ndmckinney|net

My site has been attracting a lot of content spam lately. Most of it has been caught by my filtering software, so, until recently, there has not been any real problem.

Yesterday, I wrote about the issue of network neutrality. That post, it seemed, attracted a lot of attention. I received several comments, but something struck me as odd. As the comments continued to come in, it hit me: all the comments were from the same point of view, opposing network neutrality.

I noticed on my administration screen today that my blog was linked to by another blog. This blog accuses the commentor “Net Chick” of being an astroturfer, a fake blog posting created by a PR company to give the appearance of “grassroots” (grr…) support.

I have removed the comments until I can better figure out what to do with them. I will not repost them. Furthermore, I will hold all comments in moderation until I can better decide how to handle my website. I may try writing a plugin that automatically holds from free email accounts in the moderation queue. I may play with captcha systems. I will most likely implement any number of systems.

You used to be so cool?

Seriously, I thought the whole time-shifting debate was settled a long time ago. Now it seems Cartoon Network, along with several other media companies, are trying to reframe the debate.

Essentially, the broadcast companies are accusing Cablevision of copyright infringement in their implementation of their Digital Video Recording (DVR) service. The data itself would be stored on Cablevision’s servers, not on local customer DVRs. Cartoon Network et al. say that by doing so, Cablevision is rebroadcasting their programming and thus violating their copyright.

I for one fail to see any merit to this claim. There is very little difference between storing the data on a local server for later viewing and storing the data on a network server for later viewing, aside from Cablevision’s ability to charge for the network storage. I can see how the companies will structure their argument; I just think the argument is lousy.

I’m hoping this case is dismissed by a Rule 12(b) motion, since the Supreme Court has already ruled on this issue.

Playing at the Landmark E Street Cinema. Show times to be announced.

Perhaps the most impressive technology to evolve in the 20th century is the internet. The internet has evoked a number of great metaphors about being the great democracy, the only true free press, and so on. However, the internet is also a business, and once Al Gore finished “inventing” the internet, the money began to flow. Everyone wanted to connect, everyone had something to say, and everyone wanted to make a buck.

Living in Washington, I am often subjected to political adverts and lobbying efforts. One of the more recent causes to garner the attention of K Street is the issue of network neutrality. I hate to say it, but I’m not sure what the big deal is.
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I recently stumbled upon a great add-on for Wordpress called Canvas. Canvas is a system that allows for for drag-and-drop manipulation of the format of a Wordpress blog. Simply put, you never have to touch a line of code to setup your blog. Because the system is modular, you can create your own blocks by writing your own code sections.

I’m still playing around with the system, so until I create a layout that I’m happy with, I’m going to continue to use the rdc* theme. Expect to see a change in the next few weeks, unless I get really lazy (always a possibility).