- Just how big are porn sites? | ExtremeTech
YouPorn apparently accounts for around 2% of the web's traffic (by volume) per day. Personally, I'm interested to see that they're using a lot of the obvious technologies, rather than anything really ultra-custom.
- Rogers’ “Cybersecurity” Bill Is Broad Enough to Use Against WikiLeaks and The Pirate Bay | Electronic Frontier Foundation
Americans! Are you aware of CISPA? Here are the facts: it is not a replacement for SOPA. It is however, badly drafted enough that it could very likely be similar in effect. Please write to your representatives, and make the point that while you don't necessarily oppose the aims of CISPA (many of them are actually quite sensible), the problem is that that bill as currently drafted is absolutely as bad as SOPA was. Seriously: if you got up in arms about SOPA, you need to write to them about the current draft of CISPA.
Tag: civil_liberties
Bookmarks for November 24, 2009
- panGloss: Mandy and Me: some thoughts on the Digital Economy Bill
A lawyer takes the Digital Economy Bill apart.
My own idiots guide to the DEB is at 1500 words and counting, and I'm not sure I'm even halfway through yet. So: serious question – if there anyone reading this who feels it would be useful for me to produce said guide? Is a guide that tries to use short words and explain the whole business practically from absolutely first principles worth it, or are you all going to go "tl;dr" and skip blithely past it? Who is there round these parts that feels like they don't know what's going on on this subject, and would like to? - The 50 most interesting articles on Wikipedia « Copybot
Dammit, these actually *are* that interesting. An absolute mine of weird crap that illustrates that the world is a pretty damn splendid place, when you get right down to it.
- Patched mach_kernel 10.2.0 for Atom-based netbooks – InsanelyMac Forum
I will have absolutely no need of this kernel patch at any point.
- How To: Hackintosh a Dell Mini 10v Into the Ultimate Snow Leopard Netbook – Dell mini 10v hackintosh – Gizmodo
This would violate my EULA. Obviously, I would not wish to do this, because once I have legitimately purchased something, it is completely reasonable that that manufacturer dictate how I use it.
- Home – flashbake – GitHub
Tools for writers/people who generate text, rather than code, to apply more or less automatic version control to something you're working on, with tools to provide context on what was going on in your head when a given automatic commit happened.
- The Literary Gift Company
ZOMG! (As I believe the young people say.) Someone has made a website with gifts specifically for me and all my friends!
- Police routinely arresting people to get DNA, inquiry claims | Politics | The Guardian
Gosh, couldn't have guessed this would happen.
Bookmarks for April 17, 2009
- dompdf – The PHP 5 HTML to PDF Converter
I think I'm going to need a HTML->PDF converter for a project in the next month or two, and I won't be able to use my usual one. So I'll probably wind up using this.
- Police delete London tourists' photos 'to prevent terrorism' | UK news | guardian.co.uk
I'm going to want this to refer to at some point in the next while. Also: for fucks sake! Inster standard ranting here.
Bookmarks for March 24, 2009
- Metropolitan Police Service – New campaign to urge Londoners to report suspicious activity
Be Afraid! Your Neighbour Is Not Like You, And You Should Fear Them! If Someone Deviates From The Norm, They Must Be Investigated. Do Not Watch The Cameras, The Cameras Are For Watching You. Be Afraid! (fucksake)
- Neutron tracks revive hopes for cold fusion – physics-math – 23 March 2009 – New Scientist
This may or may not be the real deal, but the fact that at this stage they're just saying "look we found this" rather than claiming 100% certainty now makes them a bit more plausible than the previous bunch. Here's hoping, eh?
- Beautiful Data | O'Reilly Media
This is simultaneously a massively nerdy book, a notion of staggering genius, and an instant must-read.
- Rands In Repose: The Makers of Things
"Yes, halfway through this project we'll discover the impossible, but we know how to build through the impossible. Impossible is when we do our best work."
- Warner Bros launches made-to-order DVD service | Technology | Internet | Reuters
About bloody time. There is no reason why any cultural artefact produced since we started using computers should be ever be out of print.
Bookmarks for March 2, 2009
- Chris Heathcote: anti-mega: the kids are alright
Now you too can pick an ASBO. Just visit central London.
Bookmarks for February 27, 2009
- The Convention on Modern Liberty
Shit, the London event is sold out. Still, I suppose that might be taken as a good sign. Maybe.
- The size of social networks | Primates on Facebook | The Economist
Starts of with some talk of Dunbar's number as it applies to social networks, then gets into the much tighter sphere of the number of people we actually interact with.
- Translating "The Economist" Behind China's Great Firewall
Really interesting look at how a group of volunteers in China translate each issue of The Economist.
Bookmarks for February 13, 2009
- Under the Counter Terrorism Act 2008, documenting dissent is under attack
More in link, but in brief, on Monday, the police acquire new powers to stop journalists documenting their behaviour. These powers are a disgusting breach of civil liberties, and give the police unprecdenent powers to be able to prevent their critics from speaking out. There is a protest/media event organised outside New Scotland Yard at 11am on Monday the 16th. I would seriously urge anyone who is free and in London, or can get to London, to get down there with a camera in hand.