FC: "Secret Censors," from the Boston Globe (3/13/97)

[Jan Whitaker]

I've got it!  We'll put NeXT computers in libraries for adults [NeXTs come
in a black box, so they must be evil; plus there aren't many left, but
that won't matter because we'll only *need* one per library - heh heh] and
put the non-adults on the other colours.  That way the librarians will
know who is after the 'bad' stuff and who can only be shown the 'good'
stuff. Then we'll put TV cameras pointed toward the black computers so
we'll know who the potential paedophiles are, or at least who the
non-conformists are, and then we'll build in holding cells *in* the
libraries so the librarians can lock up the offending patrons right on the
spot.  And to make it easy for the librarians, particularly the
age-challenged ones, we can put the 'bad' books in a specific reading room
that is really the cell.  Naturally the offender will want to go there on
their own after they've spent time looking up all the 'bad' stuff on the
net.  Plus any computer illiterate ones will be caught at the same time. 
When there are one or two offenders in the cell, oops, I meant reading
room, the librarian can call the gestapo, oops, I meant police, and have
these dregs of society carted off, never to darken our library doors
again.

<sigh> BTW, I'm not jumping on librarians. I'm certain that the majority
of them think this current wave of info-fright is way out of hand. I hope
someone in power finally wakes up. I'm beginning to think the 'power' MUST
be reclaimed from the extremists before we can't turn it around any
longer. 

Jan Whitaker
JLWhitaker Associates     \--------/ - jwhit@primenet.com
Educational Technology Consultant / - Video and Computer Specialties
Melbourne, VIC, Australia   \----/ - http://www.primenet.com/~jwhit/
Voice: (+613)9592-5752       \--/