Build a better mousetrap... Internet in Egypt.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-01/egypt-protests-hackers-work-to-get-demonstrators-back-online/?cid=hp:mainpromo4

This is an interesting read about 'mesh-networks'. Basically these are networks that cannot be physically blocked.


"The product they’ve been working on is a mobile router, small enough to fit into a backpack. “You could have a number of these routers in backpacks or in cars moving around the city or mounted on rooftops—and with these you could create a kind of secondary Internet, one that would not be blockable,” he says."


Not just interesting because of what is happening in Egypt, also because we hear more and more about companies and providers who talk about restricting the internet or make it multiple speed(depending on how much you can pay). It goes against everything the internet ever stood for but fear not; somebody is building a better mouse...

United States Cyber Command

I don't know what I find scarier; that this organization actually exists or that they seem to be necessary.

Of course they are still bloody nerds, as one can conclude from this quote :

"The text '9ec4c12949a4f31474f299058ce2b22a', which is located in the command's emblem, is the MD5 hash of their mission statement."

Internet censorship - Information Is Like People : It Wants To Be Free

An interesting background information article about censorship on the web by the good people of Wikileaks

In Internet history, 1994-2004 was the era of the pioneers. 2004-2007 was the era of the merchants. Now we’re entering the era of the bullies. Everywhere in the world, sites are going dark, arrests are increasing, more people are going to prison. The Web just celebrated its 20th birthday. Nobody used to take it seriously, but those days are gone.

Although Wikileaks was obviously founded as a response to online censorship, and may therefore be biased, the article does paint a pretty clear picture of Big Government Versus The Web.

In Thailand, using a proxy can land you in prison. The software gets around nonetheless, on USB keys or disks, competing these days with virtual private networks (VPN), encrypted gateways that are used, for example, by multinationals for secure online communication with their foreign branches. The solution is so simple that Edwin, in Wenzhou concludes, “If we really wanted to fight cybercensorship, all we’d have to do is invest a few million dollars in a massive VPN and distribute the links and keywords for free to Internet users. End of story.”

Full article here

How to fake your own book prizes

An interesting read about how the publishing industry uses fake awards(including the corresponding websites) to sell you their crap.

Vanity Book Awards

Best of all, as USABN's Web site freely promises, "the National Best Books Awards are the ONLY Awards Program in the nation that offers direct coverage to the book buying public for every entry." Like the Special Olympics, this is a competition that everybody wins. If you enter the 2010 contest by the end of this year, they'll even throw in a "six-month full-color listing on USABookNews.com," which is "valued at $1500.00!" despite the fact that none of the publishers whose books are listed there now seem to have paid for this service or even to be aware that it's been provided.

A damn shame but there is more to life

Just exited a forum I participated in for quite a while. I will not put up the URL because that is completely unimportant. Also : If this blog entry sounds too pathetic it isn't meant to be. It's not like the End Of The World Is Nigh or anything!

That forum had/has become a standard 'leading question/standard abusive reply'-forum in which there was no room for the realization that people change and that therefore the tone of the discussions should basically change too over time. In this case the same people got/get picked out of the memberlist and are then treated like the local online village idiot. In the case of said forum this was even amplified because most members also know each other in real life.

Also, and I must say that you see this on many forums: after a while they(fora) just stop working because of what I would call 'post- and information-saturation'. Or to put in into simpler words : everybody has heard everyone else's opinion about everything so the members start to repeat themselves. And on top of that there is the obvious bias and hypocrisy that creeps into the discussions : I am perfect by definition and by the same 'standards' your are basically flawed. If I would study Sociology or Psychology, I would choose the dynamics of online forums as my subject. Even without any knowledge of said disciplines it is quite fascinating to see how such a forum behaves and evolves.

Anyway : It was fun while it lasted and it's a shame that it ended in a disappointment. Strange how such intelligent people just cannot give each other the virtual space to be. How the internet somehow encourages people to be more abusive towards each other. Is it because the web is seen as more amorphous and anonymous? I don't think that is the case anymore but what do I know? All I know is that I value a certain minimum level of politeness and some sense of social standards everywhere: one can always get into a fierce discussion but when it degrades into character assassination and swearing I draw my personal line in the sand.


Oh well: I'll use my weblog more often then. I can say almost anything here without undue interference. Mwahaa!!

I'll have a beer over all of this tonight and then get on with my online life.

(Note to self : must not forget to unregister tonight.)