Independence Day, 2011

In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.
--Franklin D. Roosevelt
Speech, September 22, 1936



Enjoy the holiday, everyone.

S.978: Don't Panic

I have now received several comments and messages from folks on YouTube warning me about a US Senate Bill called S.978, which, if passed, will result in all of YouTube being shut down, the entire world thrown into jail, and the end of happiness for all eternity.

Exfanding Your Horizons would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to research the facts before fomenting panic after reading a single article or hearing a single rumor.

I've done some research on this Bill, and I've read a number of news articles ranging from the rational to the wildly overblown. Let me offer my own summary of what I understand about S.978 so that we can have a real discussion about the matter:

- S.978 attempts to increase the penalty for copyright infringement. You still need to be breaking the law in order for it to affect you; Fair Use still applies.

- S.978 attempts to expand and clarify what can be targeted for copyright infringement. You still need to be breaking the law in order for it to affect you; it will just be easier for someone to bring you to court.

- S.978 has enough vague wording that the Bill could potentially apply to many more situations than intended, including the "Let's Play" videos on YouTube that people are so concerned about. More on this in a moment.

- S.978 has not been finalized, approved, or passed into law. No matter how much support it may have, it is still a "What if?" for the time being.

In other words, at some point in the future, there might be negative consequences for breaking the law. As far as the big details relating to the main intent of this Bill go, I'm not concerned.

Regarding the little details about which the Internet is abuzz and about which the lawmakers seem not to care or be aware, I am also not concerned. Should S.978 be passed into law, real people will experience the aftermath, and if there is something deeply flawed with it, I expect it should become apparent pretty quickly.

We're not looking at a situation where Big Bad Government wants to oppress Poor Innocent YouTubers. Anything in conflict with the law is not going to magically disappear overnight. We're not suddenly going to have a legion of lawyers who will have the time and resources prosecute the likes of Little Jimmy Who's Got 72 Views On His "Let's Play Space Invaders" Video. S.978 cannot amend the fundamental nature of the way this nation works.

Even if this bill were to get passed into law as-is, we wouldn't be alone. If game companies big or small valued the free publicity they get from streaming video game tournaments and E3 preview videos, they would no doubt take a stand, or take steps toward accommodating us accordingly. Widespread application of absurd interpretations of the law would more than likely get the attention of folks with more authority and influence than the average person.

Though what I'd really be waiting for, if this situation became a reality, would be the day when one of the people who wrote or approved the Bill was brought to court for their cell phone ringtone violating the law as an "unauthorized public performance."

Yes, we can be aware of S.978 and make our opinions known about it. But our first reaction shouldn't be to whip everyone around us into a frenzy of fear.

Exfanding Review: Ultimate Spider-Man 160

I wanna get this out of the way right up front--this post will be filled with spoilers. And, while I'll mainly be talking about Ultimate Spider-Man, issue 160, I'll likely reference other storylines in other books that have had major event-type things happen.

Okay?

Okay.

Just in case, here are the obligatory

SPOILER HASH MARKS

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And, for the especially dense, the SPOILERS START NOW.

Right.

So, Ultimate Spider-Man 160. You've probably heard of it. Kind of been in the news, lately. It's the conclusion to the epic storyline, "The Death of Spider-Man," and let me tell you, as far as on-the-nose titles go...this one is, um, very.

On the nose, that is.

Shockingly (in the story entitled, "The Death of Spider-Man," mind you), Spidey bites it in the end. But as is the case with comic book deaths, it's not really about how the character gets it; it's about how the character has made his way to that point.

And the build up to issue 160 was terrific--some of the very best stories that have been told in the series. And that's saying something, because Ultimate Spidey has consistently been one of the best books in comics over the past decade.

Even so, when the moment finally does arrive in issue 160, Peter goes out in a quiet, dignified, and moving way, which is preceeded by a blaze of heroic glory. As far as super hero deaths go, this one is about as appropriate and poignant as you're going to find.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley--the title's original creative team--reunite for this arc wherein they put (Ultimate) Peter Parker and those closest to him through the wringer.

The lead up is excellent, and (I hesitate to call it this, but) the payoff packs a punch. It's an emotional wallop, and though it doesn't hit as hard as other big pop culture-y deaths (Joss Whedon, I'm looking at you), I'm pretty sure that's because this book was essentially spoiled just about a year ago.

And then it was re-spoiled in the mainstream press the day before the issue hit stands.

Which, OK, fine. You want people to know something big is going down, and in order to get them in stores, you need to let them know before the big thing happens.

But here's my question--why, if you've already spoiled the ending--why put the issue in a polybag? Oh, right. So you can sell two copies to fanboys instead of just one. That's seems...familiar, no?

So that's my problem with the book--nothing to do with story, though. Bendis and Bagley delivered just ad I expected them to. But I'm disappointed in the way Marvel went about promoting the book. And, really. How many deaths are we going to get in big Marvel titles this year?

The most important thing about these characters--and, obviously, real people, too--is not how they die. But how they live. It's the stories of their lives that should get us in the comics shops.

Not a polybagged death.

GameCola Recap: June 2011

It seems that three is truly the magic number, because I once again had three contributions to offer to videogame humor website GameCola.net in the month of June. In a shocking twist, I beat all my fellow staff members to the punch (just barely) with a report of actual, real, current videogame news. However, my other two offerings serve as a reminder not to expect that to happen again--irrelevant coverage of some old YouTube podcast videos, and a trial installment of a column exploring the GameCola archives that was alluded to in a previous post.

I'm pleased with what I've written, but initial feedback suggests that others weren't as amused. Maybe you can help me salvage my reputation (assuming there's anything to salvage)?

Column:

- The Archive Dive: April 2002

News:

- Telltale Games' 75% Off Sale!

Videos:

- GC Podcast #20 on YouTube: Something New
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