In response to the whole Snowden PRISM thing. The folks at Codecademy said it right…

Excerpt from http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/17/encrypting-your-email-works-says-nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden/

For my money this hits the nail on the head.  If you call yourself a technologist NONE of this better be a surprise.  Because if it is, your not a very good technologist. For those that aren’t Continue »

Loss of a great mind

Today we mourn the loss of a great champion of open information, Aaron Swartz.  Co-founder of Reddit, Co-creator of the RSS 1.0 standard, digital activist, and author of the Guerilla Open Access Manifesto.

Everyday billions of people have him to thank for the news they receive.  We all owe him a HUGE debt of gratitude for the work he did in preventing the SOPA monstrosity from becoming law.

On this day my small voice screams for a moment of silence to be observed in ALL RSS feeds for at least 10 mins with the only feed being: “Thank you Aaron you shall be missed and not forgotten.”.

For those that don’t know what the Guerilla Open Access Manifesto is I suggest you read it. http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=cefxMVAy

There is so much more to be written but it would be impossible for me to do so and not get on my SOPA box (pun fully intended) and this is not the time nor the place to do so.

My hope is that you will read this post, search for the truth, read the stories (via RSS feeds) and hopefully the outrage you will feel will drive you to act for the greater good like Aaron did.

 

 

Senator Rockefeller Warns Google, Microsoft And Yahoo: Dodgy Movers Are Using SEO To Game Your Systems | TechCrunch

Senator Rockefeller Warns Google, Microsoft And Yahoo: Dodgy Movers Are Using SEO To Game Your Systems | TechCrunch.

John D. Rockefeller, the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, late on Tuesday sent letters to Google, Microsoft and Yahoo alerting them to how their search engines are being gamed through search engine optimization Continue »

3 articles I read this week

1) An article about companies using free games on Facebook to generate leads for advertisers, this was really interesting to me, mostly because it explains why half my facebook friends keep trying to pry me into Mafia Wars or some damn thing.

www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/31/scamville-the-social-gaming-ecosystem-of-hell/

2) Another article from TechCrunch concerning Facebook, see a pattern here? This one concerns more general advertising, and really draws attention to why spam exists; It makes a profit.

www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/01/how-to-spam-facebook-like-a-pro-an-insiders-confession/

3) Can’t help but get into some political news, despite my general attempt to avoid it during business, but this one deals with how money affects politics and I think it’s important for everyone to pay attention to such things.

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704013004574515681098665524.html

Message to Congress: Say NO to Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) Treaty

Below is a proposed Form Letter to send to congressional officials of your state in regards to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) Treaty…

Message to Congress: Say NO to Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) Treaty

Dear Representative/Senator CONGRESSIONAL_OFFICIAL_NAME

As a citizen of these United States, I find that the circumstances surrounding the formation of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) Treaty are so morally and constitutionally reprehensible that it is my civic duty to contact you in hopes of persuading your support of opposing the proposed Treaty, as ACTA clearly 1) violates the sovereignty of independent nations, 2) renders Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and subsequently, the citizenry, as puppets of international law, and 3) introduces an atmosphere of fear and complete elimination of Internet privacy through an elevated panoptic observation of Internet Activities.

It is thoroughly inappropriate to allow industry to secretly craft bills like this one. Therefore, you MUST side with citizens on this. To do otherwise is a violation of your office.

Yours Truly and Most Sincerely,

NAME

Related Posts:
The New Pirate Bay: ISPs
Secret Anti-Piracy Treaty Turns ISPs into Pirates

The New Pirate Bay: ISPs

Unf**king believably, an international Anti-Piracy Treaty is being negotiated increasingly secretively (and Lobbied for intently by the RIAA and MPAA), which holds dire international ramifications for ISPs and subsequently, for citizens, here in the US, and worldwide.

In essence, ISPs will be found liable for customers who purportedly are found perpetrating piracy of copyrighted materials. What’s more, The Treaty establishes liability for ISPs when issuance of copyright violations notices are furnished to said-ISPs without a requisite merit of proof being supplied to support copyright infringement claims therein.

This treaty is undeniably dangerous on many grounds, most directly in the nature by which due process is circumvented, and indirectly, in the risk posed to the privacy of consumers, not to mention the indentured servitude ISPs will be forced into.

Contact your Elected Officials and register your dissent to this international Treaty currently being deliberated! THIS is truly a cause worth fighting for, one that beckons the call of a United American Citizenry to heed the cause of liberty and stand in defiance for its preservation! Similarly, be prepared to contact your ISPs to express concern for this Treaty, and likewise be prepared to boycott ISPs who are not willing to fight such inexorable and despotic chicanery!

More to come later…

-C

Good Night, and Good Luck

Update: Link to Form Letter for Contacting Members of Congress:
http://blog.3-prime.com/2009/11/message-to-congress-say-no-to-anti-counterfeiting-trade-agreement-acta-treaty/