In truth, I've lost interest in "showering" before

So I signed up for Facebook a couple weeks ago because I had heard it is a network of drunken college girls doing sexy things that will later disqualify them from ever holding a position in proper society.

It turns out that, for me at least, this couldn't be further from the truth. Now I will have to figure out another way to relive the college experience I never really had.

Instead of the thongs and nip slips and chicks making out that the "media" promised me, Facebook is all about being informed that your Facebook friends have updated their profile or photo, and/or made other Facebook friends. Sometimes Facebook users write little messages on each other's walls, or poke each other (the Internet version of saying "what's up" as you pass in the hall), or challenge one another to movie quizzes. These activities are actually far more interesting than they may seem to the uninitiated. Although it is possible this thrill I speak of begins to ween after you have been on the social networking site for more than a couple of weeks.

But once in a while, amongst the banalities, something jumps out. Like this update I recently received:

It's not like she said she lost interest in "breathing." Still, this sounds like a profound cry for help. Being that I'm new to this, I'm not sure what my obligations as a Facebook friend are. If anybody knows the protocol I'm all ears.

This boring day in review

You may remember me whining about how there is nothing going on today from JSB posts like the last one. But that isn't entirely true. There is always something going on. For example:

I just read an article about Gypsies
Now you probably think Gypsies are mythical creatures like the hobbit, or extinct like the dinosaur. That is incorrect. Not only are Gypsies real and in the present tense, but at least a million of them walk among us in the United States of America. You can read about what the Gypsies are up to here. But if you just wanted to guess, and you guessed palm reading and insurance fraud, you'd be correct.

Jessica Sierra
This former American Idol finalist has managed, in the past week, to get arrested, yell racial slurs, and have a sex tape "released." Text book attention grabbing 101, right? I thought so too, but her exploits haven't really created much buzz at all. Could it be these tried and true methods have lost their effectiveness? That's not a good thing, although many of you are probably thinking it is. But consider this: There are literally thousands of failed reality TV stars roaming our streets. And if they can't get their Drudge mention and 12 frantic posts on TMZ by dropping N-bombs, or exposing their not-quite-ready-for-prime-time flabby flesh, they are going to turn to more extreme attention wrangling techniques such as shooting up shopping malls or running for president.

Facebook
Facebook has been in the news a lot lately, and not just because we now know the social networking site will install into your computer software that will steal your digital soul and then sell it to large corporations. Facebook is also helping to achieve peace in the Middle East. Actually, no it isn't. In fact Syria has just banned Facebook out of fears of "Israeli infiltration." So I thought that was pretty funny. But I don't necessarily have a joke about it.

The perils of the web

Bush's new chief domestic policy advisor Karl Zinmeister has been a tad outspoken in the past. What's surprising is Zinmeister left his paper trail the old fashion way -- on paper.

If he was bold enough to call Nelson Mandala a "feckless fool" (redundant?) and label the Washington elite "cheating, shifty human beings, just as morally repugnant as our underclass," in newspapers and magazines, imagine what The Zin-meister would be capable of blogging semi-anonymously.

Or if he had a page on Facebook.

I'll sum up that last link real quick for those not logged onto the New York Times; College kids post pictures and tales of sex, drugs and violence on their publicly accessible Facebook and Myspace accounts and lose out on jobs and internships because of it.

This blows me away. Especially since I believe people should be getting smarter and smarter. I have some sympathy for the kid at Duke* who got kicked out of school for emailing a buddy a quote from American Psycho (which they teach at Duke!) in the wake of the "incident" at the lacrosse house. With an email it takes the police or a very bad friend for your private words to become public, whereas the whole point of Facebook and Myspace is so lots of people, if not everybody, can see what you're about.

If you are about getting drunk and doing drugs and getting members of opposite sex to become scantily clad in your presence -- that's a college choice. If your thing is taking pictures or writing about these college experiences, go for it. But when you post these words and images** on the internet for everyone to see, it's not just that you are jeopardizing your future. You are also being an amateurish braggart.

It's like Barry Sanders' dad told him. "When you score a touchdown, you have to act like you've been there before." That's what Barry did. He handed the ball to the official. He didn't take a picture and put a stupid caption under it. Sanders ended up rushing for 99 touchdowns and 15,269 yards. (If they counted the yards he ran backwards and sideways it would have been three times that.)

But the kids will be alright. Our nation has a proud history of forgiving past transgressions.

Some kinds of past transgressions. Others not so much.

I've argued on this space I wouldn't want to be the first serious presidential candidate to be backed by the netroots because of the literally well-archived baggage the blogshere brings. (I was pleased to see one of the pro's picked up on that point yesterday.)

Markos Moulitsas, the founder and propriety of Daily Kos, leading netroot and would-be democratic party king-maker has posted things on his blog that make Zinmiester's words look like eulogies. Moulitsas is also setting himself up to be a far more influential figure than Zinmiester and employs a scorched-earth policy with the press.*** If the Washington Post had a little fun with Zinmiester they'll have a World's Fair with Moulitas.

I know he had a good show out in Vegas this weekend, but I really don't think Moulitas will end up being the factor he hopes to be. There are lot of smart people involved in politics, even if they don't always act that way. They'll figure out this guy is far more poisonous to political ambitions than a hot tub full of floozies.

* JJ Redick mug shot. What can I say? Dick Vitale, poetry, and the Portland Trailblazers all come to mind. And the half-popped collar -- out of control. Here is the mug shot and some fun comments about Reddick.

** I found many images of drunk, semi-clad college students. I was going to link them because they are humorous (and occasionaly titillating ) but I'm not going to because they are real people and I'd hate to see anyone lose out on a job. There are a lot of decision makers reading my blog.

*** Here is how Mr. Kos responded to the 6/12 Byron York article I linked. Today he goes after "cowardly" democratic consultants -- And he wants to be their latex salesman.