Pro tip: You can edit which of your circles are used to populate the "In Xxxxx's Circles" block below your profile picture... That's pretty cool.

wish I could move +Robert Scoble to a spark.. ;)

40k signatures in 3 days!
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/2199

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This is pretty good :)

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Amazing short: Portal LIVE ACTION

How come we can't +1 Youtube videos yet, eh? Come on +Vic Gundotra +Bradley Horowitz and +Natalie Villalobos

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/63096264

A weekend away - yes please...

weather for ducks..
http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

is now safely out of the path of +Irene..

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Awesome :)

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What was that about hats again?

http://www.gigapixel.com/image/gigapan-canucks-g7.html

Big brother is watching you Mike..

Hey, +Verizon! - Where's my Bionic!?

Hey Petrol heads..

World's Greatest Drag Race!

Why is laptop design stuck in the early part of the century? In 2005 I purchased a Samsung laptop with a screen resolution of 1600x1080. Yesterday I went to J&R - a sum total of 3 laptops had 1080..

And who decided we should always have to carry around 12 extra keys as a penalty for buying a < 15" screen? If I want a number pad that badly, I'll plug in a keyboard thankyouverymuch...

16 hours without a post from +Robert Scoble - what's wrong!?

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More people need to know about this..

But then again, if it's free, it's not the product, you are..

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Lifehacker offers help to escape Facebook's constant tracking

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This guy seems cool - I've been following him for a few days :)

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An interesting article on a novel nanoparticle with a number of practical applications.

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Doing my part to make this go viral. Buy silver or gold and take their money (which is really your debt) out of the system.

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This is what we want.

Yay! After 8 weeks, Google+ has finally stopped giving me a communications error when looking at Notifications :)

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Dear #Verizon and #Samsung - please let the Galaxy Nexus be a true 235 country world phone. Please, please, please.. I can't brag to my friends in Europe if it only works in 32 countries (most of which are US protectorates)..

Thanks.

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Ripples are cool! But more importantly you can now have a corporate presence on Google+ :)

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Google+ is now available for tens of millions of Google Apps users!

It will be fun to watch the growth of Google+ in the coming days as it rolls out to the millions of businesses and organizations that use Google Apps. Many of the most avid users of Google products will soon be using Google+ for the first time.

And think of how useful this will be (from the Official Google Enterprise Blog): In addition to sharing publicly or with your circles, you’ll also have the option to share with everyone in your organization, even if you haven’t added all of those people to a circle.

A lot of us use Google Apps at our business but joined Google+ through a separate person account. What will this mean for us?

More good news: For those of you who’ve already started using Google+ with a personal Google Account and would prefer to use your Google Apps account, we’re building a migration tool to help you move over. With this tool, you won’t have to rebuild your circles, and people who’ve already added you to their circles will automatically be connected to your new profile. We expect this migration option to be ready in a few weeks...."

http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/10/google-is-now-available-with-google.html

I'm not really sure what the point of What's hot on Google+ (https://plus.google.com/hot) is.. I just keep thinking - who is this random person in my stream!?

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The first time in 12 years I haven't been asked to set a cookie. Well played!

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Unthink seeks to give users total control over their data. This is where the #SocialWeb begins! User-centric control == #privacy control.

Although the #SocialWeb begins with honoring user-centric #privacy, it flourishes with a #distributed architecture. #Unthink is not distributed. It remains a #Web20 silo -- but, I assume, a silo where the data can easily be set free.

This is a good start. Leveraging #LinkedData technologies would make their open silo even more transparent, enabling other services to meshup data that users decide to freely share.

Berlin does Android..

LG Optimus Hyper Facade in Berlin - Long Version

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Hoping to catch round two...

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A live video feed of this afternoon's near-Earth asteroid flyby starts in 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Note: website launches with an audio track.

Dear +Android and +Verizon Wireless and +Samsung Mobile USA or +HTC

Please can I have an LTE phone with ICS and a super amoled screen, dual core processor, removable SD card and HDMI output that I can use when I go to Europe!!

Thanks. I know you care..

Simon B

P.S. Don't lock the bootloader. If I wanted a phone to make me a sheep I'd buy an +Apple phone..

Why doesn't openvpn open it's own port when it starts? Why do I have to open it myself? What is this, 2006?

On Facebook, I keep clicking on the blue bar to go to the top of the page... :\

Welcome to Google+, +Nicolas Chaussin

Nice photo :)

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Africa has an active volcano!? I did not know that...

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NASA satellite detects the heat from lava flowing out of one of Africa's most active volcanoes. http://go.nasa.gov/tsYznZ

I wish this was on +Google+... http://twitter.com/#!/RealTimeWWII

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Just in case you didn't see this - it's pretty good...

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Everyone should see this at least once.
Money, Banking and the Federal Reserve

What is the point of Klout.com? Other than handing over yet more of your personal interaction with the web just to feel justified by a number? Really, who cares and why does it matter?

Real clout is running for office. The US donates more to political parties than it does to cancer research

Sooo... +Verizon Wireless do we have to wait 9 months for the Galaxy Nexus like we did for the Bionic?

If you're going to circle me why not drop me a line telling me why? It's easy, just type something in your stream and share it with +Simon B! It's that easy! :)

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Wake up people...

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Who owns your genes? Not you.

A very worthwhile, 15-minute long, 60 Minutes investigation on the patenting of our genome. That's right, a large number of our own genes are legally owned by big pharma.

How this could ever be allowed strikes me as odd and makes me mad. Big pharma did not create these genes. They simply discovered, co-discovered, or were first to submit a patent application for a specific gene sequence. Allowing naturally-occurring genes to be patented is like allowing land to be patented. This trend should be stopped and reversed.

I believe it is time to #OccupyPharma and fight for #MyGenesMyProperty. We need to standup for our genetic freedom.

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Everyone with an +Android phone should see this.

I wonder if this is also installed on +Android devices sold in Europe and what (if anything) the +European Union thinks about every text, email and location of their citizens being sent to private servers of American company..

Pass the popcorn...

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Wow! And here I thought Facebook privacy -- or lack thereof -- was one of the most serious issues facing Internet users today. No, it's our trustworthy telecoms using what amounts to OEM spyware to log everything you do on your smartphones. This appears to apply to all but iPhones.

It appears that Italy at least doesn't agree with #SOPA ...

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12/01/036253/italian-court-rules-web-editors-not-responsible-for-comments

A little late to the party I am, but I just got notification off the #openvpn mailing list that #download.com (owned by +CNET and +CBS have been adding malware to their downloads by wrapping the software in a custom wrapper that changes the homepage, search provider, etc.

http://insecure.org/news/download-com-fiasco.html

Especially given their “Download.com Adware & Spyware Notice” which currently still says:

“In your letters, user reviews, and polls, you told us bundled adware was unacceptable--no matter how harmless it might be. We want you to know what you're getting when you download from CNET Download.com, and no other download site can promise that.”

Confirmed on other sites too..

http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/12/06/014244/downloadcom-bundling-adware-with-free-software

If you're downloading Irfanview, VLC, OpenVPN, or anything use a different site.

#livid
#criminal

Someone put in a lot of effort with these pages.. +Earth is amazing too!

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Thought for today.

I wonder what the politicans we have on Google+ make of this.

c.c. +Jeff Sayre

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The Unintended Effects of Driverless Cars

Google has been working on driverless cars for a few years now. The obvious selling point is that the cars will be much safer without a human behind the wheel.

Currently, a car spends 96% of its time idle. Compare that with planes which spend almost their entire lifetime in operation/airborne. Idle planes aren't making money, and they need to recoup their hefty $120M price tag. There is an unforgiving economic incentive to make sure it is always in use.

The proliferation of driverless cars will have a similar effect. Cars will spend less time idle: why would a household buy 2 (or even 3) cars, when they only need 1? Ride to work, then send the car home to your spouse. Need to go grocery shopping, but your kid also needs a ride to a soccer game? No problem, a driverless car can handle that.

What will begin as households cutting back to a single car, will expand. Why would a family need an entire car to themselves? That's crazy! It may start as extended family in the same area sharing cars, then neighbors sharing cars, and then entire apartment/condo complexes in cities offering driverless cars bundled into their HOA/rent.[2]

The operating percent of a car will go from 4% to that 96%. But back to my leading statement: there are unintended consequences. Parked cars will be a relic from the past. What happens to car insurance prices if a driver is no longer part of the equation? And if cars are receiving 20 times more actual use, that would imply that there would be 20 times less cars sold.[1] This is the kind of disruptive change that can reshape the automotive industry. The recent GM/Chrysler bailout may have been for naught.[3]





[1] Of course, this isn't exactly the case, as the cars would need to be replaced more often due to nonstop usage, but the point stands.
[2] Hell, I'd share a car with my condo complex. I currently don't own a car, I walk or take taxis basically everywhere.
[3] Of course, car companies realize this. And I can guarantee you, they will lobby against driverless cars.

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Everyone should see this.

Via +Jeff Sayre

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SOPA Battle lines are drawn. Are you on the side of censorship?

Full infographic here, including how to take action: http://bit.ly/uWkqKX

Dear +Enhanced Email

A lot of versions have some and gone and I'm still not able to change the reading order (it goes to the older message instead of the newest one). Will this ever be implemented?

Listing the mails from newest to oldest but after reading an email (and deleting or moving it) should bring you to the next newest..

Thanks.

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via +Jeff Dishman

Now why would +Apple do that?

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This should take care of #OWS.. If you can't see the corruption, you can't protest against it, right? Right? #amirite?

http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/12/13/2026215/uk-police-test-temporarily-blinding-laser

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Long, but definitely worth resharing...

via +Jeff Dishman

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I think Larry Lessig is going to be on The Daily Show tonight to talk about the corrupting influence of money in politics. But if you want a preview, Lessig gave a 45 minute talk at Google recently, and it's really good. Lessig makes a strong case that unless we can tackle the problem of money in politics, it will be much harder to fix the other problems facing our country.

The talk is below, and it's definitely worth watching.

According to +Lawrence Lessig Congress has between 9 and 12% confidence rating by the American public - less than that of King George at the time of the rebellion. How long can it continue to function?

Maybe #OWS should morph into #independentsoccupycongress

Um, hey +Enhanced Email - when will be able to forward as/reply to as from another account?

Sometimes you get an email and you'd like to forward it/reply but change the sender profile...

Dear +Google+

What's the point of you searching everything I think and type and click on here if you continue to recommend and suggest people based on a few random people who are 1 or 2 degrees from me? Surely you should be suggesting people based on the posts I click on and the content I submit, yes?

Thanks.

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Sometimes I find myself wanting to circle photographers here on Google+..

Then I remember I have too much noise. But it's nice to be able to find stuff like this in the What's Hot section.

Thanks +Peter From

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And then some sunsets in blue and yellow... Enjoy!

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Pure hearsay until I can check it out, but it may be worth your while to look...

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Well, the new Facebook timeline is live. People can already opt-in or wait for the definitive switch on December 22nd.

What disappointed me though is the complete (and unannounced) reset of privacy settings. Everything is switched automatically viewable by friends, there's no more Limited View list, and most previous settings disappeared.

Something I noticed: friends list can not be hidden to friends anymore; timeline activities like added friends, posted comments, liked pages, ... are automatically posted and can be removed only manually and one by one.

Another big privacy fail from Facebook :(

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And only 7 Senator's bothered to Veto this.

I hope you all enjoyed watching Jon Stewart's take..
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/wed-december-7-2011-ralph-fiennes

I know +Bernie Sanders voted it down.

And I know +John McCain didn't.

Why not tell your senator how you feel about this?

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The #WarOnTerror™ has gained large ground in legally sanctioned terrorist activity against Americans.

House passes NDAA, White House backs off veto threats
http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/9200-white-house-backs-off-ndaa-veto-threats

NDAA Set To Become Law: The Terror Is Nearer Than Ever
http://www.businessinsider.com/ndaa-set-to-become-law-the-terror-is-nearer-than-ever-2011-12

ACLU deputy legal director: NDAA ‘still awful’ despite changes
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/14/aclu-deputy-legal-director-ndaa-still-awful-despite-changes/

definition: terror
1: a state of intense fear
2 a : one that inspires fear : scourge
b : a frightening aspect <the terrors of invasion>
c : a cause of anxiety : worry
d : an appalling person or thing;
(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terror)

Discussion Questions

What do you fear more, "terrorists" or your Government? Which is the greater cause of anxiety?

When you use an airport, what causes you more fear and anxiety, the risk of a terrorist attack on the flight, or the invasive procedures and FUD from Homeland Security?

Domestic Terrorism

Domestic terrorism is real. Terrorists are running our country, amending our laws, using fear to persuade us, and ignorance to control us.

#NDAA

If you saved $385 this year, give yourself a pat on the back..

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cdVw9rOCU24/TulmoNsJRMI/AAAAAAAAIBI/2HjzCA0L1D8/w402/Budget.jpeg

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Sigh, it's not even funny any more. It's no one in politics serving any more? +Buddy Roemer and +Ron P and +Bernie Sanders Bernie excepted...

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So, if you wanted to know why Lamar Smith drafted #SOPA, you need to look at his campaign contributions...

http://politics.slashdot.org/story/11/12/18/1836249/sopa-creator-in-tvfilmmusic-industrys-pocket

This is the reason +Buddy Roemer and +Lawrence Lessig would like to see money out of politics and why +Bernie Sanders wants to change the constitution to prevent corporations being given the same rights as individual donors.


Please sign Senator Sander's petition: http://sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=f1c2660f-54b9-4193-86a4-ec2c39342c6c

and please donate to buddyroemer.com

It occurred to me tonight that after years of years having porn shoved in my inbox and watching spammers prey on the unsuspecting and the naive, not to mention the millions of dollars and thousands of admin hours spent keeping our networks spam-free and safe AND we still don't have effective and consequential anti-spam legislation..

But a letter to the attorney general, just one letter from an industry that perceives itself to be victim of piracy when they were really too stupid to realise the world had moved on and too complacent to do anything about it will shut off your internet. #SOPA.

And while I'm thinking about it - let's ask someone whose been robbed and held hostage by pirates if what SOPA is supposed to stop is in any way comparable to their ordeal.

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Of all the #Downfall memes I've ever seen, this may not be the funniest, but it is one of the best. It makes the point brilliantly and recursively.

I wish the old men who don't use the internet but seek to regulate it on the say-so of some other old men could watch this and just "get it"...

Particularly the end.

Via +Sean Bonner

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"If this happened 15 yrs ago there would be no memes"

Thanks +Tara Tiger Brown for finding this

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I enjoy +Robert Anderson's posts...

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Happy New Year +Enhanced Email - I have a feature request, mostly for pop/imap, but it couldn't hurt in Exchange too..

When viewing a mail, could one of the buttons at the bottom, or in the menu be View Headers/View Raw Email to allow one to look at the headers and routing? I'm sure a lot of people would find it useful (although not enough to make it the most wished-for feature of 2012)..

Thanks.

Simon B - Hey +Google+ and +YouTube - how about hosting a debate where ALL the candidates are allowed? So we can line up +Buddy Roemer and +Gary Johnson alongside +Ron Paul (+Ron Paul ) and +Mitt Romney, +Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum?

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WWRFD?

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WWRFD?

I forget how I ended up watching this, so apologies for not crediting the person who posted it - I would have preferred to re-share it. I can't believe Herman Cain got more votes in Iowa than +Buddy Roemer - and all because he can't get on TV.

Let Buddy Roemer Debate - Larry Mendte

I can think of one or two republican candidates (+Ron Paul I'm looking at you) who could actually benefit from having Buddy Roemer on stage at the debate. At least to help see off some of the nut-jobs.

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Via +Koushik Dutta

Sometimes not knowing people who watch TV is a bad thing..

So I share it here - in the knowledge that it will probably do no good...

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Pro-SOPA TV news networks don't mention SOPA during prime-time.

A Media Matters study shows that the TV news companies, which support the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), have been self-censoring the issue from their prime-time broadcasts.

While CNN devoted one show to SOPA, MSNBC, Fox News, ABC, CBS, and NBC have clearly instituted a de facto blackout on the subject.

There are many reasons for this, according to Media Matters, but the biggest is that TV news networks are nothing but corrupt shills and propagandists for the biggest corporations and two major political parties.

(Too much?) ; )

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120108/00533117331/study-confirms-news-networks-owned-sopa-supporters-are-ignoring-sopapipa.shtml?

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Thanks +Jeff Sayre and +Ron Wyden.

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Show Your Support for the OPEN Bill

Representative Darrell Issa and Senator +Ron Wyden have a common-sense bill to counter #SOPA and #PIPA . It is called the #OPEN bill (Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act). In fact, they are discussing their alternative today at #CES .

Visit the +POPVOX link in the site below to express your support. To learn more about open, see the http://keepthewebopen.com/sopa-vs-open

#StopCensorship #FreeInternet #OpenWeb

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I like +Gary Johnson. But I like what +Buddy Roemer is saying too..

If only I could vote I'd have a dilemma!

In the meantime, I implore you to shed your political party preference and vote for someone the media isn't telling you about!

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The Federal budget simplified....and the solution all on the back of a napkin.

I need a camera that takes portrait orientation by default... I very rarely (so it seems) shoot in landscape (although ironically, that's mostly what I potographh)..

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Everyone should see this and not everyone follows +Google. And that one was shared already over 350 times, so I thought I'd share this one - and highlight a candidate that doesn't think Government should legislate for corporate profitability - +Gary Johnson.

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Get involved signed the petition and hold the politicians accountable in November.

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via +Jeff Sayre

If you don't know Jeff, he's a polyglot who really has a grip on a fascinating range of subjects. If you're not following him, you probably should be.

This video is beautiful and all Americans should watch it and ask themselves this -"Is this what they want?".

And then do something about it. Because the other 6 700 000 000 people can't help them out if they don't.

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The 99% Declaration's New TV Commercial

I just saw this on an old media device -- my TV. I found it rather fitting with tomorrow's upcoming SOPA and PIPA blackout protest.

#occupy #FreeInternet #OpenWeb

Dear American Republicans.

Until now you've shied away from those political light-weights, Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain - and rightly so.

You're also not really convinced by Newt Gingrich (and you should be scared when even Glenn Beck won't endorse him, but Sarah Palin will - and for this I applaud your sense of moderation. However, through lack of ambition or general fatigue (and probably a little unease of Rick Perry's belligerence) you're in acute danger of selecting by default +Mitt Romney to be your presidential candidate to stand for election against +Barack Obama. I would implore you not to do this - but what do I know.

What I do know is this:
I pay 33% tax and I consider $7 300 to be a lot of money.
+Mitt Romney pays 15% tax and considers $730 000 not to be a lot of money. That would be a good thing if he was going to make us ALL pay 15% tax - but sadly, I don't think he has that as a campaign manifesto. It would also be a good thing if we were ALL going to get $730 000 in 2013 - but I don't believe that to be the case either.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/17/mitt-romney-speaking-fees-tax

I'm therefore left with the conclusion that I'd rather not vote for someone who earns 10-15x the national average but only pays half of the tax. (Disclaimer: Mitt pays more in taxes than I earn, but is left well over 10x the amount of money with which to pay rent, gas and fund a retirement).

Perhaps you'd consider a candidate like +Ron Paul or +Buddy Roemer or +Gary Johnson. I urge you to at least look at their policies and then your wallets and then Mitt's policies and then your wallets - at least sometime between now and #SuperTuesday.

Many thanks.

P.S. Please feel free to send this to a Republican today, even if you're a Democrat - after all, think of hyperbole and hypocrisy in an election run off between Barack Obama and Buddy Roemer!?

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I enjoyed this piece of wit from +Steve Elliott. The legislative arm really have their priorities right.

Look for the comment from Lawrence Brown. (For some reason Google+ won't let me plustag him.

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http://www.pavilionopinions.com/2011/05/if-barca-played-cricket.html

Cute...

What's this? Room opening up for +Buddy Roemer? Amazing how all the bailing candidates are endorsing Newt or Romney and not +Ron Paul..

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/19/south-carolina-primary-iowa-results-live

Will we miss +Rick Perry in this race?

+Buddy Roemer - just to let you know, your contribution link - http://buddyroemer.com/contribute - doesn't load well in Firefox later versions (I read v4 and v8 - I'm on v9). It tries to save the page as a application/vnd.wap.xhtml+xml - which FF will only load if this extension - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/xhtml-mobile-profile/eula/108657?src=dp-btn-primary - is installed.

Hope this helps.

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We have to keep on, this isn't won yet.

But well done to the 70 people who finally realised that there were genuine reasons behind the outrage and educated themselves.

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Of choose #SOPA and #PIPA were just the beginning. We need to have #ACTA ripped up top!



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Spread the word | Read | Act | Fight | Learn | Tell

What is ACTA? Learn more about it

What is ACTA? ACTA is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. A new intellectual property enforcement treaty being negotiated by the United States, the European Community, Switzerland, and Japan, with Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada recently announcing that they will join in as well.

Why should you care about ACTA? Initial reports indicate that the treaty will have a very broad scope and will involve new tools targeting “Internet distribution and information technology.”

What is the goal of ACTA? Reportedly the goal is to create new legal standards of intellectual property enforcement, as well as increased international cooperation, an example of which would be an increase in information sharing between signatory countries’ law enforcement agencies.

Essential ACTA Resources:

- Read more about ACTA here: ACTA Fact Sheet https://www.eff.org/issues/acta

- Read the authentic version of the ACTA text as of 15 April 2011, as finalized by participating countries here: ACTA Finalized Text http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/fo/acta-acrc.aspx?lang=eng&view=d

- Follow the history of the treaty’s formation here: ACTA history http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/fo/intellect_property.aspx?view=d

- Read letters from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden where in he challenges the constitutionality of ACTA:
_Letter 1 http://wyden.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=12a5b1cb-ccb8-4e14-bb84-a11b35b4ec53

_ Letter 2 http://infojustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Wyden-01052012.pdf

Read the Administration’s Response to Wyden’s First Letter here:
Response http://infojustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Kirk-12072011.pdf

Watch a short informative video on ACTA:
ACTA Video Say NO to ACTA

Watch a lulzy video on ACTA:
Lulzy Video Robocopyright ACTA

Say NO to ACTA. It is essential to spread awareness and get the word out on ACTA.
#ACTA #BLACKMARCH #SOPA #PIPA #STOPACTA #STOPSOPA

I wish more academics had +Google+ streams. If you know of any, please share a circle with them.

Thanks.

Dear +Equifax

Why do you have to be such a slimy organisation? Other credit reporting agencies don't seem to make the haphazard and arbitrary errors with my credit report that you do. Other agencies have a seamless process that allows me to contact them and obtain my credit report and file a dispute. From what I've managed to ascertain thus far you have a contact number (that is recycled after 60 days) per report - which is tantamount to extortion and makes getting hold of you like playing Where's The Pea.

Get your act together.

Thanks.

Dear +Citibank US

Please use a less shady credit reporting agency than +Equifax for your credit reporting needs. No one wants you tainted with their incompetence.

Thanks.

Simon

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Via Scott Jordan (which Google won't let me link to) - https://plus.google.com/u/0/100426851089101277038

My question for +Troy S. Davis and the creators would be why? Why is there a need for this? And if there is a need, why wouldn't you redefine all the other units of time. If we accept that the two basic units of time (a day and a year) are based on astronomical movement, why don't we redefine the concept of a what a fraction of those units are?

And why - since we no longer rely on mechanical movement and analogue synchronisation methods - don't we just accept the quarter of a day and get on with it? December the 32nd could be a quarter of a day long and then we can move to January the 1st.

The reason we can't do that - and therefore won't change to this completely reasonably suggested calendar is that 60 seconds model is so ingrained that no body could summon the collective desire for change.

So the status will remain quo.

Interested to see what +Jeff Sayre has to say about this.

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New Proposed Calendar

Interesting, so what do they term the extra week? Leap week?

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This is a pretty insightful article. I hope Chris Dodds gets to spend eternity just reading this over and over.

Thanks to +Michael Ricard for posting.

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Reminder: The copyright industry, a century of deceit.

http://falkvinge.net/2012/01/27/the-copyright-industry-a-century-of-deceit/

Dear +Google+

When I go to a profile of someone who +1'd a comment of mine or called me out in a response it would be nice if to the left of the profile picture or to the right of the circle notification button if there was an interaction list.

As in..
This person +1'd your comment on <this post> by <this person>
This person commented on <this post> by you
This person commented on <this person's> <this post> with you

That way I'd be able to tell if +john Doe and I have run across each other previously (and provide motivation for circling that person (finally!)).

Just a suggestion.

Simon
c.c. +Bradley Horowitz

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Apologies to the person who posted this in my stream whom I now can't find. But this is worth sharing, so I found the original poster.

Golden :)

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Believe in the power of statistics? This article just might shake your confidence. We really have no clue what we're doing with all those numbers.

I can't believe this hasn't received more attention. It's a point made through stunning simplicity. But will the #riaa or #mpaa , or the parties of "Creative America" or our politicians learn from history?

#stopactanow

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070110/004225.shtml

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+Bernie Sanders is just about the only Senator out there looking after the people. Although I have some love for the Senators from Kentucky too..

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Get on the map and take part in the Petition to Support the Saving American Democracy Amendment by Vermont Senator +Bernie Sanders. Senator Sanders is trying to return American democracy to the American people.

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If you're an American citizen or permanent resident and haven't done so yet, I urge you please to consider donating to this campaign.

If you support the Occupy movement then you want campaign finance laws changed, so put your money where your blog posts are at and donate. $25 will will do it.

If you protested #stopsopa , #stopacta or #stoppipa then you should consider donating - these laws/agreements were introduced because corporations are buying your government and donating to +Buddy Roemer's campaign will underline your efforts at those protests. It takes a 1000 Americans to donate the same amount as one corporation (at least). Be one of the 1000.

If you support +Bernie Sanders campaign to overturn the Supreme Court's increasingly unpopular ruling on Citizen's United (some polls show 80% public disapproval), then you should be putting your voice behind money behind Buddy's campaign.

Don't buy into that old chestnut that Newt or Romney are going to win anyway, no matter what you do or that your state will pick someone else no matter who you vote for. That's not the way a democracy works. That's the way a Plutocracy wants a Democracy to work - it makes it easier for them to manage.

Just do it anyway. And feel good about donating to a candidate who isn't a plastic raving madman sponsored by shadowy money. You could never donate enough to get Romney's attention. You can own your candidate if you donate to Buddy Roemer.

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It’s official. The Buddy Roemer for President Campaign is the first campaign to be certified by the FEC as eligible for federal matching funds. Game on!

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I'd like to see a candidate, any candidate really make this a point in their push for office. I imagine real people would turn out in droves to vote for them.

See also +Bernie Sanders video on this subject. A Scandal

And then ask yourself why you paid ~30% in taxes last year...

Hell, Mitt Romney must be asking himself how he got scorched for 15%!

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If you aren't following +Paul Allen, then you should be.

And like Paul, +Buddy Roemer is my favourite candidate too. Buddy's biggest impediment is not his self-imposed $100 campaign contribution limit - it's people like you who will read this, and say - "I really like this guy's message, but realistically everyone here votes Xxxxx or Yyyyyy and my vote won't change that, so I can't vote for him and I can't donate $25. I wish it were different though."y

Yeah - if you just thought that then 'you deserve the leaders you're going to get. Leaders that let Exxon get $156 million dollar rebates from the IRS.

Why not donate - and then tell your friends. One time can't hurt, right?

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Buddy Roemer argues for campaign finance reform in 'cookie cutter' GOP ...

Has anyone tried installing a 3.0 kernel on Maverick? Is this safe?

Developer circle, I'm looking at you ;)

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This is hilarious :)

Coupled with this post - https://plus.google.com/110303798738609197117/posts/Yi8vrCUCKLv from +Jessamyn Barton it makes me wonder about police forces all over the world.

When I was growing up the police were there to help you - increasingly it feels like they are not on your side. (but then again Mike Bloomberg did call the NYPD his personal army - and a lot of them don't disagree with that statement)..

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As long as the human element is part of the equation, worry not --

Undercover police officer "chased himself round the streets" for 20 minutes after a CCTV operator mistook him for suspect burglar

As the probationary officer from Sussex Police searched for suspects, the camera operator radioed that he had seen someone “acting suspiciously” in the area. But he failed to realise that it was actually the plain-clothed officer he was watching on the screen, according to details leaked to an industry magazine. The operator directed the officer, who was on foot patrol, as he followed the "suspect" on camera last month, telling his colleague on the ground that he was "hot on his heels".

+Rupert Sheldrake is now on Google+

It's a page, rather than a profile which I find slightly disappointing. Still - if he posts often and regularly that will be a good thing.

Now run over and circle him and let the flame wars begin.

This was too interesting not to share.

I wonder what Stephen Pinker would say..?

http://science.slashdot.org/story/12/02/08/216258/if-youre-fat-broke-and-smoking-blame-language

This is a prime example of why we shouldn't have software patents. If you can't build one or print it, then you can't patent it.

I'd love to see a Senator propose that change.


http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/02/08/207254/man-claiming-he-invented-the-internet-sues

I'm no big fan of Steve Jobs, but I do respect his drive, focus and perfectionism. As such, statements contained in the FBI report do not surprise me.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/feb/09/steve-jobs-fbi-files-released

A reminder - as if we needed one - that all that glitters is not gold. He was human and therefore not a saint. Just a flawed individual (albeit a very successful, wealthy flawed individual) just like the rest of us trying to make the best of life.

An interesting read - and nothing more.

Well done Zambia. Champions of Africa!

Is it just me or did you all unleash your inner facebooker on Google+ today?

Dear +Google+

c.c +Bradley Horowitz, +Vic Gundotra

I've been meaning to be noisy about this for a while, and in fact, I think I even submitted feedback about it, but today has highlighted the need more than ever.

If someone in my circles posts something, and someone from our common circles reposts/shares it publicly, then it would be nice to get a line saying:

<Person's Name> from your <Circle's Name> shared this post. View? Yes/No

That way, I don't have 15 reposts about Adele's lyrics, and a 10 posts everytime +Google posts something and +Vic Gundotra and +100othergoogleproducts reshares it in my stream.

Thanks.

Look forward to more reposts about the Google Doodle now ;)

Simon

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This is me. I'm not going to apologise for it. But in a few moments you're going to see posts from me that illustrate exactly why.

So, sorry in advance for the spam.

Simon

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In the spirit of the ones I've seen elsewhere, found one that probably applies to me.

(note: found this on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150662557695358&set=a.64349790357.98889.653265357 by way of another friend's share. Can't speak to its provenance beyond that).

Hop on over to http://rnbxclusive.com and see what the world can do without #SOPA and without #ACTA .

As +Rick Falkvinge posted the other day - why should I be concerned about the profits of a monopoly industry? More importantly, why is the SFO concerned? If the site is breaking the law, take it down, post your legal warning. But why do you need to post the mantra about potentially damaging young artists careers.

The full story, courtesy of +Slashdot
http://news.slashdot.org/story/12/02/14/2236214/uk-law-enforcement-starts-seizing-music-blogs

Get elected, defame all you like.

http://news.slashdot.org/story/12/02/14/1832205/against-online-surveillance-you-must-be-for-child-porn-says-legislator

And then people wonder why Congress has a 10% approval rating. Granted this particular instance isn't Congress. But I'm sure you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart.

So all you Anti- #Acta protesters? We know what the Canadian Ministers think of you now.