Re: SOPA, Wikipedia, and dbpedia

On Jan 17, 2012, at 1:15 PM, M. Scott Marshall wrote:

> Hi Mischa,
> 
> I suspect that such a move would cause needless pain to Semantic Web
> researchers and be invisible to the U.S. Congress. I don't think that
> Semantic Web and other data sharing adherents that use dbpedia need to
> feel the pinch - they're already generally convinced of the threat of
> SOPA/PIPA (aren't they?).

Should be ;-)

But I would argue in favor of shutting down dbpedia alongside wikipedia. Of course it causes a little pain to researchers and administrators but that's inevitable with any kind of protest. And partly it's also the point of it: showing that you're indeed willing to sacrifice something to make your voice heard (although I wasn't planning to use it tomorrow anyway).
But more importantly I'm not involved in dbpedia in any practical way. Would be "their" decision to make. But I would certainly welcome it! (I would nearly go as far as saying: "that would make me proud in my role as a member of this community", but well - that maybe is a little over the top)

Thomas Lörtsch


> 
> -Scott
> 
> -- 
> M. Scott Marshall
> http://staff.science.uva.nl/~marshall
> 
> On Tue, Jan 17, 2012 at 12:58 PM, Mischa Tuffield <mischa@mmt.me.uk> wrote:
>> Hi All,
>> 
>> Following on from the news that the English Wikipedia is going dark in
>> opposition to the SOPA/PIPA tomorrow (2012-01-18) given the activity in the
>> US [1], I wonder whether we as the Semantic Web Community feel like we
>> should turn around and turn off dbpedia? What do people think? Wouldn't that
>> be a nice show of support to Wikipedia, dbpedia's parent project, I think so
>> ...
>> 
>> Obviously dbpedia doesn't have nearly as many users as Wikipedia, but
>> personally I feel it would be a nice show of support, to what is a massive
>> move from wikipedia. Poor students, what will they do tomorrow!
>> 
>> Mischa
>> 
>> [1] https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/English_Wikipedia_to_go_dark
>> _____________________________
>> Mischa Tuffield PhD
>> http://mmt.me.uk/
>> http://mmt.me.uk/foaf.rdf#mischa
>> 
>> 
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> 




°|´          
^^^    

failed states index 2011
http://www.fundforpeace.org/global/?q=fsi-grid2011

and, on a totally unrelated note:
"one can now watch BBC News 24 on the web, for example, raising the spectre of one being in the quantum ‘super-position’ of both watching and not watching TV at the same time"

Received on Tuesday, 17 January 2012 12:38:05 UTC