Live In Harmony With Mother Earth and Father Sky

Once again, I'm nervous. The internet is being threatened - free speech is being threatened. Just last week, Congress has re-introduced bits of SOPA under the radar. If millions of people already actively spoke out against these proposed laws, why does it seem like a good idea to bring them back up and force their passage without permission? Ridiculous.

Besides the risk for fan-genearated material (I'm talking fanfic, art, videos, anything that uses something someone else owns for NO MONETARY GAIN), and legitimately CITES the original owner and generator of the material, I'm nervous about the sheer scope of these potential laws.

If suddenly there are people being assigned to monitor our actions on the internet - where is the privacy? We already know that the FBI and CIA monitor emails and websites for threatening activity and keywords. That freaks me out enough. Now all of a sudden, civilians are going to start poking into my browsing history and making sure I'm not looking at anything copyrighted?

Oh wait. Don't forget - just about everything is owned by SOMEONE. That means practically everything and anything is copyrighted. The only difference is some people make serious money from these creations, while others simply enjoy the act of creating and live life. For example, I am not a professional photographer. That doesn't mean that a photo I've taken is not mine. In fact, I own it. I may share it, post it on my website, etc. for others to enjoy as well. If someone took it and credited it as their own, or stole it to make money off of it, I would be a bit miffed. However, if someone wanted to download my photo and save it for their own pleasure, I'd be exceedingly pleased and would thank them!

The line needs to be clear. As necessary as objectivity is, someone who has no idea what you may be doing with those LiveJournal icons you're making with Star Trek characters may believe that this is an infringement (never mind there is a clear statement of NOT FOR PROFIT on the user's profile), and completely shut them down. So much for creativity.

This then leads to the argument of "well, one shouldn't be using others' creativity anyway, you should expend your energy on your own material." This is an old argument in the fanfic world especially. And it creates a vicious cycle - create fanfic, original owner gets upset, so you stop creating fanfic, create your own works, copyright your works, other people like it and create fanfic, you get upset....see what I mean?

I think the crux of it all is who is making money and profiting from something and who is not. I very much enjoy the television, films, etc. that I watch, and I like to display that passion through fanfic and icons. For everyone else who is in my same situation, I hope we can be protected, and our forms of art can be protected.

If they're not protected, then we've entered a Brave New World - yes, just like the book. Or, we've entered the world of "Fahrenheit 451" in which people are so regulated and monitored that it's seen as acceptable to burn books. This is a slippery slope we're heading towards, and I would very much like to head in the opposite direction. For if we begin to censor the internet, what's to stop us from censoring other things in life? What will the world of academia become - scholarly works will be seen as infringing on copyright, NO MATTER if you properly cited your material or not!

Pretty soon, we'll have to be careful how we talk....I think I'd rather move to the moon.

Found this online, I think it helps visualize the issues with SOPA. I've contacted my representatives, please do so if you agree and are in the States!

( What SOPA Really Means )

Here's a petition to sign from Google if you care to take a moment!

I'm asking a favor of all my LJ friends...

Would you please vote in an icon challenge I run, please? This is a new community, and we've had trouble getting participation and votes. Anyone can vote (you don't have to be a member or watch it), so if you wouldn't mind just dropping off a vote by 10 pm EST, it would really help me out!

Thank you so much!

Vote for the best birthday icons here!

Could someone explain what LJ has done with Facebook? I haven't seen anything on my homepage or anything, and I will admit I'm a tad confused with the recent ire I've been reading. I'm sure it's quite justified, I just feel out of the loop. Perhaps because I don't have a paid account? :/

I've been watching a lot of television lately, since I have lots of me-time on my hands. I've tried out a number of new shows that have been recommended to me, or I've stumbled upon myself. My quick reviews:

Alias
I've watched season 1 and am completely hooked! It's like a mix between Veronica Mars and Buffy and James Bond. It's a great show with an engaging plot, and wonderfully complex characters. Not to mention attractive! Mmhmm... :P

Roswell
Another show that hooked me right away. I'm 3/4 through the first season and enjoying it quite a lot. It's teen-oriented, so sometimes I don't relate to the plots, but I love the idea and overall show. It has great actors and actresses, and the love story is compelling. I find it adorable, and let's be honest, who doesn't love Max Evans?

Dexter
I only watched the first episode, on a suggestion based on the fact that I like Bones and Criminal Minds, etc. Well this show is a little different, focusing on a serial killer. I have not yet found him sympathetic, but I find him intriguing. Anyone watched? Should I keep going for a few episodes?

Little Britain
OMG hilarious! Seriously, I've been laughing out loud. And Anthony Head as PM? How can I go wrong? It's a very funny show, and they've already made Star Trek references. Fun, and thoroughly British.

Robin Hood
This has long been on my Netflix queue and I am quite excited that I finally watched an episode! Mmm Robin is quite delicious, he's very cute and quite the hero. I'm in the mood for a completely-good hero, they're so rare in television now. It's refreshing, and yay!accents. :D

Merlin
Another lovely British program with a fun cast and good hero-complexes. I am currently watching the first episode, and oooh was I excited that the FIRST words spoken in the show were spoken by ASH! Even though so far he's kind of a jerk...oh well. Arthur's a jerk too! And he's so loveable in "Camelot"! Oh, where oh were is Richard Burton when you need him? (actually just a Netflix click away) I'm enjoying the show so far, and I'm sure I'll keep watching - for ASH if nothing else. Yum.

Big Bang Theory
I am in LOVE with this show, it is my new drug of choice. I laugh so much out loud (when I'm alone - wow!) every single episode! It's so hilarious, witty, geeky, I love love love it! They make Star Trek references just about every episode, and I'll admit after I watched the one where Penny got hooked on the online RPG, I had to play Guild Wars for like 3 hours. Fun! :P Oh, and I'm only partly through season 2, so no spoilers, please!

Now I need suggestions for what to choose next from my queue. Some programs on the list:
- thirtysomething (why not, eh?)
- Lois and Clark (haven't seen it in years)
- Amazing Stories (Spielberg's answer to the Twilight Zone)
- Friday Night Lights (I'm not a football person, but have gotten 2 recommendations now...)
- Hotel Babylon (another British series)

Hello LJ Friends,

If any of you make icons and use brushes, please read. If you have no idea what I'm talking about already, feel free to skip.

I'm searching for some pretty basic borders for lj icons. Many of the brush sites I used no longer work, so I'm trying to find simple-ish 100x100 borders again. My new Mac doesn't have all my old brushes, sadly.

Please help if you can!

( These icons show what I mean... )


Thanks!!

Happy Happy 20th Birthday to my Esther Lynne!!! I hope your day is going beautifully, hon! Love ya!

1.) What is the total volume of music files on your computer?

I have 20.3 GB of music, 13.7 days worth on my iTunes.

2.) What was the last CD you bought?

The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show - the live Blink-182 album.

3.) What was the last song you listened to before writing this?

"Anybody Out There" by Burlap To Cashmere

4.) What song is playing right now?:

"Tonight Is The Night I Fell Asleep At The Wheel" by Barenaked Ladies

5.) List five songs you listen to a lot:

1 -- "Melt With You" by Mest, I just love this song, and it sounds like Jon singing in the refrain.

2 -- "Breathe [2 a.m.]" by Anna Nalick, it's such a sweet sorrowful song, I love it.

3 -- "Circles" by Soul Coughing, it makes me so happy.

4 -- "Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard, it's my applicable song right now.

5 -- "Boulevard of Broken Songs" by Green Day/Wonderwall/Travis/Aerosmith, it's such an awesome compilation.

6.) List five songs that mean a lot to you and why.

1 -- "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett, it's my namesake song, and I have to have a Mustang.

2 -- "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton, it always makes me want to dance.

3 -- "Home for the Holidays" by Perry Como, my ultimate Christmas song.

4 -- "The Reason" by Hoobastank, the first song I learned to play on my bass.

5 -- "This Affair Is Starting Over", a song on a mix in Jon's car, it makes me think of him and us, and us driving everywhere.

7.)To which five people are you passing this baton, and why?

1 -- littlespot64, I think she has good music tastes

2 -- macaodghain, I'd be interested in what he has to say

3 -- iluvrob20, I wonder if there'd be more than MB20 on there ;)

4 -- Scotty, though he doesn't have LJ, but he has some funny music too

5 -- Jon, though he doesn't have LJ, but I'd like to know what music really is important to him