It’s been a couple weeks…but the Friday Roundup is back. Ready?

• Wired: The right-wing hater machine gunning for Obama Larry Lessig? [Also at AT] Why won’t they just let Jesus be fabulous?
  
• LAist: Headline I’ve been waiting my whole life to read - Justine Bateman, ‘Drunk College Students’ Team Up to Save the Internet.
• So, this exists: Committee to Protect Bloggers.
• Ars Technica: Canada is not immune!
• Edge (Boston): Landmark Canadian gay bookstore going up for sale.
• BusinessWeek: Does she look like a music pirate? [via]
• Save The Internet: “Piracy” = smoke screen.

And additionally, out of my own excitement, Michael Zimmer is joining the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies, where I am currently a graduate student. He had some pretty rad things to say about it…

Happy Weekending!

Kay Steiger on Beggars Can Be Choosers’ lament on the lack of protest music in today’s climate.

Like Kay, I think BCBC’s rant is a little shortsighted. So, I’ll tack a couple of other artists onto Kay’s nice summary:

• Steve Earle keeps the old school protestin’ torch alight, for sure.
• Immortal Technique might have the most biting lyrics of them all, “cuz Condoleeza Rice is just a new age Sally Hemmings.”
• Tom Morello or Bright Eyes, maybe?
• The Rolling Stones even got in on the act as recently as 2005.
• And, uh, Pearl Jam. Duh.

Add onto this list in the comments!

Join the Anti-Advertising Agency in their campaign against…advertising. [via]

“I had an abortion” t-shirt followup? “I was raped.” [via]

Kay Steiger, blogger over at Campus Progress and one-time friend-in-real-life, on the anti-war groups suing for the right to protest the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul this year.

(more…)

A brief collection of items we almost missed while frantically sifting through the bargain bin of IF related stories this week:

• Network World: India to Blackberry - give it up or get out! (God, it feels like prom all over again.)
• Reuters UK/Ars Technica: Syria and Tim Couch should be friends. Sure, this guy can come, too.
• Zero Paid: It’s hard out there for a pimp activist. Yeah, not so much for pimps these days.
• Bianet: US (big pot) calls Turkey (little kettle) oppressive (black).
• Reuters: Cuba lifts ban on DVD and computer sales. Though not on air conditioners, so watch for legions of Cubans sweating their balls off while catching up on the final two seasons of The Twilight Zone.
• NYT Blogs: The Internet Traffic Challenge: The Policy Dimension.
• HuffPo: Tragic headline, decent article.

That about wraps it up for me. I know I’ve totally ignored the OK Go goes to Washington thing this week, but I’ve got something in the works. In the meantime, pacify yourself by watching their treadmill video on YouTube for like the billionth time.

While you do that, I’m going to go catch up on Lost.

Happy weekending!

It’s Online Free Expression Day, presented by Reporters Without Borders. (And, in a cowardly move, not supported by UNESCO.)

Stop by their website and take part in the (totally awesome looking) cyber-demonstration. sd&if is headed over there right now. Look for us throwing out our support for imprisoned independent librarians in Cuba (you know, doing what the ALA doesn’t have the balls to do).

Then we’re gonna go see if Sarah Lacy wants to talk to us about it. We’ll talk back, Sarah! We promise!

Fight the Power: Cyber-Rebels spread news in Cuba.

Viva Technology!

Original image here.

We recently told you about accusations that Comcast packed their “public” hearing with set-fillers and other disinterested folk in order to keep the anxious general public out of the public hearing held by the FCC on Monday. (SaveTheInternet.com has a nice blocked-out account here.)

Now the FCC might be considering a redo. And this time around it might be at Stanford - Lawrence Lessig’s homebase.

If anyone can make Comcast cry “uncle”…