A Blog By Any Other Name…

In the news, Twitter is starting to look like they might not support free speech as much these days:

Tweets still must flow
http://blog.twitter.com/2012/01/tweets-still-must-flow.html

I don’t know about you, but it seems kind of squirmy and weaselly. Yes sure, it’s a half loaf in that they don’t have to make a tweet disappear altogether. I ask you – where would that have left the tens of thousands of people protesting the stupidity of super-injuctions here in the UK? I proudly admit to doing my bit to snidely comment on the case of CBT v News Group Newspapers, which I believe is somehow still in force in spite of the fact the entire world knows for sure now. In the future, is Twitter going to bow to pressure to strip out any tweet which mentions something in such a way that it points out the flaws in a country’s legal system? Because that’s the vibe of the future I’m feeling, and I’m not impressed.

Twitter faces censorship backlash
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/27/twitter-faces-censorship-backlash

Censorship is an insidious thing, and I really don’t think companies think about the consequences when they spring up to wiggle for government agencies in the name of future profits. This isn’t me being fully cruel, mind; I appreciate that there is a rock and a hard place situation when it comes to pleasing companies and being allowed to exist in this day and age. It just makes me sad to see them roll over and assist in making the West just as bad as China or Russia while trying to claim that it’s in the right. No mate, you’re not, and while it won’t lose you as much business as  you perhaps should… well. To quote - ‘Time for a new internet. This one sucks.‘

And speaking of that:

Acta protests break out as EU states sign up to treaty
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/27/acta-protests-eu-states-sign-treaty

Wherever you are in the world, get on your politicians’ asses about this. I’ve got some MEPs to identify and harass, myself. Good thing there are useful sites such as WriteToThem. I’ll still have to think up something original to write, but knowing whom to write to is half the battle sometimes!

So yeah, let’s keep up the pressure for a free Internet, ’cause it’s worth it.

<3

[[radio edit]] And of course, the petition for the slacktivists - https://secure.avaaz.org/en/eu_save_the_internet_spread/

I’m not sure what’s up with this week, but it sure has sapped my motivation to do anything. To be fair, there could be any number of reasons. I could be pregnant; we are currently trying for #2, and there’s a chance we already took. I don’t know for sure, though this week would likely be the telling one in the end. I do know that I’m spotting, cramping, and absolutely lacking desire to do anything that requires moving. That could just be illness though – I know I had a fever when I checked yesterday. Or it could just be Mr. Depression sneaking up through the cracks – he is an insidious bastard.

Whatever the case, that leaves me in a state of waiting. Being an anxious sort, this isn’t a state I particularly enjoy. And when one is lacking motivation, it can sometimes be more difficult to keep oneself distracted so that time passes in a polite and reasonable fashion. Thankfully, I’ve sort of got The Sims to distract me (when I can get it to work; the new stuff pack and its patches cannot get here fast enough), and I’m continuing my trek through the Malazan Book of the Fallen (I’m on #7, Reaper’s Gale), so that helps a smidge. I know it would help even more if I could convince myself to get off my duff and move, but eh… I’ll hopefully get there again in a few days. For now? Feh. Feh feh feh. *nods*

<3

You guys are off the hook today – flee, flee! But really, I’m completely dragging tush in the most severe of ways, so I’m excusing myself of most ‘fun’ duties. I’ll hopefully be back tomorrow with something interesting to nibble on. Until then, have this to feed your mind:

State of the Union 2012
http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2012

<3!

I saw this on Livejournal this morning, and I feel the need to repost. It saves me the effort of doing my own research, and it’s something I wanted to pass on anyways.

Originally posted by electricdruid at The fiasco continues

ACTA in a Nutshell –

What is ACTA?  ACTA is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. A new intellectual property enforcement treaty being negotiated by the United States, the European Community, Switzerland, and Japan, with Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada recently announcing that they will join in as well.

Why should you care about ACTA? Initial reports indicate that the treaty will have a very broad scope and will involve new tools targeting “Internet distribution and information technology.”

What is the goal of ACTA? Reportedly the goal is to create new legal standards of intellectual property enforcement, as well as increased international cooperation, an example of which would be an increase in information sharing between signatory countries’ law enforcement agencies.

Essential ACTA Resources - 

• Read more about ACTA here: ACTA Fact Sheet
• Read the authentic version of the ACTA text as of 15 April 2011, as finalized by participating countries here: ACTA Finalized Text
• Follow the history of the treaty’s formation here: ACTA history
• Read letters from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden wherein he challenges the constitutionality of ACTA: Letter 1 | Letter 2 | Read the Administration’s Response to Wyden’s First Letter here: Response
• Watch a short informative video on ACTA: ACTA Video
• Watch a lulzy video on ACTA: Lulzy Video

Say NO to ACTA. It is essential to spread awareness and get the word out on ACTA.

Via Tumblr

 

The long and the short is thus – as bad as SOPA/PIPA could be, this would be even worse. So be aware, spread the word, and for all that is good and awesome – help us stop ACTA in its tracks while there is still time. Thank you.

<3

A friend on Facebook reminded me of the septic relationship most people have with food. She is apparently in the midst of a 10-day detox, and is already referring to things as ‘forbidden fruit’, and being offered ‘advice’ by well-meaning friends. Such ‘advice’ being things like denying oneself for 5-6 days, then permitting it for 1-2. I’m sorry, but any eating plan/diet that suggests such a binge and purge approach is bad. Thinking of anything as forbidden fruit is bad. These are not healthy approaches to eating, or to loving oneself.

Now me, I’m not a dietitian. I’m not a food expert, but I do know one thing – I know that you can have a healthy diet and include the things that are supposedly bad. I know that taking this approach means that the good-for-you things start tasting darn good after a time, and the not-so-good things start tasting not so good. I used to live off of takeaways myself; I couldn’t be assed to cook more than once in a blue moon. Granted, I had other health issues at the time that sapped me of energy, but I’m sure that all that delicious junk didn’t help either. But I always have had the advantage of also liking good things, like vegetables aplenty. I definitely had a palatal advantage over my husband, but as we both learned – you can pull it even further to ‘right’ without too much effort.

So what am I trying to say? Don’t deny yourself junky things; have it in moderation. The example this particular friend mentioned, and I commiserate with, was Taco Bell. Well… get yourself -a- chicken soft taco and a burrito once a week or something, but otherwise, try to limit it. Don’t treat it like a ‘forbidden fruit’ or give yourself a pass day, ’cause both of these will end up with binge eating habits. The desire to eat those additive-laden goodies will never go away, I might add, but the more healthy things you eat, the more your palate adjusts to liking the nice things, the less nice the Taco Bells and the McDonalds will taste. I know, sounds crazy, but I’m living it – I still want to go to town on some double cheeseburgers, but I know when I do, it’ll taste really stale and flavourless now. I used to live on the junk, now I can say no thanks, ’cause it just doesn’t taste good any more.

Having said that, getting your palate to change isn’t an immediate thing. That’s why denying oneself things is bad, or jumping into a full new eating regime is also bad. Do have the junk, but balance it out with good things, like steamed vegetables (which take no time with a microwave steamer). Don’t like vegetables? Smother them in cheese or butter or gravy for a while. Reduce the sauce over time, and you might be surprised to realize that you actually like the taste of fresh veg. Or frozen even; there’s no reason to have vegetables rotting in your fridge or on your counters if you’re not going to be bothered to cut them up and shove them in a steamer (gasp, costing precious minutes of slacking!).

Another big area of consideration is, of course, snacks. Let’s face it – a carrot isn’t going to do you if you want chocolate. So have a few squares of chocolate then; just don’t eat the entire bar. Eating slowly is one of those tricks that helps too – you get less in your piehole if you take your time about it. But do try to get hooked on healthy options too – buy two oranges and two bananas a week, or something small like that. It might cost a bit more buying them individually, but that means you’ll have less rotting and stinking up the place if you don’t actually get around to them. Have things like baked chips, hummus and pitas (you can get so many awesome flavoured hummuses these days), peanut butter, popcorn… there are tons of tasty options that aren’t too creepy healthy, and are much better than cramming down a bag of Doritos and a couple of Snickers. ;D

Anyways, the long and the short of it – it’s gonna take time. Don’t rush yourself, don’t make yourself miserable thinking in terms of healthy and detox and weight loss. If you want to change your diet, it is in your power, yo.

And otherwise, have a great Monday!

<3

If you’ve not received an email yet, please to be reading this:

Security Update
http://blog.dreamhost.com/2012/01/21/security-update/

Long and short – you’ll need to change your FTP password. And probably other ones too, just be safe. And also, be aware:

Password changes delayed in the web panel
http://www.dreamhoststatus.com/2012/01/21/password-changes-delayed-in-the-web-panel/

I changed mine last night, and in spite of the processing clock having vanished, it wasn’t working until I checked this morning. Granted, it turned out I’d changed it twice somehow, but oh well.

I know some people are complaining, but really – Dreamhost has pretty darn good customers service and transparency in most things. I still think that my website is getting the base64 infections from WordPresses updating on their system… but at least I know that’s less likely to happen if I upgrade them myself. So iunno, I’m still happy enough using them and would still primarily recommend them to friends and family.

That’s it for now – I am le groggy today, and I intend to do nothing to celebrate it.

On Facebook PinkStinks posted a link to someone complaining about bikes. Here, have a peeksee:

Oi! Sexist Marketing! On Yer Bike!!
http://inadifferentvoice.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/oi-sexist-marketing-on-yer-bike/

The long and the short of it is that the author wanted to buy her daughter her first bike. With fond memories of her Red Raleigh Apple, she turned to buy from a good British company. Instead, she found sexism galore; the entire first bike range is incredibly and obviously divided. Don’t believe me? Look for yourself:

Raleigh First Bike
http://www.raleigh.co.uk/PRODUCTTYPE/ProductRange/Default.aspx?pc=1&pt=9&pr=20

Seriously, what the frack?! The next range up is quite a bit better, but if you’re like me and turned off at the offerings for little ones, how are you going to make it to that next bracket? I’m not going to be inclined to give people money who have completely sexist and, frankly, insulting ranges. But eh, read that lass’ blog – it’s well good. And for my friends and extended acquaintances that have twins (such as my friend Janel, and her friend Darlena) – she’s one of you! So even if you’re not one to care about the feminist approach to child-rearing, she’s got some funny things to say that you and most of us can relate to.

But on the bike thing… yeah… I’ll definitely be doing my shopping elsewhere. A child’s first bike should be red anyways.

<3

While all of us that took part in the blackout should be proud, we should also be aware that this battle is never over. I said that yesterday, didn’t I? Well, if you needed a bit more proof:

Megaupload file-sharing site shut down
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16642369

And of course, the requisite petition:

Fight Back: Government Shuts Down MegaUpload
http://act.demandprogress.org/act/megaupload_seizure/

Anecdotally, I’ve heard it said that even their graphic editor was arrested. I’m not sure what he would possibly have to do with piracy, or creating systems that supposedly support piracy… I guess making things pretty is a crime now? Regardless, they’re about as guilty as Sony are of someone playing a pirated DVD on one of their players. Are Sony supposed to be in every living room now, stopping pirating that way?

Now me, I’ve never used MegaUpload personally. . I’m sure some people did engage in exchanging illegally obtained media, but based on the age of the company, I’d think that they were doing their best to comply with DMCA take-down notices and other such things. But eh, I guess this just goes to show yet again that SOPA is already in action, even if it’s likely to be tabled for the near future. And really… even if it is all virus-filled and swimming with copyrighted materials, taking down one site isn’t going to discourage others from springing up, yanno?

So anyways, sign the petition if it suits you to, or not. Whatever the case – stay vigilant!

<3

Firstly, welcome back! The blackout/redirect plug-in worked like it should! And now that the event is done, it’s removed from my plug-ins, ’cause that’s good tidying.

I will say that, all in all, yesterday was fabulous. I saw so many people who are normally quiescent and quiet take time to spread the word and contact their members of government. That is fantastic, and I only wish it were the status quo. Because, as many people don’t think about:

What I Wish Wikipedia and Others Were Saying About SOPA/PIPA
http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2012/01/what-i-wish-wikipedia-and-othe.php

Yesterday was a minor victory in an even bigger war. The fact that people aren’t paying attention by default leaves a lot of room for crazy crap to be passed behind our backs. I know, I know – the law-making process is convoluted, and us? We’re not all law experts with oodles of free time on our hands, ready and able to pick through all the crazy jibber jabber that makes up legislation. We should be able to trust in our elected officials to work on our behalf; that’s why yesterday was filled with a flurry of emails and calls to Senators and Congresspeople. That is, where people could find the contacts; I have heard many reports of people not being able to find a way to contact their representatives! So while I won’t blithely say that we should have our reps on speed dial and know all their goings on, we should endeavour to be well read and associate with others who fit that criterion as well. We won’t catch all the crazy, but it’s easy to spot and stop it if people work together to be informed.

The other bit I’m offering up today is a friend of a friend’s post on Facebook. I’ll let it speak for itself:

Stephanie Clarkson: I am going to tell you something…
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieMClarkson/posts/10150727552534148

Really, what more can I add to that? I’m not sure anyone could out and out disagree that the seller coordinating to match what the purchaser wants is win/win for all. I don’t know anyone that pirates for the sake of pirating, mind – they want a preview, or they can’t get what they want on the free market. People want to be within the law – help them, and make some money out of it too. It might not be enough for a fleet of gold-plated ponies, but better something than nothing.

So then, where does that leave us? It leaves us where we need to still be on the case of our legislators; they are supposed to work for us. We must vote them out of they don’t (or die trying, in my case *sigh*). We must continue to help the entertainment industry understand that there is a middle route, and that they should consider staying upon it. As Miss Clarkson so beautifully states – legal availability means people will be happy to buy it in most cases. It’s so obvious, and I can only surmise that it’s not followed because of pressure to make more better profits. So really – keep educating yourselves, and keep speaking out. It’s really not that hard, and (neener neener), everybody else is doing it! ;D

<3

Besides today being the Internet blackout against SOPA/PIPA (which means you’ll not be seeing this post until tomorrow/much later today), today is also the day that Occupy London find out the fate of their St. Paul encampment. I’ll make sure to swing back by here later to update this post with that information… here’s hoping it’s good news. And even if it’s not, well… we shall see what the future holds. But I think we can probably count this as kicking off the new year of protesting here in the UK.

[[radio edit]] And, unsurprisingly:

City wins bid to evict Occupy London protesters
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16592534

And also unsurprisingly, the protesters will be appealing the decision. One way or another, it brings the camp and the cause back to the forefront of the news//attention, so… that’s good, at least.