Net News

Saving The Internet: What Is Coming Next? It's time to ask FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler which side he's on: the side of the American people, who clearly want net neutrality, or that of the telecom companies, who really just want to make more money. Still not sure why you should care about net neutrality? John Oliver has a very entertaining and helpful segment on it. If it makes it easier for you, you can think of it as the Prevent Cable Company F@#kery campaign. Make sure, my pretties, to tell the FCC what you think.

Also, you should be part of the Thunderclap on June 5, and help Reset the Net! "Reset the Net is a global movement to take our privacy back and secure the Internet to defend against mass government surveillance." Yesterday, I posted about the horrible situation in Thailand, including the Orwellian measures taken by the military to secure their power over the people. Well, the same information disease is slowly but surely infecting the U.S. We need to join Reddit, Imgur, Boing Boing, and others to take back our privacy!

Links!

• Libraries, Books, & Authors:
• A Library as a Symbol for the Community
• And yet another reason to visit London: Benches Shaped Like Open Books Will Pop Up All Over In London This Summer
• Intelligence-sharing by Marin librarians leads to counterfeiting arrest in Fairfax We take fine payments very seriously, folks.
• Special category - Thai news:
• Thai authorities to build state-owned social network site "The plan includes building a state-owned nation internet gateway and creating the nation’s social network site, in order to increase the efficiency of censorship by the authorities....Thai authorities have long complained that major social media operators, such as Google, YouTube, Facebook and LINE, do not cooperate with them when asked for users’ data and the blocking of sites." So it's not just a Facebook alternative; this is a crackdown on Thai information access online. It's sad to see democracy dying so quickly in Thailand.
• Speaking of censorship, Pravit speaks out on detention: A ‘surreal’ week in the ‘Big Brother’ house. 
• Also, the Hunger Games salute has become a big deal: How the Hunger Games salute is fighting oppression in Thailand
• Net & Tech:
• Cory Doctorow: How to Talk to Your Children About Mass Surveillance It's a pretty good strategy for explaining it to adults, too.
• You Can Grab Software That Helped Pixar Make Wall-E For Free Soon 
• Dating Site Fights Outrageous Trademark Claim from Mormon Church : Church Claims It Owns the Term 'Mormon' 
• Science:
• Norfolk, VA. Going, Going, Gone Underwater. That can't be good...
• Solar energy represents 74% of all new U.S. electricity generation in 1st quarter of 2014 Very cool! 
• I love Zen Pencils. The science all-starts poster is really, really cool!
• Other:
• It's officially hurricane season. Are you ready? In other very interesting news, Female-named hurricanes kill more than male hurricanes because people don’t respect them. Seriously, folks, "female" hurricanes deserve just as much respect and are as likely to destroy you and your things as "male" hurricanes. 
• When A Bullet Misses Its Target, It Can Still Kill Children should not have to live in such fear...
• Fearing Rising Backlash, NRA Urges Gun Activists to Stand Down. In response, Gun Activists Cut Up NRA Member Cards Over Criticism Of AR-15s In Restaurants. Yeah, not crazy at all. "'The NRA should have instead released a statement to the effect that it applauds our groups for coming together and finding new methods to promote safe and responsible open carry,' the group said." But that doesn't sound like disapproval at all - and I'm pretty sure the NRA was disapproving...
• Ronald Reagan Gave Iran 1,500 Missiles for Hostages. Obama Trades Five Guys? GOP Heads Explode. I have to say, trading prisoners for hostages makes a lot more sense to me.
• White GOP Candidate Changes Name to Cesar Chavez in Arizona Race Gross...
• Why do people persist in believing things that just aren't true?  I'm still going to beat my head against those walls. /sigh