Veterans Day – 2013

Posted: 10 November 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Miscellaneous | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

All gave some. Some gave ALL!

NEVER FORGET who you owe for that free air you breathe today.

Later…

~Eric

Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day

An Open Letter to Chris Dodd – by Eric S. Raymond

Posted: 28 February 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Internet Privacy, Tech Newsflash | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This article is so important, in my opinion, that I’m posting a link to it on all my blogs.

This is about freedom, pure and simple. If you read nothing else the next month, you should at least read this article by Eric S. Raymond. It is 24 carat TRUTH. It’s not just about technology and the Internet. It’s about your future and the future of your children and their children. Read it!

An Open Letter to Chris Dodd – by Eric S. Raymond from his blog.

Later…

~Eric

Google Wants YOU!

Posted: 25 January 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Internet Privacy, Tech Newsflash | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Well, they want ALL of your Internet usage data, anyway.

In yesterday’s news, stories were published all over the Internet regarding Google’s new upcoming NO-OPT-OUT Privacy Agreement due to hit the streets in early March. Google, in their ever widening, ever more frenetic feeding frenzy to control every bit of data on the Internet, has decided that they will now combine ALL of your data across all of their apps, that you are already so addicted to using, into one nice and easily (for them) accessible pile.

BIG BROOGLE, er… I mean Google will now be able to track your activity online from your Gmails to Auntie Em all the way to that stash of Uncle Bob’s tinfoil hat designs that you have sitting in your Picasa account. So, is that cool or what? Google is a giant seine net that scoops up every bit of cyber data that you so kindly make available to them on a daily basis. They use this data to ENRICH themselves, their shareholders, and their business partners. If you ain’t in any of those categories, you ain’t seeing any $ showing up in your bank accounts, even though it’s your data providing them with that money.

So, is there something wrong with making a buck? No, of course there isn’t. That’s the capitalist way, comrades. It’s what has made America China great! I don’t have an issue with companies and individuals making money. Hey! Money makes the world go ’round. Commerce is good. However, when you are forced to agree to terms by a bully in the schoolyard who takes your baloney sandwich that mom packed for you, well… that just ain’t right.

I’m not naive. I know that Google isn’t the first evil empire to do this stuff. There was Microsoft before them, forcing folks buying computers to use their OS… or at least pay for it. Once you got the system home, you could wipe that OS off the drive and put something good, like GNU/Linux on there. 😉 You still had some choice, if you were knowledgeable enough and had the motivation. The sheeple just used Windows; just like the sheeple will continue to use Google. That’s the way of the world, I s’pose. Doesn’t mean I can’t bitch about it, though.

Choice is yours folks. Remember the saying, “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.” Free minds, free knowledge, FREEDOM! Only the greedy feel the need to use profit/loss columns to determine something’s worth.

Later…

~Eric

Further reading:

Google announces privacy changes across products; users can’t opt out – Washington Post Business

Google Privacy Police Change: How Does It Affect You? – International Business Times

Google’s Privacy Policy: A Wakeup Call, But That’s It – PCMagazine

Related article:

Google Won’t Pwn Me! – Nocturnal Slacker v1.0

Image credits: Google is watching you – ownership unknown. If you own the copyright to this image, contact the author to amend usage here.

Mozilla Needs Your Support

Posted: 29 December 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Open Source | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mozilla has done a lot of good in this world of greed.

They could sure use a little help from you, though. If you can spare a buck or two to assist in the continuing efforts of this fine organization to create quality free software and make the Internet a better place for all, then for sure… drop some dough in their tip jar. They’ll appreciate it… and so will I. 🙂

From their recent email newsletter:

Hi there,

As 2011 comes to a close, we at Mozilla want to say thank you to all of our Firefox users, supporters and community members. Quite simply, we do what we do because of you.

Mozilla is the force behind Firefox, but we’re also a whole lot more than that. And the more people I talk to, the clearer it becomes that not everyone knows what Mozilla is and how we’re different. So today, I wanted to make sure you understand it because you’re such an important part of our story.

Read the rest of Executive Director Mark Surman’s article, and thanks for anything you can do to help out.

Regards,

~Eric

Stop Online Piracy Act (U.S.) – SOPA

Posted: 17 November 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Internet Privacy, Tech General | Tags: , , , , , | 3 Comments

This is something every one who uses the Internet and values free exchange of knowledge and information should know about.

Get involved. Write your elected officials. Pass out flyers. Post articles on your own blogs. Censorship of the Internet could spell doom for the way of life that we’ve come to know and cherish.

Read about this at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Read about it at Tumblr.

Read about it at AmericanCensorship.Org.

Don’t let them turn the lights out on us. Don’t let them restrict how we participate online. Don’t let them limit your rights to the free exchange information and knowledge in ANY way.

Raise HELL!

~Eric

Diaspora – Not Your Mama’s G+

Posted: 7 September 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Tech Newsflash | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

As many of you who read my ramblings here know, I was experimenting the Google+ a while back. That didn’t turn out so well.

That’s OK, however. I’ve found a wonderful alternative. It’s called Diaspora. For Google+ refugees, it will look quite familiar. Think of it as a concentration camp (Google+) that’s been transformed into a hippie commune. Google+ is like the old TV bar Cheers, where everyone knew your name (and all your personal data, including your underwear color). Diaspora is more like an 80s mosh pit, where no one knows your name (and only know your underwear color because you chose to let them), but they’re all having a great time right along with you. 😉

TechEye.net has a really cool article about Diaspora on its site today. Here’s a wee bit:

Users are climbing on board after being tipped off that there’s a network just like Google+, only without having anything to do with Google, where you can be who you want to be, how you want to be, and still retain full ownership of everything.

Read the rest of the article: Diaspora still trying to reinvent social networks with open source G+ before G+

C’mon over and sign yourself up. I’m there. You can find me from my D* profile.

Have a fun day!

~Eric

Google Won’t Pwn Me!

Posted: 29 August 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Miscellaneous | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Well, my experiment with G+ and social networking has come to its end tonight.

This is my last post to the stream there:

Alas, it has come to this…

Friends, Googlers, denizens of this realm we call the Internet,

This is my last Google Plus transmission. I have been here since nearly the beginning. I’ve watched this service become the sweet candy that it now is; tempting and replete with potential poisonous side effects.

I admit to always being a bit suspicious of SUPER-MEGA CORP Google. However, my suspicions were just that… suspicions. That is until I came to G+ and witnessed how a large corporate entity once again wipes its anal orifice with anything the little guy has to say when it doesn’t correspond with their business plan.

Privacy is a very important thing, folks. It’s important in your real lives and it’s important (possibly more so) here in this medium. Since the advent of the Internet, there have been those who have hunted, stalked, and bagged the weak, ignorant victims; children, old folks, silly housewives clicking on every pop-up that appeared on their screens. The wolves have targeted them all.

It’s sad that the sheep will trade their anonymity and security for a sweet taste of the candy. Just one taste, please. These same sheep are the ones who are being sheared daily by their governments, their churches, their employers, etc. Now they will be sheared by Google in its neverending feeding frenzy of data; public, private, ALL DATA!

While I have to admit it’s been fun, this little experiment of mine with G+ and my first foray into the social networking scene; I believe I must be moving on. THINK, folks. Use that mass of gray jelly in your head. Analyze all the input. Determine for yourself if it’s worth exposing your real name, personal data, life history, etc. to a giant corporate entity whose NUMBER ONE purpose for existence is to turn a profit.

Well, this is all just a matter of opinion, really. The above is my opinion. I’m no one. I’m nameless. I am pseudoynmous (maybe). 😉

You know where to find me.

It’s been fun…

~Eric

I feel emancipated. Hell, I think I’ll even switch my browser’s search engine to Yahoo.

Later, folks…

~Eric