Reaction to Vick's Dogfighting Charges

I admit I have not really followed the Vick case all that much but since it is all over the news and sports shows and websites I hear enough about it. I am not even going to get into what he has basically admitted to doing with his plea. The more I hear and read it about the more I wonder how the life of a dog seems to be more important than a human life???? I understand that Americans love their pets and have an affinity to cute furry animals but there has been more outrage directed at Vick than at other athletes who have been involved in situations where human beings were killed or severely injured and it is puzzling to me.

Ray Lewis tried to help cover up murder. He got his share of negative press but it was not nearly to the same extend that Vick received. I don't remember everyone clamoring for him to be banned for life or to be gang raped in prison. Ray Carruth was involved in the murder of his pregnant wife and he was not demonized like Vick. Look, I do not condone what Vick was involved in and it disgusts me too but I don't think it is as bad as killing another human being.

I understand that the Peta types out there consider animal life more sacred than humans. I also understand that there are not many organizations out there better at getting their opinion out there. I can accept that Peta whack jobs have misguided ideals and like to shout them from the roof tops. The problem is that there are seemingly normal people out there who seem to believe that killing dogs or making them fight each other is much worse than killing an innocent pregnant woman. To me this is just retarded and I have to question the direction in which we are heading when this belief is so widespread.

I love dogs and IMO you have to be an abhorrent monster to do the things that Vick did but to all the people who are lining up with Peta on this issue just remember you are now in a camp that thinks killing a rat is evil but human suffering is not so bad.

Taking Over the World Google Style

Many people I talk to jokingly state that Google is trying to take over the world or at least the world wide web. Everyone gets a good laugh and since Google still has a fairly good relationship with most people the reaction is usually not negative. Recently there has been some buzz about Google looking to purchase some Chinese Internet companies. This makes sense since China is now the worlds fastest growing Internet population. Google dominates the Internet market in the US and other western countries so it would make sense to move into other growing markets like China. The question is whether this effort will lead to more people taking a negative view of Google and begin considering them on the same level as Microsoft.

Microsoft has many detractors. Most detractors don't like their monopolistic tactics and their stranglehold on the Operating System and office market. They are considered the 800 pound gorilla that holds control over the majority of the worlds computers. It took them a while to gain that reputation and it is very difficult to shed that label. Is Google going down the same road? Google controls search and they have been on a buying spree to control other Internet applications and properties. They have now become almost a monopoly when it comes to the Internet and eventually this will lead to negative reactions no matter how much they stick to their "Do No Evil" ideals.

With their attempt to gain control of the Chinese market they could spark some negative reactions. China has a huge population so the market is huge but there are plenty of issues with human rights violations and censorship by the Chinese government. For Google to succeed they will have to comply with the restrictions set forth by the Chinese government. By capitulating they could face the wrath of free speech advocates and human right advocates, which has the potential to put the company in a precarious position. Do they risk losing their good reputation in Western countries to gain a foothold in China? Is there anything they can do to avoid running afoul of Chinese authorities while providing unencumbered services?

There are many questions that need to be answered but if Google goes full force in China by removing free speech protections and allowing censorship they could have problems with many people. Gaining market share in China while losing it elsewhere could be disastrous and if they allow overt censorship they could be taken to task for their supposed commitment to not being evil. They need to tread lightly and figure out a way to gain mind share in China without losing their good reputation in the western world. I will be watching the developments closely to see what Google does and how it affects their current status in the world.

Michael Vick: Al Qaeda Operative

Not only is Mr. Vick facing charges on dogfighting he is now facing a $63 Billion (yes BILLION) lawsuit. Apparently a South Carolina inmate has filed a lawsuit alleging that Vick stole two dogs from him to use in his dogfighting operation. On top of that the lawsuit alleges that Vick sold the dogs on eBay and used the money to purchase missiles from Iran, which he intended to use in an attack in the US. The lawsuit also states that Vick has sworn allegiance to Al Qaeda this February. Oh yeah, the man suing Vick wants the $63 Billion in money backed by gold and silver and he wants it delivered to the front gates of the prison where he is currently housed.

I will watch and see how this one plays out. Who knows, Vick may suddenly disappear and end up in Cuba. I would not put anything past this administration and if they find something like this to take attention away from all of their f*&% ups they will jump all over it. Of course anyone with half a brain knows this lawsuit is a joke but the fact is there are plenty of people who apparently are not blessed with that much gray matter so I could see some of the Fox News crowd buying this.

I think I will head over to Hannity and the other neo-con boards to see how many people there believe this and are calling for the government to lock Vick up in Guantanamo for terrorist ties. I bet there are few.

Take the &%@#*!$ Audio off of your sites

At the very least give users the option to turn it off. I am a big fan of interactive websites and I honestly don't have a problem with webmasters who put audio on their sites that add to the user experience. My problem is with the sites that load and run an audio file every time you enter the site especially those that don't allow users to stop the audio or at least mute it. I get especially irate when the audio is unreasonably loud.

This is even more aggravating when I am at work. Nothing like opening a site only to be bombarded with irritating music or worse yet some talking head speaking as loud as they can. While all my coworkers are looking at me I am trying to find something to make it stop. If I am lucky I willl find a mute button or a button to stop the file from playing. Unfortunately some webmasters feel that if you are on their site you MUST listen to their audio and they provide no way of stopping it. I leave as soon as I can click the back button and blacklist that site forever.

I am not saying not to add audio to your site but if you don't want to alienate your visitors you should either offer a awy to turn it off or better yet allow users the option to hear the audio. I suppose there are a few people that don't mind automatically loading audio files but I imagine most people do not like them and like me will avoid sites that do it. Get rid of the audio files and maybe you will have happier visitors and a lower bounce rates. Just stop now.

Hello

Hello, JankyJack here. I created this blog because I wanted to have a place where I could express my opinion on a variety of subjects that interest me. Since I have quite a few interests I will be discussing a wide variety of different topics. So whether I am talking about my experiences in the SEO and online marketing world, my favorite (or least favorite) bands, sports, or technology you will get my honest opinion.
This blog is brand new so I will spend some time getting the layout and everything ready. I may find a few things to discuss while I do that but my posts will be sporadic until then.