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I know, I know, there are probably dozens of posts about how SOPA and PIPA suck hardcore, but I need to vent my frustration.
Holy shit! I had no idea how much I used Wikipedia until the blackout today. I am constantly running into words, concepts, and events that I have no knowledge of, or am curious about and would like a bit more information on. So when I run into these queries I do what you do... I google it. Of course what is the first link that comes up? Wikipedia.
This is especially frustrating when I have my first essay of the semester due tomorrow and I would really like to wikipedia some poets to make sure I'm not entirely retarded when I write my paper. (Granted you should never use Wikipedia as a "source" because it is wrought with inaccuracies, but it's good for general information.)
I will likely be posting an anti-SOPA/PIPA entry sometime soon. I have a rough outline of what I want to say, but I do have an essay due tomorrow and I need full internet access. Not this blackout shit. I hope to see lots of other anti-SOPA/PIPA posts because this entire situation is ridiculous. The more vocal we, as a community, are, the greater chance we have of reaching the people promoting SOPA/PIPA.
[EDIT] For those of you who don't know: Wikipedia, reddit (only 12 hours) and a lot of other popular websites are doing a 24 hour blackout to protest SOPA/PITA. Google, for you Americans, should have a censored black stripe over the main page, but the search engine isn't down because if google shut down for even an hour, the world would lose it's mind. There is a link underneath the search bar that will link you to a petition that you can sign if you have: first and last name, an email, and a ZIP code. Unfortunately only US residents can sign because we don't have the same address coding in Canada.
Remember that this effects more than the people in the US, but also anyone who uses American created websites.
[EDIT] I have not posted an entry about the details of PIPA, which is very similar to SOPA, and because both bills have been indefinitely postponed/withdrawn, I likely won't be posting a separate entry about SOPA, but keep in mind that this is not the end of bills like this. Chances are we will be seeing something similar to it with a different name later in 2012. If you want to read more about PIPA you can read my blog entry from last week HERE!!!
Also I suggest you read Joedaddy's comment on the second page of comments regarding the response he got from congress when he contacted his representative to protest SOPA.
Thanks for reading,
<3 Zenobia
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if you really need to use wikipedia for your essay while its down, you can disable javascript in your browser and that should do the trick. alternatively, you can click a wikipedia link and then hit the stop button right before its fully loaded.
as for the frustration with the whole SOPA thing, i'm hoping it doesn't get through.
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It's funny, I saw bunch of SOPA things on facebook and I was like
"psh, don't care"
Later I thought
"Man this soap thing seems to be huge I wonder what this is. I'll wiki it"
-.-;;
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search for the word or w/e on google, and then select "cached" instead of loading the website, it loads the wiki pages as of this morning, so perfectly uptodate.
hope that helps.
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yo just press esc key before it turns black
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Canada5155 Posts
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wikipedia is serious  i hope sopa doesnt get passed
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On January 19 2012 06:28 Br3ezy wrote:wikipedia is serious i hope sopa doesnt get passed
not just wikipedia has this banner.
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On January 19 2012 06:08 blankspace wrote:
yo just press esc key before it turns black
This is the easiest solution imo--it loads the normal page and then starts to load the black block page, but if you press esc it only loads the normal page then stops.
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Pfft, Es mas divertido hacer la version de espanol.
Tambien, faliz cumplianos!
+ Show Spoiler +other language versions of wikipedia are still up
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On January 19 2012 06:08 blankspace wrote:
yo just press esc key before it turns black
lol 10x. I had to make screenshots to read at least the top part of the articles.
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On January 19 2012 06:40 TheToast wrote:Pfft, Es mas divertido hacer la version de espanol. Tambien, faliz cumplianos! + Show Spoiler +other language versions of wikipedia are still up
It's in english for me?
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On January 19 2012 06:54 solidbebe wrote:Show nested quote +On January 19 2012 06:40 TheToast wrote:Pfft, Es mas divertido hacer la version de espanol. Tambien, faliz cumplianos! + Show Spoiler +other language versions of wikipedia are still up It's in english for me?
I think they're just blocking American IP's.
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United States10654 Posts
They're not blocking anything. They literally have a page that says "these are workarounds to the blackout, and we fully endorse and recommend them." the point is not to kill wikipedia, it's to raise awareness.
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On January 19 2012 07:16 Mtndrew wrote:Show nested quote +On January 19 2012 06:54 solidbebe wrote:On January 19 2012 06:40 TheToast wrote:Pfft, Es mas divertido hacer la version de espanol. Tambien, faliz cumplianos! + Show Spoiler +other language versions of wikipedia are still up It's in english for me? I think they're just blocking American IP's.
Nope.
For the while I thank google's copy of the internet, google's cache.
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Or just hit refresh and hit stop before it shows the dark page and you can see the original page.
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I didn't even realize that Wikipedia was doing this. I am running NoScript and the black overlay comes from a different script so it was blocked for me.
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Wikipedia, reddit and a lot of other popular websites are doing a 24 hour blackout to protest SOPA/PITA for those who weren't aware. Google for you Americans should have a censored black stripe over the main page, but the search engine isn't down because if google shut down for an hour the world would lose it's mind. There is a link underneath the search bar that will link you to a petition that you can sign if you have a First and last name, an email and a ZIP code. Unfortunately only US residents can sign because we don't have the same address coding.
It isn't just the US that this is effecting, it's also people like me in Canada who use US sites a lot (and I don't think people realize just how many sites originated from the US).
Thanks for all of your solutions. It wasn't critical for my essay to use wikipedia, i preemptively wikipedia'd whatever i needed last night =D It's mostly for things I'm curious about and want a bit more information on.
<3
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Wikipedia is easy to bypass, I put this:
javascript:(function()%7Bdocument.getElementById('content').style.display='block';document.getElementById('mw-sopaOverlay').style.display='none'%7D)()
in my bookmark bar and click it on any wikipedia page
gg
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I did my "part" and wrote to my local representative asking him to "STOP SOPA" after seeing the wiki page, which I visited after reading this blog.
Dude... your blog might have actually made a difference!
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On January 19 2012 06:53 FourFace wrote:Show nested quote +On January 19 2012 06:08 blankspace wrote:
yo just press esc key before it turns black lol 10x. I had to make screenshots to read at least the top part of the articles.
lol i had to do the same
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On January 19 2012 09:23 Joedaddy wrote:
I did my "part" and wrote to my local representative asking him to "STOP SOPA" after seeing the wiki page, which I visited after reading this blog.
Dude... your blog might have actually made a difference!
One person is enough for me. If you want to learn more, I hope I'll have time to write an information blog about exactly what PIPA and SOPA are and why this is such a big deal. No guaruntees, but hopefully before the PIPA vote (Jan 25th I think?). It's really all I can do as a Canadian =( Sad panda.
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On January 19 2012 09:23 Joedaddy wrote:
I did my "part" and wrote to my local representative asking him to "STOP SOPA" after seeing the wiki page, which I visited after reading this blog.
My congressman's response:
Dear Mr. Jones:
Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.
As you may know, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R- Texas) introduced H.R. 3261 on October 26, 2011. A summary of the bill states it would prevent the online selling of counterfeit goods in the U.S. and expand international protections for intellectual property by removing "rogue" websites containing copyright-infringing material from the internet. H.R. 3261 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee for further consideration.
Over the past months, many constituents have expressed to me their concerns with SOPA, and I too share many of those same concerns. For these reasons, I am opposed to SOPA as it is currently written.
You may be interested to know that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor recently stated that there are major issues regarding SOPA that need to be addressed before the legislation can proceed. As a result, Chairman Smith announced that the Judiciary Committee will postpone consideration of SOPA until there is a consensus on a resolution. Furthermore, Chairman Smith stated he will bring together stakeholders from various groups to discuss solutions with respect to online piracy. It is my hope that these discussions will produce legislation that all stakeholders can agree upon. Online piracy is a serious threat, but it is important that this legislation adequately addresses that threat in a way that does not harm the internet or freedom of speech.
The discussions regarding SOPA are not over and you can be assured that I will continue to monitor any developments that occur. While I am not a member of the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over H.R. 3261, you may be certain that I will keep your concerns and views in mind as this bill is being considered.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. I appreciate having the opportunity to represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives. Please feel free to visit my website (www.house.gov/burgess) or contact me with any future concerns.
Sincerely,
Michael C. Burgess, M.D.
Member of Congress
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On January 24 2012 13:33 Joedaddy wrote:Show nested quote +On January 19 2012 09:23 Joedaddy wrote:
I did my "part" and wrote to my local representative asking him to "STOP SOPA" after seeing the wiki page, which I visited after reading this blog. My congressman's response: Show nested quote +Dear Mr. Jones:
Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.
As you may know, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R- Texas) introduced H.R. 3261 on October 26, 2011. A summary of the bill states it would prevent the online selling of counterfeit goods in the U.S. and expand international protections for intellectual property by removing "rogue" websites containing copyright-infringing material from the internet. H.R. 3261 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee for further consideration.
Over the past months, many constituents have expressed to me their concerns with SOPA, and I too share many of those same concerns. For these reasons, I am opposed to SOPA as it is currently written.
You may be interested to know that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor recently stated that there are major issues regarding SOPA that need to be addressed before the legislation can proceed. As a result, Chairman Smith announced that the Judiciary Committee will postpone consideration of SOPA until there is a consensus on a resolution. Furthermore, Chairman Smith stated he will bring together stakeholders from various groups to discuss solutions with respect to online piracy. It is my hope that these discussions will produce legislation that all stakeholders can agree upon. Online piracy is a serious threat, but it is important that this legislation adequately addresses that threat in a way that does not harm the internet or freedom of speech.
The discussions regarding SOPA are not over and you can be assured that I will continue to monitor any developments that occur. While I am not a member of the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over H.R. 3261, you may be certain that I will keep your concerns and views in mind as this bill is being considered.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. I appreciate having the opportunity to represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives. Please feel free to visit my website (www.house.gov/burgess) or contact me with any future concerns.
Sincerely,
Michael C. Burgess, M.D.
Member of Congress
That's wicked cool. Thank you so much for posting this!
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EPT
