the end of the [virtual] world as we know it?

[Cross-posted with From Russia With Blog]

A while back I posted an article about the dangers to the equal-access Internet of today that we know and love. Thanks to my friend Stephanie, I have some more info for you on the topic... and sadly, it's not looking particularly great. Alas, the idea of Net Neutrality has been shut down by the House. Is this getting much coverage in the States?

Save the Internet!

(This post is cross-posted between this site and From Russia With Blog, where I will be blogging until 29 June 2006.)

The following appeared in the New York Times on May 28, 2006. [Click to view original]

Why the Democratic Ethic of the World Wide Web May Be About to End

By ADAM COHEN
Published: May 28, 2006

The World Wide Web is the most democratic mass medium there has ever been. Freedom of the press, as the saying goes, belongs only to those who own one. Radio and television are controlled by those rich enough to buy a broadcast license. But anyone with an Internet-connected computer can reach out to a potential audience of billions.

This democratic Web did not just happen. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the British computer scientist who invented the Web in 1989, envisioned a platform on which everyone in the world could communicate on an equal basis. But his vision is being threatened by telecommunications and cable companies, and other Internet service providers, that want to impose a new system of fees that could create a hierarchy of Web sites. Major corporate sites would be able to pay the new fees, while little-guy sites could be shut out.

Sir Tim, who keeps a low profile, has begun speaking out in favor of "net neutrality," rules requiring that all Web sites remain equal on the Web. Corporations that stand to make billions if they can push tiered pricing through have put together a slick lobbying and marketing campaign. But Sir Tim and other supporters of net neutrality are inspiring growing support from Internet users across the political spectrum who are demanding that Congress preserve the Web in its current form.

The Web, which Sir Tim invented as a scientist at CERN, the European nuclear physics institute, is often confused with the Internet. But like e-mail, the Web runs over the system of interconnected computer networks known as the Internet. Sir Tim created the Web in a decentralized way that allowed anyone with a computer to connect to it and begin receiving and sending information.

That open architecture is what has allowed for the extraordinary growth of Internet commerce and communication. Pierre Omidyar, a small-time programmer working out of his home office, was able to set up an online auction site that anyone in the world could reach — which became eBay. The blogging phenomenon is possible because individuals can create Web sites with the World Wide Web prefix, www, that can be seen by anyone with Internet access.

Last year, the chief executive of what is now AT&T sent shock waves through cyberspace when he asked why Web sites should be able to "use my pipes free." Internet service providers would like to be able to charge Web sites for access to their customers. Web sites that could not pay the new fees would be accessible at a slower speed, or perhaps not be accessible at all.

A tiered Internet poses a threat at many levels. Service providers could, for example, shut out Web sites whose politics they dislike. Even if they did not discriminate on the basis of content, access fees would automatically marginalize smaller, poorer Web sites.

Consider online video, which depends on the availability of higher-speed connections. Internet users can now watch channels, like BBC World, that are not available on their own cable systems, and they have access to video blogs and Web sites like

YouTube.com, where people upload videos of their own creation. Under tiered pricing, Internet users might be able to get videos only from major corporate channels.

Sir Tim expects that there are great Internet innovations yet to come, many involving video. He believes people at the scene of an accident — or a political protest — will one day be able to take pictures with their cellphones that could be pieced together to create a three-dimensional image of what happened. That sort of innovation could be blocked by fees for the high-speed connections required to relay video images.

The companies fighting net neutrality have been waging a misleading campaign, with the slogan "hands off the Internet," that tries to look like a grass-roots effort to protect the Internet in its current form. What they actually favor is stopping the government from protecting the Internet, so they can get their own hands on it.

But the other side of the debate has some large corporate backers, too, like Google and Microsoft, which could be hit by access fees since they depend on the Internet service providers to put their sites on the Web. It also has support from political groups of all persuasions. The president of the Christian Coalition, which is allied with

Moveon.org on this issue, recently asked, "What if a cable company with a pro-choice board of directors decides that it doesn't like a pro-life organization using its high-speed network to encourage pro-life activities?"

Forces favoring a no-fee Web have been gaining strength. One group,

Savetheinternet.com, says it has collected more than 700,000 signatures on a petition. Last week, a bipartisan bill favoring net neutrality, sponsored by James Sensenbrenner, Republican of Wisconsin, and John Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan, won a surprisingly lopsided vote in the House Judiciary Committee.

Sir Tim argues that service providers may be hurting themselves by pushing for tiered pricing. The Internet's extraordinary growth has been fueled by the limitless vistas the Web offers surfers, bloggers and downloaders. Customers who are used to the robust, democratic Web may not pay for one that is restricted to wealthy corporate content providers.

"That's not what we call Internet at all," says Sir Tim. "That's what we call cable TV."

The joys of home ownership: UPDATE

[This post is cross-posted at From Russia With Blog.]

This is an update to yesterday's post. I received this email from my mom this morning:

Filed the police report. Officer Davis came over to the house with me; then his sergeant shows up. HE says they have been waiting for an excuse to be able to take a closer look at that bunch (!) Apparently they 'house-hop' -- move from one house to another and never pay rent (or utilities, I guess). Anyway, I filled out a criminal trespass form, and that gives the police permission to be on the property, and anyone found there withpout permission can be prosecuted.

The joys of home ownership.

[This post is cross-posted with From Russia With Blog, my main blog until June 29th.]

When I bought my house in Waycross, I bought one in a rather sketchy neighborhood. I was aware that this house wasn't really in the best spot, but I'm planning to be a hermit; does it really matter what's going on outside my door? Well, the other day my mom emailed to say that she caught the next door neighbor stealing my electricity! She came over to water my flowers and discovered an extension cord from the neighbor's house plugged into one of my outside outlets. The neighbor is named Pasha. Mom went and knocked on the door and it was answered by a woman who said she was Tasha, who cried and claimed to have no clue about the extension cord.

Today I received this email from my mom:

Went by your house this morning. The back door was unlocked, so apparently they are getting in somehow and going out the back door. The man in the house behind yours (Simmie) came over to warn me what was going on. Tasha's name is actually Christie and he is her cousin. He says the family has stolen from him. So I guess this is war. I probably will file a police report.

This is going to be an adventure. I can see how people end up with six-foot fences topped with razor wire. (Melissa, is this your fault?)

Update/Reminder

Just a quick note to remind everyone that I will be still blogging over at From Russia With Blog until June 29th, at which point I'll be back blogging over here. This also means that yes, I have a return-date: I'm flying into Georgia on June 29th :-)

The Hermitage is here!!

[Cross-posted between this site and From Russia With Blog.] For you Russophiles out there who automatically assume that I mean the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, I'm afraid that I must disappoint you; this post has nothing whatsoever to do with Russia. Think about it, what better name for the home of someone who has dedicated her life to hermiting than The Hermitage? Yes my friends, it's official: I am now the proud owner of a two-bedroom house in Waycross, Georgia. Well, I suppose in actuality, my mom now owns two homes in Waycross, and I owe her $27,500. Yes, you read that correctly: $27,500. Hee hee! (Eat your heart out, San Diego!) As much as I love being in Russia, I am currently *really* looking forward to going home and working on my house. (Especially since I'll only be in Waycross for one month before I head off to Korea.) Just thought I'd share :-) If you look closely, you might notice that the shutters have the letter "J" painted on them. No, we didn't do this; it came that way!

Click Fraud, or Keep on Clicking?

It turns out that I have been perpetuating click-fraud with my repeated requests to have all of you continue clicking away at the ads atop my page. I discovered this (oddly enough) after clicking on one of said ads, which took me to the Computerworld IT Blog, which had an article entitled Google: Gig's Up For Fraud... and computer geek that I am, I had to read it. Here's the most pertinent excerpt:

"Last February, Google was hit with a class-action lawsuit over click fraud, the idea that advertisers were charged for clicks on online advertisements that were either fraudulent or done in bad faith with 'no intention of legitimate commerce.' The lawsuit was filed by Lane's Gifts and Collectibles and Caulfield Investigations against Google, Yahoo, Time Warner, America Online, Netscape, Lycos, Miva Media, Go.com, LookSmart, and Ask.com. The company now believes that it is close to a US$90 million settlement, a figure that includes lawyer's fees. The settlement must now be approved by a judge for it to be final ... Click fraud is a serious problem for on-line advertising companies, and Google has been dealing with the issue for many years now ... Google claims that their automated tools and filters catch most fraud attempts, but how sure are they that this is the case? And how many advertisers would be able to tell that invalid clicks were taking place in order to notify Google about them? This is a problem that Google will have to deal with as their business continues to expand."

Hum. Thoughts?

Miscellany: Johari/Nohari

This is kind of interesting.
Tell me what you think of me with these Johari/Nohari grids:

Johari (positives) http://kevan.org/johari?name=janekeeler

Nohari (negatives) http://kevan.org/nohari?name=janekeeler

CONGRATULATIONS!!

CONGRATULATIONS MOM!!!!!

My mom, who has been a part-time community college history teacher for many years has just been hired for the permanent position of History Instructor at Waycross College!! Yay!!!

The Hermit Manifesto

My little blogger-bio says that my goal in life is to be a professional hermit, and several people have asked me what I mean by that. As a result, I figured it was about time that I laid the plan and the logic behind it out in full. I know that it has been said that brevity is the soul of wit, but sometimes it's less important to be witty than to say what you need to say. And I have a lot to say.

Ahh, the Hermit Manifesto. Where to begin? Let's begin with my previous job. Because of the nature of that job, even now, as an ex-employee, I'm not going to go into detail about what I did. I left that job because I disliked it intensely. Why? Well, the work was highly repetitive, and essentially simple. I often remarked that a group of blind monkeys could have done what I did. Unfortunately, while I am striving to simplify my life, my previous job was not, in fact, all that simple. In fact, it was an incredibly high-stress job. I had tension headaches all the time, and spent a fortune on ThermaCare heat wraps for my tense neck and shoulders. I kept a bottle of Pepto-Bismol in the drink holder of my work car at all times. I would swill directly from said bottle several times per day. I held this job for twenty-seven months, during which time I developed my first wrinkles and my first ulcer. Of course, this job did have its pros... Like I said, a blind monkey could have done it. He might develop a stress ulcer, but he could definitely do it. Additionally, the job paid well, and was on a set promotion-schedule (the longer you worked there, the more money you made), and I had health insurance and paid sick and vacation days. Those are some good pros, but...

One of my coworkers had worked at that job long enough to retire. He hated it; he was miserable. The month he retired, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Several of my coworkers were eligible to retire, yet they kept working. It certainly wasn't because they loved the job; they bitched about it constantly. Why didn't they retire? Because the longer they worked, the greater their retirement package would be. Before I left, there were two heart attacks and one stroke (none of them fatal) among my coworkers in that category... and yet they were all still working there when I left.

I left because I didn’t like what I did. The job was not personally satisfying in any way, and it was taking a high toll on me physically and mentally. I left that job to accept my current position as an ESL teacher in Russia, where I receive a salary of roughly $200/mo, and I have not regretted my decision.

Why did I decide to come to Russia? Well, I double-majored in Russian and Political Science in college, during which time I spent nine (non-consecutive) months in Russia, and I loved every minute of my time there. I had accepted my previous job, thinking it was the sort of position that someone with a PolySci degree should accept, although while there, I felt as though I was wasting my education, as I rarely put any facet of my degree to use. Additionally, I often felt as though my job was useless; every day I was simply wasting time. I thought that perhaps if I got a job with a non-profit organization, one that works to facilitate international relations between the US and Russia (and there are several), I would feel satisfaction from my work. I would also be using my degree and accomplishing something.

But, there was a flaw in that plan. I graduated from college in 2001. Following graduation, I spent six months in South Korea, two months in Costa Rica, and twenty-seven months within walking distance of Mexico. My Russian skills had degenerated into something that I termed, "spanglorusskikonglish" - not really something to put on my resume. I decided that spending a year in Russia, teaching English and studying Russian, would rebuild my skills, and would look great on my resume. I had it all planned out: a year in Russia, and then I could apply for a job. I even had a specific employer in mind.

Then fate intervened. Some personal things happened to me this fall, which led me to reevaluate the course my life was taking. I'm not going to get into that here - it's personal. I only bring that up to let you know that this fall I stepped back and looked at what I was doing with my life. I realized that I was in danger of making the same mistakes which landed me in my previous job.

Like I mentioned above, my last job was the sort of job that a college grad with a high GPA and a PolySci major is expected to land. And here I was trying to follow the expected path of a Russian major. While in theory, working for a non-profit that works in and/or with Russia sounds appealing, when I began to examine my job prospects, reality was quite a turn-off:

Assist in conducting research on price and quality comparison for necessary office supplies/equipment. Responsible for inventory of office supplies/equipment and ordering. Responsible for receiving and shipping mail for staff. Organize archives, media hits, vendor files and Staff Meeting Minutes. Update and maintain contact database for mailing. Assemble material for volunteer information and general inquires for mailings. Ensure cleanliness of office areas for visitors. Communicate with vendors for troubleshooting and service orders. Answer reception phone line during business hours. Handle referrals to appropriate staff members and questions from public. Assist Executive Director with administrative tasks. Prepare mailings for staff and distribute mail. Assist in researching items for program development. Assemble presentation materials for special events. Provide assistance in special projects. Update and maintain handouts for social services department, legal program and the reception areas. Responsible for paying monthly bills and vendors on a timely basis including mailing of payments. Ensure signature on checks. Track and reconcile credit card statements and time & attendance. Organize check requests, bank statements and deposits for Bookkeeper. Attend and record minutes for Staff Meetings. Ensure cleanliness of conference room. Provide refreshments for Board Meetings. Assist in preparing Board Packet mailings. Assist with staff and Board member accommodations. Assist with organizational events. Organize state and national organizations information, maintain equipment inventory in the Equipment Inventory Log. Coordinate / schedule technology visits. Maintain administrative office files. Other duties as identified and assigned.

Ahh, the job opportunities for someone with a BA in Russian. Not so appealing. Would I really feel as though I were accomplishing anything if those were my duties? True, not all job descriptions sounded that bad, but none of them made me feel as though I had found the niche that I was looking to fill. Not to mention that nearly all such positions are in some of the most expensive cities in the country, yet pay very little. (Now, I am not all that interested in making tons of money - as I explain further along in this manifesto - but I don't want to run into debt either. I lived like a pauper in San Diego so I could pay off all my debts, and I'd like to remain debt-free as long as possible. But we'll talk more about money in a minute.) Of course the opportunities are slightly broader for someone with a Masters or a Doctorate, and as such, I briefly and seriously considered grad school. But (and I mean no offense to the many of my good friends currently in grad school) the more grad school stories I heard from my friends, the less excited I became by the prospect of an advanced degree. Honestly, so much of grad school sounds like utter bullshit to me. For example, I know someone (a dear friend, highly intelligent, and whom I greatly respect) who earned his PhD by writing a dissertation on third person impersonal pronouns no longer used in the modern Russian language. What is the point?

My father (who has his Masters) once said that BS, MS and PhD stood for bullshit, more shit and piled higher and deeper. Crass, I know, but in many ways I agree. (Well, it's unfortunate that this little joke only works with BS, etc., as I believe this only in regards to non-scientific fields. In science, I wholeheartedly believe that a PhD knows/learns far more than a BS.) Please bear in mind that I am in no way opposed to the pursuit of knowledge, and I truly hope that there never comes a day when I cease to learn new things. But so much of academia just seems so senseless to me, all this specialization to the point of incomprehension. Perhaps one day I will change my mind about this, but for now, I have decided that grad school is not the route for me.

So what is the route for me? I thought quite seriously about remaining in Russia for a second year. I love my job, my coworkers and my students... but financially, I simply can't. As I mentioned above, I paid off all of my debts (car, student loans, credit card) at my last job, and I accrued enough savings to finance my year abroad at a salary of $200/mo without again going into debt, but I simply can't afford to do it for a second year. True, I have enough credit that I could start charging expenses and plan to pay off my debts when I return to the US and get a "real job" - but that's one black hole I have no intention of falling down.

So instead, I thought about what it is about my current life in Russia that makes me happy. I surprised myself with the answer: for me, the best thing about my current situation in Russia is the lack of stress. True, occasionally I fret about things like what to do about my chronic failures, or how to turn the lyrics of I am a Rock into a ninety minute discussion, but I haven't suffered a moment of the gut-wrenching, muscle-clenching stress that I put up with for twenty-seven months in San Diego. Back in 2000, following my seven-month stint in St. Petersburg, I'm sure my answer would have been different. It would have involved the Russian people, or the Russian culture, or the amazing historical architecture, or even the Russian nightlife... not that I don’t still love the Russian people, architecture and culture (I'm a bit too old for nightclubs), but I've changed. I enjoy being here, but I no longer feel as tied to Russia as I once did. I guess that’s an odd thing to say, coming from someone who has been here, enjoying herself for the past six-plus months, but it's true. The best thing about my life in Russia is the lack of stress.

Thus, I arrived at goal number one: Remain in a low-stress situation. But other than low-stress, what else do I want out of life? I made a list of things that I enjoy doing:

Reading (Self-explanatory, and if you've been reading this blog for a while now, you'll have noticed how it often becomes Jane's Book Review)

Writing (Ever since I was a little kid, I've enjoyed writing, and I do it mostly for my own personal satisfaction. I’ve written one book. I'm working on another. I love blogging. Writing is addicting.)

Taking photographs (again, self-explanatory - check out janekeeler.com)

Traveling (Why am I writing explanations? Again, self-explanatory. Again, see janekeeler.com)

Web/Graphics design (There are many people who are far better at this than I am... I'm not really qualified to do this for a career or anything, but it is quite an absorbing hobby. How many times can I say, "see janekeeler.com"? Yep, designed and built it myself.)

Spending time alone doing the above. (Yes, spending time alone is a very important component of my happiness. Perhaps the most important of all. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy the company of others. I love my friends and family, and I enjoy spending time with them. But not all the time. I enjoy spending substantial quality time alone doing the various things listed above.)

Teaching ESL (You know, I really enjoy teaching. I have fun in class. I enjoy getting to know my students, and - I know this is going to sound hokey - but it's incredibly rewarding to see my students learn and grow in their use of English. I don't want to teach English for the rest of my life, but I wouldn't mind doing it for the next few years.)

So there you have it: the list of things I like to do. Then I decided to make the above list my life goals. Simple as that. You've read the list, so now you know you know what I want to do with my life. But how?

Well first, you might notice that among my list of things that are important to me, I have no desire to accumulate a large amount of wealth, to own an expensive home or a fancy car. I rarely buy new things; I'm perfectly content with clothes and furniture from yardsales and thrift stores. I know how to live frugally. Granted, I can't live completely without funds, but the funds I need don't have to be big. In fact, they can be pretty meager.

The stereotypical "American Dream" that, as an American, one hears about from an early age, is that in America, if a person works hard enough, he can achieve anything. In America, anyone can become whatever he wants to become, so long as he puts his mind to it. In reality, this American dream is simply code for "if you work really hard, then you can make a lot of money." Well, that's great. But do I really want to work myself to death for money? We've already determined that I don't want a lot of money.

How can a person live cheaply? Well, for starters, live somewhere that's inexpensive. I lived in San Diego where, at the time, the average price for a home was $500,000. I was renting a tiny studio apartment for over $700/month. Nearly all of the Southern Californians whom I met were resigned to the fact that they would never be able to pay off their homes. Houses in North Florida (where I grew up) are going for around $150,000 to $200,000 these days. This looks like quite an improvement over SoCal until you learn that my mom got her house in Southeastern Georgia for under $30,000. And goods (on average) are cheaper there too.

Yes, I have decided to relocate to a small town in Southeast Georgia. I've told this to a lot of people who have said things like, "But what will you do there?" and "Won't you be bored?" Look back at the list of things I like to do, people. Half of them I can do anywhere, and the other half, by definition, I can't do at home, no matter where "home" is.

I have decided to buy a home in Southeastern Georgia. I want to relax, to write, to grow squash and to simplify my life as much as possible. Mmmm… but how will I pay for this house? As inexpensive as I hope it will be when I find it, it will still have to be paid for. Well, by teaching ESL of course. True, I have already mentioned that my current ESL job, which I love very much, pays very, very little, but in many places around the world, ESL teachers earn substantially more. I have already lined up a position in South Korea, beginning in August, where I will make enough to put a sizable dent in paying-off-a-cheap-house in one year. (I've set my house-buying budget at a max of $39,900, and I'm certainly hoping to land something less than my max. My mother has agreed to be my lending agent for this venture.) The plan from there is simple: hermit for a while, tending my home and writing. Then, when I start to run out of subsistence funds or become stir-crazy, I will teach ESL somewhere. I would like to go to both China and Japan, as well as Greece, Northern Africa and South America. And I will. That's the plan.

Eventually, I expect that I will grow tired of traveling. At that point I will be perfectly willing to accept some sot of mundane job in Southeastern Georgia. We shall see…