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not_funhey there's a new page of Unintentional Mishaps up on the site. let it tide you over as i work on the main page...
in more politically oriented news, the US government's response to the SOPA blackout protests yesterday was to shut down megaupload.com (which is like yousendit or any other filesharing program- i've used it to send people the rough draft print copies of inhuman, as they were too big for email) without due process. there's also been word (uncited word) that a citizen of the UK is being extradited to the US to stand trial for using megaupload.
by the way? this shit will happen all the time unless we stop SOPA/PIPA. this kind of action is basicly what those two make commonplace a-okay actions online. and it doesn't matter if you got say, the permission of akira yamaoka to remix his music. whoever owns his contract is the one who pulls the plug on your website/youtube video/tumblr/twitter/facebook/myspace/areyougettingthehint? there's nothing the actual artist can do about it.
anyway this is all horrid. but when it comes to activism there's a right way to do things, and then there's a wrong way to do things. unwittingly duping people into taking part in a DDOS attack is not cool. if they're doing it willingly, that's one thing. but telling someone to click a link and NOT telling them it might come with the hefty pricetag of a 10 year jail sentance? uncool. that's like running to your grandma's house with the cops watching you and hiding a huge bag of cocaine in her bedroom. would you do that to your grandma? i would not.
what i would do to help stop SOPA as an American is this:
- contact my senators and tell them i oppose SOPA/PIPA as it infringes on our first ammendment rights.
- contact my representative/s and tell them i oppose SOPA/PIPA as it infringes on our first amendment rights.
- e-mail the president asking him to veto SOPA/PIPA since they infringe on our first amendment rights.
- sign the google petition to stop SOPA/PIPA
if you're not an american but want to stop SOPA/PIPA you should...
- write to our president and let him know how this makes america look to the rest of the world.
in case you are oh
say
i dunno
too young to vote? that doesn't matter. your government is still to serve you. in fact, writing when you're too young to vote may get MORE attention. because these people WANT you to vote for them (or their party) as you get older. they WANT your approval. and they also want to know that the american youth actually give a shit about their country. currently, they think you don't. so just real quick brush up on the rights SOPA/PIPA will take away from you and hammer out a quick letter.
they will listen. they're starting to listen already. but no war, certainly not a war of corporations vs common internet users, is going to resolve in a single day. our only ammunition - our only power of attack - is our voices. if SOPA/PIPA pass, we won't have that. so use them while you can. use them while it's important. say something. do something. and don't you dare give me that 'one person makes no difference' line.
in more politically oriented news, the US government's response to the SOPA blackout protests yesterday was to shut down megaupload.com (which is like yousendit or any other filesharing program- i've used it to send people the rough draft print copies of inhuman, as they were too big for email) without due process. there's also been word (uncited word) that a citizen of the UK is being extradited to the US to stand trial for using megaupload.
by the way? this shit will happen all the time unless we stop SOPA/PIPA. this kind of action is basicly what those two make commonplace a-okay actions online. and it doesn't matter if you got say, the permission of akira yamaoka to remix his music. whoever owns his contract is the one who pulls the plug on your website/youtube video/tumblr/twitter/facebook/myspace/areyougettingthehint? there's nothing the actual artist can do about it.
anyway this is all horrid. but when it comes to activism there's a right way to do things, and then there's a wrong way to do things. unwittingly duping people into taking part in a DDOS attack is not cool. if they're doing it willingly, that's one thing. but telling someone to click a link and NOT telling them it might come with the hefty pricetag of a 10 year jail sentance? uncool. that's like running to your grandma's house with the cops watching you and hiding a huge bag of cocaine in her bedroom. would you do that to your grandma? i would not.
what i would do to help stop SOPA as an American is this:
- contact my senators and tell them i oppose SOPA/PIPA as it infringes on our first ammendment rights.
- contact my representative/s and tell them i oppose SOPA/PIPA as it infringes on our first amendment rights.
- e-mail the president asking him to veto SOPA/PIPA since they infringe on our first amendment rights.
- sign the google petition to stop SOPA/PIPA
if you're not an american but want to stop SOPA/PIPA you should...
- write to our president and let him know how this makes america look to the rest of the world.
in case you are oh
say
i dunno
too young to vote? that doesn't matter. your government is still to serve you. in fact, writing when you're too young to vote may get MORE attention. because these people WANT you to vote for them (or their party) as you get older. they WANT your approval. and they also want to know that the american youth actually give a shit about their country. currently, they think you don't. so just real quick brush up on the rights SOPA/PIPA will take away from you and hammer out a quick letter.
they will listen. they're starting to listen already. but no war, certainly not a war of corporations vs common internet users, is going to resolve in a single day. our only ammunition - our only power of attack - is our voices. if SOPA/PIPA pass, we won't have that. so use them while you can. use them while it's important. say something. do something. and don't you dare give me that 'one person makes no difference' line.
I feel like a Public Service Announcement
Date: 2012-01-20 08:38 pm (UTC)http://projects.propublica.org/sopa/
Tell the opponents you support them. Tell the supporters why they need to reconsider and change. Tell the undecideds which side their constituents support.
Re: I feel like a Public Service Announcement
Date: 2012-01-20 08:39 pm (UTC)AND YET NOW I DO.
Re: I feel like a Public Service Announcement
Date: 2012-01-20 08:40 pm (UTC)'wow, look at all the old, white men.'
Re: I feel like a Public Service Announcement
Date: 2012-01-20 08:46 pm (UTC)Re: I feel like a Public Service Announcement
Date: 2012-01-20 08:47 pm (UTC)SEE WHAT THEY THINK
NEW REPLY FROM MY REPRESENTATIVE
Date: 2012-01-20 11:14 pm (UTC)I want you to know I received your message regarding H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act of 2011.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith has announced the Committee will postpone immediate consideration of H.R. 3261. I was pleased with the Chairman's announcement and agree we must find a more workable approach to combating online copyright infringement. Protecting intellectual property rights is an important priority, but we must do so without compromising lawful access to the Internet or harming innovation.
Be assured I will keep your views in mind should this issue come before the full House for a vote. For more information on this legislation and hearings conducted by the House Judiciary Committee, please visit http://judiciary.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Jerry F. Costello
Member of Congress
Re: NEW REPLY FROM MY REPRESENTATIVE
Date: 2012-01-20 11:15 pm (UTC)Re: NEW REPLY FROM MY REPRESENTATIVE
Date: 2012-01-20 11:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-20 10:43 pm (UTC)To quote a news article: "It is really offensive to say that just because people can upload bad things, therefore Megaupload is automatically responsible."
Okay, how about we take down Youtube too? People rip music from it all the time, you don't even need a plugin for that. Just the ability to record output.
This same argument can be used on the case with Richard O'Dywer. He made a search engine essentially as far as I can tell. That's even less reasoning to extradite him. It's not his fault that his program found "illegal" stuff people uploaded, just as it's not the Mega "conspirators'" faults their users used their servers for illegal stuff, just as it's not Deviantart's fault users upload stolen artwork...
Is this logic not apparent to old people? The FBI, the politicians, whatever.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-20 10:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-20 11:04 pm (UTC)I remember reading even without SOPA/PIPA the US has the power to do this? WTF. :[
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-20 11:05 pm (UTC)we flexed our muscle, they flexed back to see if we'd blink.
they do have the power to do this, yeah. but the way it is now, you have to stand trial (etc). if SOPA/PIPA passed, you would not get a trial essentially.