Links - 1st May 2013

Trolling in asynchronous computer-mediated communication: From user discussions to academic definitions - "none of the research above takes its definitions from extended analysis of user-discussions of trolling. This work seeks to elaborate a more robust understanding of trolling, to argue for its validity as an object of research within the field(s) of im/politeness... A primary issue with any im/politeness definition involves group norms of legitimate behaviour. In the case of trolling, one person’s active debate is another person’s troll, and as Donath (1999: 47) suggests, a group’s character will determine not only whether a troller is harmful to the individual or the community, but whether a user is even deemed a troller at all... this paper suggests the following, working definition of the term “troll”: A troller is a CMC user who constructs the identity of sincerely wishing to be part of the group in question, including professing, or conveying pseudo-sincere intentions, but whose real intention(s) is/are to cause disruption and/or to trigger or exacerbate conflict for the purposes of their own amusement... It seems clear that part of the human condition is to find a degree of entertainment in conflict, whether in the form of high-risk sports, action films, violent computer games, or linguistic aggression in television programs"

Tracking down my online haters - ""They never think that the person receiving the message might be a real human being." That's why, when journalists take the time to respond personally to venomous notes, proving that they are made of flesh and blood, the reaction is strikingly -- and puzzlingly -- positive."

Online manhunt for Boston bombers raises concerns - "Rick DesLauriers, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) chief in Boston, made clear his frustration at the proliferation of amateur sleuthing that filled the vacuum of information from real investigators until Thursday. Unveiling photos and videos of two suspects with black backpacks, one of whom was seen placing a bag at the scene of one of the blasts, he said: "These images should be the only ones... that the public should view to assist us. "Other photos should not be deemed credible. They unnecessarily divert the public's attention in the wrong direction and create undue work for vital law enforcement resources," he added... "Real law enforcement is a skill, and even they get it wrong sometimes with horrible results for those affected," she said, citing cases of mistaken identity at the 1996 Atlantic Olympics and the 2004 Madrid bombings. "So it's important that amateurs trying to help exercise discretion and avoid jumping to conclusions.""

Is the Tort of Wrongful Seduction Still Viable? - "Hardin acknowledged the viability of a civil seduction claim when "intercourse was induced by deception, enticement, or other artifice," and when the plaintiff was, at the time of the seduction, an "innocent" and virtuous woman. Kantor, according to her complaint, fits the bill: She alleges herself to be "chaste, innocent, and virtuous," and alleges the sexual act to have been the product of deception, coercion, or artifice. What if Kantor had been unchaste? She still might have been able to sue. Under Hardin, a woman who had been unchaste, but had reformed herself could become "an innocent woman in the eyes of the law." Hence, she could sue for wrongful seduction although, the court noted, she might have her damages reduced because of her prior unchastity... establishing a sex-by-trickery action may assume that sex itself harms women, by robbing them of their chastity"

Tensions Mount After North Korea Destroys All Of Asia - YouTube

Watch LG Use IPS Displays to Make Men Stop Peeing at a Urinal

Bulgaria: street art or vandalism? - "In downtown Bulgarian capital city of Sofia, the monument to the Soviet army has been desecrated four days before the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War (WWII).On June 18th, a group of unknown people painted the bronze sculptures of Red Army soldiers to look like Superman, Santa Claus, Ronald McDonald and other heroes of American pop culture."

Four things Game of Thrones fans need to stop saying - "1. “Don’t spoil me for the next episode, you guys!”
Do you guys all remember when the Harry Potter movies came out, you all had that one friend who got really, really mad if you discussed anything that happened in the movies because you would “spoil” them? Wasn’t that friend the worst? Didn’t you want to shake them and because oh my god, it was a book first, and that book’s been out for, like, five years now, and it’s really not your job to police yourself if someone hadn’t read it? Because this is approximately how I feel every time I see a spoiler column that’s all “you’ll never believe what happens next on Game of Thrones!” or there’s the inevitable bitchfest that you’re caught in the middle of because someone “spoiled” an episode that person hadn’t seen yet. It’s a book! And it’s been out now for a while! Fun fact, did you know that If you go to Wikipedia at any point in time, you are going to get “spoiled”? Because you will. Also, while I’m at it, I feel like I should tell you all that Darth Vader is Luke’s father, Rosebud is a sled, Soylent Green is people, and Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in Fight Club? Same guy.
3. “[Character A] is so much better than [Character B]!”
I think the worst instance I ever saw of this was a giant spat between a bunch of Cersei fans and a bunch of Tyrion fans. Cersei was an incestuous bitch! Tyrion was a womanizer! Cersei pushed a kid out a window! Tyrion raped a lady! You don’t like Cersei because you’re sexist! You don’t like Tyrion because you’re anti-dwarfist! (Is there a PC term for that?) A bunch of other stuff I don’t remember because it was all really stupid!"

Superstar Kurt Tay went 4 a 395cc Breast Implant in Bangkok,Thailand - YouTube - "Superstar Kurt Tay went 4 Breast Implant/Augumentation in Bangkok,Thailand on 5April2013.Ever since I was a kid,since I was 4yrs old,I always wanted 2 hav breast,but like many ppl,fear of how d society will c,so I didnt do it.My friends says if u do breast,u wont be able 2 get a gf.So I didnt do & I still didnt able 2 get gf.I join SDN Events 4 many yrs & never had a gf.Finally,I think its time 2 do what I wants.Its my childhood dream 2 hav breast.So I finally took d courage 2do it.Spore costs too expensive.Government would costs $10K & Private Clinic in Spore would costs $16K!So I decided 2 go Bangkok,Thailand.Only $4K-$5K.I fly over 2 Thailand at 7.30pm on 4April2013 & on 5April2013,I had my breast implant surgery at Yanhee Hospital at Bangkok,Thailand.I actually wanted 2 do 525cc(D Cup)Breast Implant.But Doctor says he can only do Max 400cc cause my skin tissue(flat chest),he unable 2 insert 525cc Silicone.So I choose 395cc which is no difference from 400cc.Below 400cc costs 95,000 Thai Baht=$4100.But 400cc-525cc costs 110,000 Thai Baht=$4700.Air Ticket etc u spend total less than $5K,u save half d price compare 2 Spore.After d surgery,I feels so happy 2 hav breast.Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!I finally hav breast.Having Breast brings me happiness,confident,motivation & d will power 2 survive & overcome all odds.Oh!Its true!Its true!Its real!Its real!U will feels v shiok & comfortable having breast.I strongly encourage all men 2go 4 Breast Implant.I really regret....I regret I didnt do d Breast Implant earlier.If can,I would do breast implant 10+yrs ago."
"Since I was a kid, 4 years old, I always wanted to have best... I strongly encourage all men who got no best, go and do the best implant. Yes, baby. You'll feel shiok, you'll feel comfortable, you'll feel great... I finally have best, baby. Yes, yes yes!"

Men more concerned with penis size when with other men - "A majority, 65 per cent, said their ideal male body size would be smaller than the ideal size suggested by others. The men were also asked whether they believed they would be a better sexual partner if they had a bigger penis. Ms Chan said the men were "more concerned about how their overall body size compared to the perceived male ideal than they were about how their size might impact on their sexual relations"... Men with larger than average penises also reported higher levels of self-esteem, better general health and higher overall body satisfaction Men who were happy with the size of their penis were also less likely to have used an online dating service, or to have used Viagra Overweight men had lower self-esteem, higher body dissatisfaction and greater use of the internet for socialising. "We have relatively little data about the body image of men because most of the research in this area concentrates on women," Ms Chan says. "It means men don't really get much help in terms of therapy and options out there to get help.""

Disabled men have sexual needs too says sex surrogate - "ONE of my favourite clients is a quadriplegic — he has no arms and no legs. I have been having sex with him for about 18 months, at least once every two months... People think sex workers are unemotional but often I only just make it to the car before I burst into tears. Imagine life with no sexual gratification? These men can’t meet girlfriends in the normal way. I have 40 regulars, aged from 21 to 71, their disabilities range from learning difficulties to cerebral palsy, quadriplegia and autism. I charge £150 for the first hour, £100 for the following hours... when I was studying law at university I worked in the sex industry to fund my studies. So having sex with strangers was nothing new to me but learning how to work with disabled people has been a steep but rewarding learning curve... Sexual surrogacy has to be a business arrangement. I don’t think clients want to feel the surrogates are doing what they are doing out of pity. As a disabled person, I would never want someone to feel sorry for me."

Russian paratroopers deploy inflatable Orthodox church - "This is a film of a training session of the Russian Army deploying an inflatable Orthodox church and paratrooping priests"

What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage - New York Times - "I listened, rapt, as professional trainers explained how they taught dolphins to flip and elephants to paint. Eventually it hit me that the same techniques might work on that stubborn but lovable species, the American husband. The central lesson I learned from exotic animal trainers is that I should reward behavior I like and ignore behavior I don't. After all, you don't get a sea lion to balance a ball on the end of its nose by nagging. The same goes for the American husband. Back in Maine, I began thanking Scott if he threw one dirty shirt into the hamper. If he threw in two, I'd kiss him. Meanwhile, I would step over any soiled clothes on the floor without one sharp word, though I did sometimes kick them under the bed. But as he basked in my appreciation, the piles became smaller... I also began to analyze my husband the way a trainer considers an exotic animal... After two years of exotic animal training, my marriage is far smoother, my husband much easier to love. I used to take his faults personally; his dirty clothes on the floor were an affront, a symbol of how he didn't care enough about me. But thinking of my husband as an exotic species gave me the distance I needed to consider our differences more objectively. I adopted the trainers' motto: "It's never the animal's fault"... I also accepted that some behaviors were too entrenched, too instinctive to train away. You can't stop a badger from digging, and you can't stop my husband from losing his wallet and keys. PROFESSIONALS talk of animals that understand training so well they eventually use it back on the trainer. My animal did the same"
Good luck to a man who wrote about how to "train" women, or of a woman as an exotic species