links for 2008-11-21

• EtherPad: Realtime Collaborative Text Editing
  A website to allow multiple people to edit one document, while simultaneously seeing everyone typing in real time. Good stuff.
  (tags: collaborative text editing textEditing web2.0 realtime sharing Etherpad editor)
• RELIGION: 'Playing Gods' satirizes religious violence
  A board game satirizing religion? No idea if this is a good game, but the premise is FILLED WITH WIN!!!!
  (tags: politics religion parody games boardGames USAToday news articles DragonCon PlayingGods Gods violence)
• RELIGION: Hindu extremists' offer food, moneyl, and alcohol rewards to mobs who kill Christians
  Wow. If none of these Hindus were Hindu, and none of these Christians were Christian — maybe they wouldn't fight at all? Or maybe if they are naturally violent people, they would fight for something worth fighting for, instead of who's imaginary sky fairies are better?

  I love all the people who say religion is necessary to keep society together and make people act "good". Yet the two largets killers of people in the history of man have been religions and governments. And govenrments are usually based on cultural religion anyway! "One nation under God", right? But who's gone? Mine? Yours? LET'S FIGHT!

  Anyway, I don't get to hate on Hindus often enough because it seems that 75% of douchebaggery is by Christians and Muslims, with the remaining douchebaggery by Jews in Israel against Muslims in Palestine/Syria/Lebanon/etc. So, nice to hate on the Hindus for once.

  (tags: politics religion violence bounties Hindus Christians Hinduism Christianity mobs India UK Orissa killings)
• RELIGION: Court wont hear appeal from mother who lost child custody over claims she was Wiccan
  What the fuck? I don't care if you're a satanist who eats the hearts of dead animals — that doesn't take away your right to be a parent. It's good (sarcasm) to see people still fighting for rights they supposedly had since the inception of the Bill Of Rights.
  Good old Arkansas. Arkansas, Alabama – what's the difference? "A" is for asshole.
  (tags: politics religion AbuseOfAuthority Arkansas court Littlerock Wicca parents children custody)
• P2P: Music Industry Takes Soulseek to Court
  The music industry is COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL. Now they are suing ISPs, makers of software, and open source platforms (SourceForge) that host 10000+ programs because ONE of these COULD be used for copyright infringment.

  This would be like the police going after us for having kitchen knives, because they can be used for murder. Or the phone companies being sued, because someone could commit a crime via the phone. Or the postal service sued, because not 100% of mail is being legal.

  Utterly ridiculous.

  I've used SoulSeek once. To find obscure music by a side-project of an obscure band I used to listen to (Wrathchild America). The ONLY way this music was available was to scour the internet and fire off begging emails to addresses that may not exist. EVENTUALLY, I GOT IN TOUCH WITH A MEMBER OF THE BAND. He shared *his own files* that are *not owned by any corporation* directly to me using SoulSeek.

  Guess we can't do THAT anymore.

  I will never give a cent to the RIAA again.

  (tags: politics corporations intellectualProperty RIAA music copyright bullshit lawsuits GeekPolitics p2p software SoulSeek TorrentFreak news articles)
• ABUSE OF ATHORITY: ThumperWatch.org – Police Abuse, Brutality & Misconduct in America
  A forum dedicated to tracking the increasing phenomenon of police that are worse than your average criminal. . .
  (tags: politics AbuseOfAuthority police brutality policeBrutality messageBoards forums ThumperWatch)
• ABUSE OF AUTHORITY: Videotape seized by schools police returned to Oakland Tribune
  Look at the school cop trying to act big and mean. Of course the Chief has expressed regret over this incident, but that doesn't change the fact that free press is at a threat here. Oh really, as a pedestrian, she hit his car and incited a riot? Last time I checked, that was called a "car accident".
  (tags: politics AbuseOfAuthority police OverlyHarshPunishments FreedomOfPress reporters arrests confiscated media video reality 1stAmendment FirstAmendment rights ConstitutinoalRights Oakland California OaklandTribute news articles AlmedaCounty JaneTyska ArtMichel incitingARiot cars unprofessional fromDaveO)