Very few people understand the impacts of network-connected culture more than technology writer and NYU professor Clay Shirky. In this talk from the Web 2.0 conference, he discusses that society can shift radically once we shift our free time away from passive mediums such as television, to active, participatory mediums such as the Internet.
[via Calcanis ]
Tags: web2.0, clay shirky, video, talks, free time, productivity, inspirational
Greasemonkey has always been one of the most powerful plugins for Firefox and Flock. Although I mostly used it to make my Myspace experience a lot more pleasant, I've recently decided to start collecting Greasemonkey Scripts again. Wow. There are some real timesavers in here. I've recently used it to supercharge my Gmail with scripts that will change the layout to something more visually appealing, add a "feeds" button that intergates with Google Reader, and even a collapsable feed box that is viewed alongside my regular mail. Oh, and adding feeds to Google Reader is really easy with the Smart Google Reader Subscribe Button. Also, a lot of people don't know that Google reader does import and export OPML files so it is really easy to make the transition from your current feed reader. There is a lot more I'm doing with it of course having mostly to due with shortcuts, events, etc, but I'll get to that some other time.
Delete This User
Delete This Id
I have over 7000+ friends on Myspace. I don't go around adding random strangers, but I pretty much accept any request that comes in. Now, as you can imagine, this has resulted in a whole lot of spam and irrelevant messages. It becomes incredibly tedious to find any of the important messages that might come in.
Now, I COULD just start a brand new myspace profile, but much like changing a long-established e-mail address, it can be a real pain and people will continue messaging me at my old profile anyway.
Welcome to Spacelook. It attempts to be like an Outlook for Myspace. Now, I have no idea whether or not this violates Myspace's TOS, but I suggest grabbing it while you can if you have more than 1000+ contacts. It downloads ALL of your messages locally so you don't have to tediously wait for each page to load in between messages.
I always make it a point to surround myself with really good people. I've always had a feeling that some of the people in my circle of friends would go down in history as someone of real importance, and it has finally happened.
A good friend of mine, Josh Wolf, was pretty active in our local music scene before he moved away. We'd go out to events, hang out, talk about life and various important issues of the day. Many of his friends often associated him with his video skills. He was the first one of my friends to get one of those sweet, professional-grade DVCAMs awhile back, and I knew that he took his film career far more seriously than any of my other friends at the time. After all, it took him quite awhile to be able to afford one of those video cameras.
Soon, he became known as one of the Internet's first video bloggers, and he published vlogs years before YouTube even came into existence. Now Josh, like most good people, wanted to use his knowledge to actually do some good in the world. He started the independent internet media network RUN (Rise Up Network) because he wanted something like the station Current TV, but he wanted the videographers to maintain the rights to their videos and not be censored in what they could or couldn't show.
Recently, he videotaped a demonstration protesting the G8 summit in San Fransisco and was one of the only journalists present since protests are often not covered by mainstream media. However, this protest turned unruly, and it resulted in some so naturally his footage was suddenly in high demand. He had posted an edited version of this footage on his web site and local news media took an interest in it. He sold his footage (although some of it wwas initially used without his permission) and it was aired on San Francisco television news stations. That, and previous acts of his, certainly grants him status as an independent journalist. California has Shield Laws to protect journalists like Josh, but there is no federal equivalent.
Well, the feds have decided that they want to see his unedited footage and threatened him with imprisonment if he didn't hand his tapes over. Now, I'm not Josh, but I'm sure several things must have been running through his head. If he turns over his tapes, he will identify his journalistic sources on video and they will probably be investigated, harassed and possibly prosecuted regardless of whether or not they were involved with any of the unruly behavior at the protest. After that, he will no longer be granted access to videotape and document future political events in his community because they will shun him as a being a spy for the federal government out to quell freedom of speech. Imagine if the Washington Post were forced to reveal videotapes of Deepthroat during the Watergate scandal. What sources would talk to any of the journalists at that newspaper after that? An action like this would essentially ruin his career and probably destroy the online Rise Up Network he founded.
Also, Josh Wolf is no Robert Novak. He does not have the teams of lawyers and legal defense resources protecting a journalist's right to protect his or her sources like thosew working at large news gathering corporations do. However, California has relatively strong Shield Laws to help independent Journalists. One would think he would be protected, but something unexpected happened. During the protest, a cop car was destroyed. The FBI claimed that cop cars are partially funded by federal money, and since a cop car was destroyed during the protest, he is to be processed under federal law and is no longer protected by California's Shield Laws protecting the right of independent journalists. They say they want to see the unedited tapes because it may contain footage of the cop car's destruction, but Josh maintains that he has no such footage. So they gave Josh an ultimatum. Hand over the unedited tapes or go to federal prison for a year.
Josh is now serving his sentence and he needs our help.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/02/us/02protest.html?ex=1312171200&en=c7aa300c371db20c&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-laufer/free-josh-wolf_b_26424.html
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1222780,00.html
http://news.com.com/A+bloggers+battle+from+behind+bars/2008-1030_3-6104485.html
http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter/wireStory?id=2263365&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
http://news.com.com/2061-11199_3-6102048.html
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/03/EDG0RK9T7T1.DTL
http://www.freelanceuk.com/news/1824.shtml
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/09/0354216
http://wearethemedia.com/2006/08/01/judge-sends-vlogger-journalist-to-prison-for-not-handing-over-footage-of-protest
http://blogher.org/node/9023
and Google and Yahoo can point you to more...
Actually, I shouldn't have spoken on behalf of Josh Wolf's thoughts. Here's an excerpt from his interview with news.com
Tell us about your rationale in deciding not to hand over the video tapes. How much of it was about protecting your sources, or activists caught on tape, and how much of it was about First Amendment rights?
Wolf: First and foremost, this issue should be a state issue. The federal grand jury is investigating the alleged attempted damage to a San Francisco police vehicle. That is the subject of the investigation. If an S.F. police vehicle is considered federal property, then what isn't federal property? Your school? Even City Hall itself. I'm not sure that that extension is accurate, but it's not very much of a stretch and that is very disturbing.Beyond that, I should be protected in the state system by the California shield law. The state of California, the local jurisdiction, has made no attempts to try to get this footage. This is an attempt of the federal government circumventing the state protections for who knows what purpose. Something tells me that it's about more than damage to a San Francisco police vehicle. And it's a scary position when you have the government acting in such a coercive, secretive manner. The fact that I am a journalist and should be protected is a very big part of it. When I went in and began documenting this movement, I gave my word to numerous people that I would only publish what my discretion allowed and beyond that would not turn over additional material. So they are sources in a different sort of way than the Judith Miller case, but there still is an element of protecting sources and also protecting people's right to privacy and freedoms of association.
It is no surprise that several civil liberties groups and journalists support Josh Wolf including former New York Times reporter Judith Miller who spent 85 days in jail last year for being in a somewhat similar situation. You can see the video at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McdcOcAVHCg.<
Now, despite some national coverage, Josh SERIOUSLY needs our help. The feds have basically said to him, "hand over the tapes and you go free" and he is sticking to his ethics and integrity. Unfortunately, a will of steel will not pay the the thousands of dollars in legal fees that are mounting... and that's not counting the fees required to keep his apartment, jail costs, and more.
Things you can do to support for Josh
DONATE VIA PAYPAL
Books
Josh has recieved his maximum number books allowed in his cell. We will update everyone when he needs more reading material. He can still recieve magazines, letters and photocopied materials.
Visits
Unfortunately Josh's visits are limited to his immediate family and his lawyer.
For information on prison mail regulations and tips on letter writing
please visit:
Josh Wolf Wiki
http://freejosh.pbwiki.com/
Free Josh Blog
http://freejoshwolf.blogspot.com/
And of course his site which his mother is currently maintaining.
http://www.joshwolf.net/
Several people have started throwing benefit concerts and fundraising dance events including me and my friends. Check his wiki or blog for updated details about how you can get involved in your area.
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/supportjoshwolf
Congratulations Josh. At 24-years-old, you have gone down in history as the first Blogger to be hunted down by the feds and you didn't give up. You are my new hero.
technorati tags: josh, wolf, josh+wolf, bloggers, eff, aclu, fbi, feds, politics
Yahoo bought the awesome social event calendar Upcoming.org. There goes my hopes for integrating Dodgeball with upcoming. However, Yahoo has been making very smart purchases lately (consider Flickr.
E-bay bought the Free P2P-VoIP company (Peer-to-peer Voice Over IP -- aka... internet phone service) Skype for $2.6 billion. What this will probably mean initially is that bidders can expect to talk to sellers instantly over voice. What this will probably mean eventually is that none of us will have to pay for phone service in a few years (like e-mail or instant messaging).
This site is officially declaring a War on Spam. We gone through and deleted every single spam comment and trackback on this site, and I'm implementing a bunch of spam filters. Also, all trackbacks must be manually approved by the site administrators.
One person thought it was us who was promoting online gambling, sex aids, and other various things. They even mentioned that they were going to add AYM Network to their host's kill file. This is just wrong. The spammers are going to pay.
Back in May, AYM Network reported that Google bought Dodgeball, the cellphone-based social networking service. When Dodgeball users go out to some social venue such as a bar or a club, they text message Dodgeball stating their location. Then, people on that person's friends list will be notified via text messages from Dodgeball that their friend is at that venue. Friends of friends within 10 blocks of that venue will also be notified of that user's presence. There are even more advanced features such as a "crush list" that people can maintain, but you can read all about that on Dodgeball's site.
[ Taken from PoliceCrimes.com ]
About 90 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies broke up what they said was a rave party on public and private property in the Diamond Fork area of Spanish Fork canyon, an hour outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
According to the county, the sheriff's office had been investigating similar parties since the beginning of the season. In a press release from the Sheriff's office in Utah County, the department claims that previous allegations of sexual abuse while attending other raves, as well as various firearm and theft violations, were reason for the investigation. The release continues to state that the proper permit was not obtained before the party started.
Armed with assault rifles and tear gas, the police used dogs to sweep the crowd for narcotics. At least one helicopter was used in the operation. The scale of the police response was apparently due to the ineffectiveness of a smaller force used in the previous "Sequence Five" rave. Prior to dispersing the partiers, several police informants had reportedly infiltrated the rave and observed widespread illegal activities.
The promoter says the party took place on private property, named Child's Ranch, with express permission from the owner. The property owner has apparently had at least one previous run-in with police over a similar event. Utah County requires a permit, bond and county commission approval for all gatherings with more than 250 people present. According to a DJ at the event, "they presold 700 tickets and they expected up to 3,000 people total". He added that by the time police arrived "the crowd was about 1500 people thick".
The police have publicly stated that these permits were not obtained, but the promoters claim otherwise. Officials also claim that the party had spilled over onto public land.
Police reported in local press that more than 60 arrests were made for weapons offenses, driving under the influence, underage drinking, drug possession and distribution, resisting arrest, assault on a police officer and disorderly conduct. Officers claim to have found cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, mushrooms, alcohol and large amounts of drug paraphernalia. Some of the drugs may include those confiscated from partiers by security guards.
Amateur video from the scene shows a number of SWAT police (estimates are at 90) screaming orders at the DJs to "Shut it down now!" and yelling at others to "get out now, or I'll kick your ass in jail". Armed police are also seen tackling a number of rave-goers, and it is unclear from the video footage whether these attendees attempted to attack the police. Due to the low resolution, automatic lighting adjustment, and low audio quality, the video appears to have been taken with a cellular phone.
A first hand account from a DJ booked to play at the party stated that while police were arresting a man accused of narcotic possession, the suspect was beaten to the ground and continually "kicked in the ribs" by 4 armed "soldiers" dressed in camouflage. According to the account, nobody resisted the policemen but tear gas was still used as partiers were already dispersing quietly. The DJ also states that police were attempting to confiscate video equipment, but an amateur video has still surfaced on the internet (see sources below).
Several partygoers felt they should have the right to attend a rave where drugs are being used, so long as they don't personally use them:
"While it may be true that some individuals choose to take drugs at said events like this, myself as well as many others choose to go for the music. Just like anything, you have bad apples, but you shouldn't cut down the tree." "Raves are not the only musical gatherings where drugs are used and distributed."
Other partygoers felt that the use of force in the shutdown was excessive - numerous eyewitness accounts by concertgoers describe people being beaten, tasered, or attacked with dogs. One account from an attendee, identified as "Colby", states:
"I saw at least two people being beaten on the ground while barking, snarling dogs are held just a few feet from them. Weapons were being pointed at unarmed, peaceful civilians. A friend of mine was forced at gunpoint to put his hands on his head and turn around, because he asked if he could get his things from the tent."
Utah County sheriff's Sergeant Darren Gilbert said a 17-year-old girl was found overdosed on ecstasy, and was treated and released to her parents. Multiple lawsuits are being threatened against the city. According to an advertisement for the event, an attorney was present at the party. The local sheriff is scheduled to appear on Utah TV following a number of complaints being sent to TV stations and the police.
Official Statement and Information from the Promoters of Versus.
First off, we would like to thank all of the people who have come to our side in the wake of this deplorable incident. We apologize for not being able to provide you all with information faster. We are doing everything we can for people who were affected by the actions of the police. We as community have been underestimated. The finger has been waved about our character and ability. Because of this, now is the time to stand up together and show the world exactly how we don’t plan to take this lying down and teach a couple old dogs a thing or two about what character is. So, this is what we need to do…
To put a stop to any rumors, or false statements that have been cropping up, we would like to clarify a couple of key issues.
* Was the party permitted?
Yes, period, end of story. Now for the reason this has been in question: According to the county laws
(Utah Countly Mass Gathering Permit Laws)
in Section 13-4-2-1:
Required.
No person shall permit, maintain, promote, conduct,
advertise, act as entrepreneur, undertake, organize,
manage, or sell or give tickets to an actual or
reasonably anticipated assembly of two hundred fifty
(250) or more people which continues or can
reasonably be expected to continue for twelve (12) or
more consecutive hours, whether on public or private
property unless a license to hold the assembly has
first been issued by the County Commissioners. (Ord.
No. 1971-4, Section 2, 7-7-71) (emphasis added)
It states that if the party was to exceed 250 people OR go over 12 consecutive hours we would have needed to clear it with the county commissioner.
The FACT is, that although the party was to exceed 250 people, it was NOT to go over 12 hours. This is evidenced by the DJ’s time slots, and the agreement between Performance Audio and Brandon Fullmer. The permit was granted, and then seized by the Utah County police, clearly stated across the top “Utah County Health Department Mass Gathering Permit.â€
It was not made clear by any employee of Utah County or member of the Utah County Sheriffs Depatment at any time prior to the event that anything else may have been required by law.
* Were any individuals injured by the police?
This should be self-evident that this statement is true. However, the issue needs to be addressed. The police have stated that no one was injured. There is photo and video evidence to prove otherwise. This evidence will be coming out in the press conference, which will be occurring soon.
* Did the police use tazers?
Tazers were not used; however we have sufficient evidence and reason to believe that STUN guns were present and allegedly used.
* Were dogs used to subdue party goers?
Yes, the K-9 units were present, and used in this operation. We have testimonials and evidence to show that the dogs were used as frightening motivational tools in evacuating the area plus you can distinctly hear them in the video.
* Were cameras and videos broken or confiscated by the police?
This is true. We will provide photos and provide the actual cameras that were destroyed in the “operation†at the press conference.
* Was Brandon Fullmer involved in promoting the event called Sequence?
No. For both Versus and Sequence, there is a promoter involved named Brandon, however, they are NOT the same person. No question. This is being addressed because the Utah County Sheriffs department seems to believe these individuals are the same, when in fact they are not
* Did the police officers find any weapons?
Yes, the police did arrest and charge one person with possession of a firearm. This individual in question was the land owner’s son, on his own property.
* Did the police seize large amounts of drugs?
[size=3]Police did seize illicit drugs; a large portion of the drugs seized were drugs that the security officers had confiscated from event goers. Admittedly, this is a sticky issue. Police say security should not have those substances, but it is security’s job to keep the environment as safe as possible from potential harmful situations.
* What are our feelings about police presence at these events?
Many times past we have hired off duty police officers to patrol and attend these events as added security. There have also been many times where police have come, and have walked through our parties. Had the police even attempted to contact us before hand, they would have been a welcome presence.
* Was this event a secret, only for people "in the know"?
ABSOLUTELY not! This event was in no way, shape or form a secret. It was a highly publicized and promoted event. If this event had been a secret, or a covert operation in any way, why were great lengths taken to obtain permits? This event was no secret.
What are we as promoters doing about this situation?
1.We are currently working with legal representation to ensure we do not get steamrolled by Utah County. We are working with Brian M. Barnard who is considered to be one, if not the best civil rights attorney in the state of Utah. You can read about his many accomplishments online if you so desire.
2. We have set up the web-site www.Music-Versus-Guns.org . This is taking a bit longer than expected to set up the site properly due to the large amount of interest in this situation. However, we are in the process of making this a centralized site with information on a multitude of issues pertaining to this particular incident. Please visit this site to learn more about what happened and what you can do.
3. We are spending almost every waking hour to discuss this issue at length with members of the media. We are trying to make sure that the events of August 20th 2005 are reported on fairly. We are also trying to educate as many people as possible of the true nature of these events, this is difficult but we are working with a host of excellent reporters to make sure the facts are strait.
If for any reason you have direct testimony that differs from what you see portraied by a story on television, or on the radio, or believe the story has been skewed from the facts to present opinion of the station or the reporter that differs from the truth, please feel free to notify Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting at www.fair.org which is a media watch dog group. Thus far I believe most of the reports have not been biased in any way so far but the link is here if you feel you need it.
Obviously, this is a lot of work, which is why we need your help and continued support.
What can you do?
There are many different priorities with regards to what needs to happen, and we would appreciate whatever help you can give in these areas.
1. If you attended the event and were allegedly attacked or assaulted by the police.
You are priority NUMBER ONE right now. This is what we need from you immediately:
a. We need written statements with explicit detail about everything.
From the time you left your home, to when you got back home. Please try to leave all speculation and personal opinions out of it. JUST THE FACTS!!! Also, keep them as professional as possible; if you are not confident in your writing skills, there are individuals who can assist you with this. Leave your contact information and FULL name at the bottom; along with addresses, phone numbers, email, etc. Contact information will not be made public!
Please send these statements to: Dimitri801@comcast.net
Many of you have already written eloquent and detailed descriptions of your night; thank you so much! We just ask that you add and/or edit anything that may need it.
b. We ARE be willing to videotape these statements as well.
Your experiences of the evening are the heart of this matter and we know that this may be a hard matter to discuss but the world needs to know that you are a real person with a serious grievance. If you are interested and willing to do this, please contact Dimitri at: (801) 577-8281 or by email Dimitri801@comcast.net
We will require each individuals consent to post or use any of this material.
c. Most importantly if you took photo's of any injuries, WE NEED COPIES immediately!
There is a good guideline on how to document these injuries here:
http://www.flora.org/legal/legal_info/document_injuries.html -and- http://www.fleschnerlaw.com/infolin...TING%20INJURIES
if you have not already done this. Bruises fade; cuts and wounds heal, and the sooner this is captured the better off everyone is. If you did not file a police report for any of your grievances out of intimidation or fear; do it now, with them or the ACLU at: http://www.acluutah.org/ There is a form located on the website where you can electronically file a complaint against the police. The police seem to be very curious as to why no one is willing to come in and report any alleged trauma or police brutality to the police; please be sure to include any of your reasons when you do this.
What if I made it out of the event unharmed and wasn't harrased?
1. Congratulations, you are lucky.
However, you are still an eyewitness account of what happened, and we need it. Once again, we are not interested in if you think the police involved are unscrupulous and/or immoral, with the intent of maliciously stomping on individual's civil liberties. All we want are the FACTS about what you saw. We need these accounts to directly refute the lies the police keep reporting to the media. We have already caught some of their inaccuracies, and need to keep doing just that. Please state everything that happened the second you left home until the time you returned home. Include everything you can, who was with you, times, and details. The sooner you do this the better!! Just like wounds, memories fade – hop on this people! Please include your full name and contact information; name, date, telephone/fax numbers, addresses and send these statements to
Dimitri801@comcast.net –or- nadia_73@hotmail.com
2. Talk far and wide.
Do everything in your power to make sure every human being on the face of the planet hears you. This is not just about an event, it is about freedom and civil liberties; it is also about the police overstepping their bounds and justifying it however they please. Once you start talking… do not ever shut up. If this is what happens today, and people stay silent, what will the police think they can get away with tomorrow? Silence will encourage their negative behavior.
To the people who were not in attendance
1. Be it local or international, it does not matter; WE NEED YOUR HELP! Not only to spread the truthful word about what happened, but to do whatever possible thing you can assist us with. People in the media, public relations, internet related business, people who can provide additional legal help, financial assistance, or people willing to help with leg work are of great necessity to us, please contact Loki801@comcast.net –or- Dimitri801@comcast.net All other music and event lovers keep talking! You have our never ending gratitude, you guys are so amazing!
Ultimately to prevent something like this ever happening again, it is up to ALL OF US. We must have teamwork and solidarity – having unity goes without saying. This fight is neither going to be short nor easy; we want to ensure that it is not you who needs our help someday. In order to have good teamwork, we need to be able to communicate so please visit the website, do what you can do, and please feel free to contact the people below as needed.
