The
µTechnician 192.138.137.14
January 18, 2012
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Volume 108
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Issue 2
The Day the Internet Died
Wikipedia, Other Sites go Black By Matthew White Assistant Editor The United States House of Representatives and the Senate are currently considering two bills that would alter the foundation of the Internet in the name of intellectual property rights. The two bills, House Bill 3261, the “Stop Online Privacy Act,” and Senate Bill 968, the “Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011,” both implemented measures on Internet Service Providers (isps) that would force them to alter the Domain Name System, a central underpinning of the Internet. They were recently rewritten after a bevy of complaints
from Internet users, technical experts, and even the President. The Domain Name System (often referred to as dns) is akin to a large phone book. Whenever a user types in a web site address like www.google.com, the computer has to request an Internet Protocol address for the server that hosts the site. This information comes from a dns server. The server returns a string of numbers like 74.125.225.48, and the computer then uses that information to retrieve the web page. The provisions of the law would have forced isps to change the ip address to which those domain names resolve, destroying the inherent web of trust the Internet relies on for its operation. Similar government regulations implemented elsewhere, like those in Pakistan in 2008, actually took down portions of the Internet across the world.
Although supporters of the two bills have backpedaled under pressure from users and experts, they are still very much active in the respective legislative bodies. In response, Internet communities have rallied to support opposition to the bill. Large supporters of the movement include Reddit and Wikipedia. In a letter to the Internet community, the Wikimedia Foundation described the action as bold, but necessary due to the affront to the freedom of speech. Even Google, the Internet giant, voiced its support for the movement by placing a link on its typically-pristine home page. The sites hope that this concerted effort will force lawmakers to reconsider their decision.
A Look Ahead… 18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
6:30 pm – Open Source lan Party
9:00 pm – Dance Club
12:20 pm – Technician Meeting
Cribathon Lounge
Bj’s Lounge
3rd floor cc
8:30 pm – Cru
7:00 pm – Capture the Flag
Bj’s Lounge
Cribathon Lounge
January, 18 2011
Page 2
The µTechnician
Entertainment xkcd #349
Want to Win $100?
“Success” courtesy of xkcd.com
By Erin Boyse Staff Writer
Then participate in the Innovation Quest Challenge this Thursday! All you have to do is show up in the Great Court at 12:30 with a team of 2-3 people and your thinking cap. Then build the tallest tower using only spaghetti (uncooked, of course) and marshmallows. Faculty and staff are welcome to participate as well. You have a halfhour, and the tallest tower wins $100. That’s it; no fine print. So why not spend some time Thursday having fun and maybe even becoming a little richer in the process?
40% of Openbsd installs lead to shark attacks. It's their only standing security issue.
… One Week at a Time 21 – 22 Saturday & Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
Sat. 1:00 pm – Swe Luncheon
12:20 pm – Technician Meeting
9:00 pm – Chess Club
Room A
3 floor cc rd
12:20 pm – ΑΦ Cardiac Care Week
Great Court
cc 5200