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Internet Blackout Day on January 18

Powered by Dan will be joining thousands of other websites around the United States and the world in protest against Senate Bill 968: the Protect IP Act also known as SOPA. If this bill is passed it will jeopardize internet freedom and shift the power of the independent web into the hands of corporations. We must stop it.

On January 18, 2012 many sites around the web — from small personal blogs to internet institutions like Mozilla,Wikipediareddit, and I Can Has Cheezburger? – will be going dark in protest and to drive their visitors to sites like americancensorship.org to take action and help fight the passage of the Protect IP Act. So will WordPress.org.

If you want to join the protest by blacking out your WordPress site or applying a ribbon, there is now a variety of blackout plugins in the WordPress.org plugins directory. While joining the protest in this manner is laudable, please don’t forget to also make those phone calls to U.S. Senators — they’re the ones with the voting power.

Blackout the Internet on January 18th to prevent it from being blacked out by Corporations.

Bad Year for Dictators…

We are the 1%

I don’t know who to credit this to, but this graphic puts things in perspective. Sure things aren’t great, and yes things need to change but claiming to be the 99% when we are WELL off compared to many others in the world is petty.

We are not the 99%

We are not the 99%

If people would focus more on themselves rather than things we’d be in a lot better place. People want and desire too many material items which places them in debt to those that they are organizing against. Just because you spent over $100,000 on your education doesn’t mean you are entitled to a well paying job. Learn a trade and actually do something that will be a life long skill, school is great but when times are tough hands on skills are what will get you by.

Dear Internet…

People of the Internet, we have a problem. For too long there have been people who pass along rumors without checking the facts. Sure it sounds like a true story but sounding like a true story and being a true story are two completely separate things. For those of you that don’t know I’ve been using the Internet for nearly 18 years and if there is one truth I have learned from the Internet, it is that if you forward an email from Microsoft, Pepsi, or AOL you will end up a millionaire. Oh wait no you won’t because that was a fucking lie 15 years ago and it’s still a fucking lie today. Also did you know that there is a kid on their deathbed right now that wants to you to send him 1,000,000 postcards and be the postcard king? Wait, wait, wait, that kid never existed?!?!? Oh MY GOD how could someone lie on the Intarwebs???

There are BILLIONS of barrels of oil right in the middle of the good ol U.S. of A. Billions I tell you! Shale Oil is the next big thing!!!!!111!1one

Talking about lying did you hear that congress doesn’t pay taxes, gets paid for the rest of their life even if they only serve one term, and that they feast on the dead but still warm bodies of puppies and kittens?! It’s true my uncle Sam’s friends cousins bosses gardener forwarded it to me, which means it must be true. I once read that the brand new (if 10 years ago is new) gold $1 coins don’t have “In God We Trust” on them. Wait I have one right here, nope there is no In God We Trust on the coin… Oh wait there it is on the fucking edge of the coin. See this is the problem with a large percentage of the general, they don’t really know what they are forwarding.

Dollar Coins "In God We Trust"

The unfortunate part is that many of the people who send these things are actually intelligent people, and I know they meant well when they forwarded along the message, but every person that reads this cutting edge information is another possible fish that might fall for the lies.

My real issue here is who is the idiot that first creates these false sensationalistic stories that tug on our heart-strings, hit on our religious beliefs, or social awareness. Was it really some smart person that thought they could pull a fast one on the me? Or is it some stupid bastard that thinks they can get the pitchforks and torches pulled on the targets of their deceit?

With great power comes great responsibility, and with the Internet it appears as though responsibility has got thrown out with the baby and bathwater.

Please think before you link, or forward.

Here is a list of websites that you can confirm facts on before forwarding along stories that could be deceiving or have misinformation.

Factcheck.Org
Snopes
Truth or Fiction
PolitiFact

By the way, Obama is a US citizen, Congress is held to the same laws as all citizens, the DreamAct would offer amnesty for illegals that join the military or has at least 2 years of college under their belt, AND if we all don’t buy gas one day it won’t do anything since we will buy gas another day… moron.

If you have a friend or family member that sends along emails or Facebook links to lies like those listed above, send them this email next time and maybe they will check their facts before they spread the lies.

Rant: Pray for Obama Psalm 109?

It boggles my mind that there are people who hate someone so much that they would wish something like this on their worst enemy, let alone the President of the United States of America…

You can buy a bumper sticker that says “Pray for Obama/Psalm 109″

This is what they are referencing:

8 May his days be few;

may another take his place of leadership.

9 May his children be fatherless

and his wife a widow.

10 May his children be wandering beggars;

may they be driven [d] from their ruined homes.

11 May a creditor seize all he has;

may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

via my friend over at his blog A Futile Mistake: Psalm 109.

I just can’t get over that people think this is right to say about ANY president regardless if you agree or disagree with him.

It’s sad that there are people like this, it’s scary that there are people so simple and uneducated to think like this and wish violence upon any one.  This isn’t a right vs. left thing, this isn’t a Democrat vs. Republican thing, this is just a group of ignorant fools…  Disagreeing with the current president isn’t wishing him dead.

Check out this video below, fast forward to 3:15 if you want to get directly to coverage about these stickers.

Weekly Cool Links #17 – Windows 7 Edition

Two Weeks in a Row!  Two Weeks in a Row!  Ok, now that I’m done with that.  USC beat Notre Dame last week, it was nail biter of a game al the way through, but the better team ended up with the victory.  On Sunday, Kelly and I went up to Oak Glen (near Yucaipa) to do our annual apple picking.  Unfortunately all the u-pick farms were closed due to a hail storm that knocked off the blossoms.  So we ended up getting some pumpkins and also some apple cider and headed to Victoria Gardens instead.  Tomorrow we are having a Windows 7 Launch Party!  Should be fun reason to get together for no real reason, other that to watch the USC game.  I’m going to cook bangers on the grill and we even have some door prizes for those that bring the digital cameras with them.  Lastly I put a job bid in for a System Engineer position here at work.  We will see what happens, I’m not looking to leave my department, but I’d like to get back to a more technical role if the price is right.  Lastly, I really want to go make some beer at Brew Bakers, maybe someone could get me a gift certificate to do that…

Now, on to the links!

TV Stuff
If you have ever wanted to know more about the themes that make TV writing then I highly suggest to take a couple hours to browse and read around TV Tropes.  It’s especially a great read for anyone that’s ever wanted to learn the tricks of the trade for writing anything from Comics to TV.

Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, what’s the difference?

Music Stuff
Looking for music like the music you like?  Check out Musicovery, a music discovery service.  Doing a search for Jimmy Eat World on there actually links me to a number of other bands I’ve also enjoyed throughout the years.  Pretty impressive.

Here is a funny music video

Chicks Man
If you are interested in attractive philologists, check out Hot for Words.  She’s not really my type, but hey I know there are a lot of you out there that like big boobed blondes.

Check out these chicks melting ice.

Food Stuff
Lifehacker had an article this week on 10 Simple Freeze Tricks to Save You Time and Money.  Info and links about what can be frozen (Broccoli yes, Onions No) to how to make your freeze more efficient.  It’s a good starting place for many people.

Windows 7 Stuff (Tech Stuff)
So yesterday Windows 7 was released.  I’ve already been using it for 3 weeks and think it’s pretty great, especially the 64bit version because nothing beats using 8 gigs of RAM on a computer (except 16 gigs).  A number of websites had guides for Windows 7, but Lifehacker’s Complete Guide to Windows 7 is the most comprehensive, plus it links to lots of other great starting points to learn more.  If you are looking for a more historical look at Windows, you have to check out Maximum PC’s 50 Best (and Worst) Moment’s in Windows History.

Funny Stuff
Check out Life’s pictorial on 30 Dumb Inventions, how about those screaming tomatoes, and to think people follow that crackpots “religion”.  I only read Maxim magazine for the articles, that’s why I’m sharing the 10 People in Every Office article they recently posted.  Lastly check out Stuff White People Life and Photobomb for some more funnies.

Oh no the Pixar lamp killed the letter I!

Weekly Cool Links #15 – Protecting Marriage by Banning Divorce?

Well another two weeks have passed by and it’s once again time for my weekly cool links!  But first what’s happening in my life.  Last Saturday I had some friends come over and we watched the UCLA, Notre Dame, and USC games, let’s just say when the day was done and USC ended up beating Ohio State my day was complete.  Besides that, I went to the dentist for the first time in over 10 years (a number of different reasons why I didn’t go for so long) and fortunately for me I didn’t have any major issues with my teeth, but I did have to come in a second time for extra cleaning.  We sent to the Orange International Street Fair on the Sunday before Labor Day, I have pictures from our fun, and hopefully I’ll get those posted soon.  We are planning a trip to Ireland next year, probably some time around May, and should be purchasing our tickets any day now.  That’s about it here, so now on to the links.

Politics / Funny
2010 CA Protection of Marriage Act, someone has decided to take protecting marriage one step further by trying to get a bill on the ballot to ban marriage.  Sure it’s to poke at the Prop 8 people, but honestly, divorce ruins marriage and hurts more children then any gay marriage ever would.

Cool Stuff
Comparisons of Inaugural Addresses, this is a pretty cool diagram of every presidential inauguration speech that compares the words used against all the other presidential inauguration speeches.
Handwriting Tips Penmanship – NYTimes.com, I’ve always been fascinated with handwriting and really liked this article about how the human mind sees it, and the best forms of handwriting to use so people can understand it.  I’m glad the writing I use is already considered the most efficient.
Online Dating Advice: Exactly What To Say In A First Message « OkTrends, for all my single friends out there, looking to score online, this is a must read.  They analyzed a number of 1st messages sent on a dating site and found the words to use or not use to get the most responses back.
Swingvine shows you what’s popular on the web, right now.

Tech / Funny
Penn & Teller, this iPhone application will trick your friends into thinking you have Penn & Teller on your speed dial to help you do magic tricks.

Funny Stuff
Hot Chicks Picking Up Dog Shit
, Taking hot chicks with douchebags another direction.  Also don’t forget to check out their sister site, Hot Chicks with Dogs with Boners…  Sadly I’m not kidding.
Probably Bad News: News fails, because journalism isn’t dying fast enough.
, I’ve been criticized for my writing abilities, but these guys get paid to write…
What Stormtroopers do on Their Day Off | WildAmmo.com
, Who hasn’t wondered what they do?

Food Stuff
Food In Real Life, Great site that compares what’s on the box, to what’s in it.

Videos

Amazing San Francisco Blue Angels Flybys!

Maxim Magazines Campus Cuties 2009.

OC Food Reviews

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