"I'm not lost for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost."

Ahhh

LJ users sometimes I just really LOVE you (heavy on the sarcasm)..

When someone makes a long post, case in point the latest RSS feed for Wil Wheaton, of course theres no such thing as a LJ cut.. anyone with half a brain knows this, but without fail we usually get a

"dude, LJ cut please"

And then there are the people, who dont bother to read it, but certainly make sure they click on comment to say

"tl:dr"

Like we fucking care that you cant devote more than 10 seconds to reading a post.

And not to mention the obligatory poster who always, without fail says

"dude, Wil doesn't read these comments"

We know.. its a freaking RSS feed.

<./rant>

It's started already, the media are picking our Comm Games atheletes to pieces, personally *I* blame the Chef De Mission of the Australian Team.. Anyone who goes around saying that we are GUARANTEED to win 88 gold medals, and has a list of just what sports and what person will be doing the winning, is calling upon the spirits of hubris to reign shit down on our parade.

Which is what's happening..

In a sport, any sport where the difference between winning and coming second or coming fourth, is .4 of a second, then all it takes is for someone to have an ordinary day, and for someone else to have a slightly better day, and voila!.. The person they didnt count on or expect wins the medal.

And this frigging incessant blather bemoaning the lack of Thorpie and Hackett... FFS get OVER it, and show some support to the ones taking their places.

The world will NOT end if we dont end up winning 88 gold medals, really it wont.

I am beginning to have serious issues with people who use the expression 'It's just the Internet' to excuse the fact that they have just totally disregarded someone elses feelings, like the medium allows you to get away with saying or doing almost anything you want because its 'just the 'net'. Sure this is a new medium, but that doesn't give anyone the right to forget that at the other end of the keyboard is also a living breathing person with feelings.

Slander laws exist to stop people from spreading lies and rumours about you, libel laws exist for the same reason, things people say can quickly be forgotten, but things in print have a habit of dagging around for many decades, and are able to resurface or be found by people, and the same goes for the internet, things you write about someone can hang around for years and years and with a bit of judicious googleizing can be found by anyone, who enters your name into a search engine.

When you can be SUED over something written in your blog by OTHER people.

When you can LOSE YOUR JOB over something you have written in your blog

When anonymous CYBER-BULLIES can ruin a teenagers life, driving him to thoughts of suicide

When your son MAY HAVE BEEN KILLED by someone he met off the internet.

Then it's no longer 'just the internet' is it.

I hear the phrase 'its just the internet' to excuse some of the most appalling behaviour by people who obviously think it's downright funny to screw with other peoples emotions and life, to those people, would you act the same in person to someone you didn't know, of course you wouldn't but you're free to be an arsehole of the highest order through the anonymity of your keyboard, and that speaks volumes about your maturity, intelligence and value system.

or lack thereof.

My youngest daughter has a friend who periodically argues with her parents and runs away from home for a couple of days, when she does this, she usually almost never has money with her, and so this means she uses that 1800-reverse phone call thing to call my daughter and let her know shes run away again.

1800-reverse would have to tbe the biggest con job ever, a 40 second phone call costs over $4.. the reason I know this, is that my phone bill arrived today, almost doubled in size, the reason, three 1800 reverse calls to my house, accepted by my daughter, three calls, $16 later. I am not impressed.