I always like to start out the New Year by looking at the many different statistics and lists that are generated at the end of the year.

One of the most interesting ones I try to find is the listings of murders that are committed in the nation. I came across a summary of this over at CNN that had the information I was looking for.

So the top 3 cities for 2003 are:

It’s interesting to see that, at least, as a whole, things seem to be on the way down. What particularly struck me to comment on this was a line in the article:

Chicago’s new police superintendent, Philip J. Cline, joined colleagues elsewhere in blaming homicides largely on a volatile mix of gangs, guns and drugs.

But officials pointed to a new system established in June, partly inspired by New York’s computerized crime analysis unit, that contributed to an 18 percent drop in Chicago murders in the second half of 2003 compared with a year earlier.

Source: CNN

I guess it just shows that despite some of the new challenges technology has brought us in terms of defending ourselves and our nation, it’s also working to make things better.

Evolution of the Virus

Since the beginning of our existence on this planet, single-celled organisms, bacteria, and virii have played a formative role in our development. The nature of these elements and their ability to force a reaction, either physiological or emotional, and shape our perception of things, has lead to our general fascination with the topic.

Webster’s dictionary points out three distinct definitions for the term itself:

1. the causative agent of an infectious disease

2. a computer program usually hidden within another seemingly innocuous program that produces copies of itself and inserts them into other programs and that usually performs a malicious action (as destroying data)

3. something that poisons the mind or soul

Although covering a diverse set of conditions, it seems that these definitions can be examined in three more generic incarnations: the biological virus (1), the computer virus (2), and the social virus (3).

Though the social virus is the last on the list, and perhaps the least intuitive, it can also be noted that it is also the most pervasive in our modern day world. Traditionally, a social virus might be loosely associated with more common social “isms” such as racism or sexism. Stepping back from these obvious cases, we can find more context by focusing on the core action association behind these forces — the social distribution of information.

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Despite my scrawny beginnings, growing up was fairly devoid of conflict. Naturally, there were bullies of many forms back in those days.. from the Social Bully that made one feel inadequate because you weren’t in a certain clique to the Physical Bully that harassed you day in and and day out.

Oddly enough, I never counted that bullying had anywhere to go but away. I always figured that as we came to understand each other more and more, the need would disappear. Of course, that was a fairly optimistic outlook. So now I still find myself wondering what’s wrong with us.

You’ve guessed it, Bullying just got upgraded and it’s downright pathetic. At least in the good old days bullies had to actually do some work, exert some pressure to get their way with you. Now it’s gone digital:

The actions themselves - rumors, threats, gossip, humiliation - are nothing new. But among today’s adolescents - a generation of instant messengers, always connected, always wired - bullies are starting to move beyond slam books and whisper campaigns to e-mail, websites, chat rooms, and text messaging.

While in some ways it’s no worse than old-fashioned bullying, cyberbullying has a few idiosyncrasies. Websites and screen names give bullies a mask of anonymity if they wish it, making them difficult to trace.

Source: Christian Science Monitor

I’m not sure what this means in the long run, but i’m also not surprised that it’s gone in the direction it has. I’ll cover more on this topic in a later essay.