IN Bloom…
I must admit that I have once again ignored this site for too long… Life happens… well here is my update!
2012 is proving to be living up to expectations in terms of “life changing” at least for me. The ridiculously warm and comfortable winter has turned into a spring that not only blossomed the usual new life but also new opportunities in my own personal life.
World War Web…
Well it looks like the battle for freedom on the intertubes is only just beginning as not even a full day went by following January 18th's massive populist Anti-SOPA outcry and the US unleashed its first major attack on media pirates. Megaupload was shut down and its founder arrested in New Zealand. And then it gets interesting...
The "idea" hacktivists collectively referred to as Anonymous retaliated against the Megaupload site's demise by unleashing their largest attack to date on US government and media websites.
Its going to be very interesting how this plays out. TV media has a significant bias given that they strongly support SOPA and any anti-piracy action. The internet media, however, has an equal and opposite bias towards anti-SOPA as well as a very critical view on file-sharing legality issues.
Will this even make it to the general US public? Or will mainstream media saturate the news with more noise about Newt Gingrich's sex life?
I shall make some popcorn...
No SOPA For You…
Yesterday I was “on strike” to support the anti-SOPA movement by blacking out my websites and staying off the Internet during traditional work hours (no not a full 24 hrs due to the social nature of my personal time online). In fact, I wrote this blog entry on a notebook app for my Kindle Fire with my wireless still turned off.
I happen to be the kind of person that true anti-piracy laws should be designed to protect, as I have several published works that bring in royalties. I also write music, though not professionally, that requires protection in a world where it is all too easy to rip off “the little guy”. I have had to spend a great deal of time and effort going after blog farms and radio station websites that have ripped off my articles.
However, there are already plenty of laws on the books that protect me. SOPA, as it is written, does not strengthen these laws or even provide additional protection for me or any freelance intellectual property owners. SOPA, at its heart, only gives power to attempt to stop access to foreign websites accused of copyright violation. The worst part is that it puts the burden of proof on the defendant, not the accuser or prosecutor. This goes against the purpose of our American way of justice! Because of this, a potential abuse of the rights granted from SOPA could allow any competitor to shut down any site without any proof, leaving the defendant to have to challenge this in court while their site has been shut down. Only wealthy entities could afford a lengthy court battle while essentially being unable to make any money during this process.
Also, the terribly vague language within SOPA goes against its own purpose of protection against foreign site that are not under American law by allowing interpretations of SOPA to affect US websites that share links without proper permission. This could end social media as we know it. Youtube? Gone. News aggregators? Gone. The simple act of linking to fun websites or LoLcats for your Facebook friends? Gone.
Piracy is already illegal. I have had no problem in following the proper procedures required to get those who have stolen my intellectual property to cease and desist… and I don’t have a team of lawyers… I don’t a lawyer at all. The current laws would be protection enough without having to add a terrible over-reaching bill on top of them when the problem exists because current laws are sometimes difficult, but not impossible, to prosecute. The risks that SOPA creates in terms of censorship and abuses afforded by large corporations make this act of legislation dangerous to our American way of life. Our Freedom is under attack!
Thankfully today’s attempt at raising awareness has already delayed this bill that had been expected to sail right through to passing. This has been a true populist win, though not yet a complete victory until the bill has been killed completely.
The people DO have a voice! We may not have lobbyists on our bankroll. We may not have the power of money behind us. But we have the constitution on our side as well as the numbers when we all truly stand up together. I am proud of this fight against SOPA. A sleeping giant has been awakened and we cannot be silenced when we work together like this.
Lets show this ineffective Congress that we are mad as hell and are not gonna take it anymore!
Amazing…
Pricks, prudish, prissy little... puerile, unprecocious Yooper bastards like to pretend that we give a flying pasty about which words they think should be stricken from our language each year as they trumpet the 37th annual list of words and phrases that Lake Superior State University believes should be "banished" from the English language. This year they find fault with "amazing," "baby bump," "shared sacrifice," "occupy," "blowback," "man cave," "ginormous" and "the new normal."
They even go so far as to wish the term "man cave" be abolished simply because they, themselves, still have their testicles in a jar, on the hearth, under wifey's lock and key.
Well, I have lived a few years in the Sault Ste. Marie area... as Yoopers go, the Soo people are sort of like gay Canadians. I'll acknowledge their better than average driving skills -- something the maple leaf wavers are infamously awful at -- but when a Soo area migrant finds themselves in the wilds of the western UP, they quickly start acting like the twinkletoes Cannukleheads that they try so hard not to mirror.
Sorry, but the English language can be fun and exciting. It can even be "amazing" if you really get into it. This strange need to stiffen our upper lips and conform to exactly the same type of ostentatious language that our British fluffer-nutters abide by is just ridiculous. Ridiculous... thats another over-used word isn't it? Hell, even Anderson Cooper has the RidicuList. I bet you petulant prick-weeds at Lake State writhe in anguish at such a travesty bestowed upon the English language.
But it isn't just the frozen virgins up at Lake State... this is a disease that runs through much of the literary world. So many brilliant voices have been hushed simply because they didn't speak like the cool kids did. In an era when txt speak is becoming prevalent, Autocorrect is whacky, and people graduate college while still sounding like absolute morons... THIS is not the way to continue our great written language.
English, as opposed to Latin, is a living, breathing language... it adapts as we adapt. It evolves as we evolve. Just as our society has taken off the many layers of Victorian attire so too must our language grow as casual. Now, certainly there must be some rules, standards, and rationality. I am shocked at how awful the average American's spelling and reading have become. But that is where our focus should be... not by alienating the ever growing and constantly changing tides of public usage... but by adapting to the way the populace speaks. Hopefully this encourages more people to take their words seriously. Lets bring art back into the artistry of language!
Should We Really Fear the Debt Crisis?
A Game of Chicken
The game of Chicken pits two opposing forces in a head-to-head path with the winning goal being to NOT be the one that finally yields to the other. Of course, the worst possible outcome would be if neither side yields and they collide. The side with the least to lose and the most to gain has the advantage.
About the Wordherder
I am a 33 yr old freelance writer, website developer, perpetual student, arbiter of silliness, aficionado of cheese, and proud owner of a beautiful mini-dachshund named Carrera.
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