Well, this isn’t good. WikiLeaks has a load of documents pertaining to governments’ efforts to spy on us and everyone else. Ars Technica does a great job of breaking it down, too, speaking towards some of the devices and methods for the activity. On the whole it’s a Pandora’s box of shit, and it seems unlikely much will be done to reverse the tide. In any case, as G.I. Joe says, knowing is half the battle, and the fact that the information is out is, in my mind, a huge leap towards better futures.
Category Archives: World/Local
End of Suburbia
Great movie, from 2004. The movie starts off describing the ascent of the suburban life, from promises to World War 2 veterans to subsidies pushed by the oil and automotive industries. It never made that much sense to me as to why everything was always so spread out.
A lot of the movie is then about America’s dependence on oil, and high, unsustainable amounts of energy. Peak oil plays a big role in the discussion, with a number of authors pulling in their thoughts. More than one of these predicted an economic decline, which certainly has hit and is with us today. While the discussion of the depression is now mostly about the financial industries, it is hard to decouple our energy trends and policies from our economic woes.
At less than 80 minutes, the End of Suburbia is a great ride, and provides a good balance of information within its themes.
Shame: 29 companies backing SOPA
29 Tech Companies Back SOPA. Cannot believe it. I am really hopeful that the act will not pass, though with efforts like these it’s going to be tough. Thanks to @hendler for the link.
Fight for free speech online – reject the Internet #Blacklist Legislation. https://eff.org/r.C8A via @eff.
$16 Trillion in Bailouts
Audit report, from Unelected. Good lord. Citigroup is the largest recipient, though there is a full report with a whole lot of numbers.
Big Content vs. Safe Harbor
Ars breaks down SOPA. I’m not a big fan of the DMCA, but what’s interesting is how the media giants are pushing towards further and more powerful restrictions. The Stop Online Piracy Act does not seem like a positive improvement for society, and I hate to think where such legislation will lead down the road.
As quoth Wikipedia, the Protect IP Act, of which SOPA, AKA E-PARASITES are revisions, generally is looking to put the responsibility for copyright infringement on the content providers. As is, the “safe harbor” allows YouTube to not be responsible for the actions of its users; YouTube gets an infringement request and its dealt with at that point. Eliminating that provision seems like it would make the Internet a bit impossible. I cannot imagine, as a site provider, having to bear the cost of supervising every action of its users.
Fight for the Future has a short and sweet video, along with a form letter for Congress.
NPR: Poisoned Places
Poisoned Places Map from NPR. Spooky, and wonderfully done. Thanks to @bentmatches for the heads up.