- John Allison's UK Indie Comics Manifesto
Good, harsh, honest, smart. Worth reading.
- BBC vows action if ISPs throttle iPlayer
The BBC are squaring up to fight ISPs who indulge in traffic shaping/two-tier internet type behaviour that affects them, by making it clear when ISPs do so, and refusing to pay for faster deliverry. Which is good news, I guess. Here's hoping other big internet firms do the same.
- BBC News – Minister Ed Vaizey backs 'two-speed' internet
I'm getting kind of tired to linking to idiocy perpetrated by our governement. I can only assume that Ed Vaizey is either evil or a moron, because it is simple not reasonable that I should pay my ISP for a service, and them for them to tell me that I cannot have the level of service I want because *a third party* has not also paid them. *I* am paying for the fucking service. And while I appreciate that the counter argument is "well, then go elsewhere for your service", but what happens if there *is* no elsewhere to go, or when I'm locked in by a fixed term contract, the terms of which my ISP can vary, but I can't. Argle argle rant!
Tag: netneutrality
Bookmarks for August 16, 2010
- The Pac-Man Dossier
This has been doing the rounds, so you may well already have seen it. But in the event that you haven't, here's a fascinatingly in-depth look at Pac-Man – you may think it's a very simply game, and it is, but its very simplicity masks an awful lot of very subtle design decisions that are key to understanding the tactics required to win.
- The Photojojo Store! – the Most Awesome Photo Gifts and Gear for Photographers
I haven't looked in the photojojo store in ages. There is a truly staggering amount of stuff in here that I really want. Just sayin'
- BBC News – Superheroes 'poor role models for boys'
Something that's been at the back of my mind recently: good fictional role models for boys.
- Voogle Wireless
Someone has dug up the add in support of net neutrality that Google produced 4 years ago. Now, I'm the first to admit that that what was true 4 years ago isn't automatically true today, and that people who can't change their minds about things in response to changing circumstance and new arguments are stupid people. But: I don't see that the circumstances and arguments in this particular case have shifted in that period.
Bookmarks for August 10, 2010
- CSI | Bridging the Chasm between Two Cultures
Some good stuff in here – a clear articulation of why the language of skepticism does not get through to the people it most needs to, and how we can do something about that.
- Verizon-Google Legislative Framework Proposal
One to write about later. Short version: I have used Google's mantra of "don't be evil" as a yardstick that I feel they often fail to live up to, mostly through lack of thought. This document, and the changes it proposes are not that. They are active "evil", a very sign of corporations laying the groundwork to maximise their own revenues at the expense of their customers. Whatever Google's founding principles may have been, they are just another corporation now, and worse, they're one who have decided to throw their very considerable weight behind practices that will make life less fair for the consumer. I really, really hope the FCC steps in to stop this – essentially what they doing is saying that "the public internet" should be neutral, and then not properly defining "the public internet" thereby leaving them free to define "the private internet" as anything they want.
Bookmarks for November 1, 2009
- The internet without Net neutrality
Seriously: if you do not think it is important, or that it does not affect you, please, take a look at what your internet connection bill might look like in a few years, if net neutrality is not maintained.
Bookmarks for August 31, 2008
- Nikon D90 Hands-on Preview.
Dammit. Must not buy… Must…not…buy…
Well, maybe after christmas. Maybe. - Full text of Barack Obama's acceptance speech
Nothing exactly shocking, but y'know, it is what it is. Be interesting to see how closely the next couple of months campaigning hews to the line he lays out here.
- Lawrence Lessig on McCain on Technology
In summary: The Bush administration has done things that may fuck the US intertubes. The McCain administration will also fuck those tubes. Not exactly revalatory or unexpected stuff, but if you're curious about the major political issues affecting the (US) internet, and have 15 minutes to spare, then this is a good primer on them anyway.
- Shifting Mind » Postalicious
del.icio.us's blog auto-poster seems to be having problems, so I'm trying this plugin as a possible fix for this. Link crossposting may be a bit wonky for a few days as I get the new system bedded in.
- Mozilla Labs » Blog Archive » Introducing Ubiquity
This looks like it could be seriously fascinating, in 18 months or so. The principles, certainly, represent a massive shift in the way we might use the web, and while Ubiquity is a little clunky, I'm sure better interfaces for doing exactly this sort of thing will get developed over the next few years.
- Fake following
Via Matt Jones, Jason Kottke on Fake Following, a brilliant new idea at FriendFeed that I fully expect every social network site to implement by the end of next year.
- dConstruct 2008
I would give my eyeteeth to make this conference. Sadly, there's no way work will pay for it, and even if they would, I am going to be buried in work at the point it's on. Dammit.
- 101 Atheist Quotes – The Atheist Blogger
Don't agree with them all, but I'd have to admit, it's only a minority I really have to take issue with, and most of those are by people who have been dead a long time. My really big problem is that it's a bit anti-Christianity-centric, and while I know it's kind of implicit that atheism defines itself in response to theism, I think you can make a stronger argument for it without resorting to just swiping at the alternatives.
Bookmarks for August 28, 2008
- Lawrence Lessig on McCain on Technology
law netneutrality politics lessig mccain
- Shifting Mind » Postalicious
wordpress plugins delicious
Bookmarks for April 14, 2008
- Whining, Blue Smoke & the Mechanics of Getting Unstuck | 43 Folders
Everyone and their dog has already linked to it, but that’s because it’s well worth a read.
- Virgin Media CEO Says Net Neutrality is “A Load of Bollocks” (via BoingBoing)
Using Virgin as your ISP? I’d strongly urge you to end your account, and find an ISP that believes in your right to use the internet as you, rather than they, see fit. If they get away with this, then other ISPs will too, and then we’re all fucked.