Ramblings of English

Strike Against SOPA & PIPA

englishnerd — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:26:08 +0000

Today the internet is on strike. I am joining the strike against censorship. Because the Senate has PIPA up for a vote soon that would set in place rules that would fundamentally change the way the internet works in order to stop piracy. I’ve written about it here and discuss further here. Below you will find links to sites with more information and ways to contact your congressional representatives, because the House has SOPA, so both branches of the legislature need to hear from you. There are also links to contact the US State Department if you’re out of country.

Yes, people who create should be paid. The megacorporations that lobbied for the drafting of this act should adjust to the market instead of breaking what everyone uses because some people don’t feel the need to pay for their product.

Join The Strike! and add this to your site

Watch the video ·
American Censorship page ·

View the Infographic

Read SOPA on OpenCongress ·

Read PIPA on OpenCongress

The three most definitive articles on SOPA and PIPA: Free Speech, Problems, Security

Review: Phoenix Rising

englishnerd — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 06:16:44 +0000

Phoenix Rising by Philippa Ballantine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I truly enjoyed reading this novella. Fast-paced and engaging but not manipulative so I couldn’t stop for necessary tasks; it was the treat I needed to complete my to-do list in a timely fashion.

Strong female leads are hard to find, so I loved meeting Eliza in this story. And Welly provides a perfect counterpoint as they both keep secrets while working together. Both characters are strong, not just because they can handle weapons and brawls, or because they are both intelligent; they are strong because they know who they are and are comfortable with all the pieces that make them complete. I love when I find such complex characters.

The style reminded me of Cherie Priest, which is great, and could be more from my recent reading of Clementine and association of well-written strong female characters. And maybe it’s the genre feel for Steampunk mysteries. But if you’re a fan of one, I’d recommend the other.

I loved reading this story. I couldn’t give it 5 stars because there were some type-setting and proofing oversights that threw me out of the story several times. But I would really give ut more of a 4.5 star rating.

I hope there is more in this series with these characters! I would love to go on another adventure with them!

There are also a few scenes that would make me hesitate to hand this one off to just any kids, but if you read voraciously and in a wide variety, the moments probably won’t be too noticeable.

View all my reviews

Hello Pop!

englishnerd — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:34:28 +0000

So I watch anime on whatever channel will show it, which is how I found this ad. It makes me laugh from a shared joke about the Australian Rice Krispies Snap Crackle Pop characters. “Hello, Pop!”

(cross posted from my tumblr)