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voice, open a window, intro]
Episode 116
Notes
Banter: Welcome to the Stinkin’
Daddycast! Wow
that’s a great intro…I better explain.
We live in
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Headlines: Baby Making Backlash, Blog
Your Way Out of School, ‘Eat Me’ Has New Meaning in Video Games, Driving High,
and tons more STUFF – after this IMPORTANT information – so pay attention!
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[Cue
Bedroom Anthem PSA]
1 in 5 children online is sexually solicited. Don't believe
the type. Visit cybertipline.com for information on how to protect yourself
from the threat of online predators. A message from the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children, the Ad Council and 101 Uses For Baby Wipes!
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synth News Intro]
Baby-Making
Backlash Looms – STORY #1
By Brian Alexander
As controversy rages around the use of human eggs in cloning
and stem-cell research, a little-noticed backlash has begun against a procedure
that produced equally intense ethical debates decades ago, but has since gone
mainstream: making test-tube babies.
At stake are growing concerns over in vitro fertilization,
or IVF, specifically regarding the collection of human eggs and the storage of
embryos that prospective parents may donate to research, set aside for future
use or even give up for adoption.
Renewed interest in IVF procedures could put one of the
first significant brakes on a practice that has flourished outside strict
regulatory control for more than a quarter of a century. New rules have already
taken effect in
"Some people are concerned over the question of embryos
in excess of a couple's clinical need," says Sean Tipton, director of
public affairs for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Increased pressure for stepped-up regulation comes as
controversy heats up over the use of human eggs in clinical research. South
Korean stem-cell researcher Hwang Woo-suk resigned
recently amid controversy over paying women, including underlings in his lab,
for their eggs. It was legal to buy human eggs in
The question of exactly what to do about IVF and other forms
of assisted-reproduction technologies has bedeviled the
Stem cells used in research come mainly from IVF-generated
embryos not used by patients, and since cloning uses IVF techniques,
legislators began eyeing the field once again.
Currently, In Italy, all embryos created during fertility
treatments must be implanted, not stored (even when there's a good chance one
of them carries a fatal genetic disease); IVF is limited to heterosexual
couples in "stable relationships;" and donor eggs and sperm are
outlawed. As a result, success rates have declined, women have had to undergo
more procedures because they cannot skip steps and use their own stored
embryos, and many patients have gone to other countries.
Many lawmakers in the
…Now in
On the matter of In-Vitro fertilization and ‘test-tube
baby-making’…I personally believe that a proper family unit is one that
consists of a FATHER, a MOTHER, and children.
To that end, if IVF technology helps people become parents that
otherwise oculd not, so be it…BUT…if its used as
‘social engineering’ or as a political weapon to break some law some special
interest group disagrees with, then I’m gonna have a
problem with the technology.
Driving High: Teens Cite Cars as a
Drugged Driving as Common as Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among
Teens WASHINGTON - PRNewswire - Nov. 28
WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/
-- Each day, more than 9,000 new driver's licenses are issued to 16- and
17-year-olds nationwide, the very same age group that is at greatest risk for
marijuana use, and a 2005 survey reveals that these teens say that cars are the
second most popular place for smoking marijuana. The Office of National Drug
Control Policy (ONDCP) is partnering with driving schools and other leading
health, safety and youth-serving organizations to warn parents of the
prevalence and dangers of drugged driving and to provide information to help
teens "Steer Clear of Pot."
More than 2.9 million driving-age teens reported lifetime
use of marijuana, and last year more than 750,000 16- and 17-year-olds reported
driving under the influence of illicit drugs. According to the 2004-2005 PRIDE
Surveys, when asked where they use, approximately one in seven (14%) high
school seniors cited "in a car," making cars the second most popular
location after at "a friend's house" (20.4%).
"Parents need to realize that drugged driving is nearly
as common today among teens as alcohol-impaired driving," said John P.
Walters, Director, National Drug Control Policy. "Marijuana impairs many
of the skills required for safe driving, such as concentration, coordination,
perception and reaction time, and these effects can last up to 24 hours after
smoking the drug -- It is critical that parents know the dangers associated
with drugged driving and are vigilant in monitoring their teen drivers,
especially young, less experienced drivers."
Monitoring the Future data shows that approximately one in
six (15%) teens reported driving under the influence of marijuana, a number
nearly equivalent to those who reported driving under the influence of alcohol
(16%). A recent study from a large shock trauma unit found that 19 percent of
automobile crash victims under age 18 tested positive for marijuana.
Experts say parental supervision and setting clear rules are
associated with less risky teen behavior. A recent SADD/Liberty Mutual Group
report found that nearly 60 percent of teens who drive say their parents have
the most influence on their driving, followed by 27 percent who say their
friends are most influential. Parents can take action and help their teen
"steer clear of pot" with simple steps such as:
-- checking the
car for signs of drug paraphernalia;
-- setting limits
on driving in risky conditions;
-- knowing where
their teen is going and what route they intend to drive;
and
-- reinforcing
safe driving practices by driving together.
Web site: http://www.TheAntiDrug.com/
…I’m not gonna get into the whole
moral issue of marijuana. I’m not gonna even discuss the issue of whether its right, or
wrong, or addictive, or whatever. But
its pretty clear from the stats that judgment is impaired while under the influence
of marijuana – and beside that – its ILLEGAL.
You’re gonna have to do the drug talk with
your kids. And you’re gonna have to set a positive example for your kids – which
means, you don’t go off smokin’ a fatty and then
expect them not to.
Some Students Find Themselves In Principal's Office Over Blogs (submitted by listener Bryan!)
By VAUHINI VARA – STORY
#3
THE
As parents wring their hands about Internet predators, many
teens are worried about a different kind of online intruder: the school
principal.
Students are blogging about
schoolyard crushes and feuds, posting gossip about classmates on
social-networking sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com, and sharing their
party snapshots on public Web pages. Increasingly, their readers include school
administrators, who are doling out punishments for online writings that they
say cross the line.
Laura Iacovacci, a 16-year-old
junior at Paramus High School in Paramus, N.J., was suspended last month after teasing
a classmate during school and implying he was gay. While at home on her
suspension, she posted some comments on MySpace --
including a post in which she commiserated with a friend who was paired with
the boy for an activity in gym class. "Poor u … not fun not fun," Ms.
Iacovacci wrote on the page. The comment has since
been deleted.
Ms. Iacovacci said that when she
returned to school, she was called to see the principal, Lina
Gudelis, who showed her a fat stack of pages she had
printed out from MySpace. Ms. Gudelis
suspended Ms. Iacovacci for three more days. She
wrote in a letter to Ms. Iacovacci's parents,
"Please be advised that should Laura continue to participate in harassing
behavior, either verbally or in writing, including websites, she will be
suspended and may be transferred out of the classes she shares with the
recipient of the harassment."
"It's inappropriate that they're telling my daughter
how to behave when she's not at school," said Joseph Iacovacci,
Ms. Iacovacci's father, of the Web posting. "It
was such a violation of the First Amendment." Ms. Iacovacci
said the boy she wrote about is a friend, and that she made the comments as a
joke. "I think it was unfair," she said of the suspension over her
online post.
Ms. Gudelis, the principal,
declined to discuss Ms. Iacovacci. But she said it is
appropriate for schools to hold students accountable for their online writings.
"Unlike a conversation that might take place on an email or on the
telephone, these sites are accessible to the public. So, yes, it can be harmful
to students when others are posting things about them that are hurtful,"
she said.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital-rights
advocacy group in San Francisco, last week released a legal guide for student bloggers, which addresses questions like, "Can I
republish rumors on my blog?" and "So can I
criticize teachers on my blog?" (The EFF advises
against the former, and cautions students to tread lightly on the latter.)
Some schools have run into trouble in their efforts to rein
in student bloggers.
…I’ve been on the first amendment soapbox before. THERE ARE LIMITS TO so-called FREE
SPEECH. You can’t yell FIRE in a crowded
theatre. You can’t say things that are
slanderous. You can’t write things that
are libelous, and you can’t do anything that incites others to riot. Those are ALL LIMITS on free speech. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has
covered the do’s and don’ts of blogging pretty
well. Better check it out parents..because if they do something that’s libelous, or
illegal, YOU could be sued. There are
still discussions whether bloggers should be treated
as journalists…currently, they are not.
And in another story that twists the first amendment…
FCC Chair Urges TV Providers to Shield Kids – STORY #4
By JENNIFER C. KERR
Associated Press Writer
Sexed-up, profanity-laced shows on cable and satellite TV
should be for adult eyes only, and providers must do more to shield children or
could find themselves facing indecency fines, the nation's top communications
regulator says.
'Parents need better and more tools to help them navigate
the entertainment waters, particularly on cable and satellite TV,' Federal
Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told Congress on Tuesday.
Martin suggested several options, including a
'family-friendly' tier of channels that would offer shows suitable for kids,
such as the programs shown on the Nickelodeon channel.
He also said cable and satellite providers could consider
letting consumers pay for a bundle of channels that they could choose
themselves _ an 'a la carte' pricing system.
If providers don't find a way to police smut on television,
Martin said, federal decency standards should be considered.
Cable and satellite representatives defended their
operations, and said they've been working to help educate parents on the tools
the companies offer to block unwanted programming. They also said 'a la carte'
pricing would drive up costs for equipment, customer service and marketing _
charges that would likely be passed to subscribers.
Others at the forum, such as the Christian Coalition, urged
Congress to increase the fines against indecency on the airwaves from the
current $32,500 maximum penalty per violation to $500,000.
Since the Janet Jackson 'breast-exposure' at the Super Bowl
nearly two years ago, indecency foes have turned up the pressure on Congress to
do more to cleanse the airwaves. But efforts to hike fines have so far failed.
Even so, Committee Co-Chair Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, told
the forum that lawmakers want to see the industry help protect children from
indecent and violent programming.
'If you don't come up with an answer, we will,' he said.
Currently, obscenity and indecency standards apply only to
over-the-air broadcasters. Congress would need to give the FCC the authority to
police cable and satellite programming.
Some lawmakers also complained about the TV ratings system
and said it was too confusing for parents. But broadcasters said they weren't
ready to give up on the V-chip and the ratings system it uses to help identify
programs with sex, violence or crude language.
Jack Valenti, the former president
of the Motion Picture Association of America, cautioned lawmakers to let the industry
come up with a solution. Otherwise, he said, 'you begin to torment and torture
the First Amendment.'
____
On the Net:
Federal Communications Commission: http://www.fcc.gov
Senate Commerce Committee: http://commerce.senate.gov
OK Jack, lets get something straight…If I prevent my kids
from watching garbage on TV, somehow, I’ve infringed on your first amendment
rights, is that it JACK? I’ll tell you
what’s tormented and tortured…my kids being forced to watch CRAP stitched in
with cartoons that are on the whole pretty good. I’m talking about sneaky, underhanded tactics
designed to get stuff in front of kids that their parents would not WANT in
front of their kids. Is that where we
have issues, here, JACK?
I take the side of the Parents TV council on this one! I don’t wanna pay
for 150 channels – I just want the 11 or so that are safe for my kid to
watch! SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME HOW THAT
TORTURES THE FIRST AMENDMENT!
I can’t remember who said it, but I agree with this quote;
“Television allows people into your living rooms that you wouldn’t invite into
your house”.
Groups Protest Cannibalism in Video Games – STORY #5
By ANDREW MIGA
Associated Press Writer
Video games glamorizing guns and violence have long drawn
the ire of media watchdog groups. This holiday season, they say they have found
a bloody new wrinkle to hate: cannibalism.
Games featuring graphic scenes of cannibalism, 'F.E.A.R.'
and 'Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse,' were among the 12 'games to
avoid' listed Tuesday by the National Institute on Media and the Family.
'It's something we've never seen before,' said institute
president David Walsh, warning that today's games are 'more extreme' and more
easily available to underage kids than ever before.
In 'Stubbs the Zombie,' the lead character eats the brains
of humans as blood splatters across the screen.
'It's just the worst kind of message to kids,' said Sen. Joe
Lieberman, D-Conn., who joined institute officials at
a press conference announcing the group's 10th annual video game report card.
'They can be dangerous to your children's health.'
Hal Halpin, head of Interactive
Entertainment Merchants Association, an industry trade group, defended such
games, saying they are rated M, not intended for children under 17.
'It's not appropriate for kids and it is clearly labeled
that way,' said Halpin. 'There are R-rated movies and
DVDs.'
The institute showed video clips that included gang warfare
against police in 'The Warriors' and a rogue police officer gunning down
victims in 'True Crime: New York City.'
'Blitz: The League' has scenes of football players hiring
prostitutes and engaging in drug deals, Walsh noted. 'Doom 3,' 'Resident Evil
4' and 'Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories' also made the list.
The institute's secret shopper survey found that 44 percent
of child buyers were able to buy M-rated games with sexual and violent content
intended for those aged 17 and over _ an increase of 10 percent from a 2004
study.
Halpin
pointed out that secret underage shoppers were turned down 56 percent of the
time _ nearly three times the number rejected in a 2000 study.
'This overall trend demonstrates strong and growing retailer
commitment to video game rating enforcement, although clearly we are not yet
where we want to be as an industry,' said Halpin.
Walsh, meanwhile, cited increases of 3,000 percent in
profanity and 800 percent in sexual content in M-rated games since the 1990s.
He also said the industry's Entertainment Software Ratings Board, which assigns
game ratings, is 'broken and beyond repair.' Walsh's group plans to organize a
summit next year to create a new ratings system.
___
On the Net:
National Institute on Media and the Family:
http://www.mediafamily.org/
Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association: http://www.iema.org/
…All the more reason to really research what videogames your
kids are playing, dads! Its getting
better, improvement are being made, but kids will try to buy this tripe…if you
find it in your house, be the ADULT and get rid of it – or at least put it away
until they’re old enough – and by then the game console will be so old that it
won’t matter, anyway…
Sony PlayStation to Get Parental Controls – STORY #6
By MAY WONG
AP Technology Writer
Sony Corp. has become the latest of the video game console
makers to announce parental controls in it newest machine, according to the
Entertainment Software Association.
Now, all three major console makers are promising parents
the means to help restrict their children's access to violent video games.
Sony will place the controls on its forthcoming machine,
PlayStation 3, according to the ESA. Users of PlayStation 2 could limit access,
but only to movies, not games.
Microsoft Corp. had already placed parental controls in its
new Xbox 360, which debuted last week. The machine lets users restrict access
to video games and DVDs that carry certain ratings, such as 'T' for 'teen' or
'M' for 'mature.' It also offers parental controls on the company's Xbox Live
online gaming service, limiting who their children can interact with.
Earlier this month, Nintendo Inc. announced similar plans
for its next-generation machine, Revolution, due out in 2006.
Sony, which leads the worldwide market with more than 102
million PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles sold, also introduced parental
control for games in its PlayStation Portable, launched earlier this year.
The video game industry has been under tougher scrutiny in
recent years as lawmakers enacted legislation restricting sales of violent
video games to minors. Industry groups have so far successfully challenged the
laws in court, citing violations of the First Amendment.
…After the cannibalism story, I’m sorry – the first
amendment argument just doesn’t fly, Orville!
NO ONE IS PREVENTING ANY INDIVIDUAL FROM SPEAKING THEIR MIND WHO WORKS
FOR A VIDEOGAME COMPANY! THIS IS
COMMERCE, AND THE GOVERNMENT HAS EVERY AUTHORITY TO REGULATE IT! So GET OVER IT and stop trying to push this
crap to people who don’t want it!
ARRRGH!
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Radio Tuner]
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More Than Words 60]
Federal Agencies Working to Keep Children Safe from
Dangerous Toys - Advise Consumers to Shop Smart for Appropriate-Age Gifts for
Youngsters – STORY #7
WASHINGTON - PRNewswire - Nov. 30
CPSC recommends using the following tips to help choose
appropriate toys for children:
* Select toys to
suit the age, abilities, skills and interest level of the
intended
child. Toys too advanced may pose safety
hazards to younger
children.
* For infants,
toddlers and all children who still mouth objects, avoid
toys with small
parts, which could pose a fatal choking hazard.
* Look for sturdy
construction, such as tightly-secured eyes, noses and
other potential
small parts.
* For all children
under 8, avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.
* Do not purchase
electric toys with heating elements for children under
8.
* Be a label
reader. Look for toy labels that give
age and safety
recommendations
and use that information as a guide.
* Check toy
instructions for clarity - for both you and, when appropriate,
the child.
* Immediately
discard plastic wrappings on toys, which can cause
suffocation,
before they become deadly playthings.
Consumers who have already purchased gifts should make sure
they check that their gift lists do not include any of the recalled toys or
children's products on CPSC's Web site. Check for
product recalls on CPSC's Web site at
http://www.cpsc.gov. At the Web site, consumers can keep up-to-date on
dangerous products by signing up to have recall announcements sent directly to
their email account. Choose to receive all recall announcements or just
children's product recalls only. Consumers also can call CPSC's
toll-free hotline at (800) 638-CPSC. For information about all types of
recalls, visit http://www.recalls.gov.
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
Web site: http://www.cpsc.gov/
…Pretty common sense stuff, people. I read a suggestion somewhere, which I
thought was a good one. If you’re unsure
if something is too small for a young child to choke on, do the toilet paper
roll test. If the part fits in the tube,
or can get stuck in it, then it’s a choking hazard for kids 3 and under, or
those kids that have a habit of putting everything in their mouths.
Soft Drink Sales Down in
By J.M. HIRSCH
It's not often that an industry brags when sales are down.
But the American Beverage Association sounds almost proud when it declares in a
report being released Thursday that the amount of non-diet soft drinks sold in
the nation's schools dropped more than 24 percent between 2002 and 2004.
The trade group's report is an effort to deflate threats of
a lawsuit against soft drink companies, which face mounting pressure as
childhood obesity concerns have led schools to remove sodas.
During the same two-year period, the amount of sports drinks
sold grew nearly 70 percent, bottled water 23 percent, diet soda 22 percent and
fruit juice 15 percent, according to the report, which is based on data from
beverage bottling companies.
Regular soda is still the leader within schools, accounting
for 45 percent of beverages sold there this year. But that's down from 57
percent three years earlier, the industry said, citing additional numbers based
on 2002-2005 data.
Over the same three-year period, sports drinks jumped from
nearly 7 percent to more than 14 percent, while water increased from 9 percent
to nearly 13 percent.
Susan Neely, president of the beverage group, said the report
_ which did not count drinks sold at sports stadiums or those sold to raise
money _ shows social pressure alone can address concerns about the quality of
beverages sold in schools.
'Litigation and legislation aren't the answers to a complex
social problem. Consumer preferences are changing and the choices students are
making from school vending machines are reflecting that,' she said in a
telephone interview Wednesday.
Hold up, now! This
isn’t a “complex social problem”. It’s a
very simple one. Getting kids hooked on
soft drinks is the goal, and pulling soft drinks out of schools prevents the
soft drink makers (and lobbyists) from making their money! Now its sports drinks – those things aren’t
just loaded with sugar – they’re loaded with salt, too. There’s nothing wrong with good ‘ol water…I like the dannon
bottled water with fluoride for the teeth…
Report:
Visit www.air.org for more
details.
Dads – are you good at math?
THEN TEACH YOUR KIDS! Don’t rely
on the public schools – they aren’t cutting it right now. Kids need a push sometimes.
[Cue
Whip Crack]
I know my son is capable of more than he claims he is –
‘cause I’ve seen what he can do. He is
only five, but he is getting exposed to math and he’s pretty good at it. We’re not talking long division, here, but I
supervise homework time. Where we’re
having problems is with “I don’t wanna do my
homework”…but what parent doesn’t get that from time to time, right?
Study: Young children not getting enough sleep – STORY #10
Providence, RI Nov. 30 -- Many young children do not get the
minimum amount of sleep per day recommended by the National Sleep Foundation
and pediatric sleep experts, according to a recent report. In a study of 169
children between the ages of 1 and 5 years, researchers at
…Sleep is a habit.
Your kids have to be in the habit of going to sleep at a certain time,
and getting up at a certain time. I
asked some of my friends how many hours they thought their young kids
needed…they all made the assumption that 8 hours was good. My son gets 12 hours regularly. Y’know these are
guidelines…not hard and fast rules. This
is where being a parent comes in. You
have to watch your kids for signs of fatigue.
Irritability is usually a cue, so is – of all things – hyperactivity.
University President Ranks America's Most Literate Cities – STORY #11
Newswise
- A national survey released today in USA Today measures a key component in
Those five cities emerged at the top of "
The study's author, Dr. John W. Miller, president of
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…and
at the bottom of the list, at number 69, is
Air guitarists’ rock dreams come true – STORY
#12
* NewScientist.com
news service
* Will Knight
Aspiring rock gods can at last create their own guitar solos
- without ever having to pick up a real instrument, thanks to a group of
Finnish computer science students.
The Virtual Air Guitar project, developed at the Helsinki
University of Technology, adds genuine electric guitar sounds to the
passionately played air guitar.
Using a computer to monitor the hand movements of a
"player", the system adds riffs and licks to match frantic mid-air
finger work. By responding instantly to a wide variety of gestures it promises
to turn even the least musically gifted air guitarist to a virtual fret board
virtuoso.
The resulting system consists of a video camera and a
computer hooked up to an appropriately loud set of speakers.
A player then needs only to don a pair of brightly coloured gloves in order to rock out. Computer vision
software automatically keeps track of their hands and detects different
gestures.
The project is currently being demonstrated at the Heureka Science Centre in
…too bad they didn’t have this ready for the 2005 holiday
gift-buying bonanza…I want one!
And That Wipes out the news…
[Cue
Drop_1]
[Cue
Let’s Have a Baby – Candy Butchers]
There’s somebody who knows how to make a baby the ol’ fashioned way…Candy Butchers, music.podshow.com. Go to their website, www.candybutchers.com, and watch their
little video clip called ‘music for a violent movie’ – its not what it sounds
like, just go watch – its cute.
[Cue
Mailtime]
E-mail your comments, suggestions, psychiatric advice, rants
and ramblings to SUBMIT@101usesforbabywipes.com,
or you can post a comment on the website.
All are welcome.
Got some folks who posted on the frappr
map – its kinda cool to see listeners from all over
the place. Saw your map pointm too, Loopy.
From Trey in
Hey Dennis,
Enjoyed the
show as always.
Thanks for the layup Pink
Panther portion of the tune test… my first one correct yet!!
The Sippy Cups sounded interesting and I like their
concept. Too bad there isn’t a group like that in
I also have one suggestion for your
interviews. The transition sound you use is a little distracting.
In fact it often sounds like someone accidentally pressed a sound effect
button. I don’t know what to suggest really. Perhaps
just a silent pause? At any rate thought I’d give some
constructive feedback this time as well.
The Sippycups
are like the Wiggles in that they entertain kids – but that’s where the
similarities end. For one, the sippycups are real musicians. For another, the do a real stage show, with
kids dancing, jugglers juggling, and parents enjoying the music ‘cause its
music from when they were kids. They’re
talented, funny, and that was a fun interview for me. And if you’re in the
Lets do it – time for the ToonTest
[Cue ToonTest]
Here’s the
answers – these were brutally hard ones!
I even stumped my son – he only got two outta
two!
#3 – Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi – Cartoon
Network,
#2 – Mucha Lucha – Disney Channel, the
world according to professional wrestlers (I don’t understand it, but the
episodes I’’ve seen are OK for my son to watch)
#1 – Powerpuff Girls…My personal favorite out of the three. I love the announcer’s voice
[Cue Wipes Use Theme]
Baby Wipes Use #31: Keyboard Courtesy
Now I’m gonna go out on a limb
here, and guess that just about everyone in my listening audience either has a
computer or uses one regularly.
OK, not so much of a stretch, considering podcasting is kinda geeky, and
needs a computer to get the programs and some people listen to the shows right
on their computers,
SO now I’ll go out on ANOTHER limb and say that most of you
parents listening right now to this show did not have a computer in your
classrooms when you were kids, that back then you didn’t go to the LIBRARY to
use a computer, and that your idea of a computer was one of those big giant
rooms, full of tape machines, reels spinning to and fro, back and forth, and
banks and banks of little blinking lights – oh, and lets not forget those guys
in the immaculate white lab coats always carrying a clipboard, always seen in
this spotless, white-on-white computer room…the epitome of high-tech, right?
Nowadays, computers are appliances. No different, really than the microwave, If you’re using a wireless network, then
there really IS no difference…it’ll just take longer to reheat those leftovers
with the computer.
So, with the computer moving from oddity to curiosity to
toaster in our parental lifetimes, we are faced with the unnerving truth: That
our household computer probably has 300 times more germs in, on and around it
than the aforementioned microwave.
Why? Because the germs get nuked
in the microwave. And there is nobody
looking out for your health and safety when you’re using one of those computers
at the library – AND ESPECIALLY AT SCHOOL – God knows what crud your kids are
picking up while they use those computers at the “learning lab” – or “data
center” or “PC Pod” or – whatever.
Last weekend, I think, I was listening to a computer talk
show – I wish I could remember the name of it – and a doctor came on and
explained that whenever he uses a ‘public’ computer, like at the library for
example, he wears latex gloves! Imagine
how that must look! Scrub up and don the
gloves, doc, before beginning internet surgery! But his statement about computer keyboards
made sense – I quote – “You can’t sterilize a keyboard”.
That may be true – certainly if you put it in one of those
ovens they use to sterilize medical implements, all that will remain will be a
glob of goo with letters on it. But, there ARE WAYS to help with the germ
count. We can’t exactly sterilize
doorknobs, either. But we can control
the germ count, now can’t we? We know
from recent studies that plain old soap and water are juet
as effective at killing germs than so-called ‘anti-bacterial’ products.
So, I’m recommending, as a courtesy when using a public
computer, and also for keeping the family PC from becoming a harbinger of doom,
or at least from perpetuating the vicious cycle of viruses in the household,
use – what else – a BABY WIPE – to clean the keyboard after you use it. Just a quick wipe across the keyboard – with
the power OFF, please, to help keep the germs under control. You may also want to recommend this to the
staff at your kids school, too. NO
SCRUBBING! Just a quick wipe, so no
moisture is left behind. I use them to
clean my laptop keyboard all the time – but always with the power off.
According to that doctor with the glove fetish, viruses can
live on the keyboard surface for up to 3 days!
And, if you want a real shock, try this experiment;
1) Take
a baby wipe or two and lay them out flat on the table in front of your computer
keyboard
2) Take
the computer keyboard (with the computer powered OFF, remember) and flip it
upside-down and lay it, keys down, on the baby wipes
3) Beat
on the back of the keyboard like it was a set of bongo drums, but not like some
martial arts instructor trying to cut a 2x4 in half with his bare hands – in
other words do not exert deadly force
4) Now
pick up the keyboard and examine all the debris. Ha - you might even find your car keys!
[Cue
ELEMENT-1]
[Cue
AlanJay – Time]
[Cue
Podsafe For Peace]
We’re all wiped out – thanks to the Candy Butchers,
music.podshow.com and to all the artists who worked so hard to collaborate on
this song. Podsafe
for Peace, If every day were Christmas.
Thanks to all of you for listening…C-ya!
[Cue
Hello everybody – byebye]