A Sad Story

So I'm surfing YouTube at work (yeah, I'm a slacker)... and I run across the Philip Defranco show.  I've watched this guy before.  He's witty, funny, and it's just a great way to waste a few minutes.  But today's offering provided a sad glimpse into campus life for one gay teen at Rutgers.

It seems a guy asked his roommate for their room until midnight... basically asking for privacy to get his freak on.  A decent enough request for any college kid to make of their roommate.  But this roommate said "Hey, why not turn on my webcam and me and my girl can watch him get it on over the internet!"  We'll skip over the fact that it is illegal to be filmed/recorded without consent, and move on to the fact that when the roommate got to his girlfriend's room and switched on the feed, he got more than he bargained for.   He found out his roommate was gay... because he was making out with a dude.  His roommate was not out, and because of the way the roommate set up the cam, the session was basically broadcasting live to the internet for all to see... outting him not to just friends... but to the world.  Great roommate huh?

But wait...there's more.  It turns out the kid who originally asked for privacy realized (after the fact) that the cam recorded him... and he basically went through the proper channels to start the process of at the very least finding a new roommate... if not having something done against the illegal actions of his roommate.  Sadly, it didn't get much further.  Only hours later, the gay student apparently ended his life by jumping from the George Washington Bridge.  The various posts about his plight to a gay message board seem grounded and stable... hardly what you would expect from someone about to commit suicide.  But at the same time, his roommate had publicly posted on Facebook about the incident... and most responses were of digust toward the gay roommate.   Having to face that humiliation day-in and day-out at the dorms where his private life was suddenly thrust into public view may have proved too much for him to bear.

What's worse is the roommate who cause the suicide... and his girlfriend... are likely to only get 5 years each. For illegally video taping someone without their consent.  Inciting his roommate to commit suicide and you get 5 years.... nice world we live in.

Here's the YouTube video from Philip Defranco.  And below that is the link to the original news article...


Gawker - The Tragic Story of Tyler Clementi, Rutgers' Webcam Voyeurism Victim

Drew

I'm REALLY falling in love with my new vehicle, Drew.  His epic MPGs are being very kind to my pocketbook. :)   And he's really stylish too... and apparently unique.  Good luck finding another 2011 Sportage on the road... I STILL haven't seen one. ;)

However... there is one thing I desperately miss about Brian.  I bought Brian right after the accident... and his driver seat was VERY comfortable.  I hadn't realized it at the time, but the lumbar support provided my back with a great deal of pain relief for all the driving I do.   But now, I have Drew... and he doesn't have the lumbar support.  The EX model does, but the LX does not.... and I didn't know how much I would miss it until it was gone.  It took about a week of no lumber for the back pain to show up.

But there is a solution.  I picked up a lumbar pillow... and while it is not a perfect solution, it's not bad.  I do have to adjust it almost everytime I get in, but at least the backpain is gone.  Now it's time for a roadtrip... to see if that's truly a solution. :)

We'll see... but one thing I know for sure.   I love Drew. :)

30 Days of Me - Days 23-30

I'm quite a bit behind with the most recent 30-Days project, so I'm going to blast through all the remaining September days with this post.  To be honest, this project hasn't really gotten me that involved... so I've been very lax in completing it daily.  I think I'll stay off the projects for a while and just post miscellaneous stuff.  Unless I find something I really want to try again. :)   So without further ado... Days 23 through 30...

Day 23- something you crave for a lot

Milk products.... Cheese, Cream Cheese, Ice Cream, Cheesecake, etc, etc, etc...  Sad that I'm lactose intolerant... or maybe it's because I'm lactose intolerant that makes me crave them.   Wanting what I can't have... story of my life..

Day 24- a letter to your parents

This one is slightly ambiguous... what exactly was this day looking for?  "Hi, how ya doing?" or "I've got something to confess?"  

Day 25- what I would find in your bag

Technology, Technology, Technology... A laptop, power cords, and iPad, a Netbook, a mouse, network cabling, USB cables, telephone cable (just in case), and the good old stand by... pen and a pad of paper...

Day 26- what do you think about your friends

What friends would those be?  To be honest, I have reconnected with an old high school friend of mine.  But most of my other friends are just coworkers... and we don't really hang out after hours...

Day 27- why are you doing this 30 day challenge

To get back into blogging... but this one just hasn't captured my interest like the last 30 Days of Truth did.

Day 28- a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then?

Blizzcon 2009 (October)

30 Days of Me 2010 (September)

Looks like the same doofus to me. :)

Day 29- in this past month, what have you learned

How to program in AJAX... for the most part.  Still learning :)

Day 30- your favorite song

...changes from day to day.  Currently, it's Kurt Schneider and Sam Tsui's "Don't Want An Ending" (available on iTunes too)