. Why does that take some of us so long to learn? Maybe I’m just hard headed. But I’ve been relating to your life a lot lately. I wish I could talk to you about it.

Howie’s doing pretty good. We talk once or twice a month. I’ve tried to talk him into moving to Atlanta a time or two, but he stays put. I haven’t talked to Lennie in so long. I know she’s doing well - I keep up with her through Howie. But in truth, I think it’s still probably hard on both of us. I think her and I both just feel your absense a little more when we see each other. It won’t be that way forever, I know.

Grandma has moved in with Aunt Becky. They both seem to be happy with the situation. Grandma has good days and bad days, but it’s comforting to know that Becky is keeping a watch over her. We all know how great a caretaker she is - she stuck by your side through those last several months.

Cherie seems much happier these days. She’s staying busy.

I’m rambling on, and really just for my own benefit (obviously.) It just feels good to write you a letter this way. I’m sure the ritual will fade in time. I’m sure one of these days I’m going to wake up, realize it’s June 4th, and I find that I’ve missed remembering the significance of June 3rd altogether. But not this year.

Well look! It’s 1:34.  Three years to the minute. We were together, you and I. I’ll always have that - singing you a song as you left this world. I’ll always have you in my memories until we’re together again.

I love you, Dad.

No one seems to know what it is I do for a living. I still get questions like this when running into a friend or talking with a family member by phone…

Friend/Family Member: So, are you still designing those web pages?

Sarcastic Rex: Uhhh… yeah, I created a lovely web page just this morning with my pirated copy of FrontPage and my “Clipart Extravaganza” cd-rom from 1998!

Well, for those who still just don’t get it, this hilarious video pretty much explains it… I’m learning to be a new media douchebag, and you can be one, too, if you follow the helpful tips found in this video: New Media Douchebag Video