I used write post’s trying to draw attention to the slow loss of what I thought were “rights” human and civil. It was kind of like throwing a party and no body came. As it was (still is) hard for me to publish a coherent, thought out article I came to the realization that the little gratification I got from doing so was out weighed by the fun just for me post I wrote. I decided to blog about what ever came to the front of my thoughts at the time.
Lately, I have written many post that I left marked private. Usually I just did not want to take the chance that I would have to defend my position – hence taking the fun out of it and being a time consuming deal. And, at other times I just did not want to leave myself wide open for the crap being flung around the net.
This blog is not anonymous, anyone can go see who owns the domain name if they really want to – and yes by some of the email I have received in the past – apparently some people find the “need” to do so. There are a small few who actually read this blog, and even fewer of those that I choose to communicate with using my “real” name. This arrangement was fine with me until the well publicized Kathy Sierra death threat debacle that included personal attacks on the Robert Scobel family. These are not weak unknown folks – my brain went into overtime – if they feel they are under serious threat or danger? how would a peon living in a ghetto neighborhood be able to deal with it? Sound ridiculous? You do not know my neighbors now do you? The idea that my parents could read every word I wrote also started to gnaw it’s way into the equation also.
The deal, the main deal here, was, is, and maybe forever will be, blogging became more of a stress thing than a fun thing.
So, I now just post when I am pissed off enough too or when I have some undying need to post a story or a photo.
Now we have some more attacks on some rights – albeit the right to steal LOL – not really but sort of? The Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007 is full of some real freakishly scary stuff. Such great new changes to the law would include changing:
“Section 13 of the Administration’s proposal would amend 18 U.S.C. 5 2516 by adding
two intellectual property crimes to the predicate offenses for which law enforcement officers may
intercept wire or oral communications for investigation: 1) 18 U.S.C. 5 2319 (criminal
infringement of copyright); and 2) 18 U.S.C. 5 2320 (trafficking in counterfeit goods or services). ”
Woo hoo if I steal your stuff law enforcement can tap my phone. Yes, I would have committed a crime but really? There is a difference between using someones copied MP three in a home movie and copying thousands of illegal dvd’s of a newly released movie- well I think there is anyway. But, would law enforcement think so?
I have been following a thread (until flickr deleted it) on flickr that was brought to my attention on Thomas Hawks blog about Rebekka Guðleifsdóttira a very talented photographer who had her pictures stolen by a company that sold them – giving her nothing! Flickrs response has been very BAD/LAME they deleted a very long thread and her photo block she used draw attention to the problem. Well now that is mature . …
The internet has made the world seem like a smaller place with all the social connections being made but it also has become a very scary place too. Not just the threats from other users but the threats to our privacy and affronts on our civil rights by our government.