Don’t Tread On Me. Virtually Or Otherwise
Schmidty and I threw together this little mock flag in observance of the current climate this week. As Dr Squishy pointed out on our Facebook, I don’t really know what the original was supposed to mean either. However, it is a sort of historical reminder that we, as Americans, have this slight tendency to oppose powers that might try and censor/oppress us. And tax our salt & tea, but that’s for another discussion.
The fact remains is that what “our” Congress is trying to do now is actually very similar to what has happened before (i.e. a ruling body, so out of touch with a group of the public, bows to the demands of someone wanting more money, tries to enact a law, and gets whomped for it).
If history tells us anything, it’s that it doesn’t typically end well.
Why SOPA And PIPA Are Bad
If you tried to visit our site yesterday, you may have noticed that we were not our normal, cheery selves. Like a lot of the Internet, we chose to protest legislation that is currently being kicked around Congress. Remember that nice pop-up the first time you visited the site? Yeah, that’s what that was about. If you hadn’t heard of SOPA or PIPA before yesterday, hopefully you have heard of them now. These laws will basically break the Internet as we know it and take us back to 1994. I’m all for time travel, but not like this.
This is important because it affects everyone. Yes, I’m talking to you, and you, and you. Do you like visiting our site? Too bad. If either of these laws pass, there is a good chance that this very site will be taken down. Do you like visiting any site on the Internet? Yeah, they’ll probably be gone too. See what I’m talking about? Big-time bad… Under this law, if you post video of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video on the Web, you can go to prison for five years. That’s longer than the guy who killed him will be locked up for.
If you listen to our podcast, then you’ve heard me say that the Internet is like the Wild West. Imagine if there were no Wild West in American history. Just think of all of the John Wayne movies that would have never been made. No tales of Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy, or Wyatt Earp. But more importantly, think of all of the innovation that would have never happened. Would we have a trans-continental railroad? Possibly not since there would be nothing west of the Mississippi River. Would we have discovered the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone? Who knows?
If you are still in the dark about what SOPA and PIPA are and what their effects on your life will be, here are some articles that I strongly suggest you take the time to read. The people who wrote the articles are far more eloquent that I am and have a much better understanding of these laws than I do so take a minute and click on the links.
- Why SOPA Is Dangerous
- SOPA Will Take Us Back to the Dark Ages
- Today the US Senate is considering legislation that would destroy the free and open Internet.
And since I understand that sometimes it’s easier to watch the movie than it is to read the book, here is a very well done cinematic production courtesy of YouTube. (Which, I should mention, would be destroyed should SOPA or PIPA become law.)
If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment to call call those who allegedly represent you in Washington and let them know that you oppose what they are trying to do. Unless, of course, you hate free speech and innovation. Then, by all means, continue to do nothing as your rights are stripped away by greedy politicians.
There’s an Enterprise-F?
I am a huge fan of Star Trek. When asking the question “Am I a Star Trek or Star Wars?” I always fall to the Trek side. It’s not that I don’t like Star Wars, but when I think to how I think humanity would look in a couple hundred years I want to believe it will look more . . . Roddenberry.
So, imagine my joy when Star Trek Online was announced. Then imagine my disappointment when the reviews came in and they weren’t so great. Finally, imagine my optimism when they announced that Star Trek Online would be free to play starting January 17th (today).
Finally, imagine my surprise that in the game they’ve already announced the successor to the Sovereign-class Enterprise. That’s right; in the game there is a NCC-1701-F USS Enterprise.
Announced as the Odyssey-class, it was the submission from a fan for a contest from the game publisher. And if I may say, it’s easily just as good as anything made in the official cannon. Now, this isn’t a new thing; this happened in Summer 2011. However, now that the game is free to play I thought it might be worth pointing out the content they’ve been adding.
I’d also like to ask Paramount and CBS to make this ship cannon! It’s beautiful!
Rupert Murdoch is a Relic Who Needs to Shut Up
UPDATE: I have been corrected by another writer, Dave Simmer II; the White House did in fact give an official response to SOPA legistlation . . . they don’t like it. I have updated the post to reflect that. Cause as a blogger and podcaster, I have no problem correcting myself when it turns out I was mistaken. You know, unlike . . . others.
In case you didn’t know, there is a real life Montgomery Burns. He doesn’t own and operate a nuclear power station, however. Instead he runs Newscorp and is the 38th most wealthy person in the United States. He is Rupert Murdoch.
- He founded Fox News with the sole purpose of swaying the American public.
- His company hacked the voicemail of a murdered girl, thereby throwing investigators off (making them believe she was still alive and deleting her voicemails).
- He is a dinosaur.
In today’s world of “faster than you can comprehend” information, Murdoch is a throwback to the older days of yore. Days when a single newspaper magnate could sway the opinion of an entire nation. And he’s dangerous.
SMV: Derezzed, Literally
Saturday Morning Videos is back in style. This week we bring you Derezzed by Daft Punk from the Tron: Legacy soundtrack . . . sort of. In my mind, this is what I imagine Stark’s computer sounds like starting up . . . taking just as long.
SD#42 Inverted Mute Buttons
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:52 — 34.9MB) | Embed
Image Courtesy of Penny Arcade
We cover CES for you, Zuke tries (and fails) to forget his Kinect experience, and Schmidty can’t figure out his mute button at all.
Flashback: My Rant On Popups
I used to have a blog called “Mad Geek” that I actually updated pretty regularly. For reasons I won’t get into here, I stopped posting there and have left it pretty much alone. However, in going back through it I’ve found some articles I thought I could bring back here. So, allow me to give you a glimpse into the past!
Original Post Date: September 28, 2004
As hard as it can be to admit it sometimes, we all like advertisements. Even though we hate seeing them in our Inbox or on billboards the simple fact remains, that they obviously DO work and we DO pay attention to them. This isn’t so bad, really, as without them businesses wouldn’t be able to make themselves known in the marketplace as well.
With that out of the way, allow me to start my rant.
