If you have even a passing interest in free speech or the future of the internet, you’ve probably been following developments to H.R. 3261, or the Stop Online Piracy Act, for the past couple months. The ironically-named bill seeks to massively expand the power of U.S. law enforcement and private corporations in fighting online copyright infringement. The proposed legislation is currently before the House Judiciary Committee, where they’re scheduled to continue debating its merits this month.
The future of the internet in America?
Regardless of your stance on piracy, copyright, intellectual property rights, etc — SOPA is completely idiotic. Here’s why:
Read more…
A Dutch architectural firm was forced to apologize for its design of twin luxury apartment buildings last month, after enraged Americans flooded them with death threats. The skyscrapers, planned for construction in South Korea, are dubbed “The Cloud” by their Dutch designers. The irregular structure that joins the two towers together at their midsections is meant to evoke visions of a wispy cloud, lazily floating by.
Instead, hoards of infuriated Americans saw a terrifying tribute to the horrors of 9/11. Naturally.
Read more…
… Amazon has you covered with these $1000+ beauties. They’re a whopping 3 feet in length and have plugs at both ends!
These babies make the ever-popular (internet whipping boy) Monster Cable brand
look like a positive bargain by comparison! Seriously though, I was positive that I was looking at a price mistake, but I was able to find the same brand HDMI cables at similar astronomical prices at Best Buy.
Read more…
A California marine biologist is facing more than 20 years in prison, and over half a million dollars in fines… for feeding a group of whales during a 2005 research trip.
I, for one, am certainly glad that the US Department of Justice and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could spare the resources to investigate this heinous crime. Illegal whale feeding is an unforgivable offense, and a known gateway to more serious crimes, such as dolphin riding.
In all seriousness, this is completely idiotic.
Read more…
Credit cards get a bad rap. The popular opinion is that they exist solely to bilk the public out of their hard-earned money, while lining the pocketbooks of the financial elite.
But that isn’t entirely fair — when used properly, credit cards can be a valuable personal finance tool. And while it is true that credit cards are indeed a mechanism for shifting wealth from the poor to the rich (or at least, the less poor), you have nobody to blame but yourself if you’re on the short end of that stick.
Read more…
Another misguided “repost this as your status” public-service message is making the rounds on Facebook again. Several of my computer-illiterate friends are cluttering news feeds with:
Hello FRIENDS! As you all know I like to keep my FB private except to those I am friends with. So if you all would do the following, I’d appreciate it. With the new FB timeline on its way this week for EVERYONE. . . please do both of us a favor: Hover over my name above. In a few seconds you’ll see a box that says “Subscribed”. Hover over that, then go to “Comments and Likes” and unclick it. That will stop my posts and yours to me from showing up on the side bar for everyone to see, but most importantly it limits hackers from invading our profiles. If you repost this I will do the same for you. You’ll know I’ve acknowledged you, because if you tell me that you’ve done it, I’ll “like” it
The posts are often accompanied by comments expressing outrage at Facebook’s wanton disregard for personal privacy, naturally. The issue, of course, is that the message is full of inaccuracies, and following it won’t accomplish much of anything.
Read more…
Explosively delicious!
A woman traveling to Las Vegas violated anti-terrorism regulations when she attempted to board an airplane with a pair of cupcakes this week.
Rebecca Hains was stopped by the TSA and informed that the “gel-like” icing on her delicious baked goods could potentially be used as an explosive, and was forced to surrender them. According to ABCNews.com, Hains had no trouble a few days earlier at Logan International airport in Boston, where TSA agents commented that the cupcakes looked delicious. Obviously, TSA agents in Las Vegas didn’t agree.
Read more…
Recent Comments