| Sam Young Newsletter |
Issue 68, October 2003
Hi guys,
Two legal issues this time: the first is that we really need to ensure that we think clearly about being truly egalitarian in Getting Human Rights Right.
And secondly, it's also important that we make sure our websites are legal & above board. Check out how your website measures up in Keeping Legal Online.
Don't forget, if you want to be taken off my mailing list, click here to send me a reply e-mail and I will remove your name.
| Getting Human Rights Right |
In New Zealand, we have a Human Rights Act. This 1993 act means that we must not discriminate on grounds of age, colour, disability, employment status, ethical belief, ethnic or national origins, family status, marital status, political opinion, race, religious belief, sex or sexual orientation. In other words we feel as a country that people are people and must be treated equally and with respect. "Do unto others.." and all that.
In the last couple of weeks, a couple of Human Rights cases have been given some attention by the media; the "women only" Angel Taxi Company and Kay Robin, the Moko-ed woman awarded compensation for refusal of service in a Gisborne bar.
I have just been reading the latest Maxim Institute newsletter "Real Issues". The Maxim Institute is a relatively new organisation with a conservative, "family-oriented" (read Christian fundamentalist) view of what they would like New Zealand to be. They feel that "an all-woman taxi service makes sense", and that the company "will meet with customer approval from a number of quarters, including girls' schools".
On the surface it might seem like a sensible statement to make; except that this type of thinking assumes that men are inherently dangerous and that women should be protected from them. Not a very charitable view of either sex.
And for me, there is yet another hidden inequality with The Angel Taxi Company case. Turn the situation around - if a man started a "men only" service, there would be a vast media hue and cry about the discrimination issues. And you can guarantee that it wouldn't be just a two-night media wonder.
We are constantly undermining and denigrating men in our society in a thousand little ways; from American television shows, advertising and the news media. We need to grow up and stop knocking our men in order to build up our women. It's unnecessary - we women can stand tall without it. We can instead celebrate what our men have to offer.
If we are truly going to aim for equality, then we need to be egalitarian in our approach. If it is not right to have a men-only something, then it is not right to have women-only, or single-only, or Maori-only or over 50s-only.
And lastly, with regard to Kay Robin's case, Scotty's Bar & Grill had a rule to not serve customers with facial tattoos. The Human Rights Commission found that this was racial discrimination, as race is not just about the colour of one's skin but is also about cultural markings. A good reality check for us.
(The thing that I can't understand is why on earth did the bar have that policy in the first place? Is a tattoo more offensive than the slap that some women trowel on when they go out? Or balding comb-overs? Or 80s ear-rings?)
I think our multi-ethnic diversity adds spice and difference to our wonderful New Zealand way of life. As do the men amongst us. Let's celebrate - and relish - our differences.
| Keeping Legal Online |
There are a heap of pitfalls out there for business in the real world. But there are also a heap of things that we need to watch out for online.
- Domain Name: Did you know that you had to have a legal entitlement to your dotcom name? Unlike registration plates where you can go & register "BOBS" and "BILLS" even if your name is Sue, if you register a domain name you must have a legal right to do so. You could end up being successfully prosecuted and having your domain name taken from you (and possibly being charged with passing-off and having legal costs awarded against you) if you are unwise with domain registration.
- Legal Disclaimer: This is not a "get out of jail free card" - your website is an advertisement, an "invitation to treat". If you advertise a price or an offer that gets out of date, you have to honour it. But, for more minor things, you should have a legal disclaimer on your site saying that while you do your best to ensure it is up-to-date, mistakes may happen
- Valid information: Always do your best to make sure your website is up to date and do your best to ensure it contains valid information. If there is anything on your website that you can't verify but want to list, enter it as a quote from the person who supplied the information. In NZ, under the Fair Trading Act you must not be misleading or deceptive. Just remember that your website can be viewed at any time by anybody, anywhere, so you must carefully check all your claims and representations are correct and verifiable
- Privacy: If you are operating in NZ and using your website to collect information about your customer you must comply with the principles of the Privacy Act. This means that information must be securely held and that the information is not used for purposes other than that for which it was collected. You must also have systems in place to make SURE that information is not misused
- Place of business: There are many ways to run an online business. For New Zealand tax law to apply, your business must be a "business wholly or partly carried on in New Zealand." You will have to get expert tax advice on the implications of your business plan, and which country's tax laws will apply
- Terms of Trade: You should ensure that your terms terms and conditions of trade are available on your website. Ensure your online customers click a button accepting your trade terms prior to making a purchase. This makes it hard for an aggrieved customer to later argue that your terms were not binding on them. NB: In particular, specify where disputes will be resolved - eg "disputes will be determined in New Zealand"
| Editing Quick Launch Tooltips |
How many of you use the Quick Launch toolbar? That's the wee one beside the "Start" button on the taskbar (if you don't, have a serious think about it. You can put your most used programme or file shortcuts in there and they are always visible to you. I use it all the time).
However, there is one problem with the quick launch toolbar shortcuts; you get an automatic Tooltip showing when you hover your mouse over the shortcut. Now a tooltip isn't a bad thing - if you can edit it. But if you don't know where to edit it, you constantly get "Shortcut to Winword.exe" showing up. And we know that already. Just "Word" would be nice.
But <ahaha!> we can CHANGE the tooltip wording. All we have to do is find out where MS stashed the "Quick Launch" folder on your PC.
- Open Windows Explorer (right click on Start, select Explore), then go hunting;
- Windows 95, 98 or ME users may find it under c:\windows\application data\microsoft\internet explorer, or in c:\Windows\Profiles\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer (where " username" = the currently logged-on user's ID)
- If you can't find it, run a search: click Start, Find, Files or Folders, type in "Quick Launch" and click the Find Now button. (WinME users click Start, Search, For Files or Folders, type in "Quick Launch" and click the Search Now button)
- Mine down to the Quick Launch folder in Explorer. The toolbar icons' tooltips are the actual file names inside that folder. So changing the file names changes the tooltip. Simply right-click on the name, select Rename & change 'em to read what you would like to see. Hit Enter. Done.
Windows XP and 2000 users can simply right-mouse click on a Quick Launch icon, the tooltip text is the 'Comment' field at the bottom of the Shortcut dialog
But wait - there's more! When you want to add a new shortcut into your Quick Launch Toolbar, you can create one on your desktop, tailor it all you like & THEN drag it into the toolbar. Then you will never have to worry about where MS stashes the Quick Launch Toolbar again because you will get it right first time!
| TLAs for SMEs |
Here are this newsletter's TLAs for you;
- MMS, multimedia messaging service. The latest development in mobile messaging technology, providing automatic and immediate delivery of personal messages, incorporating sound, images and text. Using an MMS-capable device (PDA, Tablet, smart phone), there is one MMS standard used globally. This allows you to shop around various providers for the best options.
- SD, Secure Digital cards. Used to add memory to PDAs
- SDIO, Secure Digital Input/Output Cards. The SDIO variation of SD has been used to provide network connectivity. SDIO cards are smaller (24mm x 50mm) and may consume less power. SD slots and wireless cards are less common than CF (Compact Flashcard) slots and cards, but that's expected to change over time.
Please feel free to email me with any TLAs that you want to get the bottom (meaning!) of.
| Short+Hot Keys... and now tips |
Function keys for you again, for a mouse-less cut & paste of rows in Excel;
- Select the rows or columns you want to copy, and key Ctrl & C together (Copy)
- Move to the row or column where you want to copy your selection to. If you want to add a new line between existing lines, key Ctrl, Shift & + (Paste insert). If you want to copy a line on the end, key Ctrl & V (Paste).
A few of the other easy ones;
- To open the Format Cells dialog box Ctrl & 1
- Enter today's date in a cell Ctrl & ;
- Enter the current time Ctrl, Shift & :
- Find Ctrl & F
- Replace Ctrl & H
- Spell check F7
| Hot Linx |
You want a website entirely devoted to the construction, processing and devotion to vinyl? But of course. Go to The Vinyl Institute at http://www.vinylinfo.org/index.html
Bored at work? Want to take your mind off it all for a while? Then why not play minigolf on the net? Go to http://www.fhmus.com/images/reporter/slacker/miniputt.swf
This is a great site tip, from Graeme Robertson of Cawthron. To get a highly entertaining look at what selected websites used to look like, go to http://www.archive.org/, enter your sites and take a trip on the "waybackmachine".
Catch you again soon!! E-mail your suggestions to me here
