I'm always skeptical when a relatively harmless activity gets banned in order to "prevent" another, more dangerous one. Child pornography is illegal, and rightfully so. But restricting an entire nation's access to the internet in order to make things more difficult for pedophiles? I don't see the benefits myself, but then I am neither a computer genius (understatement!) nor from Australia, so perhaps I'm missing something.

Personally, I'd rather see increased effort in tracking down the bastards and throwing them in jail.

Not just the risks! The whole online world is changing and evolving annoyingly quickly. And although it makes me feel depressingly old, I'm SO glad my party-like-a-rockstar days were over before youtube and camera phones were everywhere. Kids today grow up with a very different view of sharing personal info, photos, videos and the like than before.

Twenty years from now we'll probably be suspicious of a politician who doesn't have a sex tape. And if it doesn't involve at least one member of each sex besides her/him, latex and a pineapple, (s)he'll probably never get elected anyway.

None taken! Although, to be just, I think she really means "I would prefer to satisfy my irrationality rather than admit I'm wrong *to my child*". It's not so much an unreasonable pride thing as it is an unreasonable parent thing.

Just so we're clear on how exactly we're insulting my mother! :)

Uh...no...?

In my defense I only made the original comment to be funny - the point wasn't to "pull false authority" or any shit like that. Sorry if it came off like that, not intended at all.

My mother always shuts down her wireless network at night because she worries about the "radiation" from it.

*sigh*

My PhD in physics is absolutely worthless in the face of her "better safe than sorry" :)