Wikipedia is Down

[JediKooter]

The only thing you can access on wikipedia is: midgets, boobs & bacon.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Yeah, I don't like knowing that members of FOFC support this bill. I want content creators to get paid, but from what I understand of this bill, it's way too vague and opens the door for stupid shit (as in potentially sites like reddit, fofc, and other user-submitted sites being shut down with no due process).

No I'm not American, but it will affect me too and I have no say in the bill at all.

Not to mention the potential for abuse is beyond astronomical. Once in full swing, this is an elimination of free speech entirely in the guise of "piracy". Much like we lost so many of our freedoms due to "terrorism" or "drug dealers" so now you can be arrested by the US military without trial within the USA and the government can take your house from you without recourse under the guise that someone in your household was dealing drugs.

In this case, someone creates a website to protest something - Best Buy, Lamar Hunt the Super Bowl - and they have a forum for other people to post their comments. There's nothing to stop Best Buy, Lamar Hunt or the NFL from registering on the site, posting copyrighted pictures and then using SOPA to shut the website down. Is that legal? No. Is that what will happen? Without a doubt and no one will ever know. That's the kind of abuse that will happen under these laws.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I'm offended by Wikipedia's racism on this one. It stopped working as soon as it turned black.

[Rizon]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I'm offended by Wikipedia's racism on this one. It stopped working as soon as it turned black.

(this picture is not my own and I have stole it in protest of SOAPA

[cuervo72]

Read this comment on an article posted at MSNBC, thought it was interesting especially given JiMGa's take so far.

SOME right wingers aren't in support of this? I can't imagine why ANY right winger would be in support of this (and I am one). This is about more government intrusion and more government oversight of things they have no business in, things true "right wingers" abhor. Right wingers are about freedom more than they are about profits (but believe people should be free to profit).

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I'm offended by Wikipedia's racism on this one. It stopped working as soon as it turned black.

[Rizon]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

The only thing you can access on wikipedia is: midgets, boobs & bacon.

Lies. Raptors and Norv Turner are still up.

Did you know that raptors only were about 30 pounds??

[Ksyrup]

Do people really use Wikipedia as a primary search tool? I mean, I google things first, and maybe a Wiki entry is among the links I can look at, but I don't think I've ever gone straight to Wikipedia to look something up. If this was reversed, and google was down but Wiki was "blacked out," I'd be much more inconvenienced.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Rizon

Lies. Raptors and Norv Turner are still up.

Did you know that raptors only were about 30 pounds??

Not if they would eat Norv Turner.

[JAG]

From what I heard on the radio on the way to work, some of the legislation would make it so if Google or Wikipedia linked to sites that linked to other sites involved with piracy, Google / Wikipedia could be held liable for copyright infringement. That's patently (pun intended) absurd.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Do people really use Wikipedia as a primary search tool? I mean, I google things first, and maybe a Wiki entry is among the links I can look at, but I don't think I've ever gone straight to Wikipedia to look something up. If this was reversed, and google was down but Wiki was "blacked out," I'd be much more inconvenienced.

I use Wikipedia in a lot of cases.

For example, yesterday we were talking about Jim Irsay and when he took over as the main owner of the Colts. We didn't know so I went straight to Wikipedia and looked it up. That happens a lot for me.

[cody8200]

I thought JimGA was a Libertarian. Well those guys hate this thing - at least according to the Libertarian CATO Institute. This is the government putting it's hands all over your woman kind of thing. I'm all like, "Bitch, get your hands off my sexy internet."

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Do people really use Wikipedia as a primary search tool?

Yes. Especially if it is something I know there will be a Wiki article on.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Do people really use Wikipedia as a primary search tool? I mean, I google things first, and maybe a Wiki entry is among the links I can look at, but I don't think I've ever gone straight to Wikipedia to look something up. If this was reversed, and google was down but Wiki was "blacked out," I'd be much more inconvenienced.

I'll use google to find the wiki page.

My kids ask me all kinds of stuff all the time. Do I have all the answers? Hell no. But I can get a reasonable synopsis of just about anything on wikipedia. If I need something more in-depth or specific I will search for other sites, at the very least to cross-check wiki.

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by JAG

From what I heard on the radio on the way to work, some of the legislation would make it so if Google or Wikipedia linked to sites that linked to other sites involved with piracy, Google / Wikipedia could be held liable for copyright infringement. That's patently (pun intended) absurd.

Government and absurd....isn't that redundant?

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

Originally Posted by cody8200

I thought JimGA was a Libertarian.

Then you haven't been following very closely. I would say he veers totalitarian, which makes his support here completely consistent.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Not to mention the potential for abuse is beyond astronomical.

Nailed it right there. The abuse of the DMCA on sites like youtube is beyond ridiculous already. This bill would be the DMCA on steroids, coke, meth & human growth hormones. Oh and all of it is with ZERO due process.

[lungs]

Originally Posted by cody8200

I thought JimGA was a Libertarian.

You MUST be thinking of the wrong person?

edit: ronnie beat me to it

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Do people really use Wikipedia as a primary search tool? I mean, I google things first, and maybe a Wiki entry is among the links I can look at, but I don't think I've ever gone straight to Wikipedia to look something up. If this was reversed, and google was down but Wiki was "blacked out," I'd be much more inconvenienced.

Wiki is an encyclopedia, so any time I want to learn about something I go straight there. I used it last night to research SOPA.

I think of it as a jumping off point, and if I want to know more I will either use the links in the article or go to Google.

[DanGarion]

Welcome to China.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Rizon

Lies. Raptors and Norv Turner are still up.

Did you know that raptors only were about 30 pounds??

Norv Turner is a boob

[King of New York]

One FOFCer whose opinion I would be interested to hear on this is Marc Vaughn. It's very easy for folks whose livelihoods are in no way threatened by internet piracy to label any attempt to deal with it as "censorship." SI certainly has to contend with internet theft of its products, so I wonder what his take is.

Ping: Marc Vaughn

[ColtCrazy]

I use Wikipedia a lot as well. If it's a short, simple answer...like a definition or something, I google it. If I want to know more about someone or something, I Wikipedia it. Those are the 2 I use the most often.

[Rizon]

Ah, imagur is down today in protest, too. Damn.

[Tigercat]

This just in: US entertainment businesses are fine. We still lead the world in creating and exporting entertainment properties. (Film, music, video games, ect.)

So, if we still lead the world in creation and exportation, why do we need new laws and not just enforce the ones we have? And what excuse does anyone with a conservative or libertarian leaning have for supporting this unnecessary bill?

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Norv Turner is a boob

And he's a horrible head coach.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Tigercat

And what excuse does anyone with a conservative or libertarian leaning have for supporting this unnecessary bill?

Straight cash homie.

[-apoc-]

Here is the real kicker in how bad these bills are. The government can tell private companies to delist www. piratebay .org from the DNS servers so if you type that in you can not go to the website. However if you simply put the ip address 194.71.107.15 in your browser you can still go there. So it accomplishes nothing since most people who are going to pirate something still can with almost no hassle.

It is a big bloated swing and a miss as usual from the RIAA and congress.

[cody8200]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

Then you haven't been following very closely. I would say he veers totalitarian, which makes his support here completely consistent.

I usually stay out of political threads but this one bill crosses the politics with something I actually care about. Must have been thinking of someone else.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by King of New York

It's very easy for folks whose livelihoods are in no way threatened by internet piracy to label any attempt to deal with it as "censorship."

I don't think anyone is doing that. We're arguing that these specific attempts to deal with piracy are a massive over-reach that would give governments and corporations the power to control free speech without actually addressing the problem in a meaningful way.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

It is not debatable that if SOPA had been passed in 1998 (whereas DMCA allows for most websites to be protected under "safe harbor") then YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. would not be around. Putting the onus on the website to ensure that no one is posting anything copyrighted would completely stifle these job-creators' ability to actually create jobs.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

It won't stop piracy, but it will allow corporations to shut down and sue websites. It's another example of government as private security for the rich.

Such a short statement, yet it perfectly encapsulates the problems with this bill.

Congress depresses me. This is a huge problem, and, instead of talking to experts and crafting a narrowly-tailored, reasoned approach, I believe they just let the RIAA lawyers write whatever they wanted.

The Internet is still a lot like the Wild West. We need some laws out there. Piracy and theft and fraud are rampant. You and I are probably savvy enough to go out there and not get hurt, but the vast majority of people aren't. They need protection.

Companies like Wikipedia must accept some responsibility for content if they're going to provide a free forum for people. But how? This blunt-force approach the RIAA lawyers want is unrealistic and will stifle commerce and make life impossible for the little guy.

I'm encouraged by the Obama response, and hope the administration backs it with an appropriate task force and a proposal we can all stand behind. This is not a simple problem, and the solution will be more than a little uncomfortable. Change is necessary.

I wish I had more confidence in the government, because I fear this will go much the same way the health-care debate went, except not along party lines... yet.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Do people really use Wikipedia as a primary search tool? I mean, I google things first, and maybe a Wiki entry is among the links I can look at, but I don't think I've ever gone straight to Wikipedia to look something up. If this was reversed, and google was down but Wiki was "blacked out," I'd be much more inconvenienced.

I didn't even notice, because I surf with NoScript. The site comes up as normal. But I did read their statements about what they were doing and why.

I use Wikipedia a lot. I play in a weekly bar trivia league, and I'm always reading something in preparation. Doubly so this week because the Jeopardy tryouts are/were Tuesday through Thursday. Wikipedia is a great and convenient resource.

[DanGarion]

I find it humorous that proponents to the bill claim it is merely supposed to stop piracy in foreign countries. If that is the case I'm all for it, but that's an all out lie.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by DanGarion

I find it humorous that proponents to the bill claim it is merely supposed to stop piracy in foreign countries. If that is the case I'm all for it, but that's an all out lie.

Maybe I am stupid, but I don't see how this stops that. Makes no sense to me.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

.org (as in thepiratebay.org) is not a foreign domain anyway.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by RendeR

The single biggest problem with both SOPA and PIPA is the vagueness with which they are written. passing either of these bills creates an immediate slope the slipperiness of which we have never seen before.

These bills are nothing more than big corporations creating a systemic wiping clean of anything they don't want available or even think they might not want available.

As BK stated, this is legal laziness and Government pandering to big money, nothing more.

+111111111111111

[chadritt]

I saw a couple of people wondering so I thought Id add some anecdotal evidence at least.

Many of my facebook friends are "Industry people" whos livelihoods ARE affected by piracy, some of whom I have seen post long statements against piracy, and virtually all of them are posting anti-SOPA comments today with quite a few changing their profile pictures to black squares as a protest. None of us like piracy but this isnt a good way to go about things, its just got too many loopholes.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

If you saw the "debate" about this on the floor the debaters could not have been less informed about the issues.

I honestly don't feel like they knew what they stepped in until the last few days and would be surprised if more than a handful even read the bill.

[Pumpy Tudors]

if being black is supposed to fix shit, HOW COME I STILL CAN'T CATCH A CAB

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

if being black is supposed to fix shit, HOW COME I STILL CAN'T CATCH A CAB

Because you never wear pants.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

if being black is supposed to fix shit, HOW COME I STILL CAN'T CATCH A CAB

You should wear a Tebow jersey next time.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

If you saw the "debate" about this on the floor the debaters could not have been less informed about the issues.

I honestly don't feel like they knew what they stepped in until the last few days and would be surprised if more than a handful even read the bill.

That is the way the legislative process works in nearly every instance.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Because you never wear pants.

Originally Posted by JediKooter

You should wear a Tebow jersey next time.

What if I wear a Tebow jersey and no pants?

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

What if I wear a Tebow jersey and no pants?

People will see your 3/16ths.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

What if I wear a Tebow jersey and no pants?

You should be set. Just make sure you have 3 dollars and 16 cents in change to tip the cab driver.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

You should wear a Tebow jersey next time.

But then he still wouldn't get a cab for the first 45 minutes.

[korme]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Do people really use Wikipedia as a primary search tool? I mean, I google things first, and maybe a Wiki entry is among the links I can look at, but I don't think I've ever gone straight to Wikipedia to look something up. If this was reversed, and google was down but Wiki was "blacked out," I'd be much more inconvenienced.

My mini search bar in the top right of Firefox is pretty much permanently set on wikipedia. I've already searched a few things today, forgetting it is down.

[korme]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

.org (as in thepiratebay.org) is not a foreign domain anyway.

How does thepiratebay even exist?

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I really haven't paid any attention to this stuff at all, but I do know one thing: I now have a craving for sopapilla.

Oh No. Now I do too.

Curse You Ksyrup!