Daily Dose of Common Sense

Did you find your old boyfriend or girlfriend on Facebook and glance at his/her current personal photos? Yeah, me too. I’m always surprised when users don’t prohibit personal information from being shared outside their network.

Even if you are a casual Facebook user, you should think about your privacy. When signing up to Facebook, you agree that your personal information will be seen by others. But, who sees it and how it is used are up to you. Most members are unaware of the privacy options on Facebook, but it’s increasingly important to familiarize yourself with what happens to your information.

Recently, it was revealed that a third-party application on Facebook was using member pictures in advertising. So, your profile picture could appear in an ad without your consent. For example, a husband saw his wife’s photo on Facebook, only it promoted his wife to him as a “hot single.”

No, you won’t get paid–or even notified–if your picture is used in an ad as a spokesperson for a product or service. But, you can prevent it from happening. To change the settings:

1. Go to Settings
2. Select Privacy Settings
3. Choose “News Feed and Wall”
4. Choose “Facebook Ads” tab
5. There is a menu “Appearance in Facebook Ads.” Select “No one” and save

Here is a link to a great PC World article, “Can Facebook Be Private?” There are some good general privacy tips here, like how to control who sees your pictures and status updates. Also, a lot of the quizzes and applications can use your personal data if you have authorized them to have access to your account. This article will tell you how to see who you’ve given access to and how to delete any unnecessary ones.

Let’s hope everyone–except our old boyfriends and girlfriends–follow some of this advice.

I’m back from vacation and need to get out this one last irritation: Please, pilots, we don’t want to hear from you while the plane is en route. We appreciate what you do and realize our safety is in your hands. This is even more reason for all of you to focus on the task at hand. Stop jabbering to us over the loud speaker about altitude and air speed. We don’t care about the nitty-gritty, as long as we takeoff and land on time.

And, really, is some passenger noting this information, or perhaps charting it at his or her seat? “Wow, June. I never thought we’d go above 30,000 feet. We’re really high up now!”

Pilot announcements are also lot louder than the flight attendants’ intercom. Why is that? And, the pilot usually comes on at a bad time. Like mid-movie or mid-nap, for example. Can’t we just relax and eat our peanuts (or other non-allergenic snack) in peace?

It’s obvious that pilots want to appear friendly and build a rapport with their passengers. It’s a nice thought, but, trust me, they don’t need to do this. People choose airlines by deals, schedules, and frequent flier miles. The friendliness of the pilots doesn’t really factor into the mix for most people. (Sorry.)

And, for the airlines who encourage this rapport to help make up for their cheapness, lack of leg room, and general nickel-and-dimeyness: you’re wrong. It won’t. We’re still keeping track of all that is wrong with your business model.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: ReneS

A friend of mine is an author of some computer software books, and he recently told me about his biggest current headache. He spends three to four hours a week chasing down Web sites that post illegal copies of his books. So, three to four hours a week GONE while trying to protect his intellectual property that some other bozos are giving away for free.

If you haven’t written a book, it’s not easy. It takes many, many days and a lot of mental anguish. I know this particular author spent months away from his day-to-day job, his family, his friends, and his life while writing his two books. And yet, some folks think it’s okay to rip it off and offer free digital downloads of the content. So, each week, my friend writes to the various sites to demand they take his book down. So far, all have complied and there’s been no need to hire Arnold T. Pants, Esquire at Law. But, it’s a shame that any author would need to spend so much time on these intellectual property pirates.

This brings back memories of the Napster days, when a lot of people wanted free music downloads without offering the artists any compensation. I know we’re all greedy bastards at heart, but this is stealing. There are a lot of artists out there that depend on the revenue generated from their hard work. And, even if they don’t need the money, people still deserve to be compensated for their thoughts and ideas. You think Stephen King wants someone giving his books away for free?

So, don’t download books for free. There, I said it.

**Shameless Plug Alert! Here are links to my friend’s books. If you need to learn Flash or ActionScript, he’s here to help!

Earlier this year, a brief story appeared in the Times Online (UK) revealing how the data was fixed in the MMR/Autism study that sparked the current vaccine controversy.

The Sunday Times, along with the General Medical Council (our AMA), investigated into the claims made by Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 study. In the original study, 8 of 12 families at one clinic blamed the MMR shot for their child’s autism. The Times reviewed medical documents and witnesses from the original study, and they discovered that Dr. Wakefield changed and manipulated the patients’ data. Again, both CHANGED and MANIPULATED patient data. In fact, in many cases, medical concerns regarding the child had been raised before the MMR shot was administered.

If this one little study doesn’t sound like a big deal, here is an alarming fact from the article:

Despite involving just a dozen children, the 1998 paper’s impact was extraordinary. After its publication, rates of inoculation fell from 92% to below 80%. Populations acquire “herd immunity” from measles when more than 95% of people have been vaccinated.

Last week official figures showed that 1,348 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales were reported last year, compared with 56 in 1998. Two children have died of the disease.

This was *the* major study that started all the anti-vaccination hysteria. Now that it’s been debunked, we can only hope the truth starts to get out. There is no scientific proof that vaccines cause autism. Here is a great video by the CDC that discusses some of the common vaccination fears.

We’re staying at a major beach resort that is very family oriented. We have two little kids, so we always get lots of swim diapers. These are diapers that hold any accidents inside, therefore protecting others in the pool from contamination. All the public pools I’ve been to require them for small kids.

Well, yesterday I saw a mother playing with her tiny NAKED daughter in the pool. So, not only did the child not have on a swim diaper, the infant was completely naked. Yep, not even a swim suit was there as a barrier between an accident and the pool water. This was not a potty-trained kid and the child wasn’t old enough to talk any more than coos and giggles. But, there she was–butt naked in a hotel pool.

I was surprised no one from the hotel staff said anything to the parents. Isn’t it a matter of public safety?

The effects of feces, vomitus or a dead animal in a public pool can be serious, if not life-threatening to pool users especially children, the elderly and people with suppressed immune systems. Feces and vomitus material can contain large numbers of pathogenic (harmful) microorganisms.

Swim diapers are sold everywhere, including within the resort. So there’s no question of their availability. I’m not sure whether these parents were clueless or just rude. Putting a diaper on your young child in the pool seems like a no brainer.

Even if you’re one of the parents who play by the rules, don’t swallow pool water. You never know what’s in there.

If you’re a reader of this blog, you already know how we feel about cigarette butts.

So, imagine how happy I was today to pass a Japanese tourist discretely smoking and using this product. It’s a tiny portable ashtray with extinguisher. Genius!

Is it any wonder why the Japanese were just named the world’s best tourists?

Last week, a 15-year old girl fell into a manhole in Staten Island because she wasn’t watching where she was going. Instead of paying attention, she was texting on a cell phone.

Now, the girl wasn’t seriously hurt and just came out scraped, smelly, and minus one shoe. (Since she fell when workers were still putting out orange caution cones, her family plans to sue the city anyway.) But, this brings to light again the danger of texting while doing, well, pretty much anything else.

We’ve all read in the past few years that texting while driving can be a dangerous combination. (In fact, the folks at Car and Driver have just determined that it’s worse than drinking and driving.) But walking and texting, which is clearly a safety issue for pedestrians, doesn’t get quite as much attention.

It should. If you’re texting, you’re looking down at your phone and not watching the roads, sidewalks, or other people around you. You’re not using your peripheral vision to warn against cars, muggers, dog poop, bicycles, or anything else that may be nearby. In London, one street added cushions to its lampposts because texting pedestrians were repeatedly being injured. (We can only hope one of these pre-cushion lamppost crashes is on YouTube.) Can you imagine your tax dollars spent on baby proofing the sidewalks because someone can’t wait to send that extra “LOL”?

Yes, we’re all addicted to our iPhones, BlackBerrys, and cell phones. But, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a pedestrian dies in the U.S. every 110 minutes. Refrain from texting while you’re walking and that will increase your odds of staying safe.

[Thanks Gizmodo!]

This past week, The Amazing Meeting 7 congregated in Las Vegas. Today, the final day, $1 million was on the line as self-proclaimed psychic Connie Sonne stepped up to take JREF’s infamous challenge.

If you don’t know about the challenge, here’s the deal. James Randi and his organization have offered a $1 million prize to anyone who can offer scientific proof of the paranormal. Since 1964, no one has been able to win the money. About 1,000 people have applied for the challenge, and testing has been completed on astrology, ESP, dowsing, psychics, faith healing, and more. No one to date has been able to prove their abilities are real.

Today’s applicant also goes home without the money. Asked to dowse three cards, Ms. Sonne failed. To read more about the test and the set up, read this JREF blog thread.

If you believe you have a paranormal “gift,” then submit your application to JREF and try to win the million bucks. Until then, we’ll remain skeptical about anyone who claims to possess paranormal abilities.

Many people consider bottled water, with its fancy packaging and names that recall clean and natural sources, to be purer than tap water. Only, don’t let the marketing fool you. While tap water doesn’t have a PR firm, it’s usually the better product of the two.

What, exactly, are tap water’s bragging rights? Cheaper and cleaner. Tap water comes out of your faucet and costs a fraction of the price of bottled. Sales for bottled water in 2008 were approximately $11.2 billion. At a recent hearing of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations:

“Americans are willing to pay top dollar for bottled water, which costs up to 1,900 times more than tap water and uses up to 2,000 times more energy to produce and deliver,” Michigan Representative Bart Stupak told the hearing.

Plus, with tap water, you know what you’re getting. The contents of bottled water aren’t regulated as heavily as tap water. The EPA oversees the quality of municipality water, and has stringent testing and safety regulations. The FDA oversees bottled water, and they don’t have the same standards of testing.

“Over the past several years, however, bottled water has been recalled due to contamination by arsenic, bromate, cleaning compounds, mold, and bacteria. In April, a dozen students at a California junior high school reportedly were sickened after drinking bottled water from a vending machine.”

If you believe the marketing hype that all bottled water comes from pure springs and crystal clear lakes, you’ll be interested to know where it really comes from. Between 25 and 40 percent of bottled water comes from U.S. municipality water supplies.

Lastly, we’d be remiss if we didn’t touch on the fact that plastic bottles are clogging up the landfills. And, most bottled water doesn’t contain fluoride, which helps to fight cavities.

So, do your wallet and your body a favor: turn to the tap next time you’re thirsty.

Photo

Are we finally about to see the end of the it’s-the-latest-most-expensive-therefore-gotta-have-it baby item competition? The New York Times had an article this week discussing the new frugality in the world of parenting. Garage sales, thrift stores, .99 stores, CraigsList, and hand-me-downs are now all the rage. It appears that the recession has caused many parents to wise up about the cost of baby things.

Some thrifty parents were watching costs even before the recession. Yes, it’s great that Bugaboos are now being re-gifted and resold to others, but some parents always knew that most any stroller will do when you need to get from point A to point B.

To show how out of control it was before the crash, read this excerpt from the article:

“Three years ago, in the heyday of the moment, someone would come into the shop and say, ‘I want the most expensive thing you have,’” said Ms. Mahar, a designer of educational toys and the owner of Kid O, a toy shop in Manhattan.

But now, she said: “People are much more discreet how they shop. Large orders are placed on the phone. And at birthday parties I see a difference. No one will bring a $300 LikeaBike anymore. Culturally, it’s just not acceptable anymore. Even for those who can afford a $200 toy.”

If someone brought a $300 bike to my kid’s birthday party, I think I would have heart failure. (But, please, if you must, her birthday is at the end of July.)

It’s good to see a little bit of sanity come back to the expense of parenting. I don’t want to be cheap, but I also want my kids to value their possessions and know the value of a dollar. Buying such extravagant toys and doo-dads doesn’t make a lot of sense, especially considering how long they use them. (Seriously, my daughter’s favorite toy for a year and a half has been a batch of plastic eggs. Cost: $.99 at CVS.)

Besides, with the way college tuition is these days, we’ll need every penny we can get later on.