Debris and detritus

parislemon:

Marco Arment has this exactly right. We may have beaten these variations of SOPA and PIPA, but the sad fact of that matter is that they — or something like them — will eventually pass. 

Obviously, all things being equal, such bills should never pass. But all things aren’t equal. As with most things, this is actually all about money. The MPAA and the other content lobbies are going to continue to pump money into this until they get what they want.

And again, they will. Consider this: SOPA and PIPA came this close to passing with MPAA head Chris Assclown Dodd banned from direct lobbying. Why is he banned? Because there’s a law that requires politicians to be two years out of office before they can lobby.

Dodd vacated his U.S. Senate seat on January 3, 2011. In a year, he’ll be able lobby all he wants. He’ll be able to directly buy the support of all his former colleagues. He spent 36 years in Washington as both a Senator and Congressman. You think that doesn’t matter? He’s going to be the best lobbyist ever. Which is exactly why the MPAA picked him. 

Arment’s hope that people stop supporting the MPAA by stopping watching films clearly isn’t going to happen. But the idea of supporting campaign finance reform to eliminate bullshit lobbying is a good one.

Doomed.

parislemon:

Sad. But this should be a lesson for today’s larger tech companies: keep innovating or die a slow, dull death.

And as a bonus lesson: patent lawsuits will not save you.

I would be sad, but I can’t remember the sat time I bought, used, or even SAW a Kodak product.

youranonnews:

Our Brother Marine Corps Veteran Scott Olsen Remains In The Hospital Under Critical Condition From Sustaining A Blow To The Head From An Oakland Police Department Riot Officer Projectile Early Wednesday Morning October 25, 2011.

OccupyMARINES Have Watched Closely The Response From The OPD, The…

Cyborgs, unite!

arielwaldman:

“Chemero’s experiment, published March 9 in Public Library of Science, was designed to test one of Heidegger’s fundamental concepts: that people don’t notice familiar, functional tools, but instead “see through” them to a task at hand, for precisely the same reasons that one doesn’t think of one’s fingers while tying shoelaces. The tools are us.

Asked whether computer malfunction — say, the iPhone’s notorious keyboard lag — could thusly be viewed as a discontinuity in our selves, Chemero said, “Yes, that’s exactly what it is.””