The internet is the vast collective digital mind of the puny humans living on our pathethic spinning ball of mud called Earth.  It is a growing electronic organism of unimaginable size and shape.  Even powerful governments and multi-national corporations can't fully control it.

We are all part of it as contributors and spectators: buying and selling, listening and telling.

Every grand dream and dark nightmare in human history can be found within a few moments of your desire to know it.  It can be a path to enlightenment and a little box of horrors.

Sopcast

I have begun testing a software program and free service called sopcast.  Similar to JLC's Internet TV that compiles a list of streaming channels around the digital planet, sopcast is different in that it uses peer-to-peer technology to stream the data. 

You first download and install a small client program (~ 3 MBs).  Then, you simply login as you would any instant messenger program, like WLM, AIM, or YIM.  You can login anonymously.  Sopcast then displays a real-time list of streaming media channels.

Sunday, I watched the Detroit Lions get crushed by the San Diego Chargers.  I lost interest in the football game when Lion's Quarterback, Kitna, threw interceptions on three possessions in a row that the Chargers turned into a 21 point lead in the first half of the game.  The video quality was not very good.

Later, I decided to check out a movie channel.  The video quality was far better and I was able to double the screen size without pixelation.  The data stream only had one or two short-duration (1 second) hiccups.  I use a satellite ISP which does have latency/lag.  I don't foresee lag as being a problem for cable broadband users. 

I plan on posting a full review on HelpForum blog once I have had more than half a day to test sopcast.  If you want to help me out, buy the DVD of the movie I watched, "A Sound Of Thunder" for your Sci-Fi collection.  This is definitely a movie for your own little big screen and surround sound.

It is an exciting action and adventure tale based upon a short story by legendary author Ray Bradbury and stars Sir Ben Kingsley, Edward Burns, and Catherine McCormack.  The special effects are excellent. 

School Dress Codes

When I went to high school, I would usually wear a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that I bought at the last rock concert I had attended.  Catholic school girls wore uniforms, not public school classmates.

Recently, public school boards around the United States have come to the conclusion that requiring students to dress conservatively (we used to call that yuppy) will be beneficial for the learning environment.

I recently discoverd that Texas -- the big, shiny buckle of the U.S. Bible belt -- has the following dress code philosophy for the students enrolled in the Mesquite Independent School District:

This total development includes the training of students in social and moral standards, ethical conduct, good manners, and good grooming as well as the teaching of academic subjects.  With this philosophy in mind, the Board of Trustees has approved the following dress code. The courts have reaffirmed and upheld a school board's authority to regulate dress and grooming within the schools that the board serves. The dress code has been adopted on the premise that students who dress and groom themselves neatly, and in an acceptable and appropriate manner, are more likely to become constructive members of the society in which we live. This dress code is established to teach hygiene, instill discipline, prevent disruption, avoid safety hazards and develop an awareness that there are distinct occasions appropriate for formal and informal attire. These guides apply to all students enrolled in Mesquite schools at the elementary level. Sponsors of extra/co-curricular activities may, at their discretion, establish grooming guides for students involved in such activities that are more stringent.  Decisions regarding dress and grooming are campus decisions, and the decision of the principal is considered final.

Notice that in the first sentence, the teaching of academic subjects is the last goal of this "philosophy" of the dress code which applies to all students, K-12.  It seems that brainwashing kids to be conformist corporate cubicle rats starts at an early age.  And then when the kids are in their teens, they can consult this flash presentation to make sure they don't get out of line.

In my high school advanced placement classes, my fellow classmates came from diverse backgrounds.  There were geeks, jocks, cheerleaders, goths, and stoners.  Innovation, not conformity, will strengthen our country.  Sheeple suck.

[ headphones ]  - JfZ's Project Playlist

   Sopcast P2P Internet TV Dress Code Sheeple