Blogs

Like most programmers, my out of work time is still spent online - surfing, searching, learning and entertaining myself and others.

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup around the corner, KAYWEB staff are blogging our favourite time-consuming websites which will hopefully help keep Aussies awake while they sit around between matches and burn the midnight oil.

Newgrounds.com

If you like fun flash stuff, you'd be amazed at what you see here. They even feature movies and series from contributors, all made in flash.

Music Match (A Facebook Application)

If you like music and you know your artists, you better play this game as it matches and ranks your music knowledge against your Facebook friends.

The Guild

If you like popular role-playing game WoW (World of Warcraft), here's a spin-off of that game in a web series format, which comedically depicts gaming addicts.

Escape the Rooms

The basic premise of the games on this website is to escape a 'room' by figuring out why you are seeing certain items. No hints, just pure eyes brains. A colossal waste of time!

At KAYWEB, we programmers are considered the geeks of the operation. We are the ones who finish our day's work focussed in front of a computer. Then we go home and again turn on our computers, this time for enjoyment.

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup around the corner, Australia and Asia will have many interested observers who will need to be up at untimely hours waiting for their desired match to kick-off. Some, like our boss Haig Kayserian, will stay up the whole way through.

Regardless of where you fit in, World Cup watchers will require some things to keep you up and occupied during the waiting.

I recommend you start playing popular online game, the World of Warcraft. Here are some websites that will help get you started and addicted.

http://www.wowwiki.com

It's a guide to playing popular online community game, World of Warcraft.

Most players of the game visit this website because it is the official website of Blizzard, the makers of World of Warcraft games.

http://thottbot.com/F/General

This website is a forum covering World of Warcraft. This is where I, and thousands of others, go when I have questions or information to share.

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml

This is the official website of World of Warcraft. This is where I, and thousands of others, gather news, events information and other information.

My only fear with recommending the World of Warcraft to World Cup watchers is the tournament in South Africa may soon become irrelevant!

The jury is out on the Rudd government's plan to censor the internet of offensive material using a custom-built filter and a set of legislation.

The Australian government, led by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, wants to censor materials that are not available via traditional mediums, like television and movies. For example, child pornography, extreme violence, etc.

The internet community, as expected when they hear the word 'censorship', has gone crazy.

The main issues of conjecture are:

• the internet community wants nothing censored because the internet is a special form of media that should remain untouched - the government feels internet should not be treated as 'special' enough to allow for vision of offensive material;
  
  
• the internet community says once you start censoring, you cannot guarantee that what you plan to censor will be what you end up censoring - the government says tests have proven their system is 100% accurate with no over- or under-censoring - Google says that is not possible;
  
  
• the internet community fears loss of speed caused by filter - the government says tests have proven slowness is minute (1/70th of a blink of an eye).

My thoughts are mixed.

As a realist, I believe such censorship will be more and more common throughout the world as user-generated content websites continue to grow. Allowing users the ability to upload video and other content means all sorts of content can get up.

But I do believe the internet is special.

A middle-ground argument is where I feel closest. That is, the filter is available to those households and workplaces who wish to opt in.

I believe many will opt in, and those internet purists will not. Everyone will be happy.

Click here to watch a Fairfax video interview with Minister Conroy.