Help Stop Online Censorship

[CujoSR]

I know this is off topic but the implications of the two bills currently being passed around the Senate and Congress could have lasting effects on this site and the internet in general. Please take a few minutes to read the information on the attached link and send a letter to your congressman urging them not to pass either of these ridiculous laws.

http://americancensorship.org/
http://fightforthefuture.org/pipa/


http://americancensorship.org/infographic.png (http://americancensorship.org/)

[Big Wallaby]

I have not read the articles you linked to (yet), but the idea that the government could simply pull the plug on a website that either they don't like, or a website that someone else accuses of having illegal information (not that it has to) is simply ridiculous. That means that if Board X wanted to shut us down, they just make the accusation that we are running torrents or something. This is government overstepping their bounds. It's getting close to time to go out and get pitchforks and torches and head on out to Washington, D.C. Whoops, we could probably be shut down if this stuff passes for me having said that.

Let me put it bluntly: If this passes, the First Amendment will be dead. If that happens, I'll be moving to Australia or Hong Kong. At this point, based on various factors, one website ranks eight other nations as being more free than the United States. Counting down to the freest, that's

8. Denmark
7. Ireland
6. Canada
5. Switzerland
4. New Zealand
3. Australia
2. Singapore
1. Hong King.

If this bill passes, my guess would be that we will earn a spot much farther away from that number 1 slot.

When your government uses any, ANY MEANS to tell you what you can and cannot say, the accurate term is "tyranny". :mad:

[hobie16]

1. Hong King.
I went to school with his brother Bill.

[Main Streeter]

When your government uses any, ANY MEANS to tell you what you can and cannot say, the accurate term is "tyranny". :mad:Didn't we all know the government would somehow become involved & use their power to in someway control the internet? Washington is full of corruption & greed, thus only logical they go where the majority of the populace can be captured. Well thought out & written BW, as always.:)

[Shorty82]

I just emailed my Senators and Congressman and urge every other person on this site, active posters and lurkers alike, to do the same.

You can find the contact for your Congressman here (https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml), simply select your state from the drop down box and put in your ZIP +4 in the proper blanks.

You can the contacts for your Senators here (http://www.senate.gov/). In the top right corner click the drop down box labeled "Find your Senators" and choose your state from the list.

[Mr. D.]

That means that if Board X wanted to shut us down, they just make the accusation that we are running torrents or something.


And what's wrong with torrents? Blocking torrent sites is censorship.

[ktulu]

And what's wrong with torrents? Blocking torrent sites is censorship.

Is blocking spam censorship?

[Mr. D.]

Is blocking spam censorship?

Well, since spam is unsolicited, it would not fall under the same.

No one is "spaming" you with torrents. They are made available to people that wan to search for them.


But since you brought it up, Spam and junk mail should be blocked. If I have a notice on my door "No soliciting" how then can the post office legally send me junk mail?

[ktulu]

Well, as far as postal mailings go, the burden of cost is with the sender, with email, it is with the end users provider.

Torrents, if it was mostly used for legitimate transfers, and not piracy, then they wouldn't be that big of an issue. I suspect that when most providers go to a metered service it may change user's habits in regards to that stuff.

[darph nader]

I'll do what I can,but one of our congressmen hasn't been to work in almost a year and the other one is storming around the country on his own personal agenda about immigration. :mad:

[CujoSR]

I'll do what I can,but one of our congressmen hasn't been to work in almost a year...
Getting shot in the head has that effect on people.

[felinefan]

Just got an email reply from Dianne Feinstein. She says the bill actually is aimed at internet piracy, not everyday users. She admits that the bill needs some work on it, but the First Amendment would not be affected.

[CujoSR]

Just got an email reply from Dianne Feinstein. She says the bill actually is aimed at internet piracy, not everyday users. She admits that the bill needs some work on it, but the First Amendment would not be affected.Here's the problem with both bills. Each one gives Copyright holders the power to erase the DNS entry to a website on US servers. The DNS is basically like the white pages of the internet. When you type in an address (Like Stupidguesttricks.com) the DNS server reroutes your traffic to the appropriate IP Address (72.249.65.228).
This bill allows copyright holders to remove these DNS entries without Due Process. Due process is an important term here. If, for example, Somebody posted an innocent link to someone (outside the US) selling Name tags, or Costumes or some such that Disney didn't like, Disney would have the right to have our DNS entry pulled and we would have essentially no recourse. While this is a worst case scenario it is entirely possible.
So the question is do you trust rights holders to properly investigate each and every link and act with common sense and fair play? Because they have obviously done so in the past... NOT!

[delsdad]

Time to open up an offshore dns service. They could be driving traffic right to it ! Just sell a few banner ads on a portal page...

[CujoSR]

Take a look at this article if you don't believe me.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/12/umg-we-have-the-right-to-block-or-remove-youtube-videos.ars

[delsdad]

Take a look at this article if you don't believe me.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/12/umg-we-have-the-right-to-block-or-remove-youtube-videos.ars

I don't understand how the article relates to the use of DBS removal orders to "hide" or make a site vanish.

I can understand how YouTube would agree with a large copyright holder to allow that holder to wipe the content owned by them from YouTube. No different thn Disney taking down a copy of Tangled posted by a user.
As someone who earns his living from the creation of copywrighted material, I feel that the owner of that material deserves to have some say in removing it from you tube or any other sharing site.

When I do a film, I can choose to get a large fee up front, or a smaller fee with residuals. I've never taken the residuals, but many do. A friend who did stunt work on many films took the residuals, and now that he is off work with a serious injury, those residuals are keeping him afloat. But if no one paid for the movies, there would bento money to trickle down to him. It's only a small amount each time a movie airs on tv, but thanks to the magic of networks needing filler material, and in fight showings, it still pays, years later.

There are some who think that buying or obtaining one copy of a cd or film entitles them to distribute it or sell copies. Those peopleareruining it for people who want to see a mash up of star wars set to clips of dark side of the moon (just imagine!). And as a big corporation, you tube has to play ball with he lawyers, or risk being sued in oblivion.

But a distinction needs to bemade between copywrighted material, and opinions. Consider a band just releasing a newsong on cd. Bobby buys the cd. If they don't want Bobby posting their tune, that is fine. But if Bobby writes a lousy reviewoftheir tune, theycantdo anything about it. It is Bobby's opinion. If he post it on their website, or one that they control, they might delete the review. But if he posts his review on his blog, or even here, the band should have no say. Under Canadian law he could even include a small sample (30 seconds max) of the material if the review was in the form of an audio or video blog I understand. That is why when news crews cover a concert or a play opening, the never air more than 30 seconds of footage. There are people who actually time it, and sometimes a network gets caught. It can be very expensive.

[CujoSR]

Sorry Delsdad. My last comment and link to the article was in addtioin to this part of my post:So the question is do you trust rights holders to properly investigate each and every link and act with common sense and fair play? Because they have obviously done so in the past... NOT!I have No problem with copyright holders asking for infringing content to be taken down. These protections are already part of law in the DMCA. The issue I have is both the Protect IP act and SOPA have very broad definitions as to what they can do. SOPA in particular can effectively remove a website without the injured party ever stepping inside a courtroom. One day SGT (or for that matter, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, etc.) could just be gone. I support Artist's rights. I support Copyright. But I do not support this.

[Amphigorey]

Just got an email reply from Dianne Feinstein. She says the bill actually is aimed at internet piracy, not everyday users. She admits that the bill needs some work on it, but the First Amendment would not be affected.

Yeah... she's wrong. There's so much wrong with both SOPA and PIPA that they need to be scrapped entirely, not just "worked on."

[Big Wallaby]

Just got an email reply from Dianne Feinstein. She says the bill actually is aimed at internet piracy, not everyday users. She admits that the bill needs some work on it, but the First Amendment would not be affected.This from the same government that for the last ninety-eight years has been pushing things through to take away freedom any chance they get. It doesn't matter who is in office or which office they are in. This is a huge problem, way beyond democrat or republican issues (that's all a horse and pony show anyway). This is a perfect way to make it so that free speech is ended. The idea of ending information piracy is a good one. The problem with the bills is that they are worded that if someone was to accuse us of hosting illegal files or file sharing, they merely need to make the accusation and without any fact-checking by the people who have the power to make it happen.

The language in the bill, even if it was never used as it possibly can be, is against everything that the United States once stood for.

[delsdad]

This from the same government that for the last ninety-eight years has been pushing things through to take away freedom any chance they get. It doesn't matter who is in office or which office they are in. This is a huge problem, way beyond democrat or republican issues (that's all a horse and pony show anyway). This is a perfect way to make it so that free speech is ended. The idea of ending information piracy is a good one. The problem with the bills is that they are worded that if someone was to accuse us of hosting illegal files or file sharing, they merely need to make the accusation and without any fact-checking by the people who have the power to make it happen.

The language in the bill, even if it was never used as it possibly can be, is against everything that the United States once stood for.

Doesn't your constitution protect you against such things? Since this would amount to unreasonable search and seizure, or guilty without a trial ? Here it would be challenged, successfully, as unconstitutional .

[Zazu]

Doesn't your constitution protect you against such things? Since this would amount to unreasonable search and seizure, or guilty without a trial ? Here it would be challenged, successfully, as unconstitutional .

Our constitution only protects us from such things if we file suit and pay to have the matter considered by our Supreme Court. T'ain't cheap.

The good news is that this has the potential to piss off enough people that we'll be able to afford the cost of the trials.

It's also going to be a boon for offshore DNS services; I'm signing up as soon as the bill passes.

[ktulu]

It will affect where the root servers are as well. Everything related to DNS will get pushed out of the US, not good.

Soon it'll be a BGP community that we must all support to take down an IP...

[kurtisnelson]

Soon it'll be a BGP community that we must all support to take down an IP...
Over my and the whole internet's dead body.

[TdcOgre]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJIuYgIvKsc

An interesting take on what started the whole P2P thing.

Anyone here see how Rep. Paul Ryan caved into a campaign by Reddit users over SOPA?

http://mashable.com/2012/01/09/paul-ryan-sopa/

To me that's one down and 434 to go.

[Big Wallaby]

Doesn't your constitution protect you against such things? *snicker* It does, when you get government officials to whom the Constitution matters. So far by my count, there could be two of 'em, and those two never make it to Washington. No, I don't mean Washington State.

[Lasolimu]

Isn't the Constitution that thing that's written on the toilet paper in government buildings? :confused:

[Big Wallaby]

No, Lasolimu. If they put it on the toilet paper, the Constitution would then mean too much to them. They would actually find it too useful for the things they do.

[Shorty82]

If there's anything on Wikipedia you want to look up you better look it up soon. At 05:00 UTC Wednesday (12:00 Eastern, 21:00 Pacific (Tuesday)) the English-language Wikipedia will be blacked out for 24 hours in protest of the SOPA and Protect IP Acts. You can find information on this black out here (http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia_anti-SOPA_blackout).

[WEDFan]

I just saw that the administartion has come out against the acts. I didn't read the article, just caught the headline. I'll have to check out the full thing later.

[WEDFan]

Sorry for the double post, but I read the article and it was beyond the time I could edit my original post.

Here is a like to the White House response to two online petitions concerning SOPA et al:

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition-tool/response/combating-online-piracy-while-protecting-open-and-innovative-internet

[felinefan]

MSN had a poll asking about people's feelings about it, and 51% didn't know what it was, second largest number was against it, followed by for it and finally no opinion.

[Shorty82]

MSN had a poll asking about people's feelings about it, and 51% didn't know what it was, second largest number was against it, followed by for it and finally no opinion.

And that right there is one of the biggest problems with this country. Way to many people have no idea what is going on in government nor what laws our lawmakers are trying to pass and how they affect us. I admit I don't pay enough attention to what's going on myself.

[CujoSR]

And that right there is one of the biggest problems with this country. Way to many people have no idea what is going on in government nor what laws our lawmakers are trying to pass and how they affect us. I admit I don't pay enough attention to what's going on myself.That's why I felt it was important to mention it here. Both acts have gotten absolutely zero play in the mass media. I only found out about it because I follow Tech News Today almost religiously (Thank you TWiT App on Android). I however believe that this is an important issue and the least I could do is bring it up here.

[CujoSR]

This.... Is... Brilliant...
http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-only-argument-internet-in-favor-sopa/

[hobie16]

Wikipedia is going lights out tomorrow to protest SOPA.

[Main Streeter]

Just saw Google. Really cool black/gray wide strip across in support. VERY COOL. ok, am sooo blonde,:o: can/will you post Google site for me hobie?

[shilohmm]

Mozilla (Firefox) has an announcement about SOPA when you log on, as well. :cool:

[Shorty82]

Mozilla (Firefox) has an announcement about SOPA when you log on, as well. :cool:

It didn't for me. I did leave Firefox open overnight but I just closed and reopened it and nothing.

[WEDFan]

Here's what I thought was a pretty good summary of where things stand now:

Washington Post - Ezra Klein (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/five-reasons-the-internets-still-protesting-sopa-and-pipa/2012/01/18/gIQAbDG67P_blog.html)

[WEDFan]

Just saw this. Made my day. :p:

The Day the LOLCats Died (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p-TV4jaCMk)

[shilohmm]

It didn't for me. I did leave Firefox open overnight but I just closed and reopened it and nothing.

Maybe it's only there if you have the right homepage? It did take a minute to come up -- I missed it the first time, just caught a glimpse as it was pulling up the pages I'd had when I closed it down, and so I had to close it and reboot to see it. :p: But it also doesn't give me the pages I had up the night before until I tell it to, which was not the way it worked on my last computer, so maybe I have a different version.

[Shorty82]

Maybe it's only there if you have the right homepage? It did take a minute to come up -- I missed it the first time, just caught a glimpse as it was pulling up the pages I'd had when I closed it down, and so I had to close it and reboot to see it. :p: But it also doesn't give me the pages I had up the night before until I tell it to, which was not the way it worked on my last computer, so maybe I have a different version.

I found it using Google, seems they changed the Mozilla.org (http://www.mozilla.org/) homepage. The direct link to the page is here (http://www.mozilla.org/sopa), just in case anyone checks out this thread after they change their homepage back to normal. As I don't use the default homepage I missed it.

Using an Add-on, such as Session Manager (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/session-manager/), you can have Firefox save your session when you close the browser and have them brought back up automatically when you reopen the browser.

[Big Wallaby]

Welcome back to access to SGT everyone. We've missed you.

Imagine one day you log onto SGT and a screen like that pops up, except it's not Cujo who made it happen as a demonstration, it's the government and they've shut us down because some person or company claimed that we had something defamatory or copyrighted.

Not on my watch. If it happens, I am moving to a freer country, like China.

[hobie16]

Just saw Google. Really cool black/gray wide strip across in support. VERY COOL. ok, am sooo blonde,:o: can/will you post Google site for me hobie?
https://www.google.com/logos/2012/sopa12_hp.png

[Main Streeter]

https://www.google.com/logos/2012/sopa12_hp.pnghobie = Man of many talents and Always helps blondes. :cool: Thank you. :) I was trying to set up my iPhone half the day. Epic fail. Should have called you. ;)

[ktulu]

hobie = Man of many talents and Always helps blondes. :cool: Thank you. :) I was trying to set up my iPhone half the day. Epic fail. Should have called you. ;)

I thought I saw a few jealous glances from you when mrs ktulu and i would pull out our iPhones ;)

[shilohmm]

I was here on STG yesterday and didn't see anything special. :confused:


Using an Add-on, such as Session Manager (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/session-manager/), you can have Firefox save your session when you close the browser and have them brought back up automatically when you reopen the browser.

Yah, I figured I could get that back if I fiddled with it, since it did it before. But I have developed the habit of clearing the deck before shutting down anyhow, so this time I'm not motivated enough to bother. :p:

[Main Streeter]

I thought I saw a few jealous glances from you when mrs ktulu and i would pull out our iPhones ;)A few? A FEW?? You both just caught a minor few jealous glances? You didn't see me look over your shoulder or stand beside you & drool & marvel? :confused: My mistake was not ordering the iphone before you arrived. You could have done everything for me. Think that is known as Epic Fail to the enth degree. My friend took pity on me & offered to help me. My retort; "you try to touch my new cell & you will need more than a 3 week vacation!" ;)

[ktulu]

A few? A FEW?? You both just caught a minor few jealous glances? You didn't see me look over your shoulder or stand beside you & drool & marvel? :confused: My mistake was not ordering the iphone before you arrived. You could have done everything for me. Think that is known as Epic Fail to the enth degree. My friend took pity on me & offered to help me. My retort; "you try to touch my new cell & you will need more than a 3 week vacation!" ;)

Thankfully the iPhone is easy to setup and use! I could have done it while riding things like Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, but not the Matterhorn, only because it is closed...

[hobie16]

I've still got my v1 Razr. :D:

[hobie16]

Harry Reid sez:

“In light of recent events, I have decided to postpone Tuesday’s vote on the PROTECT I.P. Act.

“There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved. Counterfeiting and piracy cost the American economy billions of dollars and thousands of jobs each year, with the movie industry alone supporting over 2.2 million jobs. We must take action to stop these illegal practices. We live in a country where people rightfully expect to be fairly compensated for a day’s work, whether that person is a miner in the high desert of Nevada, an independent band in New York City, or a union worker on the back lots of a California movie studio.

“I admire the work that Chairman Leahy has put into this bill. I encourage him to continue engaging with all stakeholders to forge a balance between protecting Americans’ intellectual property, and maintaining openness and innovation on the internet. We made good progress through the discussions we’ve held in recent days, and I am optimistic that we can reach a compromise in the coming weeks.”

[WEDFan]

Harry Reid sez: (abbreviated)
“Counterfeiting and piracy cost the American economy billions of dollars and thousands of jobs each year, with the movie industry alone supporting over 2.2 million jobs. ”Of course, he is using a statement that is highly questioned by economists. First, the figure put forward by the entertainment industry is basically [Estimated Units Pirated] * [SRP]. Right off the bat, the average price would be lower between normal discounts and liquidation prices. Second, it assumes that everyone who pirates a copy would buy one if the illegal option did not exist. Who believes that to be true? Finally, whatever the lost dollars are, they are not lost to "the American Economy." The money not spent on media is undoubtedly spent in other sectors of the economy such as getting pizza and beer to have while you watch your bootlegged movie. :toast: The loss to the entertainment industy is the gain of other ones.

As far as costing thousands of jobs, there is no evidence that the entertainment industry is creating any less content because of pirating. They are filling all the possible channels. I suppose there might be a few jobs involved in manufacturing if eliminating piracy created so much more demand that the had to manufacture twice as many discs.

It's just plain sloppy to simply accept the claims from the entertainment industry and ignore the response of economists. Mind you, I think piracy is wrong and I believe copyright holders have the right to sell their materials in whatever way and for whatever amount they want. I just hate to see legislation that will harm the first amendment rights of millions of people justified with false, sloppy facts.

Oops. :soap: Dang, I seem to have gotten up here again! :o:

Oh well, at least it will be studied more. Gives it more time to get right or die.

[DisneyMom]

A few? A FEW?? You both just caught a minor few jealous glances? You didn't see me look over your shoulder or stand beside you & drool & marvel? :confused: My mistake was not ordering the iphone before you arrived. You could have done everything for me. Think that is known as Epic Fail to the enth degree. My friend took pity on me & offered to help me. My retort; "you try to touch my new cell & you will need more than a 3 week vacation!" ;)

This explains Ktulu's wet shirt!;)
Does the iPhone get good reception all over DLR? Hubby nearly divorced me last trip cuz we couldn't connect. We made a plan to meet at the Flagpole if THAT ever happened again!:o:

[ktulu]

This explains Ktulu's wet shirt!;)
Does the iPhone get good reception all over DLR? Hubby nearly divorced me last trip cuz we couldn't connect. We made a plan to meet at the Flagpole if THAT ever happened again!:o:

AT&T isn't too bad, can't comment on the others. Poor Mr. DisneyMom, he wasn't feeling good AND there was the phone problems. I was glad to see we all made it though :)

[DisneyMom]

AT&T isn't too bad, can't comment on the others. Poor Mr. DisneyMom, he wasn't feeling good AND there was the phone problems. I was glad to see we all made it though :)

Thanks,will consider AT&T:)

[hobie16]

Thanks,will consider AT&T:)
You can't go wrong with the Death Star company. ;)

[Zazu]

I've still got my v1 Razr. :D:

What, you mean my Razr isn't still state-of-the-art?!? :eek:

[hobie16]

What, you mean my Razr isn't still state-of-the-art?!? :eek:
They're in the classic masters series. :cool:

[Main Streeter]

Thankfully the iPhone is easy to setup and use! I could have done it while riding things like Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, but not the Matterhorn, only because it is closed...Oh pfffftt.:p: Yet I do believe you. Requested an ADO today just to try & out smart my iPhone. Might help if I read the instructions, but that's not my style.

hobie, I figured you still had your beloved Razr.:D: Droid has a Razr now if you are a real Razr fan. At some point you & Zazu must come into the new century.

DisneyMom, most of my friends have Verizon & we have no trouble backstage. Verizon to Verizon is most economical for me & i have been with the company for years so have my Loyalty whatever they call it. I don't have trouble when playing in the park, yet you realize I usually only txt & send pix.

[Main Streeter]

They're in the classic masters series. :cool:
Just like YOU & Zazu are! :cool: You were fishing for this. I know it! ;)

[hobie16]

You were fishing for this. I know it! ;)
How could you even think such a thing? :eek:

[shilohmm]

Oops. :soap: Dang, I seem to have gotten up here again! :o:


I pretty much agreed with everything you said. :)

Salman Khan's take on things:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tzqMoOk9NWc

Even though he mentions the fact that producers can contest stuff right now (i.e., that there's already laws in place to protect them), someone replies:

say what you will, even though I dont like where such a law may lead to myself, in the end I gotta admit its only fair.

I'm thinking their definition of fair is "the right people get to be bullies." :rolleyes:

[felinefan]

Another survey on MSN showed most people still aren't sure about what's going on, but there was a significant number who supported shooting down these two bills. I tried logging on here, got the protest banner. Tried ICHC, same deal. I'm going over there in a bit to see what's happened since.

[Main Streeter]

How could you even think such a thing? :eek:Cuz you are guys & I am not stupid ;) plus I wanted to read your comeback post. :D:

[Big Wallaby]

You were fishing for this.Nothing wrong with fishing. There is nothing in the world like that first glimpse of the fish you got on the line. And then the moment when you bring it aboard the boat and have to walk over to the head to whack it.

[Shorty82]

Nothing wrong with fishing. There is nothing in the world like that first glimpse of the fish you got on the line. And then the moment when you bring it aboard the boat and have to walk over to the head to whack it.

There's everything wrong with fishing! Fish are friends, not food! :D:

[delsdad]

There's everything wrong with fishing! Fish are friends, not food! :D:

Yummy, tasty friends... :bruce:

[Main Streeter]

Nothing wrong with fishing. There is nothing in the world like that first glimpse of the fish you got on the line. And then the moment when you bring it aboard the boat and have to walk over to the head to whack it.Too late for me BW. I have no bright comeback.:o: Cept it's a typical guy post && you are not typical. Not in my book.:)

[avengador1]

Here is an interesting article on why the government wants control of the internet.
http://godfatherpolitics.com/3293/why-the-government-must-control-the-internet/
It wasn’t too long ago that that we had three sources of national news: ABC, CBS, and NBC. Print media were limited to the daily newspaper and national news magazines like Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report. No more.

The media gatekeepers are few and far between today. The last gate – the biggest gate – is the internet. If it can’t be controlled, the people can’t be controlled. That’s why governments around the world are working to implement ways to control it. A nation like China just does it, but here in the United States the pretense of a legitimate legal remedy must be found.


Read more at the link.
Those who give up liberty for security have neither.

[Big Wallaby]

Those who give up liberty for security have neither.And further get what they deserve.

[felinefan]

I think government has gone too far in that they tell us how to light our homes. Those stupid compact fluorescent bulbs are expensive, you can't read without eyestrain under them, and they're toxic waste when you have to throw them away. We use CFs at home, and they burn out incredibly fast. Of course, they were used ones we were given, but still I think that claim of a five year life is a huge load of used horse feed.
There's a lightbulb in a firehouse up north that has been burning steadily, with few interruptions, for 110 years, and it's an incandescent. And it's not the only one, either. It's only the 100 watt bulbs that are being phased out. So why don't they give people a choice in whether they want to continue using incandescent or CF? And when you don't have heat in your home like we do, regular heat-emitting lightbulbs can provide heat.
And as for TV, I honestly don't see a major difference between non-HD and HD. They're just trying to make us cough up more money at a time when nobody has it. People have got to put their foot down; the Occupy Movement is a start, but we need to let our voices be heard even louder.

[Mayonnaise]

*Blinks.* Feline, you can still use incandescent if you like. There's no law that says otherwise. Like you said, they only banned the 100 watt ones. The Low Wattage ones are still out there. They're just harder to find because CFL is more popular.

Also if your CFLs are burning out faster than your incandescents did... you gotta check your wiring. Something's not right.

8^/

[Big Wallaby]

My problem with the CFL has to do with my training as a hypnotist. Certain frequencies of light flicker can cause all sorts of interesting reactions within the human body. Any sort of strobe effect over enough time can have interesting effects.

[DisneyMom]

My problem with the CFL has to do with my training as a hypnotist. Certain frequencies of light flicker can cause all sorts of interesting reactions within the human body. Any sort of strobe effect over enough time can have interesting effects.

This was why Disco was so bad for us!:D:

[WEDFan]

Just tried out some LED lights. I'm finding I like them. Turned to them in the first place because they are dimmable, unlike (most) CFL. I also liked the fact that they're not toxic waste. They tend to be more directional so there are applciations where they don't work well, and they are more expensive, but I can abosrb the initial expense and I know that they will save money in the long run.

Feline, as Mayonaise said, CFLs burning out fast is worrisome. You're not using them in 3-way or dimmed fixtures are you? That will kill the bulbs and also presents a fire hazard. Also, using light bulbs for heat is very expensive. You'd be kinder to your electric bill if you picked up a small, inexpensive heater.

[avengador1]

And as for TV, I honestly don't see a major difference between non-HD and HD. They're just trying to make us cough up more money at a time when nobody has it.

You need an HDTV to see the difference. It's like night and day. You can see things on HDTV that you won't on a regular TV, like facial wrinkles, age spots, stains on clothing, metal flake paint, etc. The clarityand detail is just that much higher. Get a set that supports 1080i and is larger than 20 in. diag. I have a 37 in one in my room and can see the crows feet around Flo's (Progressive's sales lady) eyes. ;)

[Lasolimu]

I didn't think I could see a difference between standard and HD until I sat down with an HD TV with the same show on a feed for both and kept switching between them to compare.

[felinefan]

No, not using them on dimmer or 3 way switches, just regular overhead lighting. The house is 100 years old and has had work done on it, though the plumbing could be better--way better. Of course it would really help if the people renting the rooms in the rest of the house wouldn't flush garbage down the toilets, too. Whenever we've had a sewage overflow, the people in the rest of the house are to blame.
And why on earth would I want to/need to see someone's wrinkles, etc.? Makeup artists spend hours making TV performers look their best, and HDTV wrecks that.

[delsdad]

And when you don't have heat in your home like we do, regular heat-emitting lightbulbs can provide heat. .

:marvin: "Lovely heaters, but why are they so bright ?? http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EwpTx3J72KE/TVt5-ptdaEI/AAAAAAAAADE/kXF0D3wEnaA/s1600/light+bulb.jpg

[felinefan]

Actually, we have several space heaters, but there are times they don't spread the heat around too well. The house has floor registers, but there's no heat--it's possible the thermostat is in the other part of the house that is broken up into rooms, but if that's true why aren't the other tenants using it? Perhaps the furnace is out of whack or something. Our apartment is the only one with laundry and a kitchen; the rest of the house is bedrooms and 1 or 2 bathrooms.

[WEDFan]

Bumping this thread to bring people's attention to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).

Some are calling it SOPA 2.0, but it really isn't. In fact, it isn't about censorship or inteleetual property, but rather is about the sharing of information between the government and Web companies. I haven't read enough at this point to have a final opinion, and in general I don't have a problem with some of the goals, but there are a couple of things I have heard (not confirmed) that make me a little nervous.

The basic goal is to share informationi norder to combat cyber-terrorism. Two potential problems I have heard: 1) there is no definition of what information will be shared, so it can include private information ordinarily protected; 2) there is a a blanket FOI exemption so you can't determine what information has been shared.

Does anybody have more detailed information? Also, what do people think?

[avengador1]

Here is what someone is doing about this.
http://www.infopackets.com/news/internet/2012/20120417_new_web_provider_to_defend_against_govt_snoopi ng.htm

[Zazu]

Bumping this thread to bring people's attention to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).

Does anybody have more detailed information? Also, what do people think?

I'm opposed to it. The privacy invasion is exceedingly broad, and does not appear to have any connection to restricting terrorist activity, much less a proportional relationship. Secret courts can already issue subpoenas to collect this data when there's probable cause.

There also seems to be an inadequate definition of "Internet Service Provider", which might be broad enough to include SGT or your Facebook page, though I've heard conflicting reports on this point.

It is opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Freedom Foundation, the Constitution Project, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and over 470,000 Internet users who have signed an online petition.

More details and links to the actual bills online at Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Intelligence_Sharing_and_Protection_Act).

[WEDFan]

One of the interesting (not necessarily in a good way) things about CISPA as opposed to SOPA and PIPA is that many of the large Web companies are happy tih it. They fought the previous ones because it would impact them, but for CISPA it can actually make their lives easier. It basically frees them from any liability for sharing your information with the government.

So no big shutdowns of Facebook or others is likely to come in protest to this one.

BTW, Zazu, the only secret courts I know of for this kind of thing are the ones installed under FISA which still require a foreign connection, iinm. The Patriot Acts I and II circumvent the need for courts at all, as would CISPO.

[felinefan]

There's a news item on Yahoo that says folks could lose their internet connection in July. Some Estonians put phony servers on the Web, and put malware on hundreds of thousands of personal computers worldwide. The FBI caught them, put new servers online to correct the damage, and they have a site where your computer can be checked for this malware and cleaned.

Story: http://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-thousands-may-lose-internet-july-181324701-finance.html

Site to check and clean your computer: http://www.dcwg.org

[ktulu]

There's a news item on Yahoo that says folks could lose their internet connection in July. Some Estonians put phony servers on the Web, and put malware on hundreds of thousands of personal computers worldwide. The FBI caught them, put new servers online to correct the damage, and they have a site where your computer can be checked for this malware and cleaned.

Story: http://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-thousands-may-lose-internet-july-181324701-finance.html

Site to check and clean your computer: http://www.dcwg.org

DNS Changer. I know a guy involved in aspects of the investigation/bust. Fun stuff...

[felinefan]

I finally got through the site, and seconds later, my netbook was declared clean! Good to know!:D: