Henican: Technology ups the ante for thoughtlessness

The technology did not cause this cruelty. But technology sure gave it fresh places to work.

Yes, tragedy is a multi-platform concept now.

Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi dove to his death off the George Washington Bridge after his sex life was a revealed in a truly modern way. His roommate is accused of installing a webcam in the dorm room - then joining with a friend in live-streaming Tyler's encounter with another young man.

So this kind of voyeurism is what passes for fun on campus today?

Wait. That's not entirely fair. College students have been mean to each other since the second one enrolled. And Rutgers isn't the first school where peeping Tom became a giggling sport.

But that unsanctioned extracurricular used to mean a squinting eye against a keyhole - or a quiet crouch in a closet late on date night.

No more.

With webcams for sale in the bookstore cheaper than spiral notebooks and every student Net-savvy enough, any intimate encounter can instantly be broadcast everywhere.

Does that mean the end of privacy? Not necessarily.

Does it mean a need for greater care? No doubt.

Tyler didn't leave a suicide note so we don't know exactly what was in his mind. And prosecutors in New Jersey are still trying to decide what charges to pursue: Hate crime, invasion of privacy, maybe even manslaughter.

But this much is digitally clear: The consequences of thoughtless cruelty have never been more severe.

WEB SLAM

• Digital deceit

• Compu-crafty

• Web of lies

• Inter-not

• Two-face book

ASKED AND UNANSWERED: Who says 72 is too old for a Jones Beach lifeguard? Have you seen Jay Lieberfarb's abs? . . . Is the Islanders' season really over before it began? That would have to be a record, wouldn't it? . . . You know that "extratropical" storm that's been brewing in the Atlantic? Is "extratropical" something real - or just the latest weather buzz word, like Doppler was a few years ago? . . . How did so many Long Island homes - 25 of them - end of up on this weekend's National Solar Tour & Green Buildings Open House? Do we have (a) smarter design or (b) more rich people than some sunnier climes? . . . A little water shut the eastbound Grand Central, thereby snarling the LIE. Is this the "fragile infrastructure" transportation engineers have been warning about? . . . Nice that New York environmental officials want to make the Long Island Sound a "no-discharge zone." So who's on the other side? Which brilliant political consultant will craft the "yes discharge" campaign? . . . WLIU, WPPB - whatever they call it, isn't it nice radio people will be running a radio station at 88.3 on Long Island? Be generous when the beg-a-thons begin . . . Now that foreclosure prices have risen so steeply, where can Long Island's housing bargain be found? Really? There are no Long Island housing bargains? Yeah, kinda figured that.

ELLIS' LONG ISLANDER OF THE WEEK

Marion Scott

Choroideremia is not a well known eye disease. Not yet. But it's a scary one when it shows up in a family. Marion Scott has learned the hard way. The disease, which causes progressive blindness, has struck her two sons and her grandson. But instead of only worrying, she's gotten busy and focused. She joined the board of the Choroideremia Research Foundation and just hosted a Shades for Sight fundraiser at her Huntington home, collecting a quick $35,000 toward a cure. "It was incredible to have such strong support," said son Kevin Scott, who was diagnosed with Choroideremia at 16.

E-mail ellis@henican.com

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