If we could all calm the fuck down for a moment...
Ok, so here are my two cents to SOPA, PIPA and the shut-down of MU.
First off, anyone who did not believe in this happening eventually is lying to themselves. Because it is the internet, there was no way to prepare for it and that it was coming does of course not make it better, but it did.
What several people opposing SOPA and PIPA have already pointed out however, still holds true - the bills will not stop internet piracy.
4 percent of content on the internet is a lot, and so the slogan "The world's leading file sharing website" was not just a couple of fancy words, it seems, but we all know that once they shut down one, somewhere else another one is opened. Now, that process might slow if people ever actually start being afraid of going to jail for it, but I have not seen MF and various toorent websites shut down today in a direct reaction to what has happened, have you?
Many people used MU because it was damn convenient, probably honestly the best file sharing website out there, but when was it about convenience if you really wanted something?
Fun fact: Demonoid, the torrent site that went down in August under load moans of the community, went back up yesterday.
At this point I don't even remember my login data anymore. See what this shows? A big source closed down, but I seemed to find another one just as well.
I would like to dedicate an eyebrow raise to two groups of nutters:
1) so after MU went down, I made a post in a comm asking if someone could reup this one drama that I really like, and that I know will be difficult to get at since the original uploader happens to be me. I got 2, in a word TWO messages of people saying they would love to help me, but they were afraid enough of going to jail as it is. All you get from me in response is this: ...
2) Tumblr. I swear to god, you can hear the cries of "TUMBLR IS NEEEXT" up to the Himalayas.
I know people on tumblr like to present themselves as the epicentre of the world, but of what relevance is tumblr, really? A website that has spamming other people with pictures as its main purpose. Jesus, there is no way to express in words the face I was making at this.
Judging by the uproar it is of course now obvious how many people were using megaupload, so do not worry yourself, duckface129761991, you will neither be first nor last.
I think I can be this relaxed because I am not a person relying on her parents to give her pocket money anymore. Well, almost.
Sherlock seson 2 is 13 quid on amazon, play.com has frequent sales, and not a day goes by that hmv does not sell something in a 2 for 1 sale. maybe I don't run off and buy stuff immediately anymore, but literally no one can tell me that they like so many things that they could not afford buying them. All the things I have really liked, I bought.
I freely admit however that the internet gave me access to things I might otherwise have not been able to enjoy, god forbid I would really have had to wait for the German release of H50 for example.
Where the loss of megaupload really hits me however, is Japanese fandom. Johnny's especially had a lot of small gems like Tv show appearances that everyone was banking on being able to redownload, thus you would not keep it because that was simply too much. People also seem to be rather selfish when it comes to torrent seeding, if you do not get your hands on something immediately after release, it will be gone forever, which is why having this stuff on MU was a big help.
I would buy this stuff, too, but something between 120 and 200 quid for a box of a TV show then happens to be money I do not have. To this comes the issue of fansubbing - even though fansubbing has slowed ever since I entered fandom, to many people, and in many cases me included, buying something that does not come with subs (some films do, more frequently tehse days, too) will hardly help.
I still believe that giving people the opportunity to download stuff might have had a positive effect on this part of the industry as well, I for one bought several drama soundtracks at least, and if I really like a film, paying 30 to 40 quid for it is at least worth considering.
So yeah, what I am doing right now is trying to salvage that stuff, but my life will not end over the 1000+ lost MU links for the Sherlock Holmes movie.
It's what I've always been saying - people buy what they love. Ask around how many people have bought Adele's 21 in some shape or form.
Downloading just gives people an opportunity to casually have a look at or listen to something they might otherwise perhaps not engage with, and those people for which that is not the case are daft, anyway.
Do I believe the shutdown to be a direct consequence of SOPA and PIPA? Yes I do. Even though the FBI has said that it is not. They did not find out about the existence of that website yesterday, and the timing is just too convenient. But those two laws are about more than people shutting down file sharing websites. they are about censorship and spying on people, and everyone who believes it won't affect them because they are not a citizen of the US clearly has no idea where most of their internet even comes from, and how far even one hand reaches.
As an end note, I have cut half of my f-list in both people and communities, and only those that actively post or still know who the fuck I even am have remained. Turns out most of you are actually the people I started with, so thank you for that!
First off, anyone who did not believe in this happening eventually is lying to themselves. Because it is the internet, there was no way to prepare for it and that it was coming does of course not make it better, but it did.
What several people opposing SOPA and PIPA have already pointed out however, still holds true - the bills will not stop internet piracy.
4 percent of content on the internet is a lot, and so the slogan "The world's leading file sharing website" was not just a couple of fancy words, it seems, but we all know that once they shut down one, somewhere else another one is opened. Now, that process might slow if people ever actually start being afraid of going to jail for it, but I have not seen MF and various toorent websites shut down today in a direct reaction to what has happened, have you?
Many people used MU because it was damn convenient, probably honestly the best file sharing website out there, but when was it about convenience if you really wanted something?
Fun fact: Demonoid, the torrent site that went down in August under load moans of the community, went back up yesterday.
At this point I don't even remember my login data anymore. See what this shows? A big source closed down, but I seemed to find another one just as well.
I would like to dedicate an eyebrow raise to two groups of nutters:
1) so after MU went down, I made a post in a comm asking if someone could reup this one drama that I really like, and that I know will be difficult to get at since the original uploader happens to be me. I got 2, in a word TWO messages of people saying they would love to help me, but they were afraid enough of going to jail as it is. All you get from me in response is this: ...
2) Tumblr. I swear to god, you can hear the cries of "TUMBLR IS NEEEXT" up to the Himalayas.
I know people on tumblr like to present themselves as the epicentre of the world, but of what relevance is tumblr, really? A website that has spamming other people with pictures as its main purpose. Jesus, there is no way to express in words the face I was making at this.
Judging by the uproar it is of course now obvious how many people were using megaupload, so do not worry yourself, duckface129761991, you will neither be first nor last.
I think I can be this relaxed because I am not a person relying on her parents to give her pocket money anymore. Well, almost.
Sherlock seson 2 is 13 quid on amazon, play.com has frequent sales, and not a day goes by that hmv does not sell something in a 2 for 1 sale. maybe I don't run off and buy stuff immediately anymore, but literally no one can tell me that they like so many things that they could not afford buying them. All the things I have really liked, I bought.
I freely admit however that the internet gave me access to things I might otherwise have not been able to enjoy, god forbid I would really have had to wait for the German release of H50 for example.
Where the loss of megaupload really hits me however, is Japanese fandom. Johnny's especially had a lot of small gems like Tv show appearances that everyone was banking on being able to redownload, thus you would not keep it because that was simply too much. People also seem to be rather selfish when it comes to torrent seeding, if you do not get your hands on something immediately after release, it will be gone forever, which is why having this stuff on MU was a big help.
I would buy this stuff, too, but something between 120 and 200 quid for a box of a TV show then happens to be money I do not have. To this comes the issue of fansubbing - even though fansubbing has slowed ever since I entered fandom, to many people, and in many cases me included, buying something that does not come with subs (some films do, more frequently tehse days, too) will hardly help.
I still believe that giving people the opportunity to download stuff might have had a positive effect on this part of the industry as well, I for one bought several drama soundtracks at least, and if I really like a film, paying 30 to 40 quid for it is at least worth considering.
So yeah, what I am doing right now is trying to salvage that stuff, but my life will not end over the 1000+ lost MU links for the Sherlock Holmes movie.
It's what I've always been saying - people buy what they love. Ask around how many people have bought Adele's 21 in some shape or form.
Downloading just gives people an opportunity to casually have a look at or listen to something they might otherwise perhaps not engage with, and those people for which that is not the case are daft, anyway.
Do I believe the shutdown to be a direct consequence of SOPA and PIPA? Yes I do. Even though the FBI has said that it is not. They did not find out about the existence of that website yesterday, and the timing is just too convenient. But those two laws are about more than people shutting down file sharing websites. they are about censorship and spying on people, and everyone who believes it won't affect them because they are not a citizen of the US clearly has no idea where most of their internet even comes from, and how far even one hand reaches.
As an end note, I have cut half of my f-list in both people and communities, and only those that actively post or still know who the fuck I even am have remained. Turns out most of you are actually the people I started with, so thank you for that!