Interactive Paintball League Hosts First Event

Tuesday night, Larissa and I represented Underscore at the Interactive Paintball League event over in Queens. Jason Burnham and the folks at Mass Transit did a great job of organizing the event. Underscore didn't have enough people to field a team of 10, but we did represent. Jason stuck me on the Mass Transit team to fill in for a player who didn't show. My first game, I had three confirmed kills, including a headshot on the last guy on the other team. I was less successful in the second game, though, getting pegged in the hand about 10 seconds after the game started.

The funny thing, though, was that I came up against Larissa's husband in the final match. I was the last guy left and he shot me. I don't feel too bad about it, though, because he's an experienced player and spends all sorts of money on equipment and stuff.

All in all, a good time was had. Thanks to the organizers and sponsors.

The Decade in Online Advertising

Blogging buddy Rick Bruner just finished up a nice report for DoubleClick called "The Decade in Online Advertising." It's a nice overview of trends that y'all should read. Pick it up in .pdf format here.

NYTimes - Blogs and Employers

Check this out. As the article rightly points out, lots of people tend to confuse "right to blog" with "right to blog without negative consequences." In the U.S., First Amendment rights protect citizens from prior restraint. But they don't provide for consequence-free publishing.

Cases are usually pretty clear cut when dissemination of confidential information is involved or when "at will" employment is the norm. Bloggers have a right to post about their companies, but employers have the right to discontinue their employment.

Personally, I'd encourage any employees of Underscore to blog. But they'd have to understand some basic ground rules first, like restrictions on confidential information and things like that. But not all companies take kindly to being written about by their own employees.

In the age of citizen publishing, it probably makes sense for companies to provide policies and guidelines concerning publishing projects outside the office. At least that would head off most potential problems or misunderstandings.

Wingnuts Spreading Disease Again

Check this out.

The trouble is that the human papilloma virus (HPV) is sexually transmitted. So to prevent infection, girls will have to be vaccinated before they become sexually active, which could be a problem in many countries.

In the US, for instance, religious groups are gearing up to oppose vaccination, despite a survey showing 80 per cent of parents favour vaccinating their daughters. “Abstinence is the best way to prevent HPV,” says Bridget Maher of the Family Research Council, a leading Christian lobby group that has made much of the fact that, because it can spread by skin contact, condoms are not as effective against HPV as they are against other viruses such as HIV.

“Giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful, because they may see it as a licence to engage in premarital sex,” Maher claims, though it is arguable how many young women have even heard of the virus.

Wonderful. I'm assuming that this line of "logic" would apply to any cure for HIV that might be developed down the line? Because giving people vaccinations is like giving them a license to screw. (Rolls eyes.)

Watch the wingnuts get this vaccine banned, not just for them and their daughters (who have never seen the backseat of a car, right?) but for everyone else as well.