The Nature of the Beast
Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 8:34 pm
It's once again time for Daniel's annual rant-and-ban-athon!
Rather than start off in pure rant mode, I'll start off with a little lesson about the very nature of the some fun internet technology that you have probably seen.
How many of you have a Google G-Mail account? Raise your hand's please. Next time you check your mail there, look over on the right side of your email and you will see a bunch of advertisements that may have something to do with what's being talked about in your email. If your mom sends you an email all about cute fluffy kittens, the advertisements might be about Cat food, or the SPCA or something else cat or pet related. It's like magic!
Does this mean that Google has commissioned a flock email fairies to violate your privacy by reading your email and suggesting products? No, all they have done is written a computer program that scans your email for interesting things and it then tries to match it with advertisements that are most likely to interest you.
This is also how Google detects spam for you. Their computer does not just look for individual keywords, it looks at the entire email all at once and says either "this looks genuine email" or "this looks like spam." By using this, they can tell the difference between an email talking about your health and another trying to sell you Viagra. Isn't that nice of them? This is a very complex technology called Bayesian Inference.
The Disabilities-R-Us chat room also uses this technology for security purposes.
The main part of the security system has been trained to watch for people who are stirring up dissent. Discussions about disagreements (debates) are perfectly acceptable and even encouraged, but being intentionally divisive and secretly trying to rally others to do the same is not acceptable and our system does a really good job of detecting and informing me about it. If you're so unhappy here then you should probably find another room and it's my job to shove you out the door if you don't.
Something I have only recently enabled is the detection of cybersex. For the record, Disabilities-R-Us has always been a sex positive site. We even sell books and all sorts of vibrators on our site. Legitimate discussion about sex has always been allowed and that will never change. The problem we have been having lately is a growing group of people who come in for no other purpose than trolling for cybersex. They come in looking for it and if their "victim" is naive about it, they steer the conversation slowly in that direction. This form of manipulation is called “grooming� and it's how pedophiles get children to do things they would normally never do.
Our system can tell the difference between people talking about sex and who are engaging in cybersex. If you want to talk privately about your last great sexual conquest, or your new sex toy, the wart on your willy, or whatever, be my guest. Nobody will will ever know or care. I don't care. It is legitimate discussion. But, if you start actively engaging in cybersex, expect to be booted out before the day is over. We are a chat room, not a singles bar or a brothel.
One last time for people who still don't get it: Moderators cannot and do not read your private messages, but computer software does scan it for objectionable content and alerts the administrator when it occurs.
What initiated the cybersex ban is a recent email where someone was complaining about how she almost got in trouble with her husband when someone left her a "suggestive" message while she was not at the computer. I think her husband would be far more upset if he knew about the cybersex she has been having with multiple men in the room. Obviously she is only concerned about getting caught, and not concerned at all that shes cheating on her husband.
This morning, someone said “but if u kiss ass bet u don't get banned.� Anyone who thinks this is a moron. Anyone who knows me knows that the best way to get me to not like you is to compliment me a lot. Maybe I'm weird, because even though I do like acknowledgment for accomplishments, I hate when people try to butter me up and tell me how wonderful I am, even if they are being genuine. The moron who said that should also take notice that two biggest financial donors to the site are nowhere to be seen. They're both banned. Giving me money or compliments does not give anyone the right to be assholes.
Also, this morning a clueless person said "daniel comes in here and curses worse than anyone i know and its not right but i dont say cos hes the boss" One more time... We do not care about words, we care about intent. Got it? SAYING "asshole" will not get you banned, but BEING an asshole will get you banned.
Finally, some will say this about a "power trip" Once again, people who know me that the best way to keep me happy is to not make me play boss. I rarely even acknowledge that I own the site and I am always discouraging people from introducing me as "the boss." I'm very upset that I have had to turn my favorite place into the online equivalent of the CIA. I come in to chat with conversationalists, not rule over adults who act like children.
That's all!
Daniel
Rather than start off in pure rant mode, I'll start off with a little lesson about the very nature of the some fun internet technology that you have probably seen.
How many of you have a Google G-Mail account? Raise your hand's please. Next time you check your mail there, look over on the right side of your email and you will see a bunch of advertisements that may have something to do with what's being talked about in your email. If your mom sends you an email all about cute fluffy kittens, the advertisements might be about Cat food, or the SPCA or something else cat or pet related. It's like magic!
Does this mean that Google has commissioned a flock email fairies to violate your privacy by reading your email and suggesting products? No, all they have done is written a computer program that scans your email for interesting things and it then tries to match it with advertisements that are most likely to interest you.
This is also how Google detects spam for you. Their computer does not just look for individual keywords, it looks at the entire email all at once and says either "this looks genuine email" or "this looks like spam." By using this, they can tell the difference between an email talking about your health and another trying to sell you Viagra. Isn't that nice of them? This is a very complex technology called Bayesian Inference.
The Disabilities-R-Us chat room also uses this technology for security purposes.
The main part of the security system has been trained to watch for people who are stirring up dissent. Discussions about disagreements (debates) are perfectly acceptable and even encouraged, but being intentionally divisive and secretly trying to rally others to do the same is not acceptable and our system does a really good job of detecting and informing me about it. If you're so unhappy here then you should probably find another room and it's my job to shove you out the door if you don't.
Something I have only recently enabled is the detection of cybersex. For the record, Disabilities-R-Us has always been a sex positive site. We even sell books and all sorts of vibrators on our site. Legitimate discussion about sex has always been allowed and that will never change. The problem we have been having lately is a growing group of people who come in for no other purpose than trolling for cybersex. They come in looking for it and if their "victim" is naive about it, they steer the conversation slowly in that direction. This form of manipulation is called “grooming� and it's how pedophiles get children to do things they would normally never do.
Our system can tell the difference between people talking about sex and who are engaging in cybersex. If you want to talk privately about your last great sexual conquest, or your new sex toy, the wart on your willy, or whatever, be my guest. Nobody will will ever know or care. I don't care. It is legitimate discussion. But, if you start actively engaging in cybersex, expect to be booted out before the day is over. We are a chat room, not a singles bar or a brothel.
One last time for people who still don't get it: Moderators cannot and do not read your private messages, but computer software does scan it for objectionable content and alerts the administrator when it occurs.
What initiated the cybersex ban is a recent email where someone was complaining about how she almost got in trouble with her husband when someone left her a "suggestive" message while she was not at the computer. I think her husband would be far more upset if he knew about the cybersex she has been having with multiple men in the room. Obviously she is only concerned about getting caught, and not concerned at all that shes cheating on her husband.
This morning, someone said “but if u kiss ass bet u don't get banned.� Anyone who thinks this is a moron. Anyone who knows me knows that the best way to get me to not like you is to compliment me a lot. Maybe I'm weird, because even though I do like acknowledgment for accomplishments, I hate when people try to butter me up and tell me how wonderful I am, even if they are being genuine. The moron who said that should also take notice that two biggest financial donors to the site are nowhere to be seen. They're both banned. Giving me money or compliments does not give anyone the right to be assholes.
Also, this morning a clueless person said "daniel comes in here and curses worse than anyone i know and its not right but i dont say cos hes the boss" One more time... We do not care about words, we care about intent. Got it? SAYING "asshole" will not get you banned, but BEING an asshole will get you banned.
Finally, some will say this about a "power trip" Once again, people who know me that the best way to keep me happy is to not make me play boss. I rarely even acknowledge that I own the site and I am always discouraging people from introducing me as "the boss." I'm very upset that I have had to turn my favorite place into the online equivalent of the CIA. I come in to chat with conversationalists, not rule over adults who act like children.
That's all!
Daniel
