Normally I try to keep political stuff off this website but sometimes exceptions must be made. This is one of them. Congress, with the support of members of both parties, is currently in the process of trying to pass two laws called SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Act). The laws were essentially written by lobbyist to give corporations the power to protect their copyrights. Sounds good right?
Here is the problem. The laws as written gives corporations the power to legally censor the internet without due process by blocking any website they feel might have copyrighted or pirated content. Proof is not necessary nor required.
In a day and age when most people agree they want smaller government this is the single greatest expansion of power we have had in nearly a decade and it turns it all over to corporations on the assumption they will not abuse it. Do you trust corporations and the government to make the right decisions on what websites can live and die? I don't and nor should you.
They don't have to prove a thing in the process of taking down infringing websites. So this may mean sites like The Pirate Bay might get blocked in the United States but it also gives corporations the power to block any website they choose as long as they put it in terms of copyright infringement or piracy.
Lego Starcraft BattlecruiserHit the link for a sweet Lego gallery based on the Starcraft II Battlecruiser Hyperion. The creation is made up of around 15000 Legos.
GOP Presidential Candidate Decided Despite what the press may have you believe, the contest for the Republican candidate for President is decided with Mitt Romney. More than likely by the end of the month (probably after South Carolina) it will become official. While Iowa tends to not count for much since Republicans there are very extreme in their views (while ironically frequently benefiting from the government dole), the simple fact he managed to win the state proves what the polls have been showing for a while now. While his victory by only 8 votes is unimpressive, the simple fact he won at all there proves it is locked in. After all he has been the only candidate that has remained steady or slightly grown in the poles for the last year.
All Companies That Support SOPA Hit the link to see all the companies supporting SOPA which will likely pass Congress next year unless stopped. The claim is the law will stop piracy but in reality it gives corporations to power to block any website they claim has pirated content, no actual evidence required. It will cripple the Internet. They can choose at any time what site lives or dies in the US and to get it restored the site has to take the accuser to court which can take months or even years. On the surface that may sound fine but keep in mind the RIAA and MPAA have tried to sue and shut down sites just for playing a clip from a movie, for showing a home video of goofing dancing to "protected" music and even just for sites that are critical of them. Don't believe they will abuse this power, see next story. In short, any company that supports SOPA has essentially made a statement that they do not value free speech. An example is web host provider Go Daddy. Their support of the bill means that they will happily shut down any website they receive a notice from no questions asked. If you know anyone that uses them, it is advised they be ditched asap.
Lego Daily Planet Hit the link for a gallery of images on details on how this cool Lego creation was made that pits Superman & Young Justice against Brainiac. The creation has lots of cool details like street side kiosks selling comics, labeled sewer covers, street signs, and whole lot more. (via ComicAlliance)
RIP GamePro GamePro magazine which started in 1988 as the NES age reached its apex, is ending publication with its current issue with the website is being absorbed by the mothership of PC World and likely most of its staff laid off. I remember reading and subscribing to the magazine way back when before time meant I no longer could focus much less play video games with the frequency that made a subscription worthwhile. Shame to see yet another gamer magazine go away.
Lego Victorian House That image to the left looks like a decayed Victorian House created by Mike Doyle. Very beautiful in its black & white decay. It also turns out it’s made up completely of Lego. Nearly 130,000 of them. Even more amazing is this is pure Lego, no wood, glue, or alterations. Just someone at the top of their building game. Hit the link for more images and details about its construction and click here for Mike's website.
10 Stubborn Food Myths Hit the link to read about 10 myths that continue to thrive despite the science against them. For example "starvation mode" which takes weeks of low intake or 24 of no intake instead of the myth of one skipped meal. Another is salt is just bad for you. Your body needs it but like everything else, too much is a bad thing. The big one is turkey makes you sleepy. Turns out that while turkey plays a part, it really the cause is more about the volume of food being eaten rather than the amount of turkey that makes you sleepy after that Thanksgiving dinner.
Today Barnes & Noble officially introduced the Nook Tablet, successor to their Nook Color. Running Gingerbread (Android 2.3), the 7 inch tablet has 1 GIG of RAM and 16GB of storage with microSD slot to add more for a $250 price. All this sounds promising but really for most people, especially with Christmas around the corner, is what is the best tablet to buy - Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet or Apple iPad (or any tablet really like Xoom, Galaxy Tab 2, etc.)?
Take a moment and study that graph to the left. That graph provides a lot of information with two very simple lines. It tells you why the Occupy Wall Street movement exists. It tells you why the GOP has focused on an agenda of doing everything possible to cut taxes for the rich at the expense of everyone else and probably more than that if want to get into the details of history.
The graph tells the story of how income has grown since post-World War II from 1947 to 2007, just as the economy was on the verge of imploding yet again. The blue line represents the median income of 99% of Americans. The orange line is the income of the remaining 1%, the millionaires and billionaires of this country. Most of who work on Wall Street. Now noticed how from 1947 to 1985ish, the income increase was more or less steady. Statistically they were right on top of each other, with a difference of .5% here and there. In effect the country rose together. Then in the 80s that orange line changed dramatically as it started to climb. This corresponded with the rise of "Reaganomics".
Reaganomics aka trickle-down theory basically says the more money you give the rich, the more it will help everyone else. The problem with the theory is it doesn't account for what happens if the rich do not actually spend their money but just sit on it. The easiest way to give rich people more money is to tax them less. Which the US has been doing for the last thirty years. There was one exception, during the Clinton years when their tax where increased. The result wasn't a hit to the economy but a period of huge growth, in part by the internet boom. That is why the line just sky rockets. Basically increasing the rich's taxes didn't harm them at all and had a positive impact on the economy (the opposite of what the GOP sells every day). During this same period the blue line enjoyed a modest increase too so everyone benefited, just the 1% more than the rest. A dip then occurs because the tech bubble burst of 2000.
Cain's 9-9-9 Plan is Much Love for the Rich If you just hear the plan without thinking about it, the 9-9-9 plan sounds good. The 9 numbers sounds so good with 9% corporate tax, 9% income tax, and 9% sales tax. It’s already a fact that for whatever reason, people believe prices that end in 9 are a better deal than those that don't so there is that reason he picked the number. However, once you look deeper it’s not so hot. For one, most businesses will not have to pay that 9% due to various tax shelters and the like that exist. Cain does nothing to address that. As for the income tax, that means that not only will 9% of every dollar you earn be taken away, it also means that another 9% will be taken away for every dollar you spend. On top of the state, county and city taxes you already pay. This also means that deductions go out the door so benefits of being married or having kids cease to matter. But still, seems like a good idea, and it could be as far as simplicity of paying taxes. However, as the chart shows, it really is just a boom for the rich. The bottom 80% will pay more in taxes under the plan. The next 19% will pay a decent amount less, the top 1% a 10x less than that with the top .1% experiencing around a 100x less boom to the bottom line. It hard to picture in text, but the picture makes it painfully clear. Once again, the GOP proves their only priority is the top 1%.
15 Facts About Wealth Inequality in America For years now the GOP are selling a pretty simple story - for the country to succeed all of us must sacrifice to keep the top 1% rich happy. Happy rich people means one day they might create jobs and give us raises instead of doing the layoffs that have become the norm. For some reason, this argument has worked on 50% of American's even though this flies in the face of the human condition and all of history. For those with brains, hit the link for 15 facts, supported by data (not party specific data) that supports the notion that while everything is getting better for the top 1%, the other 99% continue to get screwed. Sad facts include the reality that top 1% has 33.8% of our nation’s wealth, own 50.9% of our stocks & bonds, and have had their wealth grow year after year while other bottom 80% has dropped year after year. In addition, average earning have hovered around $18.50 an hour for 50 years while in same period the rich's portion of USA's income has grown while everyone else's has shrunk. This is why the Occupy Wall Street exists.
Muammar Gaddafi is Dead After 42 years of a crazy and ruthless dictatorship, the ex-leader of Libya is finally dead. He has been hiding for weeks now as his government was overthrown in favor of Democracy but he was continuing the fight in pockets throughout the country. That fight essentially came to an end when he was found in his hometown of Sirte. It will be interesting to see how Libya develops from here. I suspect it will continue to be a problem for western countries for quite a while. Regardless, the people of Libya should be applauded. They chose their own destiny and sacrificed their lives to achieve it. That is something any lover of democracy should stand behind, regardless of where it occurs.
Mark Hamill Retires the Joker After 19 years of performing the voice of The Joker, Mark Hamill has officially retired the role with the release of Batman: Arkham City video game. He had previously the decision earlier this year but in a tweet verified the decision. For me he is the definitive version of the character, providing just the right amount of crazy menace in his voice.
Iraq War Ending Before ChristmasPresident Obama confirmed today that American troops are leaving Iraq by the end of the year. The decision was actually part of a 2008 agreement signed by President Bush but the press conference today reiterated the intention to uphold that promise. Like many, I was concerned that we would delay ending the war as it has proven very lucrative to military based companies that pay a lot of money to Congress to keep the money flowing. I am sure the GOP will lambast the decision as being premature as they tend to get the most money from those corporations.
Today Apple announced the death of Steve Jobs. He died today after a multi-year fight with pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. His influence on the technology we take for granted cannot be underestimated. The personal computer (Windows or Apple) all have his stamp on it from his efforts in the early 80s with the world's first personal computer, the Apple II. Simple innovations like the ubiquitous use of the mouse are in part due to his influence. He made not have invented the technology, but he helped make it part of our daily lives.
That influence spread to all desktops, all laptops and moved into the music market with the iPod and its knockoffs, the tablet market with the iPad where all competitors’ are still trying to catch up. He changed how music and movies are brought to us over the internet thanks to iTunes. The movie industry and animation we all have fond childhood memories were forever changed with the founding of Pixar Animation Studios that have made some of the best animation movies in history with films such as Toy Story, Wall-E, and Up.
The technology he helped develop is often the foundation of every movie we watch, every special effect we enjoy, every piece of music we hear, every graphic design we see and every video game we play. You name a modern piece of computer technology and Steve Jobs probably directly or indirectly influenced it in some form or fashion.
Not many people can claim to have truly influenced and changed the world regardless of race, religion, age or country. But Steve Jobs could. The world lost a giant today.
iPhone 4S RevealedToday Apple held its press conference, minus Steve Jobs, to announce the next iteration of their iPhone and iPod lines. Unlike the hype from the blogosphere, the result is just an incremental improvement to the existing devices. Almost all the improvements are software related, in part due to the iOS 5 getting released on October 12th. For the iPod line, the Nano is getting around a $30 price drop and a minor software update. The iTouch will get the new iOS 5 update.
As for the main event, the result is same looking phone with faster dual-core chip (so better gaming experience), same RAM (so unlikely to feel that much faster even if technically it is), slightly improved internet download speeds (but only if on AT&T), new camera (8 megapixels with 1080p video camera) and about the same battery life.
Amazon held an Apple-like press conference to announce their next generation of Kindles resulting in the cheapest and possibly best e-book readers to date. There will be three models (or more with alt configurations) with various degrees of features and release dates but all are available for pre-order now.
Kindle Fire ($199); out November 15th; 8 hours per charge This is the tablet version of the Kindle comes with a 7'' color touch screen, 1Ghz dual core processor, 512MB of RAM and 8 GB of storage for 14.6 ounces. The reason for the lack of space is because this customized Android devise will be mostly cloud based using the Amazon Whispernet in conjunction with Amazon Cloud Storage to hold your books, movies, TV shows and music. Instead of having to store everything locally on the device (like with the iPad), you can just makes your purposes online at Amazon and download as needed. The device also comes with their new web browser called Amazon Silk which takes advantage of the 3G to Amazon's cloud to pre-render websites for faster load times. The device is not designed to be an iPad replacement. If you are someone that isn't particularly into using a bunch of apps (which is most people once the "new" of tablets wear off), but see using tablets for reading (web or books), listening to music, and watching the web, this just might be the perfect (and cheap) solution. - Impressions and Video
Today is the 10 year anniversary of a terrorist attack that quite literally changed America and the world. Every year the media makes us relivethe day and it still hurts. It still makes my cry. But not so much for those that died that day but for what was lost since then. America lost its hope and lost its way.
The attack claimed more than 3000 and more lives and did change a city. A city that is finally working towards reclaiming the site, complete with memorial using the footprints of what fell. America is now much more aggressive, angry and quick to lash out blindly. America is no longer the land of the brave but the land of the scared. The airwaves are now ruled by fear mongering and finger pointing as others desperately blame others for situations while doing little to offer solutions. That day the terrorists did win. When they change the character of a person, or a country for the worse, there is no other term for that but victory.
To find that hope I continue to look back at the days that followed and see the moments of greatness. I remember moments of solidarity such as Great Britain's Changing of the Guard. Or Jon Stewart extraordinary episode of The Daily Show a week after the attack.
The rebuilding continues. There is still hope. There is always hope. That "victory" can be taken away as easily as it was given up. America has the ability to change like no other country on the planet. Once day, the fear mongers will cease to penetrate. One day the cowards will quit being the vocal minority constantly seeking blood. A few days after 9/11 the world was probably the closest to peace it has ever been as everyone gathered around, mourned with us, claimed hardship with us, and offered the hand of help and friendship. If the world can do it once, it can do it again. The leadership to reach that day isn't here today, but one day it will be. Hopefully with the next generation that has seen how easily the older generation has been manipulated by the media and political leaders and chooses not to follow the same path.
9/11 was a day of tragedy and new darker beginnings. Osama bin Laden is finally dead. It’s time we start moving past the specter of 9/11. America changed once, it will change again. We will once again be the beacon of democracy and wiliness to hold our hands out in a gesture of friendship rather than fear. Our future will be bright even if it doesn't seem like it today.
"The reason I don't despair is because. This attack happened. Its not a dream. But the aftermath of it. The recovery is a dream realized. That is Martin Luther King's dream. Whatever barriers we put up are gone. Even if just momentary. We are judging people not by the color of their skin but the content of their character. ...any fool can blow something up, any fool can destroy, but to to see these guys, these firefighters, these policeman, people from all over the country, literally with buckets, rebuilding, that that thats extraordinary. Thats why we already won. Its light, its democracy, we already won, they can't shut that down." - Jon Stewart 9/20/01
GOP Explained by an Ex-GOPer Hit the link for an effective explanation of just how far gone the Republican Party is now. Despite their frequent claimed love of Ronald Reagan, not even he could get a vote in today's GOP. For example he committed the horror of raising taxes 11 times. This change of party first, business second, America last and what is motivating it was brilliantly broke down by Mike Lofgren, who was a Republican Congressional staffer for 16 years. He pretty much hits the nail on the head on not only how corrupt the GOP has become but why the weak Democrats are ineffective at countering them.
25 CEOs Who Made More Than Companies Paid in Taxes One of the great cons (of many) that the GOP has pulled over the last year is successfully lying that taxes influence business more than any other factor. That because of taxes, business choose not invest in themselves, to grow, to try to perform better. The logic makes no sense but people follow it anyway. Even though 11 years of tax cuts have proven it doesn't work. It’s not even hypothetical anyone. Eleven years of tax cuts sold to create jobs and all that has occurred is 2 recessions, minimal job growth, smaller middle class, and the rich being richer for doing nothing. Yet the idiots still believe. Between the tax cuts and loops holes it has now reached the point where most CEOs now make more money than their companies pay in taxes (most pay $0). It is now past pathetic. Yet if anyone is experts at being pathetic, it is teabaggers and their ilk. Anyway hit the link for details.
The last week has been a series of ending it seems both big and small. Libya might just experience democracy for the first in generations as Gaddafi has seemingly been overthrown, Steve Jobs steps down as CEO of Apple, a memorial finishes and a legendary hacker joins the team he often defeated.
The End of the Gaddafi in Libya Hit the link for an interesting explanation on how Libya uprising succeeding in potentially toppling the current dictatorship. The story is how a determined people, with solid planning, ingenuity and sacrifice can overcome impossible odds. It is also a story of how true democracy must succeed. Not handed to the people as a "gift" like it was done by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan but an organic hard fought decision by the people themselves, sadly earned with the literal blood of family and friends.
Steve Jobs Resigns as CEO of Apple One of the most successful CEO's in history has officially resigned his position, many believe due to his continued fight with cancer. It is no small exaggeration to say that Steve Jobs is one of the most important people in the history of computers, an invention that literally changed how society operates in just a few short decades. His achievements in technology development changes how we perceive information, enjoy entertainment, learn and so much more. While I may not like how Apple operates, there is no doubting that the things Jobs spearheads has literally changed the world for the better. Few people can make such a claim.
Lego Princess Ceinwyn Hit the link for a gallery of images of the Princess Ceinwyn created by Luke Hutchinson out of Lego. Very pretty with cloth sails and a nice Lego ocean base to complete the look. (via Brothers Brick)
Warren Buffet - Stop Coddling the Rich In an article in the NY Times, super rich Warren Buffett makes the rather obvious argument that it is time to tax the rich. The 10 year experiment of constantly cutting taxes on the "job creators" that the GOP has been advocating has simply not worked. Two recessions and negative economic growth for the poor and middle classes have proven this. The only people that have seen growth in these last years from the GOP policies? The super rich of course. Thanks to the multitude of tax loopholes that the GOP refuse to close, the rich actually pay less a percentage of taxes than any other group. Buffett points out he paid 17.4% while other people in his office averaged 36%. I am lower middle class and my burden came out to about 27%. I think the national average is something like 24%. Net result is all this crap about "being fair" that the GOP advocates fails to point out that the rich actually are paying less than everyone else. The article is worth reading and it sums succulently as tax cuts for the rich ("job creators") does not equal job creation as the rich do not allow tax policy to interfere with their efforts to invest and make more money.
Meet Comex, iOS Hacker Supreme Forbes has posted a great article that covers hacking genius of 19 year old Nicholas Allegra who has 3 times now hacked the Apple's iOS used in iPhone and iPad to create incredibly easy jailbreaks for those devices. A jailbreak allows you to use your paid for device in whatever way you see fit on whatever carrier you choose without big brother (Apple) having to approve it first. Hats off to Comex for his outstanding efforts, may he continue to be successful in thwarting Apple's iron fist of control.
US Patent System is Killing Innovation An interesting op-ed piece on Gizmodo that points out how the new era of "Civil War" between tech companies will likely stifle innovation. What is currently happening is in the billion dollar markets of smart phones and tablets various companies is trying to use patents to squash the competition and become the only real provider of a certain type of product. The main culprit is Apple who is attempting to use courts to block the sale of any tablet device that isn't an iPad. This leads to other companies going over their lists of patents and using Apple in return saying their iPad violates patents and shouldn't be sold either. This goes back and forth until an agreement is reach. The problem though is this kind of fierce legal fighting (besides being the opposite of capitalism), means that some bright guy in his garage will likely be sued into oblivion or just bought up before some new product that might be better than the iPad could ever reach the public much less the market. When that happens, innovation ceases to occur.
Top 100 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books NPR compiled a list of the top 100 books of all time based on the votes of their readers (apparently a paltry 60k). The list isn't definitive nor is the number order that important but as a list of fantastic books to read it works as a great resource.
Below are links to as many of the San Diego Comic Con Panels I could find that were posted on YouTube by people that attended the con. The panels cover topics like television shows, movies, comics, specific actors and creators and a wide variety of other topics. A panel could have actors, creators, and so forth appear from 30 minutes to an hour on stage to promote their current project often ending with fan Q&As. Usually the best panels are the ones where the participants seem to genuinely enjoy being there and interfacing with fans. Some of the many links before may seem incomplete for various reasons. They may include a necessary cut to remove copyrighted footage like trailers, gag reels and other fun stuff that if left in might result in the entire panel video being removed. Also in some cases the editing is just odd but most of the panel was there or it was the best I could find. The panels I recommend most is Castle, Eureka, Amazing Spider-Man, Game of Thrones (cause Emilia Clark is stunning), Joss Whedon (always entertaining), Kevin Smith (equally NSFW entertaining), and Torchwood: Miracle Day. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments along with links to any panels (or better copies) that I may not have found.
US Credit Ratings Downgraded for 1st Time Ever For the first time in the nation’s history, the US lost its AAA credit rating which was awarded back in 1941. Yet further sign of the problems the GOP manufactured crisis on the debt ceiling has caused. Their willingness to commit literal economic suicide for the entire country demonstrated just how little confidence even investors now have in our country. Ironic, considering most of what the GOP does is to benefit Wall Street. As if often the case, too much greed has resulted in far reaching consequences. Sadly, this will be yet another way for the GOP to spin things in their favor as most people don't have the brains or understanding to recognize how easy all of this could have been avoided. Instead they have proven beyond doubt just how far gone the GOP but with a significant amount of power to back the crazy up with due to complete lack of leadership from Obama who doesn't see a position he isn't willing to cave too. The GOP spin will be the high debt caused the downgrade and thus their approach is the only way is directly contradicted by S&P's own statements on the cause.
S&P also changed its assumption that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts would expire by the end of 2012 “because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues. More broadly, the downgrade reflects our view that the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic challenges to a degree more than we envisioned when we assigned a negative outlook to the rating,” S&P said.
Note that "revenue increases" is another way of saying increase taxes by closing loops holes or ending existing tax cuts which the GOP refuses to do under any circumstances. In short, the GOP refusal to compromise and deal with the debt in an adult manner underlined our current leadership's dysfunction in a way that could no longer be ignored. No fake crisis, no awareness of just how bad things are.
New Spider-Man RevealedAbout a month ago Peter Parker died in a battle against the Green Goblin in Ultimate Spider-Man #160. The Ultimate SM universe is a modernized version of Marvel that takes more liberties with the characters. An example of that is this week's news that the replacement Spider-Man is a half black, half Hispanic named Miles Morales. Of course the right wing movement had a fit over this. Posts about the change were pretty much flat out racist and of course Glenn Beck diving in claiming it is some conspiracy orchestrated by Michelle Obama. In reality, the writer Brian Michael Bendis, had been considering it for a while and decided to commit to it after seeing Donald Glover in the costume for an episode of Community (great TV show). How this will play out in comic book form and how successful this change will be may take many months to determine.
Lego Serenity Hit the link to view the Lego creation of the ship Serenity from the movie and the Firefly series. Stuff like this makes you wish Lego would get more into the sci-fi business as this would be awesome to be able to build. (via BrothersBrick)
2004 Election May Have Been Hacked Court investigations in Ohio's 2004 presidential election (a key swing state then) indicates that the Republican Party may have hacked the election. The story is a key reason why the GOP was so gung ho on moving to paperless voting as most of the companies granted the contracts to provide electronic voting are Republican supported companies. In this case the company is Tennessee based SmarTech that was owned by Michael Connell (who died in an unexplained plane crash) who was a major GOP supporter. The evidence indicates that a redundancy switch to SmarTech kicked in during election day and after the change suddenly Bush experienced a surge in voting support. I suspect like most voting stories, the press will mostly ignore this one and focus on the fake ones the GOP creates to support their laws to prevent people from voting legally.
End of the Space Shuttle Era Today marks the official end of the Space Shuttle program as the Shuttle Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Thursday morning. Atlantis received a little fan love as it was towed home to the theme of Star Trek: Voyager. The program was launched back in 1976 with the test shuttle named Enterprise in homage to the Star Trek series. I was fortunate enough to see a night time shuttle launch back in 1996 I think. I don't remember exactly when but what I do remember is that amazing moment when night turned to day and the full capabilities of what mankind can do when driven towards a purpose that isn't entirely motivated by greed but simply for the quest for knowledge. I doubt we will see the like ever again. The first video is the towing (sound doesn't kick in for about a minute).
30 Years of the Space Shuttle in One Launch At the link is a look back at the Shuttle program as Gizmodo combined footage from 30 years of launches to kind of emulate a single launch. A true end of an era.
Normally I try to keep political stuff off this website but sometimes exceptions must be made. This is one of them. Congress, with the support of members of both parties, is currently in the process of trying to pass two laws called SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Act). The laws were essentially written by lobbyist to give corporations the power to protect their copyrights. Sounds good right? 
