JasonRehmus.net

Would you sail on a new Titanic?

Tue, 01 May 2012 08:50:00 -0400

An Aussie with no sense of luck,
But plenty of courage and pluck
Is building a boat …

Contradiction?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:54:32 -0500

They don’t want clutter, they don’t like to read, they want to be able to do things on their terms and they want it easy to find, navigate and respond to.

via bevelwise.com

Read that comment then click through to see the homepage.

Also read the About pages…if you dare.

E. B. White on Why Brevity Is Not the Gold Standard for Style | Brain Pickings

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:01:09 -0500

If you were to put a narrow construction on the word ‘needless,’ you would have to remove tens of thousands of words from Shakespeare, who seldom said anything in six words that could be said in twenty. Writing is not an exercise in excision, it’s a journey into sound. How about ‘tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow’*? One tomorrow would suffice, but it’s the other two that have made the thing immortal.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your letter.

via brainpickings.org

Great New Thing: The Mikes on Mics Podcast

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:59:14 -0500

Mikes on Mics is a weekly podcast featuring Mike Vardy of Vardy.me and Mike Schechter of A Better Mess. We look to explore productivity, technology and how it connects to our lives. Episodes will not only cover the tech, tools and workflows that we use to accomplish our goals, but “The Mikes” always want to strive to take things a step further. We believe that the essentials are important, yet we want to go beyond the “how” and examine the “why.” Why does productivity still matter? Why are we driven to dive deep into the subject? And most important of all, what is relevant to you, our listeners.

via vardy.me

Check it out!

We Need a Do-Not-Track Law

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:44:38 -0500

Facebook Is Using You – NYTimes.com

We need a do-not-track law, similar to the do-not-call one. Now it’s not just about whether my dinner will be interrupted by a telemarketer. It’s about whether my dreams will be dashed by the collection of bits and bytes over which I have no control and for which companies are currently unaccountable.

(via Instapaper)

Article: Lindsay Doran Examines What Makes Films Satisfying - NYTimes.com

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:30:22 -0500

Lindsay Doran Examines What Makes Films Satisfying - NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/movies/lindsay-doran-examines-what-makes-films-satisfying.html?_r=1

(via Instapaper)

Apple's mind-bogglingly greedy and evil license agreement - Ed Bott

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:08:20 -0500

As a publisher and an author, I obviously have a dog in this hunt. But what I see so far makes this program and its output an absolute nonstarter for me.

via zdnet.com

Seth's Blog: Learning leadership from Congress

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:20:40 -0500

Sure, Congress has a marketing problem–largely because they have a problem with the decisions they make and the way that they make them.

At least they’ve left us a useful career guide about what not to do in the real world.

via sethgodin.typepad.com

Wikipedia: SOPA and PIPA are not dead: they are waiting in the shadows.

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:25:36 -0500

SOPA and PIPA are not dead: they are waiting in the shadows. What’s happened in the last 24 hours, though, is extraordinary. The Internet has enabled creativity, knowledge, and innovation to shine, and as Wikipedia went dark, you’ve directed your energy to protecting it.

We’re turning the lights back on. Help us keep them shining brightly.

via en.wikipedia.org

What Creative Minds Can Learn From SOPA | Save the Artist

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:40:51 -0500

But you know something? Christian Dior is clever enough and talented enough that he doesn’t need to be copyrighted. People KNOW a Dior when they see one, and they can usually see the difference between his work and a knockoff. Fashion designers riff off of each other and all follow a lot of the same trends – it happens all the time. And guess what?

The fashion industry is one of the highest grossing artistic market in the WORLD. They make more money – and have a wider and more free-flowing exchange of information that has made them successful.

via savetheartist.net

Whoah.

Defend our freedom to share (or why SOPA is a bad idea)

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:10:48 -0500

via ted.com

If these acts pass, you will be guilty until proven innocent.

Issa Statement on #SOPA & #PIPA Website Blackouts

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:35:05 -0500

This unprecedented effort has turned the tide against a backroom lobbying effort by interests that aren’t used to being told ‘no.’ I know suspending and changing access to sites was not necessarily an easy decision, but this is a responsible and transparent exercise of freedom of speech. I applaud those participating in today’s protest for their sturdy defense of American innovation, openness and Internet freedom.

via oversight.house.gov

He said “responsible and transparent exercise of freedom of speech”, Sen. Dodd.

SOPA: An open letter to Washington via @neilhimself & @donttrythis

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:44:23 -0500

We fear that the broad new enforcement powers provided under SOPA and PIPA could be easily abused against legitimate services like those upon which we depend. These bills would allow entire websites to be blocked without due process, causing collateral damage to the legitimate users of the same services - artists and creators like us who would be censored as a result.

via stopthewall.us

Here is a letter from actual producers of creative works. It’s the companies that benefit from those works that tend to be in favor of SOPA.

Understanding SOPA: A Simple Q&A for Understanding the Online Piracy Debate

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:24:12 -0500

It will undermine free speech and due process, says one side. It will protect America’s creative class from thieves, says the other. But what’s really in the Stop Online Piracy Act?

via online.wsj.com

Click through for a good explanation of each bill.

Internet protest spurs flood of tweets, calls to Congress

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:22:56 -0500

However, the protests has prompted at least one sponsor of the legislation, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, to weaken his support for the bills.

via boston.com

SOPA blackout: Bills lose three co-sponsors amid protests

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:14:06 -0500

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) withdrew as a co-sponsor of the Protect IP Act in the Senate, while Reps. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) said they were pulling their names from the companion House bill, the Stop Online Piracy Act. Opponents of the legislation, led by large Internet companies, say its broad definitions could lead to censorship of online content and force some websites to shut down.

via latimesblogs.latimes.com

Thoughts from a TV/Film Set Technician on SOPA and PIPA

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:55:23 -0500

Rather than broadcast their entertainment over the new technology, finding exciting new ways to profit from it, they are wasting their time and money trying to stave-off the development of technology by lobbying you, so they can continue to profit from the way life was before the invention of the internet. I’m appalled that they are wasting time, and holding back the future, let alone not using the advancements in technology to further their business and bring more jobs to my industry.

via darkheartfelt.com

Just like they did each time a new technology was introduced that actually made them more money.

Seriously, read the whole article and show Michael your support.

Seth's Blog: When the world changes...

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:31:44 -0500

The history of media and technology is an endless series of failed rearguard actions as industry leaders attempt to solidify their positions on a bed of quicksand.

via sethgodin.typepad.com

Thanks Bryan!

Great article. Click through and check out the whole piece.

CHAFFETZ: #OPEN Means Freedom, Liberty and Creativity

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:06:09 -0500

The Internet is actually something that’s working in the world. The last thing we want to do is get the federal bureaucracy involved.

via youtube.com

The internet works. Don’t break it.

Congressman Paul Ryan Voices Concerns with H.R. 3261

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:56:04 -0500

The internet is one of the most magnificent expressions of freedom and free enterprise in history. It should stay that way. While H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act, attempts to address a legitimate problem, I believe it creates the precedent and possibility for undue regulation, censorship and legal abuse. I do not support H.R. 3261 in its current form and will oppose the legislation should it come before the full House.

via paulryan.house.gov

Yes. It should stay that way.