And it also lets me post random stuff that apparently only I find interesting.

[taste_is_sweet]

I love the internet.

You probably do too--you're here, after all (and thank you for that). The 'net has given me fandom, friendships, introduced me to things I never knew existed, and enabled my first professional novel.

The World Wide Web is a repository of the simultaneously best and worst of humanity. Name anything you could possible want to learn about, see, hear, share or buy and it will be there in one form or another. Because of the internet we can debunk urban legends; learn new and awesome terminology; revel in fandom; and read stories and stories and stories and stories and stories.

And if you live in the U.S., you might lose it.

This excellent excerpt from Last Week Tonight not only makes the situation pellucid (that was for brumeier), it's incredibly funny. Well worth 13 minutes of your time. Just be careful of the NSFW language.

For those of you who don't have 13 minutes, the TL:DR version is this:

The biggest cable companies in the U.S., like Comcast and Verizon, want the Government to enact a law that will let them charge internet companies (think Netflix; Amazon; Etsy; that place where you bought that stuff that came in a box with no return address) more money to enable them to load faster on your computer.

That means companies who can't afford to pay (like that place with no return address) will suddenly become far less accessible. It's like the Fastpass at the Universal Theme Park in Orlando: The companies who can't pay will end up waiting in line to get to the consumer Revenge of the Mummy ride, while the rich ones just walk on through.

We can't let that happen. It probably will, but there's still time to do something about it. Go to fcc.gov/comments, read the simple instructions, and leave a public comment. Hopefully if enough people remind the Government who voted for them, it might keep this from happening.

Might. I'm not holding my breath--I'm not Comcast; I can't afford it.

Comments

[brumeier.livejournal.com]

Thank you for that very concise summarization of an issue I didn't even know existed. The lack of attention I pay to - well, almost everything - is shameful.

Of course the government is going to try and ruin it for us. The internet has always been a problem because of all the free content when people need to pay, pay, pay. And then pay some more. I'd hate to see that change, but you're right, it does seem inevitable.

Thanks for the link! And for keeping me informed when I'm too lazy to do it myself. ::grins::

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

You are very welcome! I only know about it because I get way too many emails demanding that I add my name to petitions from sites like The Daily Kos. This was one of the causes. It was a nifty coincidence that it was the main subject John Oliver chose to comment on during Last Week Tonight.

Apparently after his segment aired, the government comment site was shut down from internet traffic. That said, I think there's an appalling lack of comments, given the population of the country. I hope my post can get at least two more. :)

[anna-bird.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, I'm still hung up on the pony play website. Back to John Oliver in a few hours! Your fault!

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

I first encountered Pony Play from this story: Bucephalus on Wraithbait.com. Naturally I was compelled to look up whether it was a real thing. It's a real thing.

Don't say fandom never taught you anything. :)