RIAA in bed with ISPs

This is my off-the-cuff reaction to a new story I read about the RIAA’s next move. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) launched a highly publicized wave of legal threats and lawsuits against members of the public suspected of copyright infringement. This campaign ended poorly for the RIAA. Most people settled. One trial resulted but the judge set aside the decision against the defendant.

I read recently that the RIAA is going to stop focusing its lawsuits against individuals and instead work with ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to stop this kind of traffic in the first place. I have a problem with that. I do not want them inspecting my packets. In addition, we are entitled to the presumption of innocence. Inspecting my packets (if that is how they choose to proceed) is tantamount to invasion of privacy and infringing upon my right to free speech.

My ISP has a lot of control over me, right, wrong or otherwise. Should they team up with the RIAA (as they may be inclined to do) that could spell trouble. It’s all a little too 1984 for me.

I know that there are ways of circumventing this but I should not have to.

I’m going to look more into it now.

Breaking Up Online – The Right Way

Hola ladies and gents!

Today the way we maintain friendships is different. Writing letters and making phone calls have given way to Facebooking and txting. The right way to break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend has changed with time, too. In case you are ready to end things and aren’t sure how or you are just curious, here is a step-by-step way to break up with someone and be clear that it is OVER.

Step 1: Facebook

Delete all 500 of those annoyingly cute and nostalgic pictures that you posted on Facebook!

Make sure you save the changes. Failure to do so will result in uncertainty on the part of the party with whom you are breaking up.

Deleting all the pictures could be time-consuming, especially if you were together for a long time. If you had entire albums dedicated to someone, it is easier to just delete the entire album instead of doing it picture by picture.

On to the good stuff, CANCEL that relationship. Like it was a mistake. Which it was.

As someone who has perfected this method of breaking up, I can say that this part is the most satisfying. As always, don’t forget to save the changes. Don’t start thinking and developing second thoughts about your decision. Just hit save!

We’re done with Facebook.

Step 2: MySpace

MySpace is more popular in some crowds than others but most of you have one. Change your status on Facebook AND MySpace for the optimal breakup. Anything less is just a sign that you’re a pansy.

Delete the pictures. See the ‘Delete Photo’ button. It’s above every one of your pictures.

You’ll be prompted to save. Do it.

Feeling better? Feeling like the relationship is almost over? Good. You’re almost there.

Changing your relationship status on MySpace is a little less obvious to your stalkers but saving it feels good all the same:

And hey, if you’re down to change your sexual orientation while you’re at it, go for it! Now is the time!

Don’t forget to do these things on any other social networks that you are a part of.

Part 3: The Recovery Process

This is the simplest and most fun of all the steps. Recovering and meeting new people.

It doesn’t have to be Chad the Cutie, it could be Lisa the Lovely, Aaron the Amorous or anyone else who you find attractive and who will be able to take your mind off of the relationship that you just ended.

The End.

Bookmark this for future reference when you are tired of *YOUR* relationship.

.:|| brie aleida ||:.

last.fm vs. mystrands

As WP has pointed out, this is my first post. I’m not going to bother with a lengthy introduction; let’s get on with it.

I’ve been an avid Last.fm fan since October 2006.

Sometimes, out of curiosity, I try to find a worthy competitor of last.fm. The sites I find are not usually doing the same thing. Then I found MyStrands. I was browsing the site and they indicated that they are fair and provide a plugin for Windows and Mac users. Awesome! But what about us Linux users? Turns out they have a section called ‘OpenStrands’ and a plugin for amaroK. It’s an amaroK script that is easily installed and configured.

I started listening to some music with records going to last.fm and MyStrands. I have never noticed last.fm failing to scrobble a track but it seems like MyStrands doesn’t add the more obscure music I listen to to my profile. And the stuff it does add is not added immediately (like the Dashboard I’m listening to now). The service is new and over night, an issue that I contacted them about was fixed which was really nice.

I don’t like the way they organize what I’ve listened to, so far. I’m giving it a chance because I am so used to last.fm’s interface. This is what my profile at MyStrands looks like now:

Overall, I like it. It doesn’t interfere with last.fm so I am definitely going to keep using it. I haven’t tested it out with Windows yet (I plan to) but Linux users looking for something new ought to go here, grab a copy and get started. But don’t give up on last.fm.

.:|| brie aleida ||:.