Web Surfing Is NOT A Crime!

How many times have we done it? You're at work and you have a little down time. Hmmm let's see what's cooki'n on the web! Ahh but you better watch your back! Have all your Excel "work" spreadsheets at the ready. Have the Alt-Tab finger movement down! Because you have heard it before from co-workers or even (worse), your supervisor. INTERNET USAGE AT THE OFFICE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED! You have been warned time and time again. What for? Why aren't we allowed to use the computer? As long as it doesn't interfere with our work duties, we should be able to use it like we use the phone? Right? Don't answer that web police.

But AHHHH YES!!! The law is on OUR side now! A judge in New York has ruled that using the internet at work is equivalent to reading the paper or using the phone while at the office and that only a reprimand is proper punishment for the firable offense of internet usage. Is trolling for cheap chicks on Craigslist Casual Encounter section the same as... say... reading the personals in the LA Weekly? Or is checking the scores and highlights on ESPN. com the same as checking the scores in the Times Sports section? Mmmaybe. Mmmaybe not. Either way, the NYer judge has set a precedent.

So if your boss happens to see you browsing the net (especially while reading your favorite LAist entries) and pulls you into the office threating to fire you for surfing. Tell him to TELL IT TO THE JUDGE! Man, you gotta love America...