Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not represented as fact
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At last,
the contents of Aardvark's "million-dollar ideas" notebook
are revealed for all to see!
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Time for another installment of funny, funky, freakish and fun garbage from the Net.
Microsoft's New Security Strategy
Here it is -- Microsoft's solution to the problem of online security. Of course
it's not without its problems -- how would you remember such a password?
Fishname Translator
You're going to wonder how you ever got by without this site on your bookmark
list.
Alex Chiu's Immortality Device
Why risk dying when good old Alex is prepared to sell you a device that guarantees
eternal life. Nice guy that Alex!
Need Cutting-Edge Copy?
As NZ's longest-running online commentator, I'm looking for
extra syndication opportunities for this daily publication -- or I'm happy
to write casual or regular material specifically to order for print or
Net-based publications. If you're
interested, drop me a line
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The Stile Project's Immortality helmet
Not to be outdone by our mate Alex (above), the guys behind the Stile Project have
come up with another device guaranteed to provide you with eternal life. Unlike
the previous link, this is the real thing -- and they make no bones about debunking
poor old Alex's outrageous claims.
Something Completely Different
Now if you're really looking for something a little more sensible
to add to your bookmark list, check out what Keith Newman's doing over at
his
WordWorx website.
He's writing some interesting stuff there and it's probably worth dropping
in on a regular basis -- nice local content.
What About Virtual Child Porn?
Yesterday a reader sent in an email that got me thinking.
While making it totally clear that he wasn't in any way a supporter of child
pornography, he asked how it was that just viewing such images caused
any harm to anyone.
Of course it's pretty simple to see that in many cases, the creation of images
depicting children as sexual objects or engaged in sexual activities is not
a victimless crime. Kids are obviously being exploited and abused to create
this stuff -- so they are the victims.
However, what happens if/when the images are completely computer generated?
We've all marveled at the incredible photo-realistic results of modern 3d-rendering
software. A rapidly growing percentage of box-office movies these days are
using computer generated images (CGI) to create scenes that would otherwise
be too expensive or simply impossible to recreate -- just look at
Titanic for an example of this.
So if someone uses a powerful computer to render child-pornography images, would
those images still be illegal and if so, how could that be justified?
Of course we could assert that the rendered images depict an illegal act
and might incite others to perform actual abuse on real kids. This therefore
should be grounds for banning them -- right? However, that argument falls
kind of flat if we consider that every night on TV and at the movies we are
exposed to any number of other images depicting illegal acts such as murder,
rape, robbery, etc. To suggest that virtual kiddy-porn should be illegal would
also suggest that such movies also be banned should it not?
What if someone creates a computer game that involves the virtual abuse of
children? Should that be deemed illegal -- even though we can already buy any
number of games that allow the player to kill and maim virtual characters
using stunningly realistic graphics?
The reason for this discussion is to raise what will likely become a very real
issue in the near future as virtual reality and CGI become increasingly powerful.
Do I advocate that virtual kiddy-porn be legal? Hell no -- but I'd sure hate to
see a law that suggested murder and rape were acts that were of lesser
significance.
Perhaps it might be a better idea to avoid desensitizing the population to
crimes of violence through constant exposure in the media?
As always, your feedback is solicited and welcomed.
If we think ahead, hopefully we'll be ready to face the problem before it
becomes an issue. Please feel free to pass the archived URL of this article
(http://aardvark.co.nz/daily/2001/1130.shtml)
on to your friends and those who you feel may have an interest or a perspective
on this issue (but no spamming!).
Save The Aardvark Fund
Yes, I have had several donations to the Aardvark fund and I thank those
who put their money where their mouse is :-)
If guilt is gnawing away inside you then there's still time to donate.
Just drop by and
hand over your loot.
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page?
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here.
Contact me if you decide to use either of these feeds and
have any problems.
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now!
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