Yes, I’m one of those liberal tech geeks who want to, oh, um..like, keep the Internet FREE! What I mean by free is free from old media run by the Motional Picture Industry Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America, who want to have the right to shut down any website they deem is infringing on their content without due process. That’s like given M&M/Mars the right to shut down every 7-11 in America just because a few 3rd-graders stole a couple of candy bars. Then, 7-11 would have to prove they can prevent all 3rd-graders from stealing M&Ms, before they can open the doors again. How silly would that be?

So, if you like your Google, WikiPedia, YouTube, SoundCloud, or any other service for that matter, which provides a vehicle for free artistic expression, then you’ll call you Senator or Congressperson and tell them you’re certainly against piracy, but not at the expense of taking your liberties away! Many of these sites have gone dark or are taking a stand today against government regulation, which will stifle innovation.

Here’s a quick video on how this all works and why you should be outraged that a few big media companies and their industry organizations are trying to regulate the Internet and block you from using services like Facebook and Twitter, which if passed, could be shut down without due process. This is like saying that you’re guilty until proven innocent. That’s not the America I grew up. I hope that’s not the one you want your kids to grow up in. We might as well move to China or Russia and let the powerful control the powerless.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here are photos from the The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl at the Nasher Musuem of Art, a contemporary art museum on the campus of Duke University. While the exhibit was closed to photographers, I was able to take these shots of a few works displayed in the public atrium, as well as pictures of people listening to collections curated by featured artists on turntables and with headphones located in the atrium as well.

[poll id="3"]

Find the Nasher Museum of Art using the Google Map below.

[wp_geo_map]

See larger image The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl (Paperback) List Price: $45.00 USD New From: $28.85 In Stock Used from: $19.95 In Stock

I snapped this neat NYC transit inspired piece on the 5 train to Brooklyn. The artist is Phillipe Lechien. It’s an amazingly detailed piece that captures both the close proximity of urban living and slices of daily living in the city interconnected by transit. Such a fun portrait of NYC.