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Today a large majority of sites are protesting two proposed bills SOPA and PIPA. These two bills are designed with the idea in mind to stop online piracy. When everyone screams that this is not a problem, so what, or that this is the internet it falls on deaf ears in congress.
Piracy is a problem for the movie industry, mainly because its forcing them to innovate and provide means that give us the services we want. I subscribe to Hulu Plus and Netflix Instant, I own a computer but not a television. (I avoid TV.com due to their horrible design and features, their Android app doesn’t prevent my screen from turning off while watching a video so I have to pause it every 15 seconds.) Now because I wanted to watch Dexter and the Big Bang Theory recently I had no means which were available to me to watch it. So I was forced to pirate it. I watch House, Castle, and a number of other shows, but don’t mind the commercials I get while watching them on Hulu. Piracy is not about stealing… its about getting a service which isn’t offered to you.
The SOPA and PIPA laws are focused on sending people to jail for providing the services that the entertainment industry refuses to combat through innovation. But then again so what, right? Afterall breaking the law is still breaking the law…. except that’s SOPA is not designed to combat piracy. It’s designed to censor the internet.
[caption id=”attachment_2375” align=”aligncenter” width=”500” caption=”Life without the internet”][/caption]
Essentially we are going to give control of the internet to the corporations of America. These are the same company’s who tried to stop the release of the VCR and MP3 player stating that they would damage their market. They already have partial control of things like YouTube and abuse the hell out of it. In protest of the DNS takedown of Megaupload recently Will.i.am, P Diddy, Kanye West, Chris Brown, Jamie Foxx, Kim Kardashian, Lil John, The Game, Floyd Mayweather, Serena Williams, and Ciara created a song. It was taken down by the record companies. They had no legal, moral, ethical, or any other rights to the song but had the ability to take it down anyway… no questions asked.
But because we have the internet we have, people are able to re-upload it and share it and now I’m able to share it with you right here, in the video below.
If this were the post-SOPA internet, likely you would never even know it existed. The record industry would have the ability to censor it from the Internet, and since SOPA says anyone hosting a link to illegal content or even the intent of hosting anything they will have the right to shut you down.
I am a small time web developer, I make websites to share content and have fun and whatever. My most profitable web site is basically a peer-to-peer network for Army soldiers to share Army files. Nothing secret, or fancy, mostly powerpoint files on things like how to administer first aid to a bullet wound. According to the U.S. copyright laws I am able to use copyrighted images in those files under the fair use ruling because they are for educational use. However the platform exists where anyone can stop by and share whatever they want. Actually that happened once, where they started sharing answers to online ACCP exams before I put a stop to it.
SOPA would give me the option of bankruptcy or jail.
HAL became operational on 12 January 1997, at the HAL Laboratories in Urbana, Illinois, as production number 3; in the film 2001 the activation year was 1992, and 1991 in earlier screenplays. In addition to maintaining the Discovery One spacecraft systems during the interplanetary mission to Jupiter, HAL is capable of speech, speech recognition, facial recognition, natural language processing, lip reading, art appreciation, interpreting and reproducing emotional behaviours, reasoning, and playing chess.
I’ve developed an unhealthy obsession with carrying a bag everywhere I go. Not just because of my need to have my laptop every where, but just to have something… almost like a woman needs a purse.
Most of the time though its full of some geeky gadgets like my kindle, a charger, or even my TI graphing calculator. I also get kinda artsy carrying my moleskin notebook, a hardcover drawing book, and some drawing pencils or pigma graphic pens.
The Ogio Mastermind backpack to the left is my main packpack. While the mastermind model is discontinued you can still find some in various places around the net, except the white plaid version that I have. I had to hunt this one down and was so excited after 2 months of searching that I got one. I’ve had to replace a zipper myself my hand, and now the inside of the bag is starting to rip but its still my favorite bag. Two pouches on each side, one on the top with a waterproof zipper (before I had to replace it), a pencil pouch, and a file folder pocket. Then there is the laptop pocket and the main pocket.
Then there is my Timbuk2 Messenger bags. The blue one is too small for my laptop, but its pretty much a permanent home for some of my drawing books and pencils. The grey one is perfect for carrying lots of books, but after slamming into my hip all day can wear out my shoulder fast so I don’t use it as much as I’d like.
Then I have my Spec-ops “T.H.E. Pack, 3-Day Assault Pack”. Although mine is solid olive green and is in storage. I mention it because I used it all throughout my time in the Army and it shows almost no wear at all. I would love to take this bag and redesign it to be like the Mastermind bag that I have. Even if the bag costs me a couple hundred dollars, as long as it would last and I wouldn’t have to make mild repairs every year before school I would make the investment. Especially since I carry this bag around with me everywhere. I mean girls spend $800 on a Gucci purse, why can’t I spend half that on something built to last?
From time to time I get someone to ask me to design them something, whether its a sales flyer or a complete web site. About 90% of the time I tell them to take a hike 30 seconds into their sales pitch trying to convince me to do it. Its never about the money, I could always use the money… it’s that I always seem to have someone wanting me to redesign the wheel for them at a rate completely unreasonable.
I found this graphic recently and I think I’m just going to give it to anyone that wants my services before they even start talking. Not to be an ass (well, maybe a little bit), but to save both of us some time.
My girlfriend recently got an Android phone and I’m in the process of telling her which apps I think are best. I figured while I’m at it I would make my list a little more formal and share it with the world. These are only my personal recommendations and I’m only experienced with the Samsung Infuse 4G. If you have anything you feel belongs on this list, let me know in the comments and I’ll be happy to add it to the list.
| App Name | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gmail | When it comes to email I prefer Gmail above all others. Google doesn’t install it by default. | Free |
| 2 | GO SMS Pro | The best text messaging app I’ve come across. Even though there are others which are more popular I find this one a lot more user friendly and included more features. | Free |
| 3 | GO SMS Pro Emoji Plugin | A simple plugin for the GO SMS which allows you to use emoticons like this:  These emoticons work natively with iPhone users and with most android users which use any SMS app which supports Emoji. |
Free |
| 4 | Free | ||
| 5 | Google+ | Even if you don’t use the social network, this app will automatically backup all the pictures you take with your phone to a private folder in Picasa web albums. | Free |
| 6 | Google voice | Google will give you a phone number which will forward all calls made to it to your phone. Allowing you to keep your real number private, or change physical phone numbers as often as you want. The thing that makes Google Voice so great though is its ability to transcribe your voice mail messages and then e-mail them too you. | Free |
| 7 | Netflix | Monthly | |
| 8 | TV.com | Not a very large selection of TV shows to watch, but it is free to download and use. Most of the shows are through CBS, and can’t be found on Hulu either. | Free |
| 9 | Hulu Plus | INCOMPATIBLE with the Infuse!! Also only works providing you have a Hulu plus subscription. Hulu may be free to use on your computer, but on the phone its about $10 a month. | Free |
| 10 | Starbucks | Register with Starbucks and not only get a free drink on your birthday, but you can use your phone to display a bar code which the cashier can scan so you don’t have to fumble with pulling it out of your wallet. | Free |
| 11 | Spotify | Spotify is a free music service that allows you so much of airplay a month on the computer before you’re required to pay a monthly fee of about $10. If you subscribe to the paid version you can stream music on your phone anytime anywhere. If you just want to use the free version you can copy over songs you have already downloaded on your computer over wi-fi which is a nice way to keep playlists organized. | Free |
| 12 | Shazam Encore | There is a free version of this app as well | $4.99 |
| 13 | Evernote | Simple note taking app | Free |
| 14 | Dropbox | File storage, allows me access to files in a special folder which are on my computer. Files get synced to website so I don’t need to have my computer on to access them either. | Free |
| 15 | Wunderlist Task Manager | Simple To-Do list | Free |
| 16 | Beautiful Widgets | I love the weather widget this app offers. It even includes a notification icon which displays the weather and automatically discovers where I am so its always updated as I travel. | $2.69 |
| 17 | Adobe Flash Player | The ultimate battery killer, but its needed for several sites. | Free |
| 18 | Barcode Scanner | Scan QR codes or any bar code you find, then look them up online to find the cheapest price around. | Free |
| 19 | Chase Bank | If you don’t have a bank account with Chase this app won’t help you one bit. I recently changed banks to Chase though just so I could use this app since it rated as being one of the highest in the Android market. Bonus for being an Army veteran with Chase is they give you the premium account (normally $25 a month) just because you served in the military. | Free |
| 20 | Where Am I? | A simple app, that can be useful if you travel a lot and/or get lost easily. | Free |
| 21 | Wifi Analyzer | A 2GB data plan is usually pretty intensive for almost anyone, but still wifi’s are faster and sometimes you’re required to be on one in order to do something specific. (Like uploading a video to YouTube) | Free |
| 22 | LogMeIn Ignition | Install some free software onto your computer and then use this app anywhere in the world to control the computer as if you were sitting in front of it. | $29.99 |
| App Name | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angry Birds | ||
| 2 | Cut the Rope | ||
| 3 |
When it comes to buying apps it sounds like a waste of money to some people. However if you consider the amount of functionality those apps offer a single dollar doesn’t feel like a lot. A game that cost $3 is still much cheaper than what you would spend on that prize you’re never going to win at the carnival. Google does give you 15 minutes to review the app and decide if you want to keep it before you have the option of deleting it and getting your money back. Not really much time, but its better than nothing. Personally I will find a way to pirate the app then if I use it often enough I will eventually buy it. Not necessarily for moral reasons, but because its usually only a couple dollars at most and the updates I will get automatically are well worth the hassle of having to repeatedly check and see if there is a bug fix or new and added features.
As a programmer myself it may seem a little odd that I am telling you how to essentially steal apps. As I said above most apps don’t cost that much, and by buying them you are saving yourself a lot of hassle later on. That said I will also never buy a car without test driving it. I don’t care if its a Lamborghini, if it uncomfortable to use I won’t use it. Most of the time when you pirate apps it can damage your phone and sometimes you can be coexed into installing a virus. So unless you’re ready to face those consequences I really don’t recommend venturing outside the official Android Market. Getting all your apps from the app store is the best method everytime.
There are times where I am required to pirate something. If its a $50 or even $20 app with no demo or trial period, you can believe I am going to test it out first. User reviews are great, but I’m not one that likes to rely on internet testimonies. I prefer using the site 4shared.com and search for the app name followed by APK. APK’s are Android package files which install apps, plugins, and other software onto your phone. They also have an app in the market place which makes finding and downloading these files to your phone almost effortless.
So a search for “Angry Birds APK” would look like this. Note the version numbers, you want the latest version. This only works for the most popular apps as well.
Once you’ve downloaded your APK, you have to allow the phone to bypass the security which will allow you to install the app. To do that follow these easy steps.
Now, you’re all set. Angry Birds is also a free app in the Android Market, and some of these files you will find, usually have been hacked in some way. In most cases that I have seen someone has removed the ads, which if you’ve played Angry Birds with ads, they can get quite annoying.
One of the things I am so crucial over with managing my personal data is the use of cloud storage. Everything is stored on a server somewhere else which not only makes it a nice way to backup crucial information but it gives you easy access to it regardless where you are. I don’t rely on a single service to host all of my information but instead on several and most of them free. Below is a list of the cloud services which I use.
| Dropbox | File Storage |
| Evernote | Notes & documents (I use it for taking notes during college classes, and allows me to add images, audio files, and any other type of files) |
| Spotify | Is intended for streaming music, however my playlists are more important to me and this site lets me save and even share them. |
| Wunderlist | Just a basic to-do list with folders and notes |
This was an essay done for my humanities class where I had to visit a museum, find a painting, and critique and evaluate it. I am told that I ventured off from the topic requested slightly but I still received a perfect score of 200/200 points she liked it that much. Below on the left is the painting by Charles Philippe Larivière and the right is Sandow Birk.
Three years ago I walked into the MOMA in San Francisco for the first time. It was the first art museum I had ever visited and the majority of its contents instantly repulsed me. I left with my nose turned to the sky telling everyone I had wasted my money. Since then I have become more self-conscious towards art and not only learned to understand it, but to appreciate it as well. The amount of mental maturity I have acquired towards art in such a short time surprises even myself.
Walking into the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, I was disappointed at first when all I could see was historical artifacts primarily from Africa. Then it occurred to me that perhaps my mental maturity wasn’t quite as mature as I previously thought. Art is a form of expression, emotions, and a way of sharing our own thoughts with others, although it doesn’t have to be limited to something defined. Art can be art, just because it’s art. It’s easy to argue that Jackson Pollock is a hack because all he ever did was get drunk and literally throw paint on the floor. Anyone can create their own Pollock styled painting, except only Pollock did it first. The idea of being first carries a lot of weight in our society; those who copy are often ridiculed and occasionally sued.
At the Crocker Art Museum, I discovered one piece that stood out to me as being both original, and yet a copy of a famous painting done in 1865 regarding the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle by Charles Philippe Larivière. Sandow Birk created his own parodied recreation of a more modern situation with a series of events that were similar to those in the original. The piece is titled “The Battle of Stonewall - 1969” and depicts the riots which took place in 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Since it was illegal at the time to engage in any homosexual activities these riots gave headway to the entire movement of gay rights in their fight for equality. They have credited these riots as the first instance of backlash against any government-sponsored organization that supported and/or enforced the homosexuality laws. Exactly one year later a protest march took place to commemorate the riots and remind people of the oppression they were still trying to overcome. This march became so successful it has been repeated every year since and is now known as the Gay Pride Parade.
The original painting by Larivière depicts the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle, which took place in France in 1304. This was a significant battle at the time between the Flemish and French. The French had decided to attack the Flemish out of revenge for a previous battle and after a long day of fighting the two sides engaged in talks, which left the French to believe the fighting was over for the day. Unknowing to them the Flemish launched a surprise attack nearly killing their king. After several other minor battles the Flemish were finally able to claim their freedom.
Similarities between Stonewall and the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle vary only in the aspect of the era in which they occurred. In both cases the side thought to be physically superior attacked those who were weaker, and instead the underdogs not only won the battle, but also won their freedom. This reminds us that even though we have come a long way in the last 700 years, oppression still exists.
The variations of the two paintings are based on identical layouts with different compositions. People holding flags, riding horses, or yielding a weapon are doing so in both paintings. The older painting people carried flags to communicate with troops over a long distance, while the modern version shows people in the same positions holding protest banners. Instead of a warrior with a sword, the modern version shows a New York City police officer striking people down with his baton. Police hold riot shields in the same manner as soldiers from the original Larivière who were also holding 14th century battle shields.
Birk has several variations that set his painting apart from Larivière’s. The overall setting is likely the most obvious although given the context they are a reflection of how history repeats itself. Small variations such as a man pulling on a parking meter resemble no similar actions or body placement in Larivière’s work. Birk included this not to set his painting apart from Larivière’s, but to include the significance of the parking meter in the Stonewall riots. In 1969 six police officers made there way into the Stonewall Inn and preceded to arrest people for engaging in homosexual acts such as cross-dressing. After being beaten and abused those under arrest decided to fight back. This revolt forced the police to retreat into the bar which they had just emptied and barricaded themselves in. Outside a riot began to form and a parking meter was uprooted and used as a battering ram. Birk saw this as a key component in the riots and incorporated it into his painting so casually it could easily be overlooked as a variation.
The looks on the faces of the police are almost expressionless while the victims on the ground are withered with fear. Several hold their hands over their heads for protection; few appear to be fighting back. The police give this sense of feeling that what they are doing is no different than taking out the garbage. This is also from a time when homosexuality was considered a disease and occasionally treated with measures as extreme as giving the patient a lobotomy.
Beer and liquor bottles pollute the ground and some fly through the air. I do not believe there were people drinking in the streets during a riot such as this one, and doubt Birk chose to represent it that way. Including the alcohol in the painting helped remind the viewer that this all started in a bar.
Overall the amount of detail of historical facts regarding the riots that Birk included in his painting are overwhelming. The description posted off to the side in the museum gives him credit to fully researching the event by saying he properly portrayed the clothing and hairstyles of the people, however he did so much more than making the people fit the specific era. Birk selected a historical painting from 1865 then related it almost perfectly to the events at Stonewall. Even though it is considered “cartoon-like” the message is still clear.
I am a heterosexual male who has very few friends that call themselves “gay”. Walking through the Crocker Art Museum I knew nothing about the events that took place at Stonewall in 1969. This painting appealed to me solely based on being a parody of a more popular work of art. Now with a better understanding of what Birk has portrayed I more impressed than I originally thought, yet disturbed that this event took place less than 10 years before I was born. I never knew it was illegal, and persecuted so strongly in a time so close to present day. This horrified me to learn of the actions that took place in an attempt to “cure” homosexual behavior.
To say a piece of art ‘changed my life’ sounds like a misconstrued exaggeration. I hear others say it and I think that they are being over-emotional. The truth is, art does change our lives. It’s around us everywhere, from the design of the cars we drive to the shoes we wear. Millions of people paint their face with makeup every morning before they leave the house. Art is life and I am still just beginning to realize this. My so-called mental maturity, which I originally held so high just a few months ago, is still as immature as a young child. Birk’s painting has changed my life, primarily my thinking about gay rights and why they are so important, but also it has shown me how far we have come in just 40 years. In only a single lifetime, we have gone from complete oppression of any homosexual behavior to including in our lives openly and fight for their right to marriage.
My brain is stuck on over drive the past couple months and is making it nearly impossible to focus. From what I can Google, its possibly some form of ADHD, but that’s the best guess I got going for me right now. Simplest way to explain it is my mind just wants to zone out, and go on vacation to some distant dreamland.
So since I’m an Army veteran with health care through the VA, I thought I would make an appointment with mental health and see if they can help me. I’ve dealt with the VA before and there are some things to be desired, but overall I can’t really argue for free medical care. At the least I can talk to an advise nurse or someone to make an appointment. Not true with mental health. I’ve left multiple messages over the course of a month and never heard anything in return.
Nada…
Zip….
Nilch….
It’s almost as if this department doesn’t exist, or they want you bleeding from the wrist in order to see you.
I thought if they don’t want to do their job, well then I will go around them and get someone else to help me. This is where all those horror stories you hear about the VA start to come true. I get an operator, explain what I need, then before I can finish I hear ringing…. they apparently transfered me without any warning or the customary “please hold”.
By the time I’m done with all this VA bullshit and get to speak to someone I’ll need a separate mental health professional to deal with the stress related anxiety just from having to deal with them in the first place. Heaven forbid these people have someone who might be suicidal on their hands.