Day: December 30, 2011

IT’S WORKING INTERNET, RESISTANCE IS ESSENTIAL TO THE NETWORK!

RobotPirateNinja Big Business, cool, gaming, government Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Nintendo, Electronic Arts and Sony Electronics — some of the largest video game companies in the world — have all pulled their support for an online bill that could encourage censorship online, according to an updated list of supporters of the bill.

Those three companies all supported the Stop Online Piracy Act SOPA when it first entered Congress, according to a report from Joystiq in November.

SOPA, along with the PROTECT IP act in the Senate, give content-producing companies the right to order a take down for a website that they believe is infringing on a copyright. If you even host links to content that infringes on a copyright, you have to take it down

via Now The Largest Game Companies In The World Have Dropped Support For A Bill The Internet Hates.

This bill should die a bad death at this point.  Social media has been somewhat ascendent as of late, and as much as people like to bitch and moan about how shit doesn’t work and everythings broken, and blah, blah, blah…they fail to notice the little victories.

They fail to notice the beach as the tide rolls out.

Keep fighting internets.  You wins somes, you lose sums, but as long as you keep fighting for what you believe in, there is no way to truly lose the war (as far as one can know).

Let’s win this one…for the children *AND* the lulz.

Verizon backs down on FCC threat, customer outrage

RobotPirateNinja Uncategorized Leave a comment

Verizon backtracks on $2 fee after customer outrage

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7BT13I20111230?irpc=932

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Verizon Wireless has reversed its decision to charge a $2 fee for one-time telephone and online bill payments bowing to a storm of criticism from consumers and the U.S. communications regulator.

The biggest U.S. wireless operator retracted its decision on Friday, just a day after it announced the fee, which was to have begun January 15.

The consumer victory comes after Bank of America recently decided against a new $5 monthly fee for debit card users after consumer and lawmaker uproar about the charge.

Verizon said it was making the decision based on customer input after many consumers spoke out about the fee on the company’s online forum, with some threatening to leave the service as a result.

The Verizon Wireless turn-around came after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said it was “concerned” about the fee and vowed to look into it.

“On behalf of American consumers, we’re concerned about Verizon’s actions and are looking into the matter,” an official for the FCC said earlier on Friday.

Good to hear.  This is the system ‘working’. 

Mitt Romney’s Son: Obama Should Release Birth Certificate, Grades, My Dad is a Hypocrite

RobotPirateNinja Uncategorized Tags: , , , Leave a comment

There’s off message and then there’s Mitt Romney’s son, Matt Romney, who suggested on Thursday that President Obama should release his birth certificate and grades before his father releases his tax returns.

“He’s certainly not afraid of anything, he’s not hiding anything,” he said of his father in a video recorded by a Patch reporter in New Hampshire. “But I heard someone suggest the other day that as soon as President Obama releases his grades and birth certificate and sort of a long list of things, that maybe he’d do that.”

After his brothers stepped in to distance the candidate from the remarks, Matt added that “that’s a suggestion from someone else.”

via Mitt Romney’s Son: Obama Should Release Birth Certificate, Grades | TPM2012.

Hey Mitt, pass this along to your son….

Pass this along to Matt, Mitt

And then release your tax returns. For those who haven’t been following, the reason Mitt Romney is not going to release his tax returns is that he pays a lower tax rate than you do. This is despite him continuing to make millions from his work as a corporate raider…err…capital investment guy.    The way he structured his golden parachute means that his income is “carried interest” and he pays a 15% top rate on it.

Once you factor in the tax exemptions you get from buying multi-million dollar homes.…you end up with a tax rate that is faaar lower than most Americans.

Matt, this is why your dad, Mitt (actually “Willard”) will not be releasing his tax returns.

And as noted….Obama has already released his “I’m actually an American you racist twats” long form birth-certificate.

Verizon to start charging people for paying their bills

RobotPirateNinja Uncategorized Tags: , Leave a comment

Verizon Wireless’s $2 ‘Convenience Fee’ to Face FCC Scrutiny – Businessweek

http://mobile.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-30/verizon-defends-2-convenience-fee-as-customers-complain.html

Dec. 30 (Bloomberg) — Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. mobile carrier, will face a Federal Communications Commission probe into its $2 “convenience fee” for users who make single bill payments on a month-to-month basis online or by phone.

“On behalf of American consumers, we’re concerned about Verizon’s actions and are looking into the matter,” Neil Grace, an FCC spokesman, said in an e-mail. Grace didn’t give details on what steps the agency may take.

Customers began criticizing Verizon Wireless on Twitter and online-discussion forums yesterday after the Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based company disclosed the fee, with some setting up online petitions and calling for consumers to boycott the carrier. Verizon Wireless isn’t considering canceling the charge because it’s just one of many ways to pay your bill, including others that are month-to-month options, said Brenda Raney, a spokeswoman.

“Customers have a number of alternatives to pay their bill and not incur the convenience fee,” Raney said. “Paying the fee is an option, not an absolute.

This is exactly why we need an FCC, and why I’m dank glad they didn’t let continued consolidation make this crap industry standard.