Bow Down

The image above is an ad for a computer company. At first glance, the ad looked like any other. It was not until after looking closer I realized the issue. The purpose of this add is to show the streamlined faster service however the outcome of the ad is different. This add is very controversial to me for several reasons. There are several stereotypes the add feeds into.

The first thing wrong with this image is the use of race. In the image there is a white man with his arms crossed in business casual attire. The white man is clearly in charge of the rest of the people. The "Workers" are all black men; to make things worse they are in a posture that looks like they are bowing to the white man. All the black men have they're faces down in reverence of the white man.

Another controversial part of this image is the fact that all the black men are genetically the same looking, all athletic and muscular. All the black men are in less clothes than the white man. These facts highlight two different issues to me. The first being the stereotype that all black men are athletic and superior in sports. The second issue with the black men has to do not only with the image itself but with the tag line for the add.

All the black men are not only athletic, but they are exactly the same. All the black men are scantily dressed and bowing to a white man. The tag line states that a company can "Multiply computing performance and Maximize the power of employees." The use of the words multiply performance and maximize power; along with how the black men are dressed and postured is controversial. The combined effect of the image of the black men and the tag line make slavery come to mind for me. During slavery times white masters used to breed or "multiply" stronger slaves to maximize power and performance.

The purpose of the ad may have been to sell a service but the outcome was controversial. Even if the maker of the ad did not intend the ad to offend malicious, I do find it offensive. I do not think it is over the top because the ad is subtle but once you look deeper at the issue the issues it brings up are controversies that continue to plague our society for centuries. Race relations, especially between black and white people are usually tense, ads like these do little to help the issue.

Social Networking

Social Networks are websites where people who share a common interest or relationship can gather to share ideas and communicate. Millions of people login to sites like MySpace, Facebook, Hi5, and many others. Using networks like these, families that may not live close by can share information; coworkers or schoolmates can share ideas and get updates. Like much of the internet there are positive aspects of social networking; however, there are many negative aspects that need to be addressed. Some of these negative aspects include identity theft, and fraud, to child porn and child stalkers.

Webmasters and Security professionals are constantly trying to safeguard the users of social networks against the negative aspects of the internet. There are millions of dollars put aside for age verification software, identity recognition databases etc. All of these safe guards are steps in the right direction, however there is still a human aspect that security personal can not account for. Websites rely on its users to be honest and give them the information they are asking for. A child molester under a false name and valid email address can easily setup an account, a child of 12 can pose as 18 with just a click of a button. Although technology has added security to social networks anything short of facial recognition or fingerprint verification still leaves room for dishonesty. Much like a burglar adapts to new security features in a home, in the same way someone who wants to do bad things on the internet will find away to do it.

In class we read two articles dealing with security issues on social networks, specifically MySpace, but the same can be said of anyone. I thought that the first article "MySpace and Sex Offenders: What's the problem" dealt with the issue in more a report type way. The author offered little insight to where the problems might lie. The second article "MySpace Not Responsible for Predators" deals with the author's opinions more than the first article. The author believed that the websites are not responsible for the safety of its users, the responsibility lied on the user themselves.

I think that my personal view of social networks and security lean more in the direction of the second article. When thinking about the problem with security on social network sites two personal context areas come to mind. The first context is Family, this context comes more into play with minors on the web and on these social network sites. I have come across many parents who have little idea what they're children are doing online. In my own family I have seen cousins and nieces who have website profiles giving fake ages and stats. Many of my family members and friends at one time or another have met people offline that they have met online. I think it is up to the parents to not only monitor what the child does online but also monitor what they do offline as well. It is inexcusable to me that there are children downloading instructions on how to make bombs, and then making these bombs at home. The parents always say they didn't know what was going on. Growing up in a two income family, my parents were always working, however they made sure to take the time to find out what was going on in our lives. Without a strong family children are falling prey to people online who are telling them what they want to hear. Children and parents need to sit down and talk about the dangers of social networking and how to avoid becoming a victim. Without guidance from parents and common sense of they're own children will be in danger no matter what safe guards the websites use.

The second context that comes to mind when talking about social networks is Professional. I have worked in IT for the past 10 years. As part of my career I have studied network security and protection. I have come to the realization that there is no easy way to address security on the internet. There is tracking software and monitoring tools that can be used to see where the users are on the net. There are information captures that can gather any illegal activities that are on the net. There is no way to confirm an identity over the internet one hundred percent. Even if date of births and social security needs to be entered, they can still come from incorrect sources. The security of a website and it's users is in a large part based on the honesty of the users. For this reason the users need to be aware of the dangers of giving information out over the net and meeting people they don't know offline. In the end we are all responsible for our actions online or off.

Social networking has become important in our society. There are many areas where users of these networks are exposed to dangers, however they can not be taken down. In my opinion the social networks benefits out way the negative. Millions of people and companies rely on the information exchanged by they networks. If users and parents of minor users were more vigilant there would be less cases of safety issues on the internet.

"It may be too late to write a new beginning, but you can always write a new ending."

If I had to create a bumper sticker that modeled my philosophy for life, it would be "It may be too late to write a new beginning, but you can always write a new ending."

No one is perfect, we all make mistakes in life. Some mistakes we get a chance to reconcile, while others seem to follow us forever. I have made several mistakes in life, mistakes which are now a permanant part of me like a scar that never heals. I can't change what I have done, believe me I have tried.

The mistakes I have made have been life altering in many ways. I have missed out on moments in life that only happen once. Most people take these types of moments for granted; but, if not held onto these moments can change your whole outlook on life.

My story began when I was 14 years old. I won't bore you with the details, in a nutshell I took my first sip of alcohol and was spellbound. This obsession with alcohol was the cause of one of my biggest mistake.

I didn't graduate high school on time. I never got to walk with my peers and go off to college like so many of my friends did. Instead I chose to party and drink my way out of school. I drank to the point that I would miss class and eventually had to graduate in summer school. The mistakes continued into my first and second attempt at college. Eventually I gave up hope of returning to school. I figured it was an unobtainable dream that I could never have come true.

That was 12 years ago, since then my life has changed. I decided to close the chapter in my life that involved alcohol. I instead wrote a new chapter to my life story in hopes of changing the ending that was outlined for me. I got married to a women who values education and pushed me towards getting back into school.

My mind now clear and goals now in place, I feel I am ready to finish this last chapter in my story of a quest for education that I let slip away before.