alis.me

Image: You Will Never Kill Piracy, and Piracy Will Never Kill You - Forbes.

Of course, we already have a variety of “Movie Steam”-style servies — iTunes Store, Netflix, Hulu, etc. — but the problem at the moment is that none of them quite compare to the ease-of-use of piracy. Or are, yanno. Available where I live.

Oh, and true story: I have not pirated a single game since I actually started using Steam. I used to be a huge pirater of games, mostly due to the outrageous cost of physical boxes here (~$80-110). If I wasn’t 100% sure of a game, or knew I’d only be playing it for a little while, I’d pirate it. I didn’t take very many risks in what I actually bought.

Enter Steam, and now I purchase everything. Sometimes on sale, but frequently not. I never have to worry about CD keys or losing physical media or reinstallations when I change PCs, either. Steam just works, in a way that’s easier than both physical box copies and piracy.

Sure, Steam’s not perfect, but it’s Good Enough. (Not to mention the risk of malware is significantly less, despite what Avast! likes to tell me.)

Would I use a service similar to Steam to watch movies and TV series? Damn right I would. I’d install that shit on every computer, mobile device, and TV (which, to be fair, are also computers with bigger screens and XBMC installed) in my house.

Link: Guest Post: A Doctor on Transvaginal Ultrasounds – Whatever.

One problem: If obtaining an abortion is predicated on getting state-raped, and doctors opt-out, it means (drumroll) people don’t get abortions.

This is the true insidiousness of “laws” like this; not only are they designed to shame and debase and coerce the pregnant persons involved, but they rely on doctors not wanting to — and, in fact, ethically and professionally not being allowed to — be the instruments of such vileness, either. The net result is the same either way: Reproductive autonomy vanishes and The Bad Guys Win.

There is no victory in this situation. That’s what makes it so evil.

Link: Learned Helplessness: A Cage Called Harassment | Apple Cider Mage.

TW at the link for harassment, stalking and all associated nastiness.

I’ve had this too, albeit not nearly on this scale. Honestly, I’d almost be surprised to encounter a woman — online or off — who hasn’t.

Behaviour like this is not okay. The environment that pretends that it is — that women are “asking for it”, that it’s just “the Internet” or just “boys being boys”, whatever — is called rape culture and it needs to stop. Yesterday. It needs to stop so yesterday it never even fucking happened in the first place, that’s how much this enabling bullshit culture needs to stop.

We stop it when brave people like Cider reach a point where they can talk about it, and we stop it when all the other people who aren’t yet at that point (and might never be) read about it and realise they’re not alone.

We stop it by calling it out when we see it, even if that makes us targets. Especially then, if we can (sometimes we can’t, and that needs to stop too). Don’t be That Guy. Don’t associate with That Guy. If you know That Guy, make it loud and fucking clear to him the reason he’s off your birthday party invite is because he is, in fact, That Guy. Isolate the fuck out of That Guy, because he is scum and he needs to know it, and so does anyone he might target in future.

We stop it by helping each other, even in small ways. I’ll help. You don’t know me, maybe, but I’ll help. Or do my best to, in whatever way I can.

Because this shit is not okay. And it needs to stop.

And the only people who are going to stop it?

Are us.