Browser wars

You know, it just occurred to me today as I was working on our computer at home that we all have our own web browsers. I’ve faithfully clung to Netscape over the years, retro as that may be, because I always thought Explorer was so . . . Microsoft. So take over the world. So anticipate everything you want whether you want it or not. Of course, now Netscape does that too, but I can’t bring myself to give it up. Chris, always cutting edge when it comes to technology, has Deepnet. He has his four tabs set up on entry every day: Google, Memepool, Photoshop Contest and Wired News. Before Deepnet, his Explorer homepage was Memepool, but when Laura started using the web often for assignments, he reset it to Google and finally drifted off to Deepnet for good. So Laura has her own kid-friendly browser. I just set her a bookmark for Nimble Fingers, as she’s teaching herself to type now. But we haven’t actually set parental controls on it yet, as she doesn’t use it that often and we watch what she does pretty regularly. I expect that day will come, though, particularly now that she’s asking for her own laptop and cell phone for Christmas. Her chances of getting either are about as good as mine of ever having a completely clean house again, but hey, hope springs eternal. And William has Mommy.com. “Mommy, print me a picture of Batman.” “Mommy, print me a dinosaur.” Or the Incredibles, or a bug, or whatever’s the flavor of the day. And whenever I’m working, “Mommy, what’s that a picture of?” I have my own little parental control built in, looks like.