link friday: Mayday PAC succeeds!, net neutrality, solar cells in pavement
Mood: stressed
Posted on 2014-05-16 11:59:00
Tags: activism links
Words: 482

- The Mayday PAC that I mentioned last week met their $1 million goal! They have a $6 million goal for June, which is...ambitious.

- The FCC proposed some rules that would let ISPs accept payment for faster traffic, which is against the principles of net neutrality. But they're not final yet, and you can comment on them! Here's what I wrote - feel free to copy and paste!:

I believe internet providers should not be allowed to establish or accept payment for so-called "fast lanes". I also believe the FCC should using Title II to regulate internet providers, as they are a sort of common carrier.

Here's a pretty evenhanded description of net neutrality and such, and if you want another reason to hate Time Warner/Comcast, they've been investing in broadband infrastructure much less than they used to, probably because there's very little competition. (the lack of competition would be good to mention in your FCC comment!)

- That Amazing 'Solar Roadways' Project Has a Working Prototype - wow, their Indiegogo campaign looks pretty impressive (and it's 20% funded!), although I'm guessing that they're expensive to produce. Still, they do at least have a working prototype! (thanks Doug)!

- DATA Act signed into law - hopefully it will bring greater transparency to government data.

- Why do gay couples use the terms ‘husband’ and ‘wife,’ rather than ‘partner’? - from a new LGBT advice column in the Washington Post. I can certainly understand the confusion here, and I'll admit I sometimes revert to referring to David as my "partner" in some situations. But I do prefer "husband" since it seems more accurate. Also, asking which person is the "wife" versus the "husband" shows a serious lack of understanding...

- AT&T’s GigaPower plans turn privacy into a luxury that few would choose - it costs at least an extra $30/month (plus one-time fees) to not have AT&T monitor your packets and serve you "relevant" ads, under the innocent-sounding name "AT&T Internet Preferences". You stay classy, AT&T! Even Google Fiber is better than this (from their privacy notice):
Technical information collected from the use of Google Fiber Internet for network management, security or maintenance may be associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber, but such information associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber will not be used by other Google properties without your consent. Other information from the use of Google Fiber Internet (such as URLs of websites visited or content of communications) will not be associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber, except with your consent or to meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.

- All Science Is Wrong, Concludes Esteemed Fox News Panel - sigh

- How STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Is A Crypto-Truther Conspiracy Movie - wow...I remember thinking at the time that the plot made very little sense (even as I was watching it!), but I guess this makes it make more sense?

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