General News Thread

[purple_teardrops]

Should i assume that someone managed to take pictures of a black hole? Perhaps black holes have decided to go modern (oh, elegance avec decadance [i'm not referring to ten dances, btw]) and somehow managed to take their own selfies...

inb4 TYPE-HOLE

[Twelveseal]

We already have that. It's called Kiara.

[Raylen Cypher]

is smallville worth watching though?

Yes. Yes, it is.

[Twelveseal]

Actually, looking at that black hole pic, I think I understand why the universe seems to be made of suffering.

It's the Darksign. Or maybe the Joly Grail.

[Skull]

New species of ancient human discovered in the Philippines. Dubbed Homo luzonensis, the species is one of the most important finds that will be out in the coming years, one scientist predicts.

Fascinating stuff.

[SpoonyViking]

Indeed!

[34]

I wonder what's up with all these distinct Homo species in South East Asia

[Twelveseal]

So Julian Assange had his protected status in the Ecuadorian embassy in London revoked and was promptly arrested while still in the embassy. Extradition to the U.S. is expected over his hand in the Manning leaks.

[Mattias]

I guess he finally pissed them off too much. I remember stories from years ago about how fed up they were getting with him squatting in their embassy.

[purple_teardrops]

Guess this is what happens if you're truly a hero. Heroes get fucked all the time. Poor Assange. Let's hope that justice somehow manages to take shape.

[Dullahan]

It won't.

[RoydGolden]

Assange is like the embodiment of that phrase "you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain". Guy started out revealing important footage of the US bombing innocent civilians in Iraq, then ends up a likely rapist who helped the Russians get Donald Trump elected by leaking junk info on Hillary Clinton that did nothing but rile up sensationalistic gossip. Frankly, I don't see anything unjust about his fate.

[Tobias]

So Julian Assange had his protected status in the Ecuadorian embassy in London revoked and was promptly arrested while still in the embassy. Extradition to the U.S. is expected over his hand in the Manning leaks.

And nothing of value was lost

[asterism42]

I remember reading a piece written by someone who'd known him for several years and worked with Wikileaks that basically amounted to 'yeah, he's a dick'.

[Rockxas]

I guess he finally pissed them off too much. I remember stories from years ago about how fed up they were getting with him squatting in their embassy.

I remember reading a piece written by someone who'd known him for several years and worked with Wikileaks that basically amounted to 'yeah, he's a dick'.

I'm pretty sure the previous president kept him around hoping to get some use out of him, maybe as a deterrent of sorts through Wikileaks, but now that he's gone Assange is of no use to anyone so why keep him around you know?

[Deathhappens]

Quite frankly, he was already imprisoned inside the embassy, only with no prison term to mark off and no hope of parole or release. I don't know how he was as a person (and at this stage I would mistrust pretty much any source on that, as there are no doubt multiple information-manipulating entities interested in guiding people to the conclusions they want) but his actions in creating WikiLeaks were an inspiration to whistleblowers across the globe. Similarly, whatever fate befalls him will have far reaching echoes in the future.

Wait and see, I guess.

[Tobias]

In the embassy he got good food, his cat, conjugal visits, and the freedom from having the shit kicked out of him in gen. Pop.

[Twelveseal]

Not to mention free internet access. I don't usually have a problem with whistleblowers and leakers, but I draw the line at somebody dumping info that puts peoples' lives at risk. I do agree that this could set a bad precedent for freedom of the press and free speech, but the how and what of Assange's publication list, as well as who he seems to have partnered with in recent years, leaves me feeling slightly conflicted on that aspect of the situation.

[Deathhappens]

Not to mention free internet access. I don't usually have a problem with whistleblowers and leakers, but I draw the line at somebody dumping info that puts peoples' lives at risk. I do agree that this could set a bad precedent for freedom of the press and free speech, but the how and what of Assange's publication list, as well as who he seems to have partnered with in recent years, leaves me feeling slightly conflicted on that aspect of the situation.

Pretty much any info of that nature you release puts somebody's life at risk. That e-mail snooping system of the NSA? Would have thwarted six different terrorist attacks over the next ten years... but at the cost of the NSA having unchecked, unrestricted access to every US-based email server. That cyberworm that shut down half the Iranian nuclear program*? Potentially saved billions of lives and/or averted WW3, but also means that someone in the CIA or Mossad is sitting on a kill-switch for any factory they want to target. At what point do you draw the line?
I can say that I would probably not leak the identities of undercover agents in states and organisations where their discovery would mean certain death, but I'm also (thank God) not privy to half the information that Assange is.


*old news, but look up Stuxnet

[Twelveseal]

I get that. It was my understanding that the guy didn't redact personal information regarding members of the military chain of command in the 2010 infodump. Though, that said, I could be wrong. It's hard to separate fact, fiction, and rumor these days, and I can't even remember the source of my info on that part of it.

I guess you could say I view such a scenario as a reckless act. Perhaps well-intentioned and for some greater good, but still something that put people at risk when more effort on his part could have reduced or prevented it.