Reviews

In light of the upcoming Olympic Games in China, I’m reviewing China View.
I like the dedication behind that blog. No hype, just news. The kind of news that we don’t really get. It’s been introduced to me here a day after this thread has been started and it absolutely blows my mind how a government can suppress its population like this … and get away with it.
How Global CCP Resignation Statistics Are Calculated(1)
House Church Destroyed in Zhejiang
Tibetan poet’s blogs closed down
Lawyer’s 3rd open letter urge to stop the Brutality(10)
AI report 2006- China overview(8)
Index of special report
Telephone Messages(6)- Harvesting Organs in China
Top 10 posts of last month (July 2006)
Well-known lawyer Beaten and Detained in Beijing
Lawyer’s 3rd open letter urge to stop the Brutality(9)

Just look at the titles of the entries.
You will see story after story discussing major violations of human rights. Now the Olympic Games will be held over there, and I believe that this blog should be one of those that people get to see. It’s very depressing, yet very real.

Since Chinese people in China can’t just blog about anything they want, this blog is hosted by wordpress itself, good luck getting this one shut down.

I give this blog a 4, definitely worth reading and passing on. There are also some very good sites linked to on the right hand side, so if any of you want to get involved, the resources are all there.

– Mike Dammann
Blog Reviews

Little did the MPAA know about Shawn Hogan or what happened with Winn and Simms, when they demanded $2,500.00, then went down to $500.00 for him allegedly downloading a copy of “Meet the Fockers” illegally. Shawn declined saying that he didn’t do it, even owns the movie on DVD, isn’t willing to settle, and now they’re going to court. He is ready to spend well over $100k on his defence. Wired Magazine picked up the story and now it’s on its way to make national headlines as it is making international headlines already.

His entry about the article already caused 124 people to comment and many of them are offering to donate to his defense fund. He instead suggests to give money to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

Shawn Hogan has been the Founder and CEO of Digital Point Solutions since age 19 (he is now 30) and is also running one of the best webmaster forums out there.
His blog has never really lived up to its potential. There was a lot of good info, some random entertainment … a lot of everything and anything. But never anything like this.

I would have given it a 4 a week ago, but in light of the recent events that woke up the sleeping giant, I’m giving it a definite 5. A “must bookmark”! Should for any reason he not be allowed to publically disclose any info regarding the case, you can read the highlights on my blog under legal stuff or visit this thread on his forum.

As I have commented on his blog, all of the usage of the word hero (a word Shawn doesn’t feel fits), makes me think about the movie “Hero” starring “Meet the Fockers” Dustin Hoffman, a small time thief inconvenienced by a plane crashing right in front of him, and while bickering and complaining still decides to rescue everyone before it blows up. Andy Garcia’s character takes credit for it, achieves international fame, and journalist Geena Davis becomes his girlfriend. At the end, she finds out the truth and asks him:
“If everyone thinks of you as a hero, Mr. Bubber, how do you see yourself?”
to which he replies:
“I think we’re all heroes, if you catch us at the right moment.”

I totally believe in that line. And I’m very happy to see Shawn getting a challenge that he seems so well prepared to take. The amount of support he gets is amazing and justified as well. With a name like Hogan and considering the situation, good luck getting away from the “hero” label. Those who know him, are not surprised that he’s taking the stand that he is taking. Others will get to know him and what he stands for. What can you do? If you know of someone who has been wronged by the MPAA, you should contact him or his lawyers. If you want to donate or show your appreciation, do so to the EFF or Shawn’s server fundraiser (it’s for his forum which has helped countless webmasters including me).

Blog about it, talk about it … you can show your support in many ways. Support the alleged hero until your own time comes to be or show the hero that is in you and waiting for his own personal challenge and calling in life!

Mike Dammann

So I was looking for something totally silly, and silly I got. Asking on Digital Point, ViciousSummer has pointed out Daily Dancer as one of the funny blogs worth checking out. I don’t know why, he somehow reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite, you know? The cool dancing scene when he campaigned for “Pedro for President”.

As silly as it seems, this dude has a passion for what he’s doing. Maybe he just wants attention, but either way: it works. He also talks about other things in his life, like softball. As a part of his Circus Music Rocks bloggery. His “Donate for Dance Classes” button is a joke in itself. Ummm, no … I won’t, but if anyone will, bless their heart. I give the blog a 4. For passion. Using blogger, he is limiting himself, but like many bloggers who are not professional webmasters, he is most likely not aware of that, so I’ll cut him some slack. You can also enter your email to get notified whenever he posts. I did. Let’s see where he is going with all of this.

– Mike Dammann
Blog Reviews