I recently wrote an article for ypigsfly, one of our partners who is developing a state of the art DDoS shield product. It’s designed to protect your web site and severs from being taken offline by an attacker. My article centers around the fact that your site doesn’t even have to be the intended target to feel the affects of a DDoS attack.
You can take a look at the article, here.
Cell phones as a social crutch
Most everyone in a city like Vancouver has a cell phone nowadays. That glorious little piece of technology, that seems to get more and more features on a daily basis. I, myself, own a lovely little Blackberry. We’re all becoming more connected in more places. However, while one might assume that this would lead to greater social interaction, I’m noticing the exact opposite.
Cell phones act as the perfect excuse to *not* interact with the people around you. If you look busy, people are less likely to even attempt interaction with you. Have you ever got onto a busy elevator, and seen a bunch of the people grab for their cell phones? It’s not just because they’re coo coo for connectivity (lame pun courtesy of What The Buck?), but they just have an urge to be busy, rather than taking that minute or so to say hello or strike up a conversation with a fellow passenger.
The same applies to MP3 players. The technology takes the social aspect out of regularly social situations. Over the past 3 years, I’ve commuted on the West Coast Express. Most of the time it makes for a pretty leisurely commute (this is of course setting aside the fact that I despise commuting in any form). On the train, you are sitting/standing with a group of people on *public* transit. However, a disturbingly large number of people are not paying attention to what is going on, let alone engaging in social interaction. They’ve all got their headphones in and are listening to the latest Coldplay song or what have you. When the train pulls into the station, and everyone crowds out to head up the escalator to street level, you really see how bad it really is.
Now, I’m not innocent of this. I’m actually one of the guiltiest out there, being a naturally introverted person. If I’m with someone and I’d rather not speak to them, I instinctively try look busy to prevent social interaction. The cell phone is usually one of the first things I grab for because it’s always on me. However, I started to see it in other people, and then realized I was doing it myself. I now am trying to make an active effort to *not* reach for my phone or other tech gadget, as I’m not only preventing myself from socializing, but I’m stifling anyone else who may want to socialize with me. And you know, you tend to meet some interesting people by simply asking someone else for the time, rather than looking at the cell phone in your pocket.