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WordPress.com News

Have you been paying attention to all the hubbub online about the proposed U.S. legislation (SOPA/PIPA) that threatens internet freedom? I wrote about it last week over on WordPress.org, but the gist is this: there’s a bill in the U.S. Senate that if passed would put publishing freedom severely at risk, and could shut down entire sites at the whim of media companies. Fight for the Future created this nifty video to sum it up better than I can.

On January 18, 2012, sites all over the internet will be blacking out to protest and try to mobilize more people to speak out against this bill coming up in the Senate next week — S. 968: the Protect IP Act (PIPA) — in an attempt to let U.S. lawmakers know how much opposition there is. WordPress.org, Wikipedia, and even WordPress.com VIP I Can Has Cheezburger? will be participating in the blackout to…

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Giving Hulu Plus Another Show But Still Not Impressed

As you may have read, I was sucked into the world of Inuyasha recently. Well I finished all 167 episodes that where on Netflix and realized that the story was far from over. Apparently a second series called Inuyasha: The Final Act was made and it’s available for viewing on Hulu. Used to watching this series from the comfort of my couch facing the TV, I decided to give Hulu Plus another shot. Luckily for me, this particular show was available for TV browsing (you can see where this is going), because I soon found out that not much has changed since the last time I tried the 7-day trial of Hulu 1 or 2 years ago.

One of the things that still annoys me about Hulu Plus is that I still have to sit through commercials. It’s one thing to see Hulu for free on my browser and deal with commercials but to still go through this after paying for a subscription service is irksome. For that same price I get commercial-free service with Netflix. Also, as I mentioned in the last paragraph if somewhat indirectly, not everything that’s available to view online is available for TV or mobile viewing. I had to sit in front of my computer to watch the newest episode of 30 Rock because I couldn’t do it from my TV.

Speaking of commercials, there used to be just one commercial per break. They then made it to 2 when you don’t count the commercial telling you what’s available in their catalogue for instant-browsing (so really it’s 3 now). Currently they keep advertising the CW lineup. My curiosity was piqued and I decided to check out one of their shows, Hart of Dixie. One of the biggest selling points for Hulu Plus is that you get all the episodes of the current season of all their shows. Well that isn’t the case for any of the CW shows. All that advertising and not only do I not get the current season of Hart of Dixie but the episodes that are available for viewing aren’t even in order, so obviously, I’ll just wait for this show to be available on Netflix a year or so from now (if I still remember or care to bother by that time).

I’m glad that I got to wrap up the tale of Inuyasha from the comfort of my couch; however, in hindsight, I should of just saved my $7.99 and watched those episodes on my browser. Most of the shows in my Hulu queue have to be watched like that anyway. What’s one more?

Giving My iPhone A Makeover With Mahogany Wood Skin

For many months I was debating about replacing the back of my iPhone with a bamboo back from JackBacks but the price range and the risk of messing up my phone kept me on the fence. I was then debating between bamboo cases from Grove and Fun Panda but they seemed too bulky and like they wouldn’t really protect my phone as good as a regular plastic with silicon/rubber would. I finally decided to look at some skins to complement an Apple bumper and I happen to come across SlickWraps.

I noticed their wood series and loved the look of the Mahogany skin. I was sold when I read that it was real wood veneer and not just a sticker drawn/painted to look like wood.  Within a week I got my new wrap and immediately installed it. I’m pretty pleased with the results what do you think?

This blurry picture doesn’t do it justice but you get the idea

A much better picture. Looks pretty good, right?

I like how it gives my phone a retro 70’s wood-panelling/steam-punk look and feel. Anyway, if you’re compelled to get a similar skin like this by all means check out SlickWraps. Giving my phone a new look has definitely sated my I-need-a-new-phone-itch (for the remainder of my contract at least).

My Current Favorite Games On My iPhone

I consider myself a casual gamer and as such I easily get tired of games after a while. Which is why I rarely buy them because then I feel like it was money that would’ve been better spent. Somehow Zynga found a way to make games that have me come back over and over again. I think the crucial element in their games are the fact that they are interactive and you can play them at your leisure. The current Zynga games that I can’t get enough of are:

Words With Friends

This game is a version of Scrabble.

Hanging With Friends

This game is a version of Hangman with a twist. You’re represented by an avatar that’s suspended over a volcano with balloons. Every time you lose a round you loser a balloon. The loser loses all their balloons and plummets into the lava.

Scramble

This game is a version of Boggle. For some reason I never got into this game in my youth but I can’t get enough of this now.

These games are easy to play, have fun animation and you look forward to your next turn. I can’t get enough of them anyway, What are your current favorite games?

In Other Web Browser News…

Google just punished itself for going against its own guidelines when they paid a blog post for flattery and linking to its Google Chrome page. Now if you search “browser” on google you get just about every other browser but Chrome at the very top. Last I checked Firefox was at the top. So there’s some good news and karma going Mozilla’s way and my guilt is somewhat alleviated.  Click the link to get the video news from Mashable to hear more.