No Pirate Bay for Comcast Customers

Inevitable by Jaysyn · 2011-05-12 05:23 · Score: 5, Insightful

And so the building of the Comcast/NBC walled garden begins.

--
There is a war going on for your mind.

Re:Inevitable by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:39 · Score: -1, Troll

Yep. That's what happens when you have unconstitutional federal regulations like the FCC going out and limiting competition. The blocking of TPB is just a tactic to upset people and make them fear what would happen without 'net neutrality', when in fact it is exactly what will happen with net neutrality across all ISPs. The power to protect = the power to take away.
Re:Inevitable by Seumas · 2011-05-12 05:44 · Score: 5, Insightful

It's a good thing we don't have revolving doors between corporations and the government committees that regulate them. Otherwise we might have FCC Commissioners working in the FCC and then being rewarded by employment by the companies they were regulating, like going to work for NBC/Comcast. Oh, oops.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/regulator-to-join-comcast-after-ok-of-nbc-deal/2011/05/11/AFSSl6zG_story.html
Re:Inevitable by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:44 · Score: 1

no garden, just the compost pile.
jr
Re:Inevitable by MyFirstNameIsPaul · 2011-05-12 05:47 · Score: 5, Informative

Everyone may be jumping to conclusions:

Update: Comcast just got back to us reaffirming that it is not the cause of this issue. "We're not blocking PirateBay and reports online indicate users from several ISPs around the world are affected." As we originally mentioned we're seeing those reports too, and many of you in the poll below are showing this isn't necessarily a Comcast-specific thing. So the question remains: what kind of a thing is it?

--
I once took an excursion to Reddit, and later HN. Unlimited up/down voting sucks when dealing with a hive-mind.
Re:Inevitable by cpu6502 · 2011-05-12 05:48 · Score: 1

Does distributed host tracking (dht:) still work for downloading piratebay files? I know on my system there are some bittorrent hosts* that refuse to connect to US users, but the dht: still lets me download their product.
*
*torreactor.com is one of them, if I recall correctly

--
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Re:Inevitable by gstoddart · 2011-05-12 05:50 · Score: 0

And so the building of the Comcast/NBC walled garden begins.
Well, then hopefully they lose any status as a common carrier ... if they're going to selectively decide you're not allowed to visit a site, they should be responsible for ensuring that nobody can ever reach kiddie porn or whatnot.
Of course, now that the FCC person who approved the merger is their lobbyist, I'm sure they'll be able to do whatever they want to, as they have a direct line on who to bribe to get their way. I mean, if you rule in their favor, they'll offer you a a much larger salary in a few months time for your troubles.

--
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Re:Inevitable by Asklepius+M.D. · 2011-05-12 05:51 · Score: 5, Insightful

I'm confused. You say that net neutrality legislation is likely to make actions like the blocking of TPB happen, and yet it HAS happened in the current non-regulated environment. If that's true, it makes more sense to advocate for net neutrality which only has a possibility of promoting such events rather than advocating the status quo in which such events are guaranteed (have actually occurred). Of course there is the third option - that you have a brilliant alternative to net neutrality that will solve this dilemma, in which case please present your solution for peer review.

--
He who would be a man, must be a nonconformist. -- Emerson
Re:Inevitable by eriklou · 2011-05-12 05:58 · Score: 2

Considering Comcast users are using proxies to patch the problem... Comcast has a history of saying oh no we don't do that, but in actuality they do.
Re:Inevitable by Andy+Dodd · 2011-05-12 06:17 · Score: 3, Insightful

It may be a generic unintentional routing failure. Proxies cause a different route to be used.
It's not like TPB is perfect - it was down for me for 2-3 days straight last a week or two ago (ISP is Time Warner RoadRunner) but has since returned

--
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Re:Inevitable by Andy+Dodd · 2011-05-12 06:18 · Score: 1

As I understand it, most ISPs don't have (and for various reasons) don't want common carrier status as it already stands.

--
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Re:Inevitable by smelch · 2011-05-12 06:18 · Score: 2

Gee, the thing that gets around intentional blocking also gets around accidental blocking? I'm shocked!

--
If I can just reach out with my words and touch a butthole, just one, it will all be worth it.
Re:Inevitable by gstoddart · 2011-05-12 06:29 · Score: 1

As I understand it, most ISPs don't have (and for various reasons) don't want common carrier status as it already stands.
I stand corrected ... ISPs don't have Common Carrier status, but some people think they should to prevent them from being able to pull stuff like this.
Right now they get the protections of saying "we're not responsible for what goes over the network" while at the same time saying "it's our network, and we'll filter it as we choose".
Kind of like how Pay Pal isn't a 'bank', merely someone people entrust their money to but can't expect the same legal protections as a bank when they decide to keep your money.

--
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Re:Inevitable by smelch · 2011-05-12 06:37 · Score: 1

I've seen you posting on slashdot long enough that you should know without a doubt that Comcast is not a common carrier.

--
If I can just reach out with my words and touch a butthole, just one, it will all be worth it.
Re:Inevitable by petteyg359 · 2011-05-12 06:45 · Score: 0

You don't seem to understand. He (and others like him) can't present it for peer review. Each one of them is a higher being not subject to logic, fact, reality, or any other similar things, including other similar higher beings. As such, they have no peers, as each one of them is better than everyone else, including themselves.
Re:Inevitable by Jafafa+Hots · 2011-05-12 06:52 · Score: 4, Informative

I just signed up with Comcast a month ago.
When I called to inquire about their service, I specifically asked if they had a bandwidth cap.
They LIED. I asked repeatedly in several ways just to make sure, because I'd heard that they did have a cap. I explained that I am a heavy user, download a lot, stream video, etc. I was repeatedly assured that there was NO limit on the amount of bandwidth you could use in a month.
The sales rep was not some uninformed contractor in another country, they were a Comcast employee right here in my town where Comcast has a headquarters.
Of course, I found out right away that they DO have a bandwidth cap, 250gb per month. My account page has a meter on it.
Never believe a thing these corporate persons say. Corporate persons are lying sociopaths.

--
This space available.
Re:Inevitable by PopeRatzo · 2011-05-12 06:54 · Score: 5, Insightful

Yep. That's what happens when you have unconstitutional federal regulations

Why you filthy, lying, ignorant son of a bitch. You dare to claim that Comcast/NBC is blocking websites because of a government regulation instead of because of simple greed, trying to get people locked into their own sources of content?
"Net Neutrality", which is a government regulation is the only way to prevent stuff like this from happening. I'm betting you know all this.

The power to protect = the power to take away
Really? Did you make up that poetic little couplet yourself? You know goddamn well that if the internet is NOT protected, if they let the broadband providers into the content-providing business, if they let broadband providers decide which websites you can visit and which ones you can't, The Internet as you know it is going away for sure. You're going to lose the ability to choose whichever web site you view. When Comcast starts its own movie streaming website, you think they're still going to let customers go to Netflix and get the same speeds as their own service?
There are two possibilities here: 1) You are stupid and 2) you are stupid, dishonest and working to spread lies.

--
You are welcome on my lawn.
Re:Inevitable by PopeRatzo · 2011-05-12 06:59 · Score: 2

t's not like TPB is perfect

Correct. I tried it myself after reading the article and I wasn't able to get TPB using my AT&T connection nor was I able to get it using my neighbor's unsecured router, which I believe is hooked into some satellite crap. It's possible this is not Comcast's doing.
However, it does not change the fact that Comcast should be broken up, that no broadband provider should be allowed to be in the content-providing business, and strong Net Neutrality rules need to be applied.
When Comcast starts blocking competitors' websites, it won't just be torrent trackers, it'll be a lot of sites that the people here enjoy. If Comcast decides to roll out it's own social media site, customers may very well find themselves blocked from Slashdot, especially is Slashdot runs stories demonstrating what a sleazy piece of shit Comcast/NBC/General Electric really is.

--
You are welcome on my lawn.
Re:Inevitable by PopeRatzo · 2011-05-12 07:06 · Score: 3, Insightful

Don't bother, the anonymous troll you are responding to isn't looking for a discussion, he's here to spread lies and FUD about Net Neutrality, most likely as a astroturfer doing piece-work for the broadband provider lobby.
The thing that makes me think that he's a paid astroturfer instead of an ignorant troll is that his lies were very specific and exactly the opposite of the truth. You get his little message out and certain low-information citizens start repeating "Yeah, that awful Net Neutrality will give all the power to broadband providers to create a multi-tier Internet". It's the Fox News approach. Make the lie really really big and say it really really loud, over and over until the dumbfucks know it by heart and start thinking "It's gotta be true because they wouldn't be able to say it on TV if it weren't true, they'd get sued, right? So if nobody's suing Fox News, then everything they say must be the Truth!""

--
You are welcome on my lawn.
Re:Inevitable by g0bshiTe · 2011-05-12 07:14 · Score: 1, Troll

I'm glad I live in a country that doesn't censor what media I chose to frequent... oh wait nvm.

Now disregarding the fact that it is a torrent sharing site, and casting aside the whole p2p / piracy issue, which I do realize is what is at the heart of this matter. This is blatant censorship. If they get away with this and this country continues to seize domains without legal backing (read a warrant), what will be next?

--
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
Re:Inevitable by frozentier · 2011-05-12 07:26 · Score: 1

Your abusive attitude negates any valid points you may have made.
Re:Inevitable by flappinbooger · 2011-05-12 07:28 · Score: 1

So the question remains: what kind of a thing is it?
DNS?

--
Flappinbooger isn't my real name
Re:Inevitable by oh_my_080980980 · 2011-05-12 07:30 · Score: 0

A trolling we will go, a trolling we will go, I ho a dairy-o a trolling we will go....
Re:Inevitable by SDF-7 · 2011-05-12 07:39 · Score: 1

Posting to cancel moderation click-error.
Re:Inevitable by Jaysyn · 2011-05-12 07:49 · Score: 2

It's actually a false alarm as noted in the posts below. Oops.

--
There is a war going on for your mind.
Re:Inevitable by gad_zuki! · 2011-05-12 07:51 · Score: 4, Informative

Tracert from Chicago comcast customer. (as image because of slashdot's lame lameness filter)
http://i.imgur.com/x26hd.jpg
Problem is in Sweden, not here.
Re:Inevitable by jcombel · 2011-05-12 07:59 · Score: 1

disagreed
when people are filthy, lying, ignorant sons of bitches, it feels great to remind them as much.
Re:Inevitable by scubamage · 2011-05-12 08:19 · Score: 1

Hey you! With the logic and facts, this is Slashdot - we don't do dem der fact thingies here. BURN THE WITCH! BURRRRRN HEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Re:Inevitable by gad_zuki! · 2011-05-12 08:33 · Score: 4, Informative

I doubt it was an intentional lie. They're just incompetent, which is different.
I called a while ago and they told me no caps. I said I was certain they were wrong and asked them to ask their manager. The manager told me they had caps. As well as any lazy google search.
Sometimes its incompetence, not malice.
The nice thing about comcast is that Im not on any contract. So if they piss me off, out they go. No ETF or other BS. I dont have that freedom with dishnetwork, tmobile, or if I went with Uverse.
Re:Inevitable by The+Dawn+Of+Time · 2011-05-12 08:41 · Score: 1

But Comcast isn't even blocking anything, so you don't actually have any point at all, just a lot of spittle-flecked invective aimed at... I can't tell. Businesspeople in general?
Re:Inevitable by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 09:08 · Score: 0

I am on Comcast and I have no problem getting to TPB.
Last night I had some issues, but every now and then that happens anyway.
Re:Inevitable by anyGould · 2011-05-12 09:10 · Score: 5, Insightful

Of course, I found out right away that they DO have a bandwidth cap, 250gb per month. My account page has a meter on it.
So, did you call back and ask why your uncapped account has a cap? Pointing out that you did ask repeatedly and were assured there was no cap? Asking them to dig out the call recording (y'know, "for quality assurance purposes") to confirm that you were told that there was no cap?
Or, in short - did you actually do anything about it besides complaining here?
Re:Inevitable by cpu6502 · 2011-05-12 09:32 · Score: 1

You Can't do anything about it. The written contract (which you read and sign) overrules and verbal promises that a salesman or manager tells you.
Furthermore the contract allows them to change the contract whenever they wish. They could sign you up for "uncapped" today and change it to capped tomorrow. Your only recourse is to terminate the contract, when it's been changed.

--
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Re:Inevitable by anyGould · 2011-05-12 09:41 · Score: 1

Gotta disagree. The reason The Big Lie works as a tactic is that people aren't willing to put their foot down and say "that's a load of horseshit and you know it".
Re:Inevitable by anyGould · 2011-05-12 09:43 · Score: 1

But Comcast isn't even blocking anything, so you don't actually have any point at all, just a lot of spittle-flecked invective aimed at... I can't tell. Businesspeople in general?
Correction: Comcast claims they're not blocking TPB. (Or more correctly, they deny that they are).
If no-one believes them, that speaks to their reputation.
Re:Inevitable by anyGould · 2011-05-12 09:48 · Score: 1

Do they actually make you sign a contract? My cable company (Shaw) never did - the entire transaction was over the phone. And their "you can't cancel your service with us, you're locked in" argument went very downhill when they realized that they had Absolutely Nothing to back it up. (In my case the rep literally had "neglected" to mention any lock-in period, their loss.)
Has the "pray we don't alter the deal further" tactic been tested in court?
Re:Inevitable by CastrTroy · 2011-05-12 09:49 · Score: 1

I get the same results on Rogers In ottawa Canada. As soon as it gets to thepiratebay.piratpartiet.se [194.14.56.29] it starts timing out. And yet I have no problem reaching TPB and downloading torrents. Tracert is largely useless as many routers just don't respond. Hasn't worked for years.

--

Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Re:Inevitable by Osty · 2011-05-12 09:57 · Score: 1

When I called to inquire about their service, I specifically asked if they had a bandwidth cap.

Of course, I found out right away that they DO have a bandwidth cap, 250gb per month. My account page has a meter on it.
Technically they didn't lie to you. You asked about a bandwidth cap (aka, throttling), and their negative answer was correct -- Comcast doesn't do any throttling. They do, however, have a well-publicized download cap. If you pay them for a 50mbps connection, you'll be able to use all of that bandwidth (target sites permitting, of course) to download up to 250GB of data during a month.
Maybe it's splitting hairs, but you didn't do your research properly (you "heard" they had a download cap, but you didn't go to their support site and look at their very detailed FAQ about it?) and you asked the wrong question. Nobody to blame but yourself.
Re:Inevitable by paiute · 2011-05-12 10:02 · Score: 2

The blocking of TPB... is exactly what will happen with net neutrality.
War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.
Profit!

--
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
Re:Inevitable by SimonTheSoundMan · 2011-05-12 10:09 · Score: 1

I may get modded in to oblivion.
So get on to the case. Surely you have some cooling off period, contracts are two way so you can refuse a change as it is not what both parties originally agreed on. I'm sure you're protected under some sort of consumer laws too. You could contact a regulator or ombudsman to get it sorted?
Oh wait, you're American, where regulation is seen as a bad thing. Companies can screw over the consumers and they can get away with it, there are no such thing as consumer protection at all, and half the government is influenced if not run by these companies. :-/
Re:Inevitable by arth1 · 2011-05-12 10:17 · Score: 2

Your abusive attitude negates any valid points you may have made.
No, it doesn't. His attitude stinks, but that doesn't make his points any less valid. If you modify your view of what's a valid argument based on the tone people say it in, you have a serious problem. An attitude problem, in fact.
Re:Inevitable by ElBeano · 2011-05-12 10:38 · Score: 2

Your abusive attitude negates any valid points you may have made.
It detracts from the civility of the conversation and raises defensiveness, but it doesn't negate the validity of the argument
Re:Inevitable by PopeRatzo · 2011-05-12 10:43 · Score: 0

His attitude stinks
You know, my third grade teacher, Sister Trinita, said exactly the same thing while she was beating the hell out of me with a yardstick.
I think her exact words were "Your attitude stinks, mister, and you'll never amount to anything". Every syllable was accompanied by a swat with the yardstick.
And I did NOT cry.

--
You are welcome on my lawn.
Re:Inevitable by Qzukk · 2011-05-12 10:45 · Score: 1

If no-one believes them, that speaks to their reputation.
Their reputation is that of liars. They claimed that they were doing nothing last time they faked packets in order to block torrents.

--
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
Re:Inevitable by Idbar · 2011-05-12 10:59 · Score: 1

I don't believe it! I have service with them, and they have done plenty of stuff, but they wouldn't do that. This would make Comcast the worst p+++ CARRIER LOST +++
Re:Inevitable by SilentChasm · 2011-05-12 11:05 · Score: 1

Does distributed host tracking (dht:) still work for downloading piratebay files?
By "hosts" do you mean trackers or peers? Not much you can do about peers blocking your IP, but any torrent that isn't marked as private should work over DHT. You might not be able to find all peers though, only ones with the same DHT implementation unless peer exchange has kept the other clients alive.
DHT stands for Distributed hash table by the way.
Re:Inevitable by gad_zuki! · 2011-05-12 11:13 · Score: 1

Only because you posted 2 hours after me. It works fine now on comcast. The problem cleared up. It was still on swedens end.
So the conspiracy theory you're selling me is that Comcast decided to block the pirate bay for 3 or 4 hours just for the fucking hell of it? Err, okay weirdo.
Re:Inevitable by FiloEleven · 2011-05-12 12:00 · Score: 1

You don't need additional regulation to enforce contract law. This case would probably be covered under misrepresentation (I am not a contract lawyer).
"Half the government being influenced if not run by these companies" is indeed a huge problem here. Do you think that regulatory agencies would be composed entirely of people from the other half of the government? Historical and contemporary developments show quite the opposite.

--
Your brain is not a computer.
Re:Inevitable by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 12:12 · Score: 0

How prescient.
Re:Inevitable by grainofsand · 2011-05-12 12:37 · Score: 3, Informative

" The written contract (which you read and sign) overrules and verbal promises that a salesman or manager tells you."
Wrong, wrong and wrong. Those "verbal promises" are just as binding (in most US states and most other global common law jurisdictions) as the written / signed document.
And yes, I am a lawyer.

--
A dream is good. A plan is better.
Re:Inevitable by Jafafa+Hots · 2011-05-12 22:04 · Score: 1

There's no contract, at least nothing that commits me to stay with them, so they'll tell me I can cancel if I want. Which of course they know I won't do as there's no competition.
As far as anything else goes, I'm sure they have an "arbitration" clause in their contract, which BTW the US Supreme Court has ruled they can use to override your rights... so you have no real recourse.
America - the "take it or leave it" country.

--
This space available.
Re:Inevitable by cpu6502 · 2011-05-13 01:45 · Score: 2

Thanks. That's good to know.
So when Comcast told the poster, repeatedly, there are no caps then they should be Bound by that. Question - But how is a commoner supposed to make them obey what they claimed?

--
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Re:Inevitable by S.O.B. · 2011-05-13 07:29 · Score: 1

Gee, the thing that gets around intentional blocking also gets around accidental blocking? I'm shocked!
Hey, hey, hey. No fair bringing logic into this.

--
Some of what I say is fact, some is conjecture, the rest I'm just blowing out my ass...you guess.

DNS or IP blocked? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:24 · Score: 1

Does 194.71.107.15 work?

Re:DNS or IP blocked? by Seumas · 2011-05-12 05:28 · Score: 4, Informative

No, it's blocked along the Comcast route somehow. Even using a non Comcast DNS server won't resolve and you can't ping the IP, either.
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by clang_jangle · 2011-05-12 05:43 · Score: 1

That is disturbing. I have experienced TPB being blocked on at&t dsl several times, each time I got around it by using tor. You might give it a shot (not for using bt itself, just for reaching TPB to get them).

--
Caveat Utilitor
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by Moryath · 2011-05-12 05:45 · Score: 1

Tor looks like the best present workaround.
How very interesting...
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by The+Moof · 2011-05-12 05:46 · Score: 5, Informative

It's neither. It appears TPB itself is having problems. There's a better article here -
http://torrentfreak.com/comcast-blocked-the-pirate-bay-110512/
which states

Update: After affecting only Comcast users for about 15 hours, The Pirate Bay seems to be inaccessible pretty much everywhere now. The Pirate Bay team is looking into it. (Update: one webserver died, should be back for most people who are not on Comcast now).
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by Zibri · 2011-05-12 05:50 · Score: 1

There's no problem accessing the IP from Comcast's route server (route-server.newyork.ny.ibone.comcast.net). Seems to indicate that it's closer to the access network.
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by Seumas · 2011-05-12 05:52 · Score: 3, Interesting

Yeah, I think we all jumped to the conclusion this morning -- but I do think it was understandable. Comcast's history. The nature of the problem as it arose as a Comcast-exclusive "outage" for many hours while everyone else reported it worked fine for them (and vpn/proxy access kept working) *and* that TPB initially said "it's not us - we're not doing anything that would cause this".
So everyone (me too) made a big leap in accusing Comcast of nefarious behavior, but given circumstances, it wasn't all that unreasonable.
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by tycoex · 2011-05-12 05:53 · Score: 1

TPB is working fine for me on Cable One, out of New Mexico.
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by aceboomblain · 2011-05-12 05:58 · Score: 1

I have AT&T DSL in Michigan, and thepiratebay.org dns resolves to 194.71.107.15. I can't ping it (ICMP must be "stealth" blocked by their firewall), but port 80 is open and responding to http.
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by sp332 · 2011-05-12 06:05 · Score: 1

TPB's firewall has always blocked ICMP. No one can "ping" them even when everything is working fine.
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by Skapare · 2011-05-12 06:07 · Score: 1

It goes well beyond Comcast for me. But this only shows that Comcast is not blocking it on outbound packets. At some point it fails, which could be Comcast blocked by source routing it to a null interface, or it could be an issue at piratpartiet.se and their network. I believe the latter is likely the case since traceroutes also fail at the same place from two other networks that are not Comcast:
I'd have added the traceroutes, except that Slashdot's junk character filter is blocking them.

--
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by Teun · 2011-05-12 06:56 · Score: 1

Works from The Netherlands.

--
"The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by rilian4 · 2011-05-12 08:03 · Score: 1

hping/nping FTW

--

...quicker, easier, more seductive the darkside is...but more powerful, it is not.
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by The+Dawn+Of+Time · 2011-05-12 08:45 · Score: 1

Ahh so innocent until proven guilty only counts for people you like... got it.
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by honestmonkey · 2011-05-12 09:45 · Score: 1

Wait, Comcast is a people? Oh, yeah, right, I forgot corporations are people, too.

--
Everything you know is wrong, Just forget the words and sing along.
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by buttersnout · 2011-05-12 09:55 · Score: 1

I'm on connected through comcast in philadelphia, PA. Works fine now.
Re:DNS or IP blocked? by MstrFool · 2011-05-12 12:25 · Score: 1

Actually, it seems more likely that he feels that it is not reasonable to believe that they are likely guilty, given the long history of less then honest actions. Just as some one with a criminal background is more likely to be suspected of a new crime then some one with out. Not exactly fair or kind, but also not unreasonable. Though it is hoped that discovering that there was no evil after all will remind people to use a bit more care in what they say. It's an honest mistake, but the folks getting nasty about it are looking like asses now that it's discovered that Comcast had no hand in it.

--
Question reality.

Huh by Dripdry · 2011-05-12 05:24 · Score: 0

Must not have paid their tithe...

--
-

Re:Huh by Reverand+Dave · 2011-05-12 05:26 · Score: 1

That seems like the way the net is moving for a lot of these sites.

--
I got here through a series of tubes

Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by digitaldc · 2011-05-12 05:24 · Score: -1

You read it here first.

--
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson

Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by obergfellja · 2011-05-12 05:25 · Score: 1

Nothing to see here folks... move along. Comcast knows best.... Dang Big brother.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by MyFirstNameIsPaul · 2011-05-12 05:40 · Score: 1, Troll

Censorship can only be performed by a government. Comcast is practicing private property rights.

--
I once took an excursion to Reddit, and later HN. Unlimited up/down voting sucks when dealing with a hive-mind.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by KingSkippus · 2011-05-12 05:48 · Score: 4, Insightful

...Except that Comcast is a goverment-established monopoly in many areas. Don't believe me? Try to get a fast upstream connection and set up your own networks for people to connect to. You will either be 1) immediately shut down by the government or 2) sued out of existence by the major network providers.
This just emphasizes YET AGAIN the importance of net neutrality laws. We absolutely, positively MUST force network providers to be just that--dumb pipes--and nothing more*.
*Unless you specifically ask them not to be; for example, I wouldn't be opposed to Comcast providing a premium "parent-friendly" tier of service where they agree to block sites for you if you want, or a "custom priority" tier where you can set up QoS settings to make sure traffic you deem important gets through, that kind of thing. Though I wouldn't subscribe to such services, it should be well within their rights to offer.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by Script+Cat · 2011-05-12 05:50 · Score: 2

There practicing it with my property.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by clang_jangle · 2011-05-12 05:50 · Score: 2

I'm sorry, but providers of public infrastructure do not have those "private property rights". IRL when you corner a market you also incur an obligation. Stop with the "this is what our purchased laws say we can get away with", already!

--
Caveat Utilitor
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by Seumas · 2011-05-12 05:54 · Score: 1

Comcast is given a monopoly as, essentially, a public utility. Capitalism and free market and all that would be fantastic. Competition and all. The problem is when regulation and government involvement make them a tax-payer subsidized monopoly with no competition to shape the services, performance, and behavior they offer customers.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by cpu6502 · 2011-05-12 05:54 · Score: 1

No actually Comcast is operating on Local Government property (roads) using a monopoly issued by the Government. There is no privacy or rights involved. It's all Government endorsed.
In fact your local government could revoke Comcast's monopoly and hand it to some other CATV provider (cox, cablevision, time-warner,etc) anytime it wishes. Which of course is why comcast generously bribes the politicians.
>>>Censorship can only be performed by a government.
Or a monopoly (phone, cable, electricity utility) given the power BY the government to censor.

--
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:55 · Score: 2, Informative

Censorship can only be performed by a government.
This is a common misperception, but in fact censorship can be performed by anyone who has power over what another person sees, hears, or reads.
However, the First Amendment guarantees only apply to government. The Constitution has no power over private party censorship.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 06:01 · Score: 0

Where?
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by overlordofmu · 2011-05-12 06:30 · Score: 2

No actually Comcast is operating on Local Government property (roads) using a monopoly issued by the Government. There is no privacy or rights involved. It's all Government endorsed.
In fact your local government could revoke Comcast's monopoly and hand it to some other CATV provider (cox, cablevision, time-warner,etc) anytime it wishes.
What is this goverment issued monopoly status of which you speak? Exlcusive franchise agreements you say? Don't you realize that they were outlawed by the Telecommunication Act of 1996? Federal law makes them criminal and there hasn't been an exclusive cable franchise agreement in the United States of America for 15 years. Are you just repeating something you heard from a friend? Where did you get your "facts"?

Which of course is why comcast generously bribes the politicians.
>>>Censorship can only be performed by a government.
Or a monopoly (phone, cable, electricity utility) given the power BY the government to censor.
I am with you on the bribery point. I think the collusion of big business and goverment is reprehensible and rampant. I don't think anyone missed todays news about former FCC Chairperson Magaret Atwell Baker becoming a paid lobbyist for Comcast-NBC just four months after she was involved in approving their merger. That is digusting and yet we sit here and take it.

link: http://www.freepress.net/press-release/2011/5/11/free-press-blasts-comcast-fcc-merger

But, again, what monopoly are you talking about? Do you not have satellite and DSL as options where you live. And if not, how is that any fault of the cable company? You might as well have said that Magneto and his rogue mutants are to blame as both statments are pure fiction and demonstrably false.

The is a huge groupthink for hating the cable company. Unfortunately, many arguments for this hatred are misinformation, not fact. If the franchise agreement isn't exclusive, if there are phone, internet and TV competitors offering products/services in the same area then answer me this (and let me apologize in advance for the yelling): How in fucking hell is that a monopoly?
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by Aqualung812 · 2011-05-12 06:49 · Score: 1

How in fucking hell is that a monopoly?
Because Comcast is the only company that offers the service of 50mbps/10mbps Internet to my location.
And don't try to make the case that I COULD go and buy a DS-3 connection to my home. That's like saying I COULD have my own electric power plant to avoid paying to the local electric monopoly.

--
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by memyselfandeye · 2011-05-12 06:50 · Score: 1

In my state, Ohio, it is either difficult or *impossible* to have two cable companies service the same customers. I don't know the law or anything, but our local cable co-op was forbidden, as in the utilities commission nixed fully funded plans, from expanding into a neighboring township that has Time Warner, or whatever. The local residents in this neighboring township are, understandably, quite jealous of our 24Mb up/8Mb down service for $49. Apparently their service is inferior.
It goes further. Another township to the south has no cable, and was still the federal broadband funds because Verizion, now Frontier, can *theoretically* service the area with DSL. I say theoretically because unless you happen to be one the 300 so people within a couple miles of the main town you can't get DSL. The only option for the majority of that community is dialup.
So whatever the law says, or what your rights are, here in no-where-ville Ohio, unless you happen to live in my exact geographic location you're Internet options are between dial-up... and smoke signals.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by Steauengeglase · 2011-05-12 06:50 · Score: 2

If they are censoring sites (doesn't look like it at the moment), then yes, you are right. Comcast's service isn't a service that connects you to the internet, it is Comcast's "internet product". The farmer guarantees that his product is 100% cheese, except and only except when it is not cheese.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by overlordofmu · 2011-05-12 07:05 · Score: 1

So, is your repsonse that Comcast is a monopoly because while there are competitors, they are more expensive? It that what you think a monopoly is? So, if Ferrari has the faster cars at the better price, but you could get a Ford or Toyota that was less powerful and more expensive, then Ferrari would have a monopoly?

I don't think the word "monopoly" means what you think it means.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by uniquename72 · 2011-05-12 07:36 · Score: 1

Car analogy fail. Here's a better one:

Imagine that there are 2 car companies left on the planet: Ford and Ferrari. The government gives those car companies the right to decide where you are allowed to drive. But Ford has decided that it doesn't want you to be allowed to go to the public library, because the library holds beliefs that differ from Ford's.

At that point, is Ford exercising monopoly power? By your logic, no, because people who want to go to the library can just as easily go out and buy a Ferrari. By any rational person's logic, Ford is abusing an effective monopoly. But it gets worse (for you) from a legal perspective...

A monopoly occurs when a company totally dominates an economic market. Not a product niche; an economic market. In the above scenario, Ford and Ferrari do not exist in the same economic market, just as Comcast and a T1 line do not exist in the same economic market. But because Ford and Ferrari are the only companies offering automobiles in their respective economic market (Ford in the $20,000 market, and Ferrari in the $200,000 market), they are BOTH viewed as monopolies by any legal body.

Get it now?
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 07:57 · Score: 0

*There!*
He just told you, man.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by StillNeedMoreCoffee · 2011-05-12 09:41 · Score: 1

They are not excersizing private property rights. They don't own the internet, they dont own the site they are blocking, They are excersizing censorship of information from a service that they should just be connecting through to.
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by cpu6502 · 2011-05-12 09:53 · Score: 1

>>>How in fucking hell is that a monopoly?
This is not grade school. Please try to act like an adult. I did a quick review of court cases, and you are HALF correct. The 1996 Act forbids exclusive agreements (thereby allowing the phone company to offer TV service), but it does not abolish existing agreements. Many agreements have not expired yet so this comment:
>>>there hasn't been an exclusive cable franchise for 15 years
is flat wrong. Also the 1996 Law still allows local/state governments ultimate control over their rights-of-way, such as forbidding a company to lay wires in the middle of the night, or during rush hours (6-9am, 3-6pm).

--
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by cpu6502 · 2011-05-12 09:59 · Score: 1

>>>So, is your repsonse that Comcast is a monopoly because while there are competitors, they are more expensive? It that what you think a monopoly is?
It is under the Antitrust Laws.
It is why Microsoft was sued - because their browser was cheaper (free) than Netscape's browser (~$30), giving them an unfair trade advantage. The same argument was later used in the EU Action initiated by Opera browser.

--
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Re:Internet Censorship begins with Comcast by Qzukk · 2011-05-12 11:14 · Score: 1

if Ferrari has the faster cars at the better price, but you could get a Ford or Toyota that was less powerful and more expensive, then Ferrari would have a monopoly?
How many bales of hay can you throw in the back of your Ferrari to take to the cows? Zero? Hmm, maybe when considering whether various products may or may not be something that can be substituted for each other, you should consider whether they are fit for the purpose you are trying to achieve.

--
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.

More than Comcast by thesaint05 · 2011-05-12 05:24 · Score: 5, Informative

Engadget is reporting that it's not limited to Comcast. I'm on FIOS and I can confirm that it's unreachable as well.

Re:More than Comcast by schwit1 · 2011-05-12 05:29 · Score: 0

No problems here. I am on FIOS in Northern Virginia.
Re:More than Comcast by Jaysyn · 2011-05-12 05:29 · Score: 1

On Adelphia here @ work & I can reach it fine.

--
There is a war going on for your mind.
Re:More than Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:35 · Score: 0

No problems here. I am on FIOS in Northern Virginia.
Ditto. Works fine here on FIOS in Northern VA as well.
I wouldn't put this past Comcast though. They're terrible.
Re:More than Comcast by BuckaBooBob · 2011-05-12 05:39 · Score: 1

So the more interesting thing here is .. Is it comcast thats blocking it or something else... IANAL but I am pretty sure as long as they do not censor sites they are not liable but the second they start they are liable for everything... This could be a very dangerous situation if it is not backed up by law.

--
Who needs WiFi when we can have Packet Over Sheep! http://datacomm.org/PoS-InternetDraft.txt
Re:More than Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:53 · Score: 0

FIOS NY/Long Island works as well.
Re:More than Comcast by Altus · 2011-05-12 05:53 · Score: 1

I wouldn't put it past them either, but lets not jump to conclusions. It sounds like this is somewhat more widespread that just comcast. There must be something going on. Who knows, maybe its more cloak and dagger than just comcast being dicks.

--
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson
Re:More than Comcast by Loconut1389 · 2011-05-12 06:13 · Score: 1

Works on Mediacom cable in the midwest.
Re:More than Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 06:15 · Score: 0

No problem with FiOS in Tampa.
Re:More than Comcast by Cimexus · 2011-05-12 06:19 · Score: 1

Working fine from here, but that's not surprising since I'm in Australia and likely wouldn't be using the same route to the server as many people in the US (traceroute shows that my route to TPB stays in my own ISP's private network from here, across the Pacific, across the US, and across the Atlantic to London UK - only there does it leave my ISP's network and head off into wherever it is in Europe they are hosting it these days).
Re:More than Comcast by SectionTwelve · 2011-05-12 06:39 · Score: 1

Engadget is reporting that it's not limited to Comcast. I'm on FIOS and I can confirm that it's unreachable as well.
I am on FiOS as well and I can reach TPB just fine. I mean, I don't use the site at all but I wanted to see if it was just you.
Re:More than Comcast by s2jcpete · 2011-05-12 06:53 · Score: 1

I'm on FIOS business and have no problem reaching TPB
Re:More than Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 10:31 · Score: 0

I'm on FIOS in North NJ and can still reach it. Check again, it may have just been something temporary. As for Comcast? Fuck you. Who the fuck do you think you are blocking users from going where they want on the internet.
Re:More than Comcast by layer3switch · 2011-05-12 11:00 · Score: 1

I'm on NYC FiOS, however I have no problem reaching thepiratebay.org. I am able to resolve ns against Verizon dns resolver and also external dns. tracepath shows proper route hop to Telia and return packets aren't getting blackholed.
Also http telnet GET command and curl verbose shows proper http communication. unfortunately I have not done any packet inspection (tcpdump) to see if any of my return packets are tagged or de-prioritized.
besides the fact that thepiratebay.org are always hosting with high latency, I won't be surprised to see if your case was due to thepirtatebay.org servers themselves are timing out, not FiOS blackholing the request traffic.

--
"Don't let fools fool you. They are the clever ones."
Re:More than Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 12:48 · Score: 0

I'm on FIOS. Works fine. Using googleDNS.

It's not just Comcast by DanTheManMS · 2011-05-12 05:25 · Score: 5, Informative

Comcast already stated that they're not blocking TPB and that it's affecting other ISPs too.

Several Comcast users have written in to say they can't access the website, but we've also heard from at least one Virgin Media customer overseas and a Rogers customer in Canada who are also having problems accessing the site.

Further comments in that thread suggest that it might be a problem with the LAN on their end, perhaps a routing issue or something.

Re:It's not just Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:32 · Score: 0

I'm hitting it fine - I'm a customer of an Anonymous Telco and cable Television provider.
Re:It's not just Comcast by hedwards · 2011-05-12 05:33 · Score: 4, Interesting

I'd be surprised if Comcast was going to open themselves up to lawsuits like that. Since they haven't been filtering connections for infringing materials they haven't been liable for infringement. If they started to filter for materials and block sites for it without being ordered to do so by a court, they'd be opening themselves up to all sorts of liability.
Re:It's not just Comcast by MoonBuggy · 2011-05-12 05:41 · Score: 4, Insightful

Perhaps. Didn't Comcast claim not to be sending reset packets on P2P traffic, too, though? They don't exactly have goodwill to spare or a reputation for honesty.
Re:It's not just Comcast by Seumas · 2011-05-12 05:46 · Score: 1

Even if it really is starting to impact other ISPs, it seems really weird that it *always* seems to work for users going through a VPN or an anonymous proxy. It makes me wonder exactly how it is setup on the service-end, if they're somehow aligning traffic in such a way that once server so precisely impacts swaths of users. Given the history of Comcast and the way this behavior began, today, I can't really blame people who assumed it might have been an ISP's heavy hand at work.
Re:It's not just Comcast by timeOday · 2011-05-12 05:50 · Score: 2

IANAL, but every time this comes up, the conclusion seems to be that ISPs are not Common Carriers, and how they avoid liability for infringement is by complying with DMCA requests to do whatever purported copyright holders ask that they do.
Re:It's not just Comcast by Technician · 2011-05-12 05:50 · Score: 1

Interesting, and this is just after I received my check for the class action lawsuit on throttling P-P traffic.
The actual settlement is a joke. The grand total is $16.00 sent C/O Rust Consulting Inc.
I'm no longer on Comcast now that an option has opened besides dial up.

--
The truth shall set you free!
Re:It's not just Comcast by racermd · 2011-05-12 05:54 · Score: 1

Put your tin-foil hat on for this 'cause it's CRAZY...
Perhaps Comcast (et al) are really telling the truth. They, themselves, are not blocking access to TPB. But, what if (and this is a huge 'what if') they got someone to block it further upstream? They would be telling the truth in the strictest sense and still getting what they want. I'm sure Comcast has enough resources to try something like that.
But then, there's probably a more likely explanation like a certain web server pool having problems at the source end (which appears to be the case).

--
My sources are unreliable, but their information is fascinating. -- Ashleigh Brilliant
Re:It's not just Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 06:42 · Score: -1

Lawsuits from criminals?
Re:It's not just Comcast by Darinbob · 2011-05-12 06:47 · Score: 0

As opposed to the well known honesty and goodwill of PIRATES!
Re:It's not just Comcast by Jessified · 2011-05-12 08:03 · Score: 1

I'm on a university connection and I can access the pirate bay just fine.

Comast has allready sad by fredan · 2011-05-12 05:25 · Score: 4, Informative

that they don't block The Pirate Bay.

http://mailman.nanog.org/pipermail/nanog/2011-May/036088.html

Re:Comast has allready sad by Palmsie · 2011-05-12 05:27 · Score: 2, Insightful

Then this will be the first time Comcast has ever lied. >

--
Carl Sagan quotes get you an automatic +5 on all posts.
Re:Comast has allready sad by Seumas · 2011-05-12 05:38 · Score: 4, Informative

Remember that one time (a year or two?) when they said they didn't throttle torrent traffic?
Re:Comast has allready sad by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:48 · Score: 5, Insightful

Carl Sagan quotes get you an automatic +5 on all posts.
Time to put that to the test:
The cannabis experience has greatly improved my appreciation for art, a subject which I had never much appreciated before. The understanding of the intent of the artist which I can achieve when high sometimes carries over to when I'm down. This is one of many human frontiers which cannabis has helped me traverse. There also have been some art-related insights — I don't know whether they are true or false, but they were fun to formulate.
--Carl Sagan
Re:Comast has allready sad by Zibri · 2011-05-12 05:56 · Score: 5, Funny

Oh, let me try!
"The more you look like a samurai, the better your chances of survival."
Re:Comast has allready sad by HikingStick · 2011-05-12 06:56 · Score: 1

From the link you provided:

> Comcast customer care via twitter specifically stated they aren't blocking

> twitter (@comcastcares).

They aren't blocking Twitter?

--
I use irony whenever I can, but my shirts are still wrinkled...
Re:Comast has allready sad by Burz · 2011-05-12 07:40 · Score: 1

Me too!!!
"...apple pie from scratch... Crumbly but good!"
Re:Comast has allready sad by TavisJohn · 2011-05-12 08:08 · Score: 1

Yes, because Comcast never lied before...
Like when they announced that they do not throttle traffic...
Then later they admitted that they DO throttle traffic...
Re:Comast has allready sad by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 10:22 · Score: 0

“If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."
Mmmmmm, pie....
Re:Comast has allready sad by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 14:28 · Score: 0

Comcast still claims they don't throttle and they are full of shit. Allowing unencrypted traffic my torrents run at 30KB/s down, force encryption and speeds go to 1.2MB/s.
It annoys the crap out of me because I want to run QoS on my equipment.

Network Neutrality by Microlith · 2011-05-12 05:25 · Score: 2

So where are all those people claiming that network neutrality was a solution looking for a problem? Hmm?

This could be a glitch, or it could be real (probably real, Comcast doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt.) In either case, Comcast and all ISPs should be legally barred from looking at the data streams and destinations of their customers. Tier 2 telecommunications providers, just like the telephone companies have been for years on end.

Re:Network Neutrality by hedwards · 2011-05-12 05:35 · Score: 1, Interesting

As much as I hate Comcast, and really I do, I think this is much more likely to be an actual technical glitch by somebody, and given that it appears not to be isolated to them, I'd wager that it really is just a coincidence and will be fixed in the near future by whomever is responsible. There's no way that Comcast is going to open itself up to being sued out of existence for failing to catch every copyright material being distributed without proper license that goes over its pipes.
Re:Network Neutrality by Nerdfest · 2011-05-12 05:38 · Score: 1

I've always been curious about that. Why don't they need to follow the same rules? It really seems that they should follow the same rules for both viewing content and how police, etc, need warrants to obtain information.
Re:Network Neutrality by Seumas · 2011-05-12 05:58 · Score: 1

I'm actually on the fence about net neutrality.
Ideally, you would have multiple providers competing against each other and the one that best served the needs and wants of customers would thrive and those that did not would wither away. However, when government gets involved and sets up what is primarily a service-monopoly, you now have one company providing the service and customers largely just have to take what they're given with no incentive for the provider to do anything.
So then the solution to regulation becomes more regulation. To counter the monopoly we have granted them as a "public utility" in a region, we have to further involve government by enacting net-neutrality laws.
It seems to me that the better solution would not be to pile more shit on existing piles of shit, but to eradicate the initial problem by opening up the pipes and encouraging competition so that if you don't like one company fucking with your traffic, you can go vote with your dollars at the company who stays the hell out of your way.
Re:Network Neutrality by cpu6502 · 2011-05-12 06:01 · Score: 1

>>>why link to PCWorld? Who are they? TorrentFreak broke the news
torrentfreak is also blocked for most of us (work filtering). Please link to sites that we can see. Thank you.
>>>So where are all those people claiming that network neutrality was a solution looking for a problem? Hmm?
There IS a problem.
But net neutrality is not the answer.
The Sherman Antitrust Act is the answer
It should be applied to all CATV monopolies as soon as possible. Time to break them up and/or bring them under strict government regulation (as is true with other utility monopolies). We need the same kind of freedom to choose our CATV and internet providers as we have with choosing what brand car we want to drive.

--
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Re:Network Neutrality by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 06:57 · Score: 0

Comcast or any other ISP shouldn't be liable for what their users do with their connection. Are the utility companies liable for what their customers use the electricity and water that is delivered via those lines & pipes? No. The sooner ISPs are treated as common carriers, the better.
Re:Network Neutrality by hedwards · 2011-05-12 08:19 · Score: 1

No, but the electric and water companies don't monitor what people do with those things either. If they did tell you what you could and couldn't do with your water or electricity, that would be completely different.

Way to be slow on the draw by Rurik · 2011-05-12 05:27 · Score: 5, Informative

That was the news THIS MORNING. Then it was found that Pirate Bay couldn't be accessed by anyone. Web server died. It sounds like they segment traffic to certain web servers based on IP ranges for load-balancing, and the one for the Comcast group died. No big conspiracy here.

And why link to PCWorld? Who are they? TorrentFreak broke the news and continually updated it through the day. They should be cited:
http://torrentfreak.com/comcast-blocked-the-pirate-bay-110512/

Re:Way to be slow on the draw by Nemyst · 2011-05-12 05:30 · Score: 5, Insightful

Why? Because it's almost certain the "anonymous reader" happens to be staff at PC World, just like all those InfoWorld submissions that always come from staff there.
Re:Way to be slow on the draw by Hatta · 2011-05-12 05:33 · Score: 2

This is actually an improvement for /. Save your criticism for the dupe on Monday.

--
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Re:Way to be slow on the draw by Seumas · 2011-05-12 05:35 · Score: 1

First, I believe people assumed Comcast was doing something, because TPB said that *they* were not doing anything. Second, they probably chose PCWorld for the same reason that you can't use TorrentFreak as a citation to support a wikipedia article on Wikipedia, because TorrentFreak is not considered a notable news source.
Re:Way to be slow on the draw by iONiUM · 2011-05-12 05:43 · Score: 1

I sent in the story this morning with the link you cited:
link to mine. But apparently I wasn't as good as this story..
Re:Way to be slow on the draw by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:59 · Score: 0

Yeah, your submission was pretty sucky and you didn't capitalize proper nouns.

As of right now, they're up on a non-censored ISP by Animats · 2011-05-12 05:31 · Score: 3, Interesting

Did anybody check this? As of right now, thepiratebay.org's home page is up.

More importantly, Bitsavers, an archive or historical technical data,is down, and has been down for days. That site would be a major loss; they have copies of rare documents not available elsewhere. Anyone know what's going on there?

Who wants Demonoid invites? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:32 · Score: 0

n/t, just comment and I'll see about sending them out.

torrents would slow down when trying to access by d34thm0nk3y · 2011-05-12 05:37 · Score: 1

Whenever I would try to go to TPB last night my running torrents would drop down to 0kbps for a few minutes then start back up eventually. Comcast customer near Seattle, WA.

+1 Mod Parent Up by dch24 · 2011-05-12 05:38 · Score: 0

I'd do it if I had mod points

how is babby formed by MrEricSir · 2011-05-12 05:40 · Score: 3, Funny

That was the news THIS MORNING.

a mother in ar who had kill her three kids.

--
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."

Re:how is babby formed by operagost · 2011-05-12 07:30 · Score: 1

did they died?

--

Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Re:how is babby formed by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 11:19 · Score: 0

People die when they are killed.

Is it just Comcast? by dmomo · 2011-05-12 05:41 · Score: 1

Because I was not able to reach the site from Charter.

Re:Is it just Comcast? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:47 · Score: 0

Charter is working for me.

Inevitable, but not by whom you might think... by Lead+Butthead · 2011-05-12 05:42 · Score: 1

MAFIAA started paying all major ISP's underpaid IT staff to quietly slip in a few lines of code in their core router filter configuration... (Yes, I made that up. Let's hope it stays untrue...)

--
ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?

Re:Inevitable, but not by whom you might think... by guruevi · 2011-05-12 10:46 · Score: 1

The MAFIAA started paying congress critters to force educational institutions and some other smaller ISP's to pay for, implement and maintain products from Audible Magic.
(No, I didn't make that up. Let's hope they stay out of your particular ISP)

--
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com

This is the best demonstration possible by Perp+Atuitie · 2011-05-12 05:46 · Score: 1

of the conflicts of interest that will become entrenched with the Comcast/NBC merger, if it's allowed to happen. Comcast is obviously incapable now of separating its responsibilities as an information carrier from its interests as a content marketer. Comcast's "anti-piracy" sabotage makes it clear as day that allowing it to add one of the country's largest content providers to its mix will be a disaster for freedom in information in America. The FCC, Congress, and the DOJ need to head this one off at the pass.

Re:This is the best demonstration possible by hedwards · 2011-05-12 06:04 · Score: 1

That's the way it works, make promises, get approval, forget promises just as quickly as possible. The problem is that when mergers are approved with conditions, nobody ever seems to monitor and enforce the concessions.

Doesn't surprise me by rjmx · 2011-05-12 05:48 · Score: 2

I can't get to ubuntuforums (nor a couple of other Ubuntu sites, although ubuntu.com is ok) from Comcast, but I can get to it quite happily from my phone via 3G and AT&T. It's not a DNS problem (IP address is the same), but one works and the other doesn't. Traceroutes have absolutley no IP addresses in common.
It's been this way for a few weeks now. I finally got around to complaining to Comcast a couple of days ago, answered the first ("have you turned your modem on?") reply with a traceroute, and got the same message back. I give up.
The moral? Never attribute to malice something that can be explained by sheer incompetence.

Re:Doesn't surprise me by Jah-Wren+Ryel · 2011-05-12 07:34 · Score: 1

The moral? Never attribute to malice something that can be explained by sheer incompetence.
They are not exclusive. In fact, it seems to be a common play nowadays-- a company is incompetent in some costly area , say customer service. But by being incompetent they actually make money, for example a bunch of people with minor billing problems call in to get them corrected but they experience dropped calls, long hold times, voice-mail hell, etc. So some percentage of them just give up and pay the bogus charges because its not worth their time to put up with the incompetent customer service. That's a big win for the company - they save on staffing costs and they get to overcharge a portion of their customers.
It certainly isn't hard to imagine comcast-NBC doing the same thing - so what if they lose connectivity to lesser well-known parts of the internet? They've practically got a monopoly and so as long as facebook and google still work, most people will just put up with it, if they even notice. After all, that's what you've been doing yourself.

--
When information is power, privacy is freedom.

I guess they might want to rethink their tagline.. by HellYeahAutomaton · 2011-05-12 05:49 · Score: 1

"The Pirate Bay - The world's most resilient bittorrent site".

Resilient. Not so much, eh?

Comcast Business class by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:50 · Score: 0

Error 101 (net::ERR_CONNECTION_RESET): The connection was reset.
Comcast Business Class

Comment removed by account_deleted · 2011-05-12 05:50 · Score: 1

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Media Monopoly- Canceling Comcast Account by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:56 · Score: 0

Just as the three television networks exerted a monopoly or 35 years, not the down the telecommunications monopoly As soon as I have another ISP Comcast is history.

Re:Bitsavers by Ken_g6 · 2011-05-12 05:57 · Score: 3, Informative

Bitsavers has mirrors.
Web
bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de

computer-refuge.org/bitsavers

FTP

bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de

University of Kent

--
(T>t && O(n)--) == sqrt(666)

OPEN DNS? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 05:58 · Score: 0

is open DNS a workaround?
8.8.8.8 and 4.4.4.2 is a lifesaver IME

Re:OPEN DNS? by Dogun · 2011-05-12 06:10 · Score: 1

you realize that neither of those have anything to do with opendns?

Re:So how do you complain about this? by Seumas · 2011-05-12 06:03 · Score: 1

Why would you get a notice from the RIAA or MPAA? What copyright of theirs are you infringing by visiting a torrent indexing website?

Re:I guess they might want to rethink their taglin by blair1q · 2011-05-12 06:03 · Score: 1

"Resilient" and "Reliable" are two different beasts, to a requirements writer.

If they can bring it back up to the same state every time it goes down, it's resilient. But the going down part makes it not reliable.

Either they were being pretentious, or they chose that word for this precise reason. Either way, it's proved to fit better than the one you'd expect them to have used.

Same here by Rizimar · 2011-05-12 06:04 · Score: 1

I can't access The Pirate Bay regularly. I noticed that I wasn't able to get on it a few days ago, too, but didn't think much of it. But I can access it just fine through a proxy.

Comment removed by account_deleted · 2011-05-12 06:07 · Score: 1

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Not Comcast by Skapare · 2011-05-12 06:10 · Score: 2

Comcast is not blocking this, at least for outbound packets. Maybe a lot of ISPs are blocking them incoming based on source addresses. But I think it is more likely a network issue at the piratpartiet.se end since I can reach thepiratebay.piratpartiet.se (194.14.56.29) but no further, from multiple ISPs.

--
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars

Warpproxy working by Xupa · 2011-05-12 06:13 · Score: 1

I have Comcast. Can't get to TPB, works fine through warpproxy.

Response from Tech Support by JMonty42 · 2011-05-12 06:17 · Score: 2

This is what level 1 Tech Support (probably in India) told me about the outtage: "PriscillaBCBU: Yes, we are receiving reports from the site inaccessible when using Comcast connection. Currently, we are already fixing it here in our end. Our network engineers are working on it as of this moment. PriscillaBCBU: The pirate bay issue is also a problem from other Internet service provider. We have been receiving reports that they also experience this issue and it is happening worldwide."

Good, now my Internet connection will be faster. by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 06:21 · Score: -1

As a software developer, and many of you here probably are also, I have no respect for people that pirate software.

If Your on Comcast follow these directions by trappa · 2011-05-12 06:24 · Score: 0

Follow the link below, then copy the text(making the necessary changes to suit your needs) Then send them the complaint. Let them know that the customers upset by this aren't a tiny group they can just ignore.

http://www.comcastsupport.com/redirects/com/useremailstartcom.asp

Dear Comcast Customer Support:

Re: Blocking the Pirate Bay.

On May 12, I tried to access thepiratebay.org at with my Comcast High Speed Internet for which I pay $(PUT DOLLAR AMOUNT HERE) a month.

Unfortunately, your service was inadequate because I was not able to access the site. I am disappointed because thepiratebay.org has typically worked previously, but as of today has failed to connect even though it appears to be working on all other Internet Service Providers.

To resolve the problem, I would appreciate your quick action in restoring access to thepiratebay.org.

I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem and will wait until Monday, May 16th before seeking help from a consumer protection agency or the Better Business Bureau. Please contact me at (EMAIL ADDRESS HERE) or by phone at (home and/or office numbers with area code).

Sincerely,

Your name

Re:If Your on Comcast follow these directions by Legal.Troll · 2011-05-12 06:39 · Score: -1, Flamebait

I prepared a similar letter directed at McDonald's Corp. when my local restaurant didn't have sweet & sour sauce for my McNuggets THREE NIGHTS IN A ROW, clearly evidencing a conspiracy... ...because I am from the internet and thus have to act like a whiny fucking child all the time.

--
"Outdated business models" is code for "I don't like paying for things, but want them anyway"

And look at all those self-righteous freak by Dainsanefh · 2011-05-12 06:25 · Score: 0

on the comments section of the PCWorld article.

Wish Chairman Mao take over the USA already. This so called "Ethics" is what caused the economic meltdown. Bring all those Christians and Jews to hell. Flexible ethics is the ONLY way to prosperity.

--
Twitter: @dainsanefh

It's not comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 06:31 · Score: 0

http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/thepiratebay.org

D: by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 06:42 · Score: 0

Can't get on with Verizon/Frontier/whatever. Pretty pissed.

they've been blocking the tracker for ages by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 06:48 · Score: 0

TPB's tracker has been unreachable for months if not longer via Comcast.

Re:they've been blocking the tracker for ages by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 10:45 · Score: 0

They aren't blocking the tracker, TPB took the tracker down themselves a long time ago.

Works here by MM-tng · 2011-05-12 06:50 · Score: 1

Ha, still got it :)

/. fail by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 06:54 · Score: 0

way to suck slashdot, we've known comcast isn't blocking for hours

time to exit your own webosphere and get some new seources

The RIAAs of the world care not for your. . . by GodInHell · 2011-05-12 06:55 · Score: 1

The RIAAs of the world care not for your piddling laws and "established precedent."

More seriously though, you don't want to take up a duty that is not imposed on you because you may, by custom, come to be responsible for that duty. In the same sense that you aren't responsible for the safety of a tresspasser on your property until you observe them regularly tromping past your open pit mine and don't do something to either bar them from the property or protect them from your mine.

The realm of the quasi-contractual relationships and expectations of industry custom is a dangerous place for corporations. Not because the opposing party will win necessarily (they might I gues... not going to think about it very hard), but because they'll get past a motion to dismiss and force you to fight out discovery and all the other expensive stuff that follows.

The verdict is the least of your worries.

-GiH

Confirmed in Connecticut by MetalliQaZ · 2011-05-12 06:55 · Score: 1

I can confirm. It was dead yesterday.

--
"Here Lies Philip J. Fry, named for his uncle, to carry on his spirit"

The Pirate Bay is extraordinary by erroneus · 2011-05-12 06:59 · Score: 1

They are taking extraordinary measures to keep themselves resilient. So when (if) you go to their site by name, you are hitting a box with nothing on it. It is relaying the requests on to the REAL server(s) out there in the world. This way, when some **AA goon manages to convince someone to take the server offline, they can just put up another front facing server, update the DNS and go! It's an ingenius way of planning to be reactive. You gotta love it right?

I think the next steps for the piratebay will be to hack one of the **AA servers to make it host the pirate bay's contents. :) Somehow, I doubt they would ever figure it out. :)

Pirate Bay? by oldmac31310 · 2011-05-12 07:01 · Score: 1

Who still uses Pirate Bay? Last time I looked it was pretty much crippled.

--
http://www.acetonestudio.com

I said it before and I'll say it again... by rsilvergun · 2011-05-12 07:06 · Score: 1, Insightful

stop voting Republican. Even if the Dems want to do something there's always enough Repubs to filibuster it into oblivion. You'd think after 30 years of declining wages for middle class and skyrocketing wages for the rich, people would learn...

--
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/

Re:I said it before and I'll say it again... by operagost · 2011-05-12 07:25 · Score: 0

What's your evidence for either of your assertions?

--

Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Re:I said it before and I'll say it again... by swb · 2011-05-12 08:51 · Score: 3, Insightful

When it comes to Hollywood and media, who do you think they support? The Democrats are deeply in bed with Hollywood.
Re:I said it before and I'll say it again... by eof · 2011-05-12 09:08 · Score: 2

There are a number of studies that indicate that a middle class squeeze has occurred in the US. http://inequality.org/inequality-data-statistics/ isn't a bad place to start for some aggregate results. I don't agree with some of the conclusions they draw, but their data seem to be in order.
Re:I said it before and I'll say it again... by rsilvergun · 2011-05-12 09:58 · Score: 1, Insightful

Hollywood can keep their movies if I can have back my rising wages, health care and retirement. Seems like a fair trade.

--
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Re:I said it before and I'll say it again... by An+Onerous+Coward · 2011-05-12 16:46 · Score: 1

Aw, hell. Give me all that, and maybe I'll pay them for some of their content. Sweeten the pot a little.

--
You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!
Re:I said it before and I'll say it again... by Rogerborg · 2011-05-12 19:55 · Score: 1

Wait, I can never remember: is the Democrat candidate the sock puppet on the left hand, or the one on the right hand?

--
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
Re:I said it before and I'll say it again... by L4t3r4lu5 · 2011-05-12 20:56 · Score: 1

Turns out it was a reverse routing issue with an intermediary ISP.

Pure, unadultered FUD. Right here.

--
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/

MITM by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 07:07 · Score: 0

Sounds like a botched man-in-the-middle. Comcast probably agreed to cooperate with an investigation and allow the action.

Article is a sham. by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 07:16 · Score: 0

I'm in argentina, in an ass backwards ISP nobody knows.

And piratebay doesn't work here either.

The site is down, simple as that. Move along.

prolly exceeded CC "unlimited" download limits by oldwarrior · 2011-05-12 07:30 · Score: -1

using aforesaid service. Actually, the update says the other end may be the problem but there it is.

--
If it were done when 'tis done, then t'were well it were done quickly... MacBeth

Anonymized netoworks the only way to break out by Burz · 2011-05-12 07:32 · Score: 1

...of the walled/policed garden. Tor is only a half-measure that creates the expectation of accessing 'normal' sites in their block-able form. People should look more to I2P and similar networks if they want to circumvent the ISPs self-interested control.

Tried on 2 Caribbean connections by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 07:39 · Score: 0

I can't reach TPB via TeleBarbados but I can reach them via LIME.

Re:Bitsavers by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 07:40 · Score: 0

Torrent plz?

Globalization only for corporations by Tei · 2011-05-12 07:47 · Score: 1

This is sweet. The internet is going to break in tiny wallet gardens, evey part "protected" with firewalls.
Corporations are going to get be able to use slave manwork in china, and sell expensive as hell in USA and Europe.
While people outside the "right" zones are going to pay x10 more for a product.

Portal 2 in australia: 108$ USD.
Portal 2 in USA: 10$ USD with 20$ gift bonus

--

-Woof woof woof!

Really sucks by HalAtWork · 2011-05-12 07:57 · Score: 1

That was my number one choice to grab the Pioneer One episodes (and how I even heard of it in the first place) as well as torrent archives of my favorite podcasts.

--
Twinstiq, game news

Not working on AT&T by Paracelcus · 2011-05-12 07:58 · Score: 1

Traceroute not helpful

--
I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd

It's up by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 08:03 · Score: 0

I just logged into TPB through one of my servers at the AT&T International data center outside of Chicago and it loaded up no problems. I don't think the problem is on TPB's end... For reference my pings to 4.2.2.2 are 3ms that's as high up the chain as I can go. I can also confirm it is not working from my personal computer on comcast at home so maybe it's an issue affecting consumer level connections?

No piratebay.org from Brasil! by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 08:21 · Score: 0

Right now connecting from Net or Telefonica, no piratebay.org

Virtual Private Network. Nuff said. by elucido · 2011-05-12 08:24 · Score: 1

If you know what it is, for 10-15$ a month you can have a cen$or$hip free internet.

They can't fick with our networks.

Re:Virtual Private Network. Nuff said. by sgt+scrub · 2011-05-12 11:14 · Score: 1

who is providing your vpn service? is it udp? i had warnerbro's cable. i have all of my movies and music available from home to me at any time. it steams over a udp connection so i can listen to MY music in the car and at work. sometimes i would bring up a movie in the break room and we would all watch it. one day they blocked the port (shit just suddenly wouldn't work). so i changed it. needless to say we had a port dance until they eventually blocked all of my udp traffic -- except for the bullshit dns redirect they do -- and splashed my browser with a message saying i was torrenting. i'm surprised your provider doesn't do the same shit to you.

--
Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.

Here's a hint...PC World is garbage. by PhreakOfTime · 2011-05-12 08:25 · Score: 1

If the link is from PC/Computer/NetworkWorld, it is probably a bunch of unconfirmed nonsense which will turn out to be false in the time it takes to blink your eye.

I'm no fan of Comcast, but I'm even less of a fan of PC World. It didn't exactly take long for the real reasons to come out, which is that tpb had a server outage earlier. But hey, things like facts aren't important to PC World when you can just make things up.

Re:As of right now, they're up on a non-censored I by aztracker1 · 2011-05-12 08:30 · Score: 1

I've just been using http://torrentz.eu/ more myself.... Since TPB doesn't actually link to direct torrents anymore.

--
Michael J. Ryan - tracker1.info

AT&T Here by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 08:35 · Score: 0

Seems to be working fine for me, I am in Cleveland.

OH NOES! by toriver · 2011-05-12 08:38 · Score: 1

Now Comcast's customers must resort to one of the many other torrent trackers, or find the torrents using any number of general search engines like Google!

The fiends!

openDNS by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 08:44 · Score: 0

switch to using openDNS. IT will work fine then.

No problems in Seattle by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 08:58 · Score: 0

Here on comcast in Seattle the site pops right up, hopefully we won't be next

Pirate has lots of copletely reasonable torrents by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 09:20 · Score: 0

Put there by bands themselves, fed up with labels. Including people like fucking Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails).

Fucking stupid. USA, busily making China's censorship look legitimate.

THE SKY IS FALLING! by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 09:25 · Score: 0

I'm on Comcast connection right now, and I can access tpb just fine.

Back up by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 09:28 · Score: 0

I'm a Comcast user in the Midwest region. It was down earlier in the day for me, but is back up. Must have been a network issue.

Re:Back up by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 09:39 · Score: 0

Ditto. Just checked it. I am a Comcast subscriber in PA and it loads fine for me tonight.

Excellent! by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 09:34 · Score: 0

Now they have proven it is possible and their responsibility to block sites offering illegal content, are they liable for any illegal site they don't block?

Fixed by ToastedRhino · 2011-05-12 09:43 · Score: 1

For whatever it's worth it's working again now.

Global Crossing bug, not Comcast by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 09:59 · Score: 0

From the FA:

UPDATE: 5/12, 5:43 p.m. ET - PCWorld received an e-mail from Magma Hindenburg, CEO of Serious Tubes Networks, The Pirate Bay's upstream provider. "The issue was not Comcast blocking The Pirate Bay," Hindenburg wrote. "The problem was a routing error at Global Crossing. The problem has been resolved and all customers should be able to reach thepiratebay.org by now. No attempt to block or censor the site as been made."

Comcast SUCKS! by wallyh010 · 2011-05-12 10:10 · Score: 1

I just fired Comcast and switched to ATT U-Verse. Comcast SUCKS!

Comcast OK by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 10:11 · Score: 0

I'm on a comcast connection right now and I've got no problem connecting.

You should be using a proxy anyway by unassimilatible · 2011-05-12 10:41 · Score: 1

Connecting to TPB and the like without some sort of RIAA/MPAA/BSA countermeasures is just plain dumb. At least use PeerBlock. Better yet, get a proxy service, located in another country from your own. They are pretty cheap. Surprising that with so many security- and privacy-conscious people here, nobody has mentioned it.

Or steal your neighbor's WiFi at least. Then you can stand on your front lawn, shaking your head in disapproval with the other neighbors as he is carted away by the IP police. "Hmm...must be kiddie porn."

--
Slashdot "libertarians": Small government for me, big government for those I disagree with. -1, I disagree with you

Working for me by Joreallean · 2011-05-12 11:04 · Score: 1

I'm on Comcast in MN.

Works fine for me.

Re:Working for me by bigdonthedj · 2011-05-12 11:18 · Score: 1

I'm on Comcast in MN. Works fine for me.
Same here. Comcast in IN. Works just fine.

Works for me by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 11:12 · Score: 0

I can get to it just fine. I'm in the SF Bay Area.

Re:As of right now, they're up on a non-censored I by Colin+Douglas+Howell · 2011-05-12 11:35 · Score: 1

More importantly, Bitsavers, an archive or historical technical data,is down, and has been down for days. That site would be a major loss; they have copies of rare documents not available elsewhere. Anyone know what's going on there?

I have no idea on the cause for this outage, but Al Kossow, who founded and still runs bitsavers, is also the software curator for the Computer History Museum. Given their purpose, I'd imagine that any problem with bitsavers would be a high priority for them. I found a brief posting he made today on ba.broadcast.moderated, so it's not like he's out of commission or anything. Most likely it's just a technical problem which will eventually be cleared up.

I tried checking the classiccmp mailing list, which would be the most obvious place to discuss any bitsavers outage, but their site is currently down too. *headdesk*

Works for me in Oakland too ... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-12 12:10 · Score: 0

Maybe localized to the OP, I have not had any issues at all. In fact I'm D'Ling ubuntu netbook remix off it right now.

Re:As of right now, they're up on a non-censored I by Colin+Douglas+Howell · 2011-05-12 18:58 · Score: 1

Looks like both bitsavers and classiccmp are back. I can't see any obvious signs that the classiccmp lists ever discussed a bitsavers outage over the past two weeks, so whatever the problem was, they never noticed it.

I can sign on by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-13 01:13 · Score: 0

Comcast Biz Class in Miami can access TPB

The dems are still the better sock by rsilvergun · 2011-05-15 16:06 · Score: 1

because they have to at least PRETEND to be pro-labor & pro-middle class. The Republicans just say the magic of the free market will fix everything. Unfortunately, the Dems have complex answers to complex problems, and the Repubs have simple answers. The simple answers resonate better with voters. Americans hate elitism. Personal, I love elitism. I recognize that I'm a mediocre leader, economist and strategist at best. That might propel me to the top in my little neck 'o the woods, but it doesn't cut it when you're solving global economic crisis. I WANT elitists in charge. I want people better, smarter, and faster than me running things. Most Americans don't feel that way. They're honestly convinced they could run the country, and the only thing holding them back is they can't pencil it in around their kid's soccer practice. It's hard to say what frightens me most about American ignorance, but I think that'd make my top 5...

--
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/

Slashdot Mirror

No Pirate Bay for Comcast Customers

230 comments