lawlady’s Comments

• Apr 22nd, 2010 @ 5:27am

  Computers at work

  on Duh, Don't Leave A Thumb Drive With Child Porn Plugged Into A Shared Computer
  There is no expectation of privacy on shared work computers. The employer (or supervisor, in this case) has every right to search content on the workplace computer. If you're dumb enough to have illegal content on a portable drive that you're dumb enough to leave in the workplace computer, you deserve to be found out and prosecuted. The suitcase analogy doesn't apply because we are talking about workplace computers, not private property (nor is your portable drive still "private property" if you leave it in a shared computer). The coffee cafe analogy is an interesting "what if," but also doesn't apply to workplace computers. HOW the information is accessed is not the case. WHERE the information was located is the key. Had the portable drive been on the employee's personal laptop computer and left at the workplace, we would have a different story, though still an icky employee.
• Oct 5th, 2009 @ 9:11am

  Multi Tasking and Connecting

  on Is The Inefficiency Of Multitasking A Bug Or A Feature?
  IMO, today's explosion of 'multi-tasking' opportunities (twitter, blogs, cell phone texts and voice) is a result of two factors - availability (naturally) and the human need for connections. Check out Leonard Sweet's "The Gospel According to Starbucks," particularly, chapters 9 and 10 where the author notes that the very fact of our technological advancements and modern lifestyle isolates us from our hard-wired need for human contact. The use of technology to be constantly connected to other humans helps to overcome our (real or perceived) isolation from other humans.
• Oct 5th, 2009 @ 8:50am

  Kids these days

  on Is The Inefficiency Of Multitasking A Bug Or A Feature?
  Kids read more books when they have less "screen" time - TV, Internet, video games, whatever. My kids (teenagers) hold their on on our family library card - but, then, I restrict their screen time to two hours per school day (exclusive of homework).
  
  What do they read? Young adult novels, mostly - the girls like High School fiction (like they don't get enough RL drama, already), the boy likes SciFi. My oldest invades my collection of (scifi, urban fantasy) fiction on a regular basis.