A new year....

is almost upon us...i haven't had much time for reflecting - nor much interest, to be frank. i've been on a tear this week with cleaning and organizing the apartment....i'm looking forward to another year on this planet and making it better than the last - not that this past year hasn't been good, that's not what i mean at all. Just looking for constant improvements.

I'm not making any actual resolutions this year, well, not exactly. More like making some promises to myself, if that makes sense.

Anyway, i've got a bunch of things to do today. I hope everyone is doing well.

Happy New Year, all you truck pushers!

Merry Christmas.....

Je T'aime....

A Christmas Work In Progress....

So not only do I not have much time, but finding good Xmas music is hard. Here are some of my favorite not-so-traditional songs of the season:

SLAPP...And Porn Vs. Prostitution

I have been reading about SLAPP suits (among other legal internet topics) today as I have an interest in the law and how it pertains to the interwebs. SLAPP suits are lawsuits that filed against people who speak out, typically on a public issue (SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). It seems that these suits are often brought about by larger companies or organizations who use their money/resources to quiet individuals who speak out against them.

Basically, its bullying and though the claims may be unsubstantiated, "defending a SLAPP, even when the legal defense is strong, requires a substantial investment of money, time, and resources. The resulting effect is a "chill" on public participation in, and open debate on, important public issues. This "chilling" effect is not limited to the SLAPP target(s): fearful of being the target of future litigation, others refrain from speaking on, or participating in, issues of public concern" (taken from http://www.thefirstamendment.org/slapp.html#1).

I had never heard of SLAPP suits before and I find it to be a highly interesting topic. I am not concerned for my own sake as nothing I say is controversial or of much consequence. But for my users and for the voice of the people as a whole, this topic interests me greatly. Luckily, my state, Illinois, along with 24 others have anti-SLAPP laws...

Read more: http://www.citmedialaw.org/ and http://www.thefirstamendment.org/slapp.html


Onto the porn:

Now another suit that caught my attention (of course and totally not related to the internet) is that of one where the state of New Hampshire distinguishes between pornography and prostitution. It seems that if I were to hire people to act in a porno for me and I'm filming the act(s) it is NOT prostitution because I am not receiving sexual gratification - only the hope for profit. But if I were to not film the act(s), and/or receive sexual gratification then it would be prostitution....Hmmmm....So profiting monetarily is ok, but profiting sexually is not....Now, what happens if I'm filming my movie, with my paid actors, and happen to get turned on? How would the courts determine my intent?

Our society drives me a little nuts - so puritanical, so capitalistic and so judgmental!! Sigh...

Read the story here!

And randomly The Pretenders and 2000 Miles:

See the world....

Some days I want to and other days I don't....Out of fear? Out of tired? Out of distraction? I keep it all so distant....

i's been edjubacated....

So we run VOIP service at work and today we were having an issue trying to move a phone - i don't totally understand how the phone system works. So i was trying to come up with a solution and mucking around with the cords and such when all this stuff from my class started swirling around - i recognized the switch and understood its purpose, and I realized that we were running CAT5 - or fast Ethernet....and...i don't know what my point is....i guess it just stunned me. Apparently, you can teach an old dog new tricks...