Success! SOPA and PIPA dropped by Congress
Posted by Miko23 January, 2012
By now, you would have likely heard of the SOPA and PIPA protests that went on all around the world (wide web) on January 18th. If you haven't, check out my last blog post for some background info.
Seems the world has succeeded! In one of the largest global protests which didn't require anyone's attendance anywhere - The Largest Online Protest in History - thousands of websites "blacked out" to raise awareness against SOPA and PIPA. To add to that, millions took the time to petition congress to oppose the bills. More stats here.
Image courtesy of Sopa Strike
Congress has dropped the bill after what's been dubbed an unexpected turn in the bill. The MPAA has been caught the most surprised, being quoted as considering SOPA a "Slam Dunk". Which really makes one question their initial intentions. But that's another blog post/rant.
Well done, Internet!
Google, Wikipedia and others protest SOPA
Posted by Miko18 January, 2012
If you're a regular internet-goer like me, you may have heard of a bill introduced last year to the US House of Representatives called House Bill 3261, or SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act).
Basically the act would allow the US Department of Justice, or copyright holders, to sue any site infringing on their copyrights. It'd stop that site from being listed anywhere on the internet (including search engines), and would technically hold any site sharing the original offender equally responsible. This'd mean that Internet superpowers like Google and YouTube would have to think (more than) twice about what they let you put up on their websites.
Image courtesy of Theoriesofconspiracy.comThe bill has support from many record companies, production studios, hollywood and more, to help in controlling the distribution of intellectual property by offshore parties. Regardless, it has been accused of violating the US's First Amendment, crippling the Internet, and threatening free speech world wide. Giants like Google, Wikipedia, Twitter and Reddit have announced that they will protest the bill, with Reddit and Wikipedia announcing blackouts on January 18th. Read more in this article from the Washington Post about the planned protests.
Let us know what you think about SOPA and PIPA. Don't know enough to make up your mind? Check out the SOPA wikipedia page for a bit of further reading. You might have some trouble in the next day or so, though.
How to pick a great designer
Posted by Emily19 December, 2011
Staying on top of your game in such a developing industry can sometimes be a task of its own. Looking through design blogs and searching for great inspiration for projects is one of the most exciting aspects of being a designer.
I recently came across a blog post explaining what constitutes a great designer and therefore what clients should be looking for when hiring someone for their design work.
We found it both interesting and encouraging to look through important points of the design process we already make a priority at Solutions Outsourced. Overall, a helpful tool to assess our own performance and for others to make educated decisions when choosing to get design work done...below is an overview of some of the more important things to consider.
Blog
- Success! SOPA and PIPA dropped by Congress
23 January, 2012
By now, you would have likely heard of the SOPA and PIPA protests that went on all around the world ( wide web ) on January 18th. If you haven't, check out my last blog post for some... [more]
- Google, Wikipedia and others protest SOPA
18 January, 2012
If you're a regular internet-goer like me, you may have heard of a bill introduced last year to the US House of Representatives called House Bill 3261, or SOPA ( Stop Online Piracy Act ).... [more]
- How to pick a great designer
19 December, 2011
Staying on top of your game in such a developing industry can sometimes be a task of its own. Looking through design blogs and searching for great inspiration for projects is one of the most... [more]
- Clean shaven once again! Movember over for another year...
2 December, 2011
If you've kept up with our Blog this year, you'll note that we've undertaken the Movember challenge again this year. There have been many of you who have donated towards the cause... [more]
- Solutions Moustached 2011 Week 4
29 November, 2011
The End is Nigh... And we're at the final stretch. Today is November 29th, meaning tomorrow is November 30th, which means three things: It's the last day to don your Moustache for the... [more]
- Solutions Moustached 2011 Week 3
23 November, 2011
So close, yet so far! We're continuing with our mo growth, they're looking much thicker and more voluminous now - we're at the stage where the moustaches of some of our less hairy... [more]