Gaming Industry Succumbs to Emperor's Temptations, Turns to Dark Side

PlayStation Orbis and Xbox 720 both restrict “used” games

The following is presumed to exist on some executive bastard's desk at both Sony and Microsoft headquarters.

Dear Gaming Industry,

Pursuant to your request for the most effective method for promoting piracy and alienating your user base, we have itemized the following for your convenience:

1. Treat ALL customers as potential criminals, because they are; 
2. Enforce unfair and unnecessary restrictions on ALL media sold;
3. NEVER, under ANY circumstances, legally permit your customers to own what they purchase from you;
4. When all else fails - and it WILL fail - purchase some lobby lackeys to rebrand censorship as a public service, then make haste to push the result through Congress.

That's about it. We were happy to be of service to you, and please feel free to write back with any further inquiries. We wish you and your business model the best in the upcoming, decade-long spiral into irrelevancy.

Yours Truly,
MPAA and RIAA


PlayStation Orbis and Xbox 720 both restrict “used” games

The Battle of the Internet

Photo courtesy of Gizmodo; Data provided by Aviation Week / Defense Technology International

A quick glance at Gizmodo's 2012 Map of World Conflicts above shows a surprisingly peaceful world, relatively speaking (light purple symbolizes a 'Stable' region).  There are few surprises in the conflicts themselves - revolution and repression in the Middle East, piracy in Somalia, cartel warfare in Mexico and Columbia, high tensions in Syria, Iran and several African nations.  Europe is 'Calm'. China, Russia, Brazil and the United States are 'Stable'.  In fact, the vast majority of Earth's inhabited land seems to be enjoying an unprecedented measure of peace, if not downright stability.  Don't misunderstand me - I'm as eager as the next gentleman to embrace this state of affairs.  But in a depressed and fragile economic climate, one can't help but to be pleasantly surprised that cooler heads have largely prevailed (so far).

And yet what the map does not show is a highly-publicized and actively engaged conflict which directly effects nearly everyone in the industrialized world:  The Battle of the Internet.

In the past week alone, this battle has been waged on dozens of fronts.  With the SOPA and PIPA bills creeping their way through Congress, (and only Ron Paul publicly denouncing it among this year's Republican candidates), a large number of major web sites decided to "Black Out" on Wednesday, January 18 in protest of the ludicrous provisions of these bills, which would effectively have established internet censorship in the United States.

Despite the MPAA's most prolific whining, these online protests seem to have been largely effective.  Wikipedia has reported 162 million page views, and Google managed to collect over 7 million signatures on its anti-SOPA/PIPA petition.  As a result of these efforts, Many lawmakers have retracted their support for SOPA and PIPA, including several key sponsors of the bills.

The FBI responded today with the takedown of file-sharing website Megaupload, seizing assets which total over $50 million, and sending a clear message:  they don't need these bills to combat piracy with a heavy hand.

Shortly after the takedown, the hacker collective Anonymous had its say on the matter with a large-scale retaliatory DDoS attack on the websites of the Department of Justice, the FBI, the White House, the RIAA, the MPAA, and several major record labels.

And that's just since Yesterday. 

Whatever happens in the coming months may very well determine the future of the free and open internet.  One thing is clear:  the above map will need an update, or at least an appendix.

XKCD, I'm looking at you.