Fellow readers of my blog,

It has been of recent concern that the United States government is trying to pass two technology-related legislative pieces aimed at damaging the free and open Internet, called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). I have discussed in a short statement on Wikimedia Commons about their move (along with the rest of Wikipedia), stating that:

"What I want to see happen on the Internet is not to propagandize people and punish those who use it to spread goodwill to other people. [Rather], I want to see it as a tool to educate others, to distribute online material freely for the welfare of other people, and to spread the truths on current events." I would also like to express my sympathy to other affected websites who are directly affected by these upcoming legislative bills that would curtail freedom of expression on the Internet, and I will support the cause on this pressing issue. In my opinion, both bills will seriously blow one of the freedoms written down in many constitutions around the world: the Freedom of Speech (also called Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Communication).

In light of this protest, I will temporarily go blackout for 12 hours from 11:00pm Pacific Time (7:00am UTC) tomorrow, January 17, 2012, in light of the growing global protests on the SOPA and PIPA. For more information, click on the following links:

• Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)
• PROTECT IP Act (PIPA)
• Wikipedia's Statement on the Anti-SOPA Blackout

Although this action may be reactionary as I follow suit from other websites, I will make sure to keep you posted whenever possible through social media and select forums. I have taken this decision seriously as this can affect how I communicate with you forever, and this is the most serious action that I will do to show to the world that the Internet can NEVER be used as a propaganda tool to control what people read, hear, watch, and write. 

Thank you for your understanding on this important matter.


Respectfully yours,

Anthony Nachor

Seems like three things have sparked up this week: Angry Birds, another favorite song, and a disturbing situation in my neighborhood. Being the start of a New Year may mean people having bursts of enthusiasm as a fresh page comes anew every single day. Yet, in my case, those bursts immediately fall flat because, despite the fact that I travel a lot, I oftentimes opt to become a homeboy, cleaning dishes and vacuuming the house, watching over my family and my neighborhood. Thus, to fill up the time I stay at my place north of San Francisco, it becomes an interesting mix of playing an addictive game, listening to more songs on the radio (aside of course from YouTube), and watching a disturbing news story.