May I Help You*

I remember when my children began to develop independence, easily recognized when they pulled away while saying, “Do it myself!” Regardless of their ability we allowed them to do it themselves so that they could develop a sense of competence and independence. As adults we need to offer aid in a way that allows others to retain their dignity, regardless of how much we think they might need our help. Allowing someone the opportunity to decline help shows them honor and respect.

Cybereality*

Lori Drew was convicted of three counts of computer fraud, with a possible three year prison sentence and $300,000 fine, for creating a false My Space identity to torment a teenage neighbor girl who had allegedly spread gossip about her daughter. Sadly, the deceit contributed to the suicide of Megan Meier who thought the teenage boy she had befriended on the internet was suddenly rejecting her for mistreating her friends. It’s difficult to parse out all the lessons contained in this story about good parenting, civil behavior and social responsibility. One thing is for sure, you can’t assume that what happens in cyberspace stays in cyberspace.

Letter to The Editors*

I want to make the posts for this blog clear, succinct, impartial, relevant, insightful, provocative and, when possible, entertaining. I could not do this without the feedback I get from my wife, and other readers. Mark Twain saw the importance of editors to keep his writing clear and concise. "I hate editors, for they make me abandon a lot of perfectly good English words.”

Simply Secure*

With security measures, sometimes less is more. I worked in an organization that had so many project code names we couldn't keep them straight. We wanted to limit code names to critical projects but our boss, who had an affinity for bureaucracy and secrecy, suggested we regularly send everyone a master list with all the project names and descriptions. This would have been an even bigger security risk than not using code names at all. Another company I worked for decided to require a new network password for each user every month. After about four months people could no longer remember their passwords. At least half the computer screens in the building had a post-it with the user’s current login password.

Walk More Slowly*

I went trekking in Nepal a few years ago. During lunch one day I joked with my guide about his incredible stamina. He just smiled and said, "Don't worry, you are doing fine. When clients need lots of breaks I just tell them that we will arrive much more quickly if they will only walk more slowly."