Ironically back from hiatus on the day they signal posterous' imminent death, Links for Monday, 3/12/2012 March 12, 2012
Invisible Children Funded By Antigay, Creationist Christian Right:
Why does it matter, if Invisible Children was funded by controversial donors? Two reasons - one, we can assume those donors thought IC aligned with their agenda - which is antagonistic to LGBT rights. Two, it fits an emerging pattern in which Invisible Children appears selectively concerned about crimes committed by Joseph Kony but indifferent to crimes, perhaps on a bigger scale, committed by their provisional partner, the government of Uganda - whose president shot his way into power using child soldiers, before Joseph Kony began using child soldiers. Like Kony, the government of Uganda was also indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2005, for human rights abuses and looting in the DRC Congo (PDF file of ICC ruling against Uganda). Like Kony, the Ugandan army preys upon civilians and is currently accused, by Western human rights groups, with raping and looting in the DRC Congo, where it is hunting for Kony. In the late 1990s, Uganda helped spark a conflict in DRC Congo that, by the middle of the next decade it is estimated, had killed up to 5.4 million civilians, more than any conflict since World War Two.
Have online comment sections become 'a joke':
In the early days of the Internet, there was hope that the unprecedented tool for global communication would lead to thoughtful sharing and discussion on its most popular sites.
A decade and a half later, the very idea is laughable, says Gawker Media founder Nick Denton. "It didn't happen," said Denton, whose properties include the blogs Gawker, Jezebel, Gizmodo, io9 and Lifehacker. "It's a promise that has so not happened that people don't even have that ambition anymore. "The idea of capturing the intelligence of the readership -- that's a joke."
Note: I’m not sure if I agree with his solution, but he’s dead-on-right that something needs to change.
The Damning Backstory Behind “Homeless Hotspots” at SXSWi:
It sounds like something out of a darkly satirical science-fiction dystopia. But it’s absolutely real — and a completely problematic treatment of a problem that otherwise probably wouldn’t be mentioned in any of the panels at South by Southwest Interactive. Homeless Hotspots is “a charitable experiment” by BBH Labs, the skunkworks wing of marketing firm Bartle Bogle Hegarty. In Austin, BBH Labs is partnering with Front Steps Shelter to equip people from Front Steps’ case management system with 4G MiFi devices to serve as pay-per-use hotspots for attendees at SXSWi.
Note: Turning people into walking telephone poles kind of freaks me the fuck out. I understand the commenters who are quick to leap forward and point out that hey, it’s a job, etc etc etc – but to me, that’s not the point. It dehumanizes someone – I’d have the same problem with paying someone to be a piece of furniture for me, just because he or she couldn’t get work as anything else.
Up your bumper, Rush Limbaugh:
Some time ago, before Rush Limbaugh and his buddies launched their all-out assault on women in their effort to give the Democratic party a landslide victory this November, I created a bumper sticker over at Cafepress: "I (heart) Sex and I Vote". I abandoned Cafepress years ago. However, this sentiment seems far more relevant and necessary today than it did back then, so I've set up the store again. So, here it is again. If you'd like to show Rush's fans how you feel about sex, click here!
Protests over ending of Mass Effect 3 show fan investment in story control:
Usually, when superfans are unhappy with the ending to a long and engrossing story, they'll react in a number of predictable ways. They'll complain about the ending to anyone that will listen. They'll vow never to enjoy a story from that creator ever again. They'll create elaborate fan fiction sub-universes where the story concludes in a more pleasing way. Many fans of the Mass Effect series are already doing all of these things to express anger over what they see as an unsatisfying ending to Mass Effect 3. But they're also going a step further, actively demanding that BioWare change the ending as it's currently constructed to be more palatable to the masses.
Note: While I give kudos to BioWare for making and bringing to life characters that I’ve actually spilled tears over, my knee-jerk reaction is to view it thusly:
This morning I received a very short, very terse telephone call from a lady called Francine, who works for PayPal.
Francine informed me that the PayPal account associated with Behind The Sofa had taken a lot of money over a very short period. She explained that she had looked at the site and understood that I was taking orders for a book.
Francine explained that PayPal would be freezing my account, meaning that the project is stalled. The phone call was followed by an “account frozen” email.
Why?
Well, they won’t tell me the details.
Francine flat refused to provide me with information about how to contact them (by phone) to discuss to issue, or indicate how long my account will be frozen pending their review. She then terminated the call. I cannot use the account at all until PayPay deign to contact me.