It's critically important to become knowledgeable with how some of these supposed "safeguards" will effect the evolution of us all

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Tell Congress not to censor the internet NOW! - http://www.fightforthefuture.org/pipa

PROTECT-IP is a bill that has been introduced in the Senate and the House and is moving quickly through Congress. It gives the government and corporations the ability to censor the net, in the name of protecting "creativity". The law would let the government or corporations censor entire sites-- they just have to convince a judge that the site is "dedicated to copyright infringement."

The government has already wrongly shut down sites without any recourse to the site owner. Under this bill, sharing a video with anything copyrighted in it, or what sites like Youtube and Twitter do, would be considered illegal behavior according to this bill.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill would cost us $47 million tax dollars a year — that's for a fix that won't work, disrupts the internet, stifles innovation, shuts out diverse voices, and censors the internet. This bill is bad for creativity and does not protect your rights.

Logging in here and cleaning up a few things ~ it has me wondering about the whole notion of keeping a blog. As you can see, my last blog post before this was in early January 2011 sometime ~ a ridiculously long time ago.

Now I am a big fan of social media. I do enjoy it a great deal. I find interacting with friends and family on the web to be quite fun. New to the ever expanding social mediaverse for me is my use of Twitter. Basically a short version of a blog, Twitter lets people post really short, SMS-style blog posts (SMS ~ Short Message Service ~ like texting with strict character limits). Using Twitter for some time, I am not convinced I like it or it has any use for me. As I have things set up right now I have all my Twitter posts being auto posted on my Facebook Wall which, when I think about it, is kind of a cop-out and really missing the point of the two technologies.

With respect to Facebook, here is where I think the true usefulness of social media lies (for me personally). With Facebook, I seem to be using it a great deal to keep up with stuff in my life. I like Facebook for posting pics, keeping in touch with my friends and relatives, using it as a chat app, and using it to keep informed about local events: music or otherwise ~ it all just seems to work quite well for me. Sure we give up some aspects of privacy using it, and I also use Google/Gmail which offers similar privacy challenges, but really, when I think about it more and more, does it all really matter?

Which leads me to my original question about the blog being dead. For someone like me, just an average, somewhat routine, perhaps even quasi-boring person with nothing really immensely profound to say to the World, perhaps a blog is overkill. In comparison with Facebook, for example, I can keep tabs on my narcissism in a somewhat more controlled environment with my Facebook Wall statuses: "Wow, this book I just read rules" or "I sure had fun doing this...", etc. ~ where only my friends are subjected to my rantings, ravings, and otherwise pointless ramblings.

It can be difficult to manage our online identies ~ from Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn to a personal blog to your work/school web site to whatever new thing pops up ~ it can be quite overwhelming indeed. Being a computer scientist, I do like to keep up to date with technologies that interest me and I would very much like to keep this Drupal-based web repository online in some way.  Kevin Kelly, one of my idols, raves about the good aspects of technology and how it's really up to us to find out what works best for us. I think I have found what works best for me. Twitter does not, LinkedIn does not, Facebook does, and my static web pages do as well (my university one and soon to be this one)

What all this means is that as time permits I will be transitioning this site from a "dynamic" blog to a more static web site similar to my university site ~ one that perhaps focuses more on my school work/research, art, and music ~ things that don't change all that often but things I would nonetheless like to share with the World. 

If anyone has thoughts on this I would appreciate any views. -tMac

...and the shenanigans begin again with Apple. FUCK{!} is the only word I have for it all.  I must pardon my language in advance.  Since I've recently switched back to an Apple computing environment, I've been actually regretting it...and here's the why...

Ok, I've had some beefs with Apple recently.  If you've read some recent posts, you know this.  This time is no different.  Apple is up to their usual BS and as such I give a big Colbert wag o' my finger at the software giant as they not so quietly begin their battle of law with various cellphone makers, specifically the infamous HTC, among others.  In the suit, Apple is claiming egregious patent infringement on a wide many intellectual properties so-called held by Apple; solely by Apple.  Really?

Now, I have no issue with inventors taking claim for innovations thought of, and developed by said inventors.  This is all cool.  And ok, to be honest, sure, some could see Apple's side of the argument as being sound.  Apple is, after all, a leader in product and technological designs.  This is true indeed. My issue with Apple is their claims on what they call their own innovations, those developed by them directly, solely by them.  Many of these are very suspect.  Example: the iPhone.  The iPhone is an excellent example of leading innovation in product design.  Apple truly did outdo themselves here.  This is FACT.  Huh, you may say?  Wait for it....wait for it ;-)  My argument resides in the point that I think much of the technology that comprises a product like the iPhone, could really, and should really not be considered as having a sole inventor.  Much of these innovations and ideas that comprise said technology are widely researched, tested, and adopted by a wide variety of other products and they continue to be such.  So I ask this; where is the line drawn? ..or where should it be drawn? 

An example: Kleenex.  As many of you know, Kleenex is a house hold brand name leader in snot rag technology (among other uses). You know it, the brand, I know it well and I'm sure you've used some variety of kleenex-based product at least once in your lives.  Kleenex has become the defacto, universally accepted name of snot rags alike. Truth be told, the design of Kleenex-inspired products is universal as well, regardless of brand name or otherwise.  Now, my point is this.  Let's say, for instance, we have a technology like "multi-point, interactive touch screens" which was truly popularized by the iPhone device.  Now, Microsoft has researched and innovated products using said technology.  Apple too, and HEY, Google as well! Specifically to Google, they have developed this little operating system called Android and, my oh my, could it be that Apple has some valid competition FINALLY?  And even better, some valid open sourced technology!!??  Now sure, it can be said that some aspects of Android were inspired by the iPhone, sure.  But really this could be just like how I am inspired by Eric Clapton or Neil Young when I play the guitar.  Could it be that if one of my songs sounds similar to Neil Young, not an exact replica, but similar, could Neil knock down my door and smash my guitar?  Ha!

Back on point.  Like Kleenex, can one really lay claim to every occurrence of such instances without monopolizing the system?  I say NO!  Now, with technologies such as touch screen technology becoming more mainstream; more the defacto way of developing interactive designs, I say to this as well, NO!

So with this I say to you Apple, oh Apple, Apple oh Apple.  Fuck you!  Fuck you Steve Jobs!  Have you not forgotten how Xerox in the mid-70's "inspired" you?  I don't care if you are the CEO of the decade.  I truly hope the good guys win this battle and that Google, HTC, and every other company you try and pull this bullshit on, puts you in your place; illuminates you a little, and gives you a better perspective.  If this isn't a rallying cry for open source technologies, I don't know what is.  I, now more than ever, cannot wait to Ubuntu-ize my Macbook Pro.  RMS4LIFE! -tMac