To all US gamers

[Leeko]

On a related note, has anyone heard of ACTA? It's kind of disgusting. Below I've quoted a choice passage for anyone who thinks the wikipedia page is TL;DR.

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has published "Speak out against ACTA", stating that the ACTA threatens free software by creating a culture "in which the freedom that is required to produce free software is seen as dangerous and threatening rather than creative, innovative, and exciting."[49]  ACTA would also require that existing ISP no longer host free software that can access copyrighted media; this would substantially affect many sites that offer free software or host software projects such as SourceForge. Specifically the FSF argues that ACTA will make it more difficult and expensive to distribute free software via file sharing and P2P technologies like BitTorrent, which are currently used to distribute large amounts of free software. The FSF also argues that ACTA will make it harder for users of free operating systems to play non-free media because DRM protected media would not be legally playable with free software.[49]

Even more TL;DR version: The internet will no longer be a censorship-free place of safe anonymity, people who seed torrents will be arrested, and Linux users won't be able to use non-free software.

The worst part is that it circumvents due process of law in the countries concerned, since the negotiations are being done behind closed doors.

[Alexander]

United States

Both the Obama administration and the Bush administration had rejected requests to make the text of ACTA public, with the White House saying that disclosure would cause "damage to the national security."

The USA looks more and more like China every year. 

Of course the sad thing is those bimbling idiots in Belgium are actually entertaining this ridiculous proposal - there must be some heavy pocket-lining going on =/

[Zaro27]

On a related note, has anyone heard of ACTA? It's kind of disgusting. Below I've quoted a choice passage for anyone who thinks the wikipedia page is TL;DR.

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has published "Speak out against ACTA", stating that the ACTA threatens free software by creating a culture "in which the freedom that is required to produce free software is seen as dangerous and threatening rather than creative, innovative, and exciting."[49]  ACTA would also require that existing ISP no longer host free software that can access copyrighted media; this would substantially affect many sites that offer free software or host software projects such as SourceForge. Specifically the FSF argues that ACTA will make it more difficult and expensive to distribute free software via file sharing and P2P technologies like BitTorrent, which are currently used to distribute large amounts of free software. The FSF also argues that ACTA will make it harder for users of free operating systems to play non-free media because DRM protected media would not be legally playable with free software.[49]

Even more TL;DR version: The internet will no longer be a censorship-free place of safe anonymity, people who seed torrents will be arrested, and Linux users won't be able to use non-free software.

The worst part is that it circumvents due process of law in the countries concerned, since the negotiations are being done behind closed doors.

About that whole seeding thing...

A family member has recently become a member of a special task force formed to combat any and all copyright infringement/piracy related actions in my area. My area is the first in the nation, but it will soon spread to other parts as well. There was talk about using a backdoor into the P2P networks to monitor data exchange and generally spy on P2P users. Once found, the P2Per would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

[=KoS= Eldragon]

A family member has recently become a member of a special task force formed to combat any and all copyright infringement/piracy related actions in my area.

You know, if any member of my relations held such a job, I would do my best to make them quit... and/or catch them in act of copyright infringement and point out their hypocrisy. Singing in the shower? COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT!

[Scruffe]

ACTA.... is that like Gangsta??  

on a serious note though i find this to be an appalling breach of the U.N charter of rights and cant see the U.N letting it fly free without a fight.

[Colonel Drego]

if I ever get to shoot one of those I wanna make sure I've got slugs to shoot and see what happens, lol.  I've fired off a few slugs, they're wicked awesome.  Kick like a mofo, but they're like a small artillery round    one of the coolest rounds I've heard, yes, heard, sounds bloody awesome.

I actually use magnum slugs when I go to the range with the Saiga. Without hearing protection you won't be hearing anything at all after the first shot with this thing.