Ongoing #7

Websites block content over US bill

In 2011 protesting became the new shouting-about-stuff-on-the-Internet and now, within a year, not-putting-stuff-on-the-Internet has become the new protesting. I imagine protesting will make a comeback though, it is kind of persistent like that. Some high-profile sites took their bats and balls home in objection to freedom-smashing ham-fist-athon SOPA. Sadly I own no "web properties" with enough clout to make even a dent in the protestural (not a word) landscape if they disappeared, although I do have control over a few sites that, had they done anything (or removed everything they normally do) would have constituted a statement on behalf of some companies that would have rapidly set about getting me fired. I'm against the SOPA, but clearly I'm not that committed.

China's government's grip on its citizens' web usage has been well reported - the mere mention of this fact probably means I'm on a watch list right now. At least somebody is reading these - hello Chinese government employees, I am genuinely sorry that you have no fun in your life. America now seems to be taking a lead from China (as in guidance not metal - we all take enough Chinese lead as it is) by allowing themselves free reign to block any website for pretty much any reason they can tie back, however loosely, to copyright infringement because that no-questions-asked system worked so well for detention of terrorism suspects. Except there won't be a website version Guantanamo Bay, just the cold eternal emptiness of no visitors.

The web is still forming in to what it will be known as for years to come and especially to archaic, monolithic government structure it's a completely new concept - something they have no chance of controlling. As usual the "experts" deciding the way forward have missed the mark entirely - the solution to stopping those pesky squirrels from eating your plants is not to apply napalm to the forest. Although I guess the US already know plenty about that so it'll save a bit on planning costs.

Captain says he slipped, tumbled overboard and ended up in lifeboat

How tragically unlucky for a man so lucky as to find himself accidentally in a lifeboat and accidentally rowing like buggery away from the problem, that nobody believes he is truly a hero who just tumbled to safety. It's also a shame that there's a transcript detailing his cringe-worthy attempts to avoid getting back on the ship to help people.

Just look at the guy - he's clearly a cruise-liner captain, not a real one. Expecting anyone with this face to hang around while unimaginable terror and chaos rains down is like expecting your average bus driver to operate with the professionalism and resolve of a tank commander. "Captain Schettino" even sounds like a cartoon character who bumbles around at eight frames-per-second and gets farcically self-rescued making it look like he fled his own sinking ship ahead of women and children, sort of like an Inspector Clouseau of the sea. With a name like that, it's hard to stay mad at him. "Ohhh, that Schettino!"