Logan Daily News

Net Watch
by Bob Green

I may have left a seed of discouragement with my readers last week that might thwart some from engaging in the Net. That was not my purpose or intention. We often have difficulties with the machines in our lives but that doesn't stop us from driving or using a lawn mower or heating a mug of coffee in the microwave. Nope. We just have to take the problems as they come and mutter our complaints along the way. Besides, what might pose a problem today may not be an issue at all tomorrow as quickly as technology is changing.

Actually the procedure for getting online isn't all that difficult. All you have to do is contact one of the Internet service providers. They will provide the software and simple instructions to make the installation as easy as possible. They are all typically very good at "holding your hand" through the start up phase if problems are encountered. The problems related in my column last week were a fluke and would not typically be experienced by the average user. If you are already a subscriber to Compuserve or America Online, you will find that access to the Internet through both of those services is extremely easy. That's how I first tried out the Internet to see if it was actually something that I would use. The problem with those services is that every call is long distance. I recommend the local services because the monthly charge is relatively inexpensive and the call is local. You'll find it's quite easy to spend several hours at a session in the Net so the phone bills can add up real fast.

The Internet provides a path from our home to the knowledge of the world but it goes far beyond that. It's interactive, so that means you can give information as well as receive it. For example, you can type a note and send it to the President where it will go immediately into the computer that holds the Presidents messages. If you have a scanner and the knowledge to scan a picture and save it into what is called a graphic file, you can attach that file to your note; a nice picture of the family perhaps. Now to add the final touch, there are some recipes for cookies that you've saved in a word processor file; attach that to the note so Hillary can have something constructive to do with her spare time. Chances are the first family won't read it, but staffers do and if it's something they feel the President is looking for, who knows, you might just be invited over for a chat.

One of the biggest concerns of parents and rightfully so is that their children might be exposed to morally offensive pictures and information. An even greater concern is that their children might fall prey to a child molester through one of the "chat rooms" ( a chat room is where two or more people can talk (type) to each other in real time). Parents have the legal and moral responsibility to protect their children from things that might cause harm. For this reason, many parents refuse to have the Internet in their house. If this is a parent's decision, it would not be my desire to sway them. However, other parents would like to be able to enjoy the myriad benefits for themselves. They also want to be sure their children are equipped with knowledge of the tools that will probably be used in their future employment. Being responsible adults, they also want to be able to exercise appropriate control. For those parents, I have been doing a some research and have a few suggestions. There are currently several programs available on the Internet that can be downloaded (downloading is a simple procedure, but you will need to read the appropriate instructions to get through the first time). At least two of the products give you an opportunity to trial the product on your computer free for several days or weeks. Prices range between thirty to sixty dollars if you should decide to keep the program. When the decision is made, you will need to contact the company and arrange payment to keep the program working. This is typically done with a credit card over the phone.

This past week, I have been trialing a program titled "Cybersitter". It does a sufficient job of blocking access to all the questionable places and keeps a record of attempted violations including the time the attempt was made. The program is in the thirty dollar range. NEWS FLASH! I just learned some great news as I am typing this column up. I just slipped over into the Internet to get the addresses of these blocking programs and learned that the very top rated program (Cyber Patrol) is now offering a free home version of their award winning software. How about that! That's what I've been hoping to see for some time. It's downloading as I continue to type. Excuse me for a few minutes while I go and load this into my computer and trial it on some known "bad" sites. I'll be right back with a report . . . it works great! I can't get into any of the known bad sites. This will make a lot of parents happy and take unnecessary temptations away from kids and it's all for free. I was going to give a list of sites of all the blocking software, but with this new information, my recommendation is just to go to the Cyber Patrol home page and download the program (http://www.charm.net/charm/cyberpatrol/). Give me some feedback on how this program works out for you (mdpine@brutus.bright.net).

I've gotten several responses on my column this past week and it all seems to be very positive. The respondee from last week that gave the excellent idea for a home page centered around the caves posted another good idea:

"I just thought of another business area that would benefit from using the
internet: the real estate pros. There must be many city?dwellers looking for
a country location within commuting distance, just going by our own
experience. A multiple listing site for Hocking County would be a major draw.
I found a lead that you may want to explore; . . . Ohio Real Estate Network http:\\www.mindspring.com/~ngtrout/ohrenet.html
Keep up the good work."

Maggie Ingalls

Travis Baker with the Jaycees contacted me via E-mail and gave a new address for their home page:

http://users.aol.com/Travies0/index.htm

With all of the information that reaches for our attention, it's easy to take a defensive attitude toward opening any door that would require more information to be processed by our poor overworked sensors. From the flood of information in the mailbox, on the TV, the newspaper, the radio, work, etc. Another good reason to learn as much as you can about this new mode of communication is job security.

Lock & load!

For many weeks much of the news has focused on the different political candidates and the varying issues that each are promoting. For the most part, I've stayed out of politics. With recent strategic movement of certain minorities and their skillful manipulation of the political system, it becomes more apparent that the average Joe is going to have to stand and let his voice be heard. The alternative is to bow to the whims of whacko fringe elements.

Do you ever feel like a victim? It's like nobody is interested in what you believe or have to say and that you should just sit back and keep quiet? Well now you can have the most powerful tool since the creation of the writing instrument at your disposal. It has been recognized throughout history that the pen is mightier than the sword and the keyboard linked into the Internet through the computer can be an amazingly powerful thing.

Voting strictly party line cause "Pa" did is like giving a blind man a gun in a crowd and telling him to shoot. There's candidates and electees on both sides that your Pa would have reddened your backside if he knew you voted for. Of course he might have ended up in jail today because it's politically incorrect to give a "whuppin" like he did. And that's another thing; it seems that a minority of well positioned ultra-liberals are trying to develop an atmosphere that raises kids in a valueless void. They seem to have adopted a kind of "trickle down" correction theory. No correction in the home, but more cops with clubs and guns and more prisons. If junior breaks the home laws that's OK, but if he breaks society's laws he gets popped in the head with a nightstick and tossed into a cell where horrific things can and do occur. I fail to see the logic in this line of reasoning. When I was in high school more than twenty years ago, we were required to read a book titled "1984" by George Orwell. The book described a society under an oppressive dictatorship where no freedom was tolerated. Common sense had been turned upside down and truth was exchanged for a lie. One of the sayings that stuck in my mind was "White is black and black is white." In this bleak book, the media was controlled by the government. That's not the case today and don't sit back and let anybody tell you that you can't have a significant impact. Now you can have the most powerful tool in the world to obtain every source of information and check out the issues and facts and make informed decisions. Be intelligent and look at both sides of the issue and cast votes based on the resultant information.

The Internet is now being used by law enforcement and government officials to provide information to the press. In a recent incident with an escaped felon, a separate site was established with photographs of the criminal and a collection of the latest information. The site address was given via fax and E-mail to news media throughout the most probable areas the criminal might be holed up. I am assuming this model of a specific temporary site revolving around a particular issue will begin to be used with disasters if it's not already being done.

You can become much more actively involved in your political party now by going to the home pages set up by each of the parties. If you are unhappy with the direction politics have taken this country in the last several years, here's your chance to make your voice heard.