"Save the internet"

[40hz]

Wow!  That Cory Doctorow stuff is excellent!  So juicy.  I loved reading that.  I love hearing from people explain things with such clarity.

-superboyac (January 13, 2012, 04:05 PM)

+1!

Ive got this like/dislike (or very mild love/hate) thing with Cory D.. Lately, as my mind is gradually moving more towards the confrontational and radical (sure sign I'm entering 'supplemental childhood') I find myself agreeing with him more and more.

And unlike so many, he does 'get it.' Better than most in fact.

Good author. And a blogger worth reading.  

[TaoPhoenix]

We're in the semi-armageddon showdown. (Obligatory Mayan joke here!)

They're just going for outright corruption now, daring the citizens to "stop them" (do something stupid which can be grounds for mass arrest.)

(I'm "amnesiac" can't remember if I posted this next bit previously)
The Post to End All Posts was a few days back - "despite opposition, the lawmakers plan on passing it anyway".

What can you possibly do vs that???

[40hz]

^ I think the operational phrase might be:  "only limited by your imagination." 

[JavaJones]

To defeat big media, you need to put them out of business in a clear and true capitalist fashion such that it gives them no grounds to go running to the government begging for intervention.

-40hz (January 13, 2012, 03:42 PM)

Is the more correct capitalist solution to the problem not buying at all, or buying from their competitors (indies). I'm not sure why you don't see that as at least as good a solution -if not better - than simply not buying at all. In my view, not buying can more easily be translated into "rampant piracy" (because surely people need music/movies/tv!). Also I think it's a harder pill to swallow to buy *nothing* for most people. If they could just shift buying habits to independent media, it still sends - I think - a strong message and people get to continue enjoying (some) media. It also tells artists/producers where they should be going to get more customers, further weakening the major's position, whereas if *nothing* is selling, artists/producers may panic, buying into the RIAA/MPAA/etc. party line of legislation to survive, *or* just give up entirely. Giving them an effective route to success with their product (independent publishing/promotion) steers them in the right direction, I think.

- Oshyan

[40hz]

From the folks at OSNews:

White House Uses 838 Words to Say Nothing About SOPA
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sat 14th Jan 2012 20:57 UTC

The Obama administration has responded to two petitions regarding SOPA, but in true political fashion, the response is 838 words of absolutely nothing at all. Here's a link, but don't complain to me about losing 10 minutes of your life reading this empty drivel. How about taking a stand for once, eh?

Here's the official response in case you don't want to waste additional time chasing it down at the White House website:

Not Suitable for Intelligent Readers

Combating Online Piracy while Protecting an Open and Innovative Internet

By Victoria Espinel, Aneesh Chopra, and Howard Schmidt

Thanks for taking the time to sign this petition. Both your words and actions illustrate the importance of maintaining an open and democratic Internet.

Right now, Congress is debating a few pieces of legislation concerning the very real issue of online piracy, including the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the PROTECT IP Act and the Online Protection and Digital ENforcement Act (OPEN). We want to take this opportunity to tell you what the Administration will support—and what we will not support. Any effective legislation should reflect a wide range of stakeholders, including everyone from content creators to the engineers that build and maintain the infrastructure of the Internet.

While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.

Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small. Across the globe, the openness of the Internet is increasingly central to innovation in business, government, and society and it must be protected. To minimize this risk, new legislation must be narrowly targeted only at sites beyond the reach of current U.S. law, cover activity clearly prohibited under existing U.S. laws, and be effectively tailored, with strong due process and focused on criminal activity. Any provision covering Internet intermediaries such as online advertising networks, payment processors, or search engines must be transparent and designed to prevent overly broad private rights of action that could encourage unjustified litigation that could discourage startup businesses and innovative firms from growing.

We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet. Proposed laws must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the Domain Name System (DNS), a foundation of Internet security. Our analysis of the DNS filtering provisions in some proposed legislation suggests that they pose a real risk to cybersecurity and yet leave contraband goods and services accessible online. We must avoid legislation that drives users to dangerous, unreliable DNS servers and puts next-generation security policies, such as the deployment of DNSSEC, at risk.

Let us be clear—online piracy is a real problem that harms the American economy, and threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle class workers and hurts some of our nation's most creative and innovative companies and entrepreneurs.  It harms everyone from struggling artists to production crews, and from startup social media companies to large movie studios. While we are strongly committed to the vigorous enforcement of intellectual property rights, existing tools are not strong enough to root out the worst online pirates beyond our borders. That is why the Administration calls on all sides to work together to pass sound legislation this year that provides prosecutors and rights holders new legal tools to combat online piracy originating beyond U.S. borders while staying true to the principles outlined above in this response.  We should never let criminals hide behind a hollow embrace of legitimate American values.

This is not just a matter for legislation. We expect and encourage all private parties, including both content creators and Internet platform providers working together, to adopt voluntary measures and best practices to reduce online piracy.

So, rather than just look at how legislation can be stopped, ask yourself: Where do we go from here? Don’t limit your opinion to what’s the wrong thing to do, ask yourself what’s right. Already, many of members of Congress are asking for public input around the issue. We are paying close attention to those opportunities, as well as to public input to the Administration. The organizer of this petition and a random sample of the signers will be invited to a conference call to discuss this issue further with Administration officials and soon after that, we will host an online event to get more input and answer your questions. Details on that will follow in the coming days.

Washington needs to hear your best ideas about how to clamp down on rogue websites and other criminals who make money off the creative efforts of American artists and rights holders. We should all be committed to working with all interested constituencies to develop new legal tools to protect global intellectual property rights without jeopardizing the openness of the Internet. Our hope is that you will bring enthusiasm and know-how to this important challenge.

Moving forward, we will continue to work with Congress on a bipartisan basis on legislation that provides new tools needed in the global fight against piracy and counterfeiting, while vigorously defending an open Internet based on the values of free expression, privacy, security and innovation. Again, thank you for taking the time to participate in this important process. We hope you’ll continue to be part of it.

Victoria Espinel is Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget

Aneesh Chopra is the U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the President and Associate Director for Technology at the Office of Science and Technology Policy

Howard Schmidt is Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff

OK...it's official. 1 picture is worth 838 words.

     

 

[Carol Haynes]

Actually it doesn't say nothing ...

Let us be clear—online piracy is a real problem that harms the American economy, and threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle class workers and hurts some of our nation's most creative and innovative companies and entrepreneurs.  It harms everyone from struggling artists to production crews, and from startup social media companies to large movie studios. While we are strongly committed to the vigorous enforcement of intellectual property rights, existing tools are not strong enough to root out the worst online pirates beyond our borders. That is why the Administration calls on all sides to work together to pass sound legislation this year that provides prosecutors and rights holders new legal tools to combat online piracy originating beyond U.S. borders while staying true to the principles outlined above in this response.  We should never let criminals hide behind a hollow embrace of legitimate American values.

What it says is 'we have already made up our mind and irrespective of what the US population and the rest of the world want you can go F*** yourselves -Walllywood is more important than everyone else in the world - they say so themselves so it must be true'

[40hz]

Actually it doesn't say nothing ...
...
What it says is 'we have already made up our mind and irrespective of what the US population and the rest of the world want you can go F*** yourselves -Walllywood is more important than everyone else in the world - they say so themselves so it must be true'

-Carol Haynes (January 16, 2012, 07:34 AM)

Which is why I keep saying the only way America is going to save its entertainment industry is to stop consuming American films, TV, and music. Starving the monster to death is the only way to stop the nonsense.  So stop giving it your money - and more importantly, your attention. Walk away from it completely. Its only a matter of time before it dies and a new industry is born from the ashes. Y

But it needs to start somewhere  And you can start very simply: Stop feeding the Troll!  

[TaoPhoenix]

Latest Wrinkle:

Rep. Eric Cantor has "killed" / "put to sleep to awaken another day" the House SOPA bill. Currently the Senate PIPA bill is still live.

http://www.examiner....ver/house-kills-sopa

Let's presume the Senate copy goes to sleep too.

Is this that old trick of tiring us out with one round of protests then ridiculing us the next time when it re-emerges somewhere else?

[Renegade]

Actually it doesn't say nothing ...
...
What it says is 'we have already made up our mind and irrespective of what the US population and the rest of the world want you can go F*** yourselves -Walllywood is more important than everyone else in the world - they say so themselves so it must be true'

-Carol Haynes (January 16, 2012, 07:34 AM)

Which is why I keep saying the only way America is going to save its entertainment industry is to stop consuming American films, TV, and music. Starving the monster to death is the only way to stop the nonsense.  So stop giving it your money - and more importantly, your attention. Walk away from it completely. Its only a matter of time before it dies and a new industry is born from the ashes. Y

But it needs to start somewhere  And you can start very simply: Stop feeding the Troll!  

-40hz (January 16, 2012, 08:46 AM)

+1

Here's something to help people get started:

http://video.pbs.org/video/1461557530

Enjoy~!

[TaoPhoenix]

Hmm, just a wee bit off topic? I know my Dharma theory better than your average parrot, tho' t'is ages until I deserve to be called a student.

But how precisely do we apply the Dharma to saving the internet?

[Renegade]

Hmm, just a wee bit off topic? I know my Dharma theory better than your average parrot, tho' t'is ages until I deserve to be called a student.

But how precisely do we apply the Dharma to saving the internet?

-TaoPhoenix (January 16, 2012, 06:45 PM)

Oh - I meant that simply as an alternative to mainstream media. That specific topic isn't directly related to the topic of this thread.

40hz had said, "Stop feeding the Troll!" So, that's just one way that people can still watch something (perhaps with a bit more value even) and avoid feeding the troll.

There are many more out there. I think most people would be shocked at the amount of non-mainstream media (or alternative media) out there.

So, that's just one example to help people that don't see any alternative to the mainstream.

I've posted others above as well.



Now, for your question...   

But how precisely do we apply the Dharma to saving the internet?

-TaoPhoenix (January 16, 2012, 06:45 PM)

We can't eliminate desire, but we can adjust our desires for harmony. So, instead of desiring the poisoned fruit of the mainstream, we can remove that desire, and move our desires on to things that harmonize with saving the Internet.



You see? The Buddha even has lessons for us about the Internet. Pretty good for a fellow that was around 2,500 years ago!

나무아미타블관세음보살

[steeladept]

Does this mean I was just ahead of the curve?  My family and I haven't had TV (well rabbit ears only that don't work 75% of the time) at all for about 4 or 5 years now.  We cut cable completely about 3 years (no phone, no TV) and get internet through "DSL" (Not really, but it is a fibreoptic feed from the phone company so it is referred to as that).  Working to scratch that too, but I don't see cellular vendors providing a reasonable cost or speed on their service yet, so DSL is the only reasonably priced alternative at this time.

[40hz]

Does this mean I was just ahead of the curve?  My family and I haven't had TV (well rabbit ears only that don't work 75% of the time) at all for about 4 or 5 years now.  We cut cable completely about 3 years (no phone, no TV) and get internet through "DSL" (Not really, but it is a fibreoptic feed from the phone company so it is referred to as that).  Working to scratch that too, but I don't see cellular vendors providing a reasonable cost or speed on their service yet, so DSL is the only reasonably priced alternative at this time.

-steeladept (January 17, 2012, 01:28 AM)

I haven't watched network television for about 15 years now, so I can agree with where you're coming from. (I'm more the 'load a DVD' type.)

-----------

A short while ago, my GF cut her DirectTV subscription and got herself a Roku2 XS streaming player box. ($99. Supports HD - and includes a gratis copy of Angry Birds.) It connects via wifi to an inexpensive plain vanilla DSL connection from AT&T. She also has a Netflix account, which is what she bought the Roku for. (Guess she got tired of plugging in her laptop every time she wanted to watch a movie.)

The Roku works like a charm. None of the buffering timeouts you sometimes get watching movies on a laptop through a wifi connection. But what really turned out to be the 'big win' was discovering "channels" like Snagfilms, Openfilm, and other non-mainstream/non-studio video sites. Some pretty amazing stuff to be found out there.

The reason I mention this is to address Renegade's earlier points about how it is not really practical to completely eliminate the desire for video entertainment; and, just how good non-mainstream media can be.

Some math. Dropping her DirectTV account netted an approximate $170/mo. savings for a total of $2040 annually right off the top. Deduct $100 for the Roku and there's still almost $2000 left in her pocket.

In return she got: better picture quality, a much greater choice of programming, access to 'real' independent shows and video producers, 100% on-demand viewing - and a copy of Angry Birds.

She was debating getting a Hulu+ account to get access to regular TV programming. But so far she hasn't since she's happy with what she currently has. Even more interesting is how much her Netflix use has dropped off since she's discovered non-mainstream videos and movies.

So here's a good example of how you can (mostly) walk away from Hollywood and the networks, but still satisfy your TV jones. Maybe not as effective or dramatic as a total boycott of big media would be. But it's a step in the right direction. And enough to send the media cartel a message they're not the only game in town.

Even more important - it's doable for most people.

During the American Revolution, not every fighter was a full time member of the Continental Army. Many fought when necessary, or if called upon. But the rest of the time they took care of their family farms and businesses. You can revolt against big media the same way. It's not absolutely necessary for you to completely walk away from mainstream entertainment. Or totally boycott them.

All that's needed is for you to get extremely selective, and a bit more frugal, about how you spend your entertainment dollars.

With the bloated salaries and ridiculous budgets mainstream media operates under, it doesn't take much revenue loss before these people start to feel the pain. And get the message it's no longer business as usual.
 

[Renegade]

I had a laugh when a friend of mine said, "Seems like I can't buy anything online. Oh well. Pirate Bay it is!"

I'm paraphrasing, but he was referring to some TV show or movie. I forget which now.

@40 - Thanks for the OpenFilm and SnagFilms. They're looking pretty cool!

[Carol Haynes]

With the bloated salaries and ridiculous budgets mainstream media operates under, it doesn't take much revenue loss before these people start to feel the pain. And get the message it's no longer business as usual.

-40hz (January 17, 2012, 04:41 AM)

The trouble is they probably won't attribute it to people voting with their feet - they are so self important they are bound to put it down to more piracy and demand even more draconian action.

[40hz]

they probably won't attribute it to people voting with their feet - they are so self important they are bound to put it down to more piracy and demand even more draconian action.

-Carol Haynes (January 17, 2012, 06:24 AM)

No doubt they will.

All the more reason to hit hard, hit fast, and empty heir coffers as rapidly as possible.

"Save the internet"

Hard to buy political influence when you don't have the funds available for bribes campaign contributions.

Politicians will see which way the wind is blowing. And without a pot of gold to anchor their migrating loyalties to, they'll soon find new friends in new industries to bed down with. And demand request tribute contributions from.
 

[Stoic Joker]

[TaoPhoenix]

Once again Reddit with some Win.

They posted a technical analysis of the Seething Orange Pumpkin Abomination.

http://blog.reddit.c...ion-of-sopa-and.html

It's great when once you get the mood of the blockout, but you want to go the next step and need debate ammo.

[TaoPhoenix]

Can one of you Photo Gods re-do that Total Destruction picture into anti SOPA? That's the best pic I've seen yet.

[40hz]

Can one of you Photo Gods re-do that Total Destruction picture into anti SOPA? That's the best pic I've seen yet.

-TaoPhoenix (January 17, 2012, 01:50 PM)

"Save the internet"

[TaoPhoenix]

Haha! That's awesome!

P.S. What are the Official Rights to that?
Creative Commons Attribution? Public Domain?

* TaoPhoenix doesn't want to get in copyright infringement trouble copying an anti-copyright picture!

[40hz]

^It says motifake.com on the bottom. Best check with them.  

I've seen dozens of "demotivational" variants using that exact same image all over the web.  Good luck identifying who really owns it assuming anybody does.  Looks to me like somebody just photoshopped an old archived navy nuclear test photo.

[superboyac]

^It says motifake.com on the bottom. Best check with them. 

I've seen dozens of "demotivational" variants using that exact same image all over the web.  Good luck identifying who really owns it assuming anybody does.  Looks to me like somebody just photoshopped an old archived navy nuclear test photo.

-40hz (January 17, 2012, 05:00 PM)

Oh man...I sometimes get stuck reading an hour's worth of those demotivational things.  So funny.

[TaoPhoenix]

^It says motifake.com on the bottom. Best check with them.  

I've seen dozens of "demotivational" variants using that exact same image all over the web.  Good luck identifying who really owns it assuming anybody does.  Looks to me like somebody just photoshopped an old archived navy nuclear test photo.

-40hz (January 17, 2012, 05:00 PM)

Begin StraightMan Comedy

"Not Good Enough" - you made THAT. So you are the Rightsholder of First Recourse with your text and arrangement. So - what are YOUR license terms for your "derivative work"?  : )

THEN, once I have secured YOUR permission, I can go up the food chain. (Incidentally, I checked for 7 seconds, the site is really vague on licensing!)

See how much Copyright sux?

/End StraightMan

[TaoPhoenix]

Oh man...I sometimes get stuck reading an hour's worth of those demotivational things.  So funny.

-superboyac (January 17, 2012, 05:06 PM)

Nah, not "stuck" - you can learn more about life in an hour of reading those than an entire week of MainStream Media.