schools' Acceptable Use Policies and R. Sikoryak's 'Terms and Conditions'

Kiddo starts at a new school on Wednesday, and I’ve been putting off signing the Acceptable Use Policy and Chromebook Policy because I want to read them carefully. I don’t know how much I can do about anything that I’m really concerned with, but I’m a tech researcher when I’m not being kiddo’s dad, so I feel an obligation to be informed and raise a fuss when something is fussworthy.

Reading the AUP carefully reminded me of R. Sikoryak’s Terms and Condition: The Graphic Novel, a comic that I’ve been meaning to read for years. The premise is that Sikoryak has adapted the entire iTunes Terms of Conditions (as it existed at the time) into a comic book, illustrating it in the style of different well-known comic artists. It’s a great premise for a couple of reasons, and reading through these similar documents made me double-down on “I’m going to own this someday.”

I went over to Amazon to make sure it’s still being sold and see how much it costs these days. I would never actually buy it from Amazon (indie bookstores forever!) but Amazon is handy for looking things like this up. Scrolling through the preview feature, I saw this amazing example of how the book works: Steve Jobs as Frank Miller’s Batman in The Dark Knight Returns.

There are a couple of homages to TDKR in The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl that I think will always be my favorite shout-outs to the comic, but seeing Jobs and Carrie Kelley on the same page literally made me laugh out loud. Time to get this book sooner rather than later—more importantly, though, time to read through the docs from kiddo’s school without Sikoryak’s help.

• macro
• Myself
• parenting
• terms of service
• comics
• edtech
• Amazon
• independent bookstores
• Batman
• The Dark Knight Returns
• Squirrel Girl
• R. Sikoryak
• Terms and Conditions (comic)