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north shore news

‘PARENTAL GUIDANCE

NEWS photo Mike Wrketicld

MONTROYAL elementary schoo! students (left to right) Kevin Gilfillan, Jason Ford
and Andrew Porritt work on their balloon rocket. The project was for the Hands-
On Science Fair held at the school Jan. 29.

WEDNESDAYS

Junior Stamp Club: For 7-
12 year olds, February 10,
3:30) p.m, NV. City
Library. Info: 980-4424.

Drop-in Storytime Fun:
Ages 3-5 years at 10:30 a.m.
and 1:30 p.m. at W.V.
Memorial Library. Info:
925-7408.

North Vancouver
Rangerettes: Ages 3-16,
N.V. Jocarion. For more
information call 929-8236.

Lynn Valley Parent
Participation Preschool:
Open house, Wednesday,
Feb. 24, 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Info: 983-0940.

THURSDAYS

Drop-in Babes’
Storytime: For 0-24
months accompanied by an
adult at 10:30 am. at N.V.
City Library. For more
information call 980-4424.

International Fairytales
and Craft: For 6-9 vear olds,

Feb. 25, 3:30 p.m, N.V. City

Library. This month the
Inuit are featured. Pre-reyis-
ter: 980-4424,

FRIDAY

Drop-in Toddler
Storytime: For ages two
and three years, 10 and 11
am. at NIV. City Library.
Info: 980-4424,

Drop-in sororytime Fun:
For ages 3-5 vears at 10:30
am, ar the “Wy, Memorial
Library. For more informa-
tion call 925-7408.

SATURDAY

French Movie: Drop in for

all ages ar the N.V. Cit
Library, Saturday, Feb 27,
1} am., Tintin’s 1% etoile
Mystericnse. {nta:  980-
4424.

Saturday Storytime and
Crafts: For 4-8 vear olds,
10 am. at NV. City
Library. Pre-register: 980-
4424.

French Storytime: Drop-in
storytime for all ages, every
Saturday at 9:30 or It a.m.
at NV. City Library. Info:
980-4424,

Wheelchair sports: North
Shore Neighbourhood
House, N.V. For more
information call 987-8138.

Research Study: To learn
about how much of a prob-
lem parents see different
types of children’s behav-
iours. This study asks par-
ents with a 7 to 14-year-old
child to fill out an anony-
mous, 30 minute question-
naire. Please call Dr.
Johnston's lab, UBC, at
$22-9037.

— Compiled by Sharon
Cocomile

“GET a life, Mom.
You're pathetic.”

This is what [hear from
my kids when | low onto the
Internet to satisfy my Most
recent addiction, Internet
chatting.

For thase of you who
don’t know what evber chat-
ting involves, allow me to
explain, People who are con-
nected to the Internet
through home camputers
have the ability to visit online
chat rooms (of which there
are literally thousands), to
engage in some real time dia-
logue with people from all
over the world,

It works like this: chatters
type messages, which are
instantly relayed to other
participants in the chat
room, who then have the
opportunity to respond.

Chat rooms vary widely
with respect to topics, from
sports to history to love and
romance. No matter how
unique your interest, you'll
find a chat room somewhere
on the Internet where you
can share ideas and feelings
with like-minded folks, all in
the comfort of your own
home.

My voungest son, for
example, spends a fair
amount of his online time
chatting with an avid gang of
protessional wrestling Fans.
They type-talk, in real time,
about lofty issues like
whether Hollywood Hulk
Hogan will win his bid for
the presidency. or how Sable
(bleach blonde wrestling
vixen) beat up the announc-
er. And he’s not alone. In
fact, experts sav Internet
chatting is so entertaining,
that it has become the most
addictive online activity.

T he first thing you Teed

isit 2 chat room is a han-

is is the name vou use

for chatting, (never your real
name!). 1 decided on lilbic
bored as my handle, and
logged into a chat room for
the aver-40 crowd on a lone-
ly, rainy night not long ago.
T thought F would find peo-
ple my age, raising kids, deal-
tng with middle age.

Funny thing about being
in a chat room. It’s not all
that different from being in a
real live situation in many
ways. | barged into that char
room with no idea of what
proper chat etiquette was;
sure I would make friends
and win hearts. But just like
in real life, people already
involved in a conversation
don’t like to be rudely inter-
rupted, which is exactly what
I did. “Anyone want to talk
about golf?” [ typed onto
the screen, thinking I would
be an immediate hit in the
room, No one responded, in
fact, they totally ignored me.

After a few more stimulat-
ing golf comments by me, a
chatter with the handle “Tuff
Tina” sent me this message:
“Hey Lilbit, why don’t vou
change your handle to Big
Mouth and find another chat
room.” Her comment stung
me like a cyber slap across
the face.

Wednesday. February 3. 1999 - North Shore News - 19

ber virgin seeks
brief encounters

Since then [ve learned to
get to know chaiters by
watching their conversations
before P butt in. Ot course,
just like in real life, some
tolks at the party never have
anything to contribute. They
just Fang out in the room,
sucking up other people's
conversations. But that’s not
for me. Because I’m a very
fast typist and a big mouth
to boor, | find [ have to
work hard ta not dominate
the conversations in the
roams I visit.

A particularly hor-blood-
ed friend of mine has spent
some time chatting online
under the handle “sweet-
meat” in.some pretty steamy
chat rooms.

“T's a real kick,” she says,
“because vou can be thor:
oughly naughty online and
no one will ever know.”

Thar’s one of the great
things abour cyber chatting;
you have complete anonymi-
ty. You can be whomever you
want and say whatever you
like without having to be
accountable for it. However,
maintaining that anonymity
is important if vou want to
chat safely.

Recently, while quietly
visiting a parenting chat
room, a chatter named

“RadDog” invited me into a
private conversation.
(Participants have the option
to chat privately if they
choose.) E was naively tlar-
tered, and so started chatting
with BadDog about my own
dogs.

After a few minutes he
suggested we engage in some
cyber sex.

“Oh my,” thought J, as I
speedily typed “No thanks,
Vm a evber virgin.”
(Imagine, three kids and ’'m
still a virgin.) F exited the
private room at that
moment, feeling somehow
violated. And it was a good
lesson. Out there in the vast
World Wide Web lurk all
kinds of mischief makers,
computer users who are
looking for a turn on, or just
to make trouble.

In the weeks since those
tirst few experiences, [ve fig-
ured cut how to work a chat
room without offending or
being offended, and it has
been most enjoyable. I stick
to the themed chat rooms,
where [ know Pll find people
who are interested in the
same things I am (although
I've found the golf chat
room tu be 2 real sleeper),
and [’ve even made a few
eyber friends.

My kids spend time on
chat lines too, which is a lit-
tle scary, but OK as long as
I'm around to monitor them.
I think the best Net nanny is
a parent close by.

And yes, I'm still a cyber
virgin. Pve decided I'm sav-
ing myself for the next major
upgrade.

humpers@be.sympatico.ca