Who's to blame? Parents who let their children "hop on the net". I wish the biggest risk of uncensored web surfing was seeing an attention-starved pop star raising her middle digit.

As parents we can only do so much, but there's so much we can do. Windows parental controls. Pre-filtered websites. Computers in public areas of the home. Check web histories and search strings. IM chats and social media posts. Youtube views and netflix queues. Children need protection, not privacy.

At the same time, we need to teach our children what's out there and why. Demystify the allure. And we need to be okay with the fact that they will be exposed to elements of the cesspit that is the world wide web, and we need to deal with that too.

Ultimately, we just do our best and hope they don't get too screwed up. (Their future shrinks will blame us anyway.)

Sorry, been away but not gone. Cheese, if you haven't started yet you can try and work in "asthma" as a variable. Otherwise, ignore.

I'm a sucker for heist yarns. Hubeck's Five. Love it. Great setup, colorful (literally) characters and setting, and so many fun directions this could go. Eminently mashable. Solid 5! Good luck, Foo.
Variable: salsa (the sauce, not the dance)

Just when I thought I was out....
So good to see all the Ancients (of Mu Mu) back again. Pressure's on, NB. Good luck.

A silver spork.

#6. I hate you.

You have nothing to fear. He won't sugar-coat, but he gets no pleasure from shitting on other folks' works either. His comments tend to be pithy but invariably constructive. Also, they're fun to read. And despite his apparent gruffness, he appreciates well-intentioned comments on his works as well. If he ever gets off his arse to write more....

Full-bodied critique from the BBN? Holy ****. I almost want to write something just so you can molest it.
In all seriousness, if you haven't jumped on this offer, DO IT. I have had the privilege of writing with (trying to keep up with) Nash a couple of times and he's (no ****) an incredible talent. You'd be lucky to get his hands all over your material. Trust me. You might even get a happy ending.
Also want to echo a comment from above. Writing on this site will not make you any money (unless you live in **** where 7 cents a week is a living wage), but it is a great opportunity to hone your skills as a writer.

Ah, **** it. Here's my 2 cent quick list for SM success:

1) Introduce yourself in these forums.

2) Read five stories that are a) rated higher than 4; b) published in the last month; and c) have more than 10 comments.

3) Comment on all five stories. (Comments need not be critical, nor lengthy.)

4) Find one story that speaks to your inner masher, and mash. If none speaks to you, wash, rinse and repeat step 1.

5) Be patient. You will get critiques/comments if you follow the steps above.

6) Write, write, write.

7) Oh yeah, if you like tapioca, you'll love Nash's book: http://tinyurl.com/3kst2xp

Seriously. It's a great read, and unlike reading on the internet, it won't give you eye strain (or wrist strain if you're one of 'em pervy folks).

Definitely finish and attempt to publish. Happy to provide comments at any point if you like.

I may return to this as a parallel storyline at some point, but it's all a question of motivation. Isn't it always?

I'm definitely curious to see where you were going. You can drop me a line at (no spaces) W O L F R A M L A W at G M A I L dot C O M, or publish parallel or both.

I'll be away from my comp a lot over the next few days, but looking forward to see more.