Today's Mighty Oak


Quick update for everyone.

First up, sadly, it looks like the Senate is trying to pass another SOPA, just with another name. Bad Senate!  Don’t do that.

Al Jazeera has a good segment about a proposed bill in Australia which will fine parents who don’t get their children vaccinated:

Hint, if you keep talking about how vaccines are evil and a ruse by the government, I will delete you from my Facebook newsfeed.  That will….certainly not teach you anything.

So once upon a time, there was a horror movie made aboard the International Space Station.  Who knew?

And lastly, a reminder to eat healthy and slowly:



Let’s see what we have today:

Maddow Blog has a follow up to a story about the lack of parades for vets coming home.  Aside from St. Louis (which was entirely citizen-funded), there has not been a parade for any returning troops.  But they can put together a parade in two days for Super Bowl champs.  Sad.

And speaking of the troops, an artist has done a project entitled “The impact of war on a young person’s face.”  Interesting stuff.

Virginia Senator Howell is amazing.  When faced with a bill that now (I believe it passed) makes it mandatory for women seeking abortions to get ultrasounds, she proposed an amendment (which barely lost) requiring men to get a rectal exam and cardiac screening if they wanted to get a prescription for ED medication.

I’ve been meaning to post this before, looks pretty awesome:

Here’s an update to the wall outlet I posted about last week.  These are more flush with the wall, and this time, diagrams on how to wire it!

Interested in SOPA/PIPA and what kicked it all off?  Information is Beautiful took a look at the actual numbers, and they are a bit surprising, check it out.

I know some people are excited about this, but honestly, I don’t think they will end up being very good.  Hopefully I’m proved wrong, but either way, DC is moving forward with the Watchmen prequel series.

Scientists are working towards making your internal monologue being able to be broadcast.  While this will of course help medical technology a lot (think of those in comas, the deaf and those with developmental disabilities), but holy crap, that would be awful if my inner monologue was public.  Then again, maybe the people who annoyed me would leave me alone finally.

JCPenny is redesigning all their stores.  Interesting to see, especially since my local store is moving from one of the mall to the other, so it’s good timing for them at least.

Remember how Republicans love to campaign against voter fraud, the boogeyman that is not really a problem according to all studies, but it’s a good way to push through legislation that disenfranchises those who tend to vote democratic.  But as it turns out, the latest verified case of voter fraud was by a Republican Secretary of State (of Indiana).  Oh the irony.

That’s it for now, have a great one!



So, here’s what’s going on with SOPA/PIPA, from the PR Breakfast Club:

Representative Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who heads the House Judiciary Committee, expects his panel to resume consideration of the House bill in February. Even President Barack Obama has not exactly killed it.

Rep. Smith will most likely adjust the House bill so it can get an consensus. The same will be done in the Senate. And since President Obama has received campaign donations from Hollywood and the internet industries, according to the Washington Post,  he will try to find a way to satisfy both sides of the coin.

But what did we learn from the dark?  Joho fills us in:

First, This is our Internet. We built it. We built it for us, not for you. We get to turn off the lights, not you.

Second, we are better custodians of culture than are culture’s merchants because we understand that culture is what we have in common. We feel pain every time something is held back from this Commons.

Third, just as we can make someone famous rather than having to passively accept the celebrities you foist upon us, we can make an idea politically potent. Going dark was the self-assertion with which political engagement begins.

Fourth, there’s a growing “we” on the Internet. It is not as inclusive as we think, it’s far more diverse than we imagine, and it’s far less egalitarian than we should demand. But so was the “we” in “We the People.” The individual acts of darkness are the start of the We we need to nurture.

Even my own little protest had a little impact, which I was thankful for.  I love the fourth point above, about the ‘We’ of the Internet.  Maybe it’s a step closer to online equality and an information utopia.

Slog weighs in on the economics of SOPA/PIPA here.

And I’ll close out with a quote shared by Clintus by MG Seigler:

The best way to combat piracy is to remove barriers, not put up new ones



I’m waiting for Dropbox on my work computer to download about 1,000 more pictures, so while that goes, I figured I’d pop over here and do a quick entry, hope you enjoy!

First up, some music:

Here’s a cool article in The Stranger about a Lebanese artist, defying the government to create his art.

Sadly, it looks like SOPA will rear it’s ugly head again in February, politicians and the MPAA hoping enough people will have forgotten by then.

A creative entry into the Shit [blank] Says meme:

Awesome art project that is being installed down route 75 here’s a favorite:

 

That’s it for now, but I’ll be back with more soon!

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