But what, exactly, is a megabyte?
If a sampling of pedestrians on the streets of Brooklyn is any guide, most people have only a vague idea. One said a megabyte was “the amount of something we have to use the Internet,” adding, “We should have three or four.”
Miranda Popkey, 24, was closer: “It’s a measure of how much information you store. If there are too many of them, I can’t send my e-mail attachment.”
A megabyte is, in this context, 1,000 kilobytes — or about the size of a photo taken with a decent digital camera, or roughly one minute of a song, or a decent stack of e-mail.
Therein lies the problem: Counting things like minutes and text messages is fairly easy, but there is no intuitive or natural way to gauge data use.
The Stupidity Of Data Caps: No One Knows What A Megabyte Is (via censorus)
Side note: The article title is quite accurate, considering even the writer incorrectly notes that a megabyte is 1000 kilobytes instead of 1024. On that note, XKCD time!
Kim Dotcom: US Govt Is Protecting An Outdated Monopolistic Business Model
Here’s a key excerpt from this very interesting article:
Dotcom told us that in recent years Megaupload had spent millions of dollars seeking out the very best legal advice and the conclusions drawn were clear – providing the site did its part in tackling infringement it would be protected under the DMCA and could not be held liable for the actions of its users.
Towards achieving this protection, Dotcom told us that the company had developed relationships with 180 takedown partners – companies authorized to directly remove infringing links from Megaupload’s systems – and between them they had taken down in excess of 15 million links. Those companies included the major studios of the MPAA who, incidentally, in 7 years of the company’s existence had never tried to sue Megaupload for copyright infringement.
On the advice of Megaupload’s legal team, the company believed it had the same rights as YouTube in its case against entertainment giant Viacom. In that 2010 case U.S. District Judge Louis L. Stanton said service providers can not be held liable for infringement as long as they remove links upon copyright holder request – even if the provider knows that parts of their service are being used to host illicit content.
“[YouTube] won their lawsuit and I’m sitting in jail, my house is being raided, all my assets are frozen without a trial, without a hearing. This is completely insane, is what it is,” said Dotcom of his predicament.
[…]
“If you read the indictment and if you hear what the Prosecution has said in court, at least $500 million of damage were just music files and just within a two-week time period. So they are actually talking about $13 billion US damage within a year just for music downloads. The entire US music industry is less than $20 billion,” he explained.
“Premium” Domains. Great question, Go Daddy. Why should I register these overpriced crappy domain names?
Stop the Internet Blacklist Legislation
January 18th. Tomorrow, I will be silent across all web sites and social media accounts in support of the SOPA / PIPA blackout. I will not be alone in this, silently protesting alongside the likes of Reddit, Wikipedia, Google, Wordpress, Mozilla, and thousands of other websites and internet based companies.
I encourage all others to do the same. We need to ensure that those representing us in the government know that we do not support the passing of laws that will stifle and break the Internet as we know it. Please help educate your friends and family who may not be aware of the consequences that SOPA, PIPA, and similar bills would have on our open Internet.
Please click this link and enter your zip code to quickly and easily be connected to your local representatives. There is a form letter prepared for you, or you can change it to your own words. Phone numbers are even prepared for you if you prefer to call.
Google will join SOPA / PIPA protest. Using their popular home page as a bearer of bad news, Google will join in the protests along side Wikipedia, Reddit and thousands of other websites tomorrow, January 18th. While Google will not be performing a full blackout like many others, they will be using their home page to protest the proposed bills.
Google will Protest SOPA Using Popular Home Page (via censorus)
Stopped they must be; on this all depends. Reddit announces a site-wide blackout planned for January 18th to raise awareness of the dangers that the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA, in the House) and Protect IP Act (PIPA, in the Senate) pose on the Internet as Americans know it.
We’re as addicted to reddit as the rest of you. Many of you stand with us against PIPA/SOPA, but we know support for a blackout isn’t unanimous. We’re not taking this action lightly. We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t believe this legislation and the forces behind it were a serious threat to reddit and the Internet as we know it. Blacking out reddit is a hard choice, but we feel focusing on a day of action is the best way we can amplify the voice of the community.
Here’s to hoping that other major online corportations, such as Google and Facebook, take note and promote awareness of these proposed bills.
