As a brief interlude to the cute juxtapositions of parks and rec quotes with pretty pictures, I just want to take a moment to encourage all of you help fight SOPA and PIPA.
You should read up on both bills, but put bluntly, they would allow rights-holders the unfair power to attack allegedly infringing websites without trial by cutting them out of search results, removing their advertising, and in some cases, having ISPs block the site. In addition, it would force websites to self-regulate their content for fear of action.
Personally, I’ve always been in favor of a free internet. It’s a shame that people will pirate protected content, but it is also a fact. Trying to stop them is foolish, not just because it is near impossible, but also because people who pirate media are also fans of that media. I think I’m speaking for many people other than myself when I say that I wouldn’t be a fan of Parks and Rec if it weren’t for the internet. Rights-holders are getting lazy and instead of looking for ways to reach fans who pirate content, they want to cut them off. This is just my opinion, but I’m convinced that this legislation is more likely to hurt content producers than help them. The internet is an extremely powerful promotional tool and it has that power because of the free flow of content. If that flow is impeded, everybody loses.
Now back to your regularly scheduled parks and rec quotes superimposed on hipster photos, I promise that these interruptions will be few and far between.
