Today we stand with the rest of the internet to raise our voice and note that the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) And the Protect-IP Act (PIPA) are both extremely flawed legislation that would cripple, censor, and diminish the internet as we know it.

Make your voice heard, speak up, call your congressional representatives, and let them know they must not support these bills.

For more information on SOPA and PIPA, head over to Lifehacker here:

[ Lifehacker :: All About PIPA and SOPA, the Bills That Want to Censor Your Internet ]

This gorgeous Skyrim timelapse comes to us thanks to @wrenthereaper, and his viral Skyrim timelapse that’s been features on sites like Dorkly and How-To Geek, the latter of the two being where I stumbled on it.

Now I’ll be honest right now – I haven’t played Skyrim. I’m waiting for the holidays, going to try and catch the game as part of a Steam sale possibly, but I’ve been really enjoying everyone else’s stories about it so far. This video, on the other hand, was the closest I’ve come to actually breaking down and buying the game just to experience all of this myself. Check it out – the video’s below.

[ YouTube :: Oh Gorgeous Skyrim ]

MattD, over at TechGrid, has had his home office shown on web sites far and wide. In fact, it’s likely you recognize the shot above, from the second iteration of his home office, the one that got so much publicity on the web when he unveiled it back in 2007. Back then, rumors flew about who the owner was and what he did for a living that he could afford so much high-end gear in a home office, and what he did for a living that necessitated it.

While we still don’t know much about Matt’s life beyond TechGrid, we do know that he hasn’t stopped working on his home office, and in the most recent iteration, he’s put in some new flooring and furniture and paid attention to a part of the room that means a lot to me: his DJ nook, complete with audio gear and turntables, and some really awesome posters on the wall (all three of which I would love to have in my home!)

Head on over to TechGrid to see the latest evolution of his home office, and then start planning how you’ll up the ante with your own home workspace, if you have one!

[ TechGrid :: Evolution of the Ultimate Home Office ]

If you have more than a little cash to spend, or more likely you’re just eagerly checking out cool and fun items on the internet that you wish you could add to your holiday wish lists, check out this list of nine items that will thrill the sci-fi fan and futurist in you from Wired.

From the gorgeous brush above that will work with any capacitive touch screen to a full-on DeLorean, the list is chock full of items–some attainable and others not–that I’d happily welcome under my tree come Christmas morning. I’m a big fan of the caffeinated Aeroshots that look like shotgun shells. I’m going to have to get some of those.

[ Gifts from the Future: Nine Items That’ll Take You to Tomorrow ]

Now that Google+ is open to the public (and you can add me to your circles here by the way,) some of the first people who have joined are the people eager for an alternative to Facebook. Obviously, the first few people on the network were the geeks and techies who wanted first access to assess it for features and usability so they would write about it, tell the world, and use it for themselves. I was more than happily one of those people – after all, it’s my duty to tell others about it, right?

Well, after that, the next few people to sign on were people who were desperately looking for an alternative to Facebook either because they have issues with Facebook and it’s privacy policies, dislike the way Facebook handles data, have had it up to here with Facebook’s design changes, or they dislike Facebook for some other reason. Naturally those people tend to be vocal about their dissent and departure. What’s been unexpected though in the past few weeks and months has been exactly how vocal Facebook users on the other hand have been defending their platform against anyone perceived as a threat. While Twitter users don’t seem to have much problem talking about Facebook or Google+, and Google+ users tend to look at Facebook with a little disdain but prefer to speak instead of the merits of Google+ as opposed to denigrating Facebook, Facebook users actively dislike any mention of Google+, and will go out of their way to be vocal about it, even if it’s mentioned in passing. What I don’t understand is why.

Part of writing for a site like Lifehacker is that I have the opportunity to see and cover a lot of these sites and services first-hand, before a lot of other people sign on. While much of the other media are obsessing over traffic numbers and who’s using Google+ this week versus who’s using Facebook this week, I have the privilege of writing for an outlet that discusses the best tools to manage and use those tools–without the ridiculous need to obsess over whose traffic numbers are up this week or how some new feature has impacted overall utilization. So whenever I’ve written about a new utility or tool that helps users make the most of Google+, and then posted that article to our Facebook page, I’ve seen the assault begin. Facebook users are incredibly hateful and spiteful of Google+.

I can understand rallying to your favorite platform’s defense when you feel it’s under attack by an outsider that you dislike, but this rises to a different level that I think we haven’t seen in a long time. To point, when I wrote Facebook Is Tracking Your Every Move on the Web; Here’s How to Stop It for Lifehacker, and subsequently posted the article to our Facebook page, the first series of comments were a bombardment of how some people “didn’t care about privacy” and instead chose to deflect the issue onto other companies with comments like “Yeah well Google does the same thing” (not true) and “I don’t mind targeted ads” (irrelevant to the topic of the article.)

It’s clear that – even without reading the piece to form a critical response to it – many people immediately saw their favorite or preferred social network under some kind of assault, and rallied to its defense. These same people take the same stance whenever a browser extension for Google+ is mentioned, or a utility that allows them to cross-post between Facebook and Google+. With no regard for the tool or the story, their commentary immediately shifts to the defensive, implying anyone would be a fool to use anything but Facebook, and heralding the demise of any opposition, like Google+. I noticed a similar response from people when Diaspora made its first appearance, but on a smaller scale. It’s likely that Google gets such a visceral response because it’s a larger company with name recognition and a number of products that already have their fingers in people’s lives.

Much of this may have to do with the notion that individuals often unfortunately conflate their preference in brand and brand choices with their own self-image and self-identity, a horrible side-effect of living in a consumer age. Ars Technica does a great job of reporting the study findings and what it means for the majority of us, who do have brand preferences. Personally, I wish everyone would take a step back and consider their brand preferences and consciously separate them from their personal identities (after all, it would mean the end of all iPhone versus Android flame wars on the internet,) but I doubt most people will ever do such a thing.

Unfortunately I don’t think the web in general – or most of its most vocal denizens at sites like Facebook – are mature enough to address issues on their real merits: as with any large commons, small groups are capable of intelligent, self-moderated discussions, while large groups eventually devolve into massive, unwieldy shouting matches where only the loudest and most arrogant voices are heard, and the softer, more temperate individuals choose to keep their mouths closed because they know they’ll either not be heard or they’ll be shouted down. Unfortunately, I think this, in and of itself, is one of Facebook’s core weaknesses – it’s gotten too big to be actually meaningful in any real way aside from the small communities that people assemble with their friends, and the platform’s approach to how people build those communities is so focused on adding more people and sharing more information that those conversations are devalued. I also think that’s what draws people so much to Google+, a service which puts prime consideration on those communities and the discussions they have with one another.

Still, Facebook’s platform is good – it wouldn’t have attracted over 800 million users otherwise. At the same time though, that doesn’t explain the aggressiveness of its users. The only thing I can think of is that Facebook – like Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and virtually every other consumer technology brand – has grown to a name or product that people that people identify with so strongly that they’re willing to prize those brands over other human brings, and attack other people over those brands.

Most people would say that competition in a marketplace is generally a good thing, especially when they’re on the outside of a brand rivalry. Inside one of those rivalries, however, the rules seem to change drastically, and it’s worrysome.

Right now the cables on my desk are driving me nuts. Well – it’s not that bad, but they’re definitely untamed, and I’m looking for ways to get them under control. Part of it is that I just moved my desk around and rearranged everything, but there’s plenty of room for improvement, and GigaOm has a great list of gadgets and gear that I could use to get things on my desk under control (or I could just go wireless, but that’s a different matter entirely.)

AppleCores, shown above, do wonders for helping spool and manage your cables and keep them on your desk where you can actually use the slack and unspool it when needed. There are also Cordies Cable Organizers, from Thinkgeek, which also do a great job of keeping your charging cables and USB cables and such organized and not falling off the back of your desk.

The GigaOm article highlights some other great charging stations and stands for your iPhone or iPad, but some of the cable organization are the best, in my book. Head on over to see all of them!

[ GigaOm :: 11 Gadgets to Organize Your Workspace ]

Back in August, Scott Hanselman wrote an excellent post at his blog that I’ve been taking my sweet time digesting: titled I’m a Phony, Are You? in the best possible sense, Hanselman points out that sometimes it’s the people with the most ability that underestimate their own capabilities: people who are living the life that other people dream of who are quickest to minimize what they do. It very well may be instrumental in the reason why we’re so chronically unhappy, even if we get the things we’ve always desired. Here’s one interesting point:

I used to speak Spanish really well and I still study Zulu with my wife but I spoke to a native Spanish speaker today and realize I’m lucky if I can order a burrito. I’ve all but forgotten my years of Amharic. My Arabic, Hindi and Chinese have atrophied into catch phrases at this point. What a phony. (Clarification: This one is not intended as a humblebrag. I was a linguist and languages were part of my identity and I’m losing that and it makes me sad.)

But here’s the thing. We all feel like phonies sometimes. We are all phonies. That’s how we grow. We get into situations that are just a little more than we can handle, or we get in a little over our heads. Then we can handle them, and we aren’t phonies, and we move on to the next challenge.

…

I got an email from a podcast listener a few years ago. I remembered it when writing this post, found it in the archives and I’m including some of it here with emphasis mine.

I am a regular listener to your podcast and have great respect for you. With that in mind, I was quite shocked to hear you say on a recent podcast, “Everyone is lucky to have a job” and apply that you include yourself in this sentiment.

I have heard developers much lesser than your stature indicate a much more healthy (and accurate) attitude that they feel they are good enough that they can get a job whenever they want and so it’s not worth letting their current job cause them stress. Do you seriously think that you would have a hard time getting a job or for that matter starting your own business? If you do, you have a self-image problem that you should seriously get help with.

But it’s actually not you I’m really concerned about… it’s your influence on your listeners. If they hear that you are worried about their job, they may be influenced to feel that surely they should be worried.

I really appreciated what this listener said and emailed him so. Perhaps my attitude is a Western Cultural thing, or a uniquely American one. I’d be interested in what you think, Dear Non-US Reader. I maintain that most of us feel this way sometimes. Perhaps we’re unable to admit it. When I see programmers with blog titles like “I’m a freaking ninja” or “bad ass world’s greatest programmer” I honestly wonder if they are delusional or psychotic. Maybe they just aren’t very humble.

I stand by my original statement that I feel like a phony sometimes. Sometimes I joke, “Hey, it’s a good day, my badge still works” or I answer “How are you?” with “I’m still working.” I do that because it’s true. I’m happy to have a job, while I could certainly work somewhere else. Do I need to work at Microsoft? Of course not. I could probably work anywhere if I put my mind to it, even the IT department at Little Debbie Snack Cakes. I use insecurity as a motivator to achieve and continue teaching.

Goodness this rings true. When I was working in an office, people would ask me how I’m doing – especially on those days when I looked stressed, and I would reply “I’ve had better jobs,” and revel in the grin they would give me, expecting me to say “I’ve had better days,” but the twist gave them something to laugh about. At the same time, I definitely know those days where I’m just grateful to have work, or grateful to wake up, much less take too much joy in what I’m doing.

Still, that’s only part of the story, and part of what Hanselman is saying: a lot of us teach things they we’re passionate about and are forced to learn the lessons that we’re teaching others. I write for Lifehacker, one of the most widely read sites on the Web, and yet I still think I have a lot to learn, both from our commenters and from my colleagues. While it’s certainly true and it’s definitely me being humble, I still have a hard time taking compliments from those colleagues and look up to them like rockstars – which I don’t feel bad about, but I have a hard time considering myself a rockstar too. Just last week, I had a really difficult time begging my Editor-in-Chief to include me on our masthead as an actual member of the team, instead coming up with reason after reason why I shouldn’t be a bother or I shouldn’t nag.

We’re all phonies – and I think that we definitely need to come to terms with the fact – but we also need to make sure we’re aware of it and not let it keep us down, or keep us from being aware of how long our arms are. Otherwise we’ll never reach as far as we can or tap into our real potential.

[ Soctt Hanselman :: I'm a Phony, Are You? ]

I can hardly believe that I let the 45th anniversary of Star Trek go unmentioned here, but as you can tell, I’ve been pretty busy at Lifehacker. Still, this infographic crossed my desk a while back and I still adore it – so much so that I wanted to post it anyway, especially for other Star Trek fans out there who find themselves missing the franchise, or missing Gene Roddenberry himself.

I know, I know, there’s been a reboot, it was a good action flick, but honestly, it didn’t feel or seem at all like a Star Trek movie. I could wax rhapsodic about my criticisms over the Star Trek movie, but I think they’re aligned pretty well with the reboot movie’s Wikipedia article. That said though, I take solace in the fact that both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are both on Netflix streaming and thus available to me instantly.

So it’s with nostalgic eyes that I looked this infographic over, and a little optimism for the future. You never know, Star Trek as a franchise is part of our global consciousness, and I think it always will be. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes from here.

[ Space.com :: The Evolution of Star Trek via The How-To Geek ]

Over at Mashable there’s an excellent walkthrough of Boeing’s newest and hottest passenger aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, and all of its gorgeous interior features that are designed to make passenger air travel more comfortable, less tiring, and more fun than it’s ever been. Make no mistake, the aircraft is utterly gorgeous and I have no doubt in my mind that the aircraft itself is wonderfully built with comfort and smart design in mind with smart design choices from the lighting to the windows–all points that are outlined in the article–but I have my doubts that even the Dreamliner will be able to make flying fun again.

Before we get into why, here’s some more info about the jet. For starters, there’s some great news about the cabin air; something that’s a number one complaint for a lot of flyers:

The 787′s lighter, composite fuselage design means the plane’s pressurization can be changed with no concerns about weight impact.

From a practical point, the 787′s lower pressure cabin should mean a more pleasant flying environment and around 8% more oxygen absorption. This is good news for anyone who suffers from headaches, dizziness, nausea and fatigue when flying.

In addition, the air in a 787 is “cleaner” than other commercial planes. Fresh air comes from “air scoops,” rather than via the engines. In addition to HEPA filtration, the 787 also employs a gaseous filtration system, reducing irritants even further.

Now that’s something I’m thrilled with. It’s never any fun being stuck in an airplane breathing stale, highly pressurized air that you know is being circulated through everyone else’s nostrils and that smells vaguely like jet fuel. The 787 Dreamliner’s vaulted ceilings and bigger windows don’t hurt things at all – they all make the jet more fun to be on and more open and comfortable once you’re on board.

That is, provided that airlines and government officials are willing to let the jet stay that way, and to smooth over the passenger’s experience getting to their flight. As it stands right now, the biggest problem with air travel is the fact that it’s so painful to get into the airport, through security, and to your flight that people just don’t want to do it anymore. If you do it regularly for business or out of necessity you quickly grow an immunity to it, but that doesn’t make it much easier. The rigor and fear surrounding the security theater of TSA checkpoints in the United States at least still makes for an incredibly unpleasant pre-flight experience, one that airlines and airports do little to alleviate once you’re through security and on your way to your gate or terminal.

Then, to make matters worse, the airlines will surely take all of the wonderful technological improvements in the Dreamliner and scrap them all in favor of packing in as many passengers as humanly possible with little to no regard for the design and comfort that Boeing engineers put into their work. The beautiful seating arrangements and wide on-deck desks that you see in the concept art at Mashable will likely be replaced with rows upon rows upon rows of seats that airlines can shamelessly overbook and pack people into so tightly that the only admiration they’ll have for the vaulted ceiling is when they look up to see it – mostly because they’ll have passengers less than 6 inches to their sides, a headrest immediately behind them, and the next passenger’s seat a few feet from their face.

Still, I can only hope that some of the improvements that Boeing has made to the Dreamliner make their way into the commercial versions of the jets. There’s a big difference between the concept jets and the first-flight jets that are carefully built to showcase the technology and design of the manufacturer and the final commercial products ordered (and heavily tweaked) by airlines. The question isn’t really whether the Dreamliner can make flying fun again, but whether the airlines will allow it to do so.

[ Mashable :: Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Can a High-Tech Jet Make Flying Enjoyable Again? ]

Every now and again you stumble on an explainer that walks you through a fundamental question in such great and interesting detail that it’s compelling to read. In this case, it’s all about why we can’t drink seawater – why people have died of thirst at sea, and how harmful it is exactly if you did decide to drink seawater to quench your thirst. There’s a reason why everyone seems to understand that you shouldn’t drink seawater and that it’ll make you sick if you do, but the science behind why is actually quite fascinating.

Ultimately, the end result is that if you’re dehydrated and you know that you’ll die if you don’t get fresh water soon, and you happen to be next to the seaside, don’t give in to the temptation and drink the seawater. What’s the worst that can happen? You’ll die even sooner. Head over to read why:

[ GlobeTrooper :: Why Can't We Drink Seawater? ]