So... about SOPA...

[Gambit]

Shall I go around locking all the threads today for wesnoth.org's blackout?
No, but seriously. I've been asked to spread this around. http://www.screwattack.com/StandTogether

The Electronic Software Association is perceived as representing the gaming industry. And despite most of their members publicly denouncing SOPA, the ESA are still lobbying in favor of it. In response, we all need to not give a about this year's E3. I suspect many of you already qualify. Don't google search it. Don't watch it. Don't talk about it (oops). Don't watch youtube videos about it. And ask all the "gamers" you know to do the same.

[Pentarctagon]

This might be of interest: http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/17/sopa- ... or-gamers/

[Dunno]

I still have trouble taking SOPA and PIPA seriously because the latter is a pretty vulgar word in Polish

[Iris]

In Spanish:

• Sopa: Soup.
• Pipa: Pipe (for smoking).

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!

[artisticdude]

Whenever I see SOPA and PIPA I can't help thinking of sopapilla (which is interesting, since I've never actually eaten one ), and the Chinese instrument called the 'pipa'. Vuagely similar to a lute, IIRC.

I for one don't give a about E3 this year.

[AxalaraFlame]

oh dude, this wont lasts long! lt is just a short period of protest. wiki is not going to fight against a law that is unseemingly to change so dauntlessly. l think few weeks later everything will work as usual.

[artisticdude]

oh dude, this wont lasts long! lt is just a short period of protest. wiki is not going to fight against a law that is unseemingly to change so dauntlessly. l think few weeks later everything will work as usual.

Wikipedia is 'blacking out' in the US for today only. But wikipedia is fighting and will continue to fight SOPA/PIPA (not necessarily by continuing the blackout), since it infringes on just about everything Wikipedia stands for... free and unbiased (to the extent that such a thing is possible) knowledge. And with other heavyweights like Google, Twitter and Facebook (to name a few) batting against the bills and spreading the word of what these billls would do to the internet and freedom of speech if passed, I'm hoping that the bills will be defeated in the end.

[8680]

I didn't know about SOPA and PIPA until I saw Wikipedia's “We'll be shutting down in X hours over this” banner. So I clicked “Learn More” and learned more. So Wikipedia's blackout worked in that it raised my awareness. But it didn't work in that it a) made me annoyed at Wikipedia and b) didn't make me annoyed at SOPA and PIPA. I tend to pay heed to an opinion proportional to the quantity of dissenting opinions. I have seen many opinions opining that SOPA and PIPA will fatally damage the free and open Internet et cetera, and not a single dissenting opinion. Thus I can't help but feel that I'm not getting the whole story; that I'm only being given half the pieces to the puzzle; that I'm being force-fed one side's propaganda; even that that side is hypocritically censoring the other sides' propaganda. I think I still don't know about SOPA and PIPA.

Also, what are the [acronym=What other kinds do we have?]Electronic[/acronym] Software Association and E3? I'd look them up on Wikipedia, but....

[Shinobody]

Courtesy of Wikipedia, reflexes, and keys CTRL, C and V:

Entertainment Software Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) and renamed on July 16, 2003. It is based in Washington, D.C.

Most of the top publishers in the gaming world (or their American subsidiaries) are members of ESA, including Atari, Capcom, Disney Interactive Studios, Eidos Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, Microsoft, Midway Games, Namco Bandai Games, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Computer Entertainment, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, THQ, Ubisoft and WildTangent.

ESA's programs include:

Presenting the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 Media and Business Summit, currently the Electronic Entertainment Expo)
Supporting the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
Combating copyright infringement of software
Combating governmentally imposed video game censorship and regulation

Doug Lowenstein founded the ESA.[1] On December 14 2006, game blog Kotaku reported[2] that he was resigning to take a job in finance outside the industry. On May 17, 2007, Mike Gallagher replaced Doug Lowenstein as the president of ESA.[3]

On August 18, 2007, it was discovered that someone from an IP address belonging to the ESA modified the modchip and abandonware articles in Wikipedia, by changing article content to represent legal opinions held by the ESA.[4]
List of ESA members and their subsidiaries

Members are listed as displayed on the official website of the ESA and is current as of April 15, 2011.[5]

505 Games
Atari
Capcom
Crave Entertainment
Deep Silver
Disney Interactive Studios
Eidos Interactive
Electronic Arts
Epic Games
Her Interactive
Ignition Entertainment
Koei
Konami
Microsoft
MTV Games
Namco Bandai Games
Natsume
Nintendo
Nival America
Nvidia
O-Games
Playlogic Entertainment
Sega
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment
SouthPeak Interactive
Square Enix
Take-Two Interactive
THQ
Trion World Network
Ubisoft
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Xseed Games

As of May 23, 2008, Activision, Vivendi Games, LucasArts and id Software have discontinued membership in the ESA.[6][7][8]

As of October 9, 2008, Codemasters has also discontinued its membership in the ESA.[9]

There is no dissenting opinions because NOONE thinks it is good idea. Noone. It's not good mean of fighting piracy, it's censorship. It's either one big mistake or one big smokescreen trying to divert peoples attention from something other.

[artisticdude]

I didn't know about SOPA and PIPA until I saw Wikipedia's “We'll be shutting down in X hours over this” banner. So I clicked “Learn More” and learned more. So Wikipedia's blackout worked in that it raised my awareness. But it didn't work in that it a) made me annoyed at Wikipedia and b) didn't make me annoyed at SOPA and PIPA. I tend to pay heed to an opinion proportional to the quantity of dissenting opinions. I have seen many opinions opining that SOPA and PIPA will fatally damage the free and open Internet et cetera, and not a single dissenting opinion. Thus I can't help but feel that I'm not getting the whole story; that I'm only being given half the pieces to the puzzle; that I'm being force-fed one side's propaganda; even that that side is hypocritically censoring the other sides' propaganda. I think I still don't know about SOPA and PIPA.

However, Wikipedia does supply you with the information to make your own informed, independent decision by just reading the bills themselves without any interference from outside sources:

What are SOPA and PIPA?
SOPA and PIPA represent two bills in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate respectively. SOPA is short for the "Stop Online Piracy Act," and PIPA is an acronym for the "Protect IP Act." ("IP" stands for "intellectual property.") In short, these bills are efforts to stop copyright infringement committed by foreign web sites, but, in our opinion, they do so in a way that actually infringes free expression while harming the Internet. Detailed information about these bills can be found in the url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act]Stop Online Piracy Act[/url] and PROTECT IP Act articles on Wikipedia, which are available during the blackout. GovTrack lets you follow both bills through the legislative process: SOPA on this page, and PIPA on this one. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the public interest in the digital realm, has summarized why these bills are simply unacceptable in a world that values an open, secure, and free Internet.

In other words, if you want to read just the bills for yourself, without any outside bias, comments, etc., you can read and track SOPA here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-3261 and PIPA here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s112-968

Just scroll down to the "Bill Overview" section and click "Full Text" to read the full bill in its entirety.

[Dunno]

To hell with wiki, almost every open source project would have to shut down. Imagine that one troll making a Lord of the Rings era could provoke a disciplinary action against Wesnoth administrators. Maybe even using the name Lord of the Rings without tradmarks and all that stuff will cause disciplinary actions

[Iris]

To hell with wiki, almost every open source project would have to shut down. Imagine that one troll making a Lord of the Rings era could provoke a disciplinary action against Wesnoth administrators. Maybe even using the name Lord of the Rings without tradmarks and all that stuff will cause disciplinary actions

I assure you, I for one won’t go down without putting up a hell of a fight!

[artisticdude]

I assure you, I for one won’t go down without putting up a hell of a fight!

Spoiler:

Quick and crude, but the gritty unfished-ness of it lends itself well to the atmosphere of the piece.

[PeterPorty]

Love it, artisticdude. Love. It.

[Iris]