Written by DarkSyde

Notice a propensity of newly minted Libertarians showing up lately? Perhaps it’s just coincidence their ranks swelled in inverse proportion to George Bush’s approval rating, ditto that so many are mouthing traditional conservative talking points. But what about the everyday gun toting townhall screamers and taxcutters and deficit hawks we see on cable news: are they really libertarian as so many claim, or just conservatives in glibertarian clothes? Here’s a few warning signs.

1. If you think Ron Paul isn’t conservative enough and Fox News is fair and balanced, you might not be a Libertarian.
2. If you believe you have an inalienable right to attend Presidential townhalls brandishing a loaded assault rifle, but that arresting participants inside for wearing a pink shirt is an important public safety precaution, there’s a chance you’re dangerously unbalanced, but no chance you’re a Libertarian.
3. If you think the government should stay the hell out of Medicare, well, you have way, way bigger problems than figuring out if you’re really a Libertarian.
4. If you rank Anthonin Scalia and Roy Moore among the greatest Justices of all time, you may be bug fuck crazy, but you’re probably not a Libertarian.
5. You might not be a Libertarian if you think recreational drug use, prostitution, and gambling should be illegal because that’s what Jesus wants.
6. If you think the separation between church and state applies equally to all faiths except socially conservative Christian fundamentalism, you’re probably not a Libertarian.
7. You’re probably not a Libertarian if you believe the federal government should remove safety standards and clinical barriers for prescription and OTC medications while banning all embryonic stem cell research, somatic nuclear transfer, RU 486, HPV and cervical cancer vaccination, work on human/non human DNA combos, or Plan B emergency contraception. 
8. If you think state execution of mentally retarded convicts is good policy but prosecuting Scott Roeder or disconnecting Terri Schiavo was an unforgivable sin, odds are you’re not really a Libertarian.
9. If you argue that cash for clunkers or any form of government healthcare is unconstitutional, but forced prayer or teaching old testament creationism in public schools is fine, you’re not even consistent, much less a Libertarian, and you may be Michele Bachmann.

And the number one sign: if you think government should stay the hell out of people’s private business — except when kidnapping citizens and rendering them to secret overseas torture prisons, snooping around the bedrooms of consenting adults, policing a woman’s uterus, or conducting warrantless wire taps, you are no Libertarian.

Collected by Sound & Vision Magazine

HD trailers, equipment news and industry info in 140 characters.

You can’t escape Twitter. Even if you don’t use it, you’re bound to hear people talking about it. But, amongst all of the updates about what people are eating for breakfast, is a heap of good info. Here’s a starter list to get your feed working for you.

The official Apple Trailers feed gives real time alerts when new content hits the site. They post everything from exclusive clips to new HD trailers, all of it free. Unfortunately, it also means that you’ll have to use Quicktime. It’s still worth it.

Sample Tweet: Ong Bak 2 – Teaser: Martial arts superstar Tony Jaa stars in and directs this epic tale of revenge set hundreds .. http://bit.ly/9JtXR

The community manager for one of the best online radio services tweets about new features and notable stations.

Sample Tweet:By request, a station based on the Pretty in Pink soundtrack: http://tr.im/vNmb RIP John Hughes.

The official account for the big, red movie machine breaks news about the service and even helps users who are having trouble to troubleshoot.

Sample Tweet: What wish would you like to send M. Night Shyamalan on his 39th birthday, today?

A useful spot for home theater news from down under in Australia.

Sample Tweet: Onkyo Creates HT Series Of AVRs: Twice Amazon also sells select AVRs in Onkyo’s regular TX series as well as.. http://bit.ly/2S68yh

Microsoft’s Zune guru gives lots of updates on the happenings in Redmond. He also has killer, eclectic taste in music.

Sample Tweet: watching that 70s show makes me want to download some classic 70s rock – like the 330 song playlist in Zune marketplace – zune pass!

It’s currently the best spot to get news about Toy Story 3. They still update about their older titles, too, making it a must for Pixar nerds. It’s OK, we’re nerds, too.

Sample Tweet: Director Lee Unkrich makes a special announcement about a brand new Toy Story 3 character: http://bit.ly/iLOTM

Up to date info on all things equipped with Dolby audio. Their Dolbycast is worth a listen if you’re into audio (which we know you are).

Sample Tweet: Latest Dolbycast: Online Multichannel Media: Streaming and downloaded content for the home theater. http://bit.ly/gvBWv

Information for total film geeks by the guys who care as much about A/V quality as we do. Just beware, you may end up spending more money now that you’re current on their new releases.

Sample Tweet: The CriterionCast: Disc 2 – Episode 002 – On The Screen & Listener’s Feedback: You’r.. http://bit.ly/dBpp8 (via @CriterionCast)

f you use Sonos’s music system, you’ll appreciate the station recommendation and update news.

Sample Tweet: Free music for your Sonos RT @imeem: Dr Pepper is sponsoring a free MP3 "I Need A Girl," Trey Songz’ new single on imeem http://bit.ly/9RK8

Next time the UK style freaks release a $100,000 TV, you’ll be the first one to know.

Sample Tweet: Check out the BeoVision 4 103" from Bang & Olufsen. Who else could make a 103" television on a motorised stand?

Serious audio engineers talk about things that make audiophiles get all tingly in the eardrums.

Sample Tweet: 06/27/2009 Computer Audiophile Symposium —> http://bit.ly/ecTed

Product announcements and other news from the swanky UK speaker manufacturers. You can expect to fully experience the famous British politeness.

Sample Tweet: Meridian Hosts Event for its Most Dedicated Aficionados: ‘Hitchhikers’ to Visit Huntingdon HQ &ndash.. http://tinyurl.com/ngugxc

The makers of one of the best HD DVRs on the market dispenses company news and reminders about notable TV that you should be recording.

Sample Tweet: Moxi multiroom has arrived! Moxi Mate is a small, silent device for bedrooms, etc to play content from the Moxi HD DVR. http://bit.ly/2cMZ0A

The giant picture of headphones on their page pretty much sums up the content selection.

Sample Tweet: New Sound Tour webisodes are up! www.sennheisersoundtour.com

The Monsters behind the scenes are keen to help you with your Monster Cable issues. It’s updated very frequently and really interactive.

Sample Tweet: PowerNet was featured on Fox Business News today. Watch the video & learn about getting Internet access without wifi @ http://bit.ly/41BrZ0

If you’re an OmniMount user, you can send them a photo of your set-up for their gallery. It’s like your TV is famous.

Sample Tweet: Our Limited Edition Echo pieces are in stock too. High gloss black = hot! Check ’em out: http://bit.ly/Echo50LE and http://bit.ly/Echo50FPLE

It’s not all home theater related, but they do a lot of TV and audio news as well as link to some free content.

Sample Tweet: Samsung Free Krush Concert Featuring Maxwell, T-Pain, Others. Check out tour dates here: http://tinyurl.com/lxx7mr

They’re the biggest seller of LCDs in the country, so its worth keeping up with Vizio as they claw their way out of the department store stigma.

Smaple Tweet: Complete 2009 Line of VIZIO LCD HDTVs to Feature SRS Audio Solutions: http://bit.ly/O92FF (via @SRSLabs)

Frequent updates with news about your shiny black video game console. The PlayStation store updates are particularly useful.

Sample Tweet: New on PlayStation Network: Rush Hour, Hot Fuzz, GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley & much more: http://bit.ly/Cc0P2 #psn

If you need help with your TiVo, there’s a good chance the TiVo Diva can help you out.

Sample Tweet: About to make my way over to the Teen Choice Awards Gifting Suite. I’ll follow up with what they’re getting in the "goodie bags"…

Keep tabs on all of the new DVDs and, more importantly, Blu-rays coming out of the Fox camp.

Sample Tweet: Fox launches BD Live feature with Wolverine story in @videobusiness: http://tinyurl.com/ls946h

It’s basically the same deal as the Fox feed, only with different titles.

Sample Tweet: On DVD today from Comedy Central: Jim Breuer: Let’s Clear The Air http://bit.ly/3Xfj5U

We’re obsessed with home theater gear just like you are. Join us. Join us….

Sample Tweet: You’ll be surprised what a $300 Blu-ray player is capable of. http://tinyurl.com/mudar7

The fearless leader of the Sound & Vision crew finally caved and is letting you in on his HD-filled life.

While this one probably won’t provide you with any useful information, the page itself is hilarious. One post condemning Twitter and stating the company’s dedication to A/V gear. Classic.

Sample Tweet: OPPO Digital does not have any dedicated Marketing and Sales personnel. We are all focused on product design and customer service.

Graph by: Xen via Graph Jam Builder

Written by Justin Halpern, Brenan Sharp, Cory Jones

America is getting fatter and fatter, so in an effort to help guide you through the fatness, we decided to label each stage.

As America gets fatter and fatter, we thought we’d help us all figure out what stage of obesity we fall in. So put that third slice of cheesecake down and learn how fat you can really get (If you’re not already in Stage 7.)

Stage 1: Potentially Fat

Stage 2: Topanga From “Boy Meets World” Fat

Stage 3: “Party Animal” Fat

Stage 4: Sporty Fat

Stage 5: Double Take Fat

Stage 6: Surrender Fat

Stage 7: Melding-To-Furniture Fat

Written by Andrew Winistorfer

Thinking about file-sharing? Don’t. You’ll get fined, and crime doesn’t pay (unless you rob banks and/or armored cars, then it pays very well). Take it from Jammie Thomas, who was fined $2 million for downloading 24 songs, or anyone else who tried to fight the RIAA.

Instead, try another crime, because plenty of them draw far lighter penalties than downloading Jason Mraz’s latest. Thanks to the Mechanics blog at Gapers Block, here are seven crimes that will get you smaller fines than file-sharing:

1. Child abduction: the fine is only like $25000.

2. Stealing the actual CD: the fine is $2,500

3. Rob your neighbor: the fine is $375,000

4. Burn a house down: The fine is just over $375,000

5. Stalk someone: The fine is $175,000

6. Start a dogfighting ring: the fine is $50,000

7. Murder someone: The maximum penalty is only $25,000 and 15 years in jail, and depending on your yearly salary, would probably be far slighter a penalty that $2 million.

Seriously, murdering someone will result in a lighter overall penalty than downloading a bunch of songs and getting caught. Granted, you don’t get shivved in the showers at home, but still. [via Daily Swarm]  

Written by Ernesto

The end of the Pirate Bay is nearing. Even if the deal with GGF doesn’t go through the current owners are likely to sell to one of the other interested parties. For many BitTorrent fans this means that they have to find an alternative. Luckily there are plenty of good ones out there.

Replacing The Pirate Bay is easier said then done. The tracker is currently responsible for approximately half of all public torrent transfers, which represents a significant percentage of global Internet traffic.

However, history has shown that BitTorrent users are an adaptive species that simply migrates to the next site when their home bases become uninhabitable.

While private trackers certainly have their place and will accommodate those lucky enough to get an invite, for this article we are interested in sites that are open to everyone, ranging from full Pirate Bay replacements to a do-it-yourself setup.

Full Pirate Bay Alternatives

The only full Pirate Bay alternatives are sites that index torrent files, are open to everyone and also have a working tracker. Unfortunately, there are only a few sites out there that offer this full package -there are four of them below. We decided to include Demonoid here because it tracks many public torrents.

1. Torrentbox

2. 1337x

3. H33t

4. Demonoid (semi-private)

 

Torrent Indexers

Torrent indexers are sites that have a searchable directory of torrent files, but don’t host a (public) tracker of their own. Mininova has a tracker, but they only allow ‘featured’ torrents uploaded through their content distribution service. The most used torrent indexers are:

5. Mininova

6. isoHunt

7. Torrentreactor

8. BTjunkie

 

Torrent Meta-Seach Engines

BitTorrent meta-search engines are yet another brand of torrent sites. They don’t have a tracker and don’t host any torrent files on their servers. Instead they search for and link to torrents hosted on third party sites.

9. Torrentz

10. Nowtorrents

11. Qtorrents

12. Torrent-Finder

 

Private Trackers (open signup)

Most of the larger private trackers require an invite to join, but there are always a few that allow new members. Below are four of these (open) private trackers and more can be found on Btracs.

13. RTN

14. BiteMyTorrent

15. BitShock

16. TorrentIt

 

Standalone BitTorrent Trackers

Torrent indexers and meta-search engines can be used to find torrents, but none of them will be of much use without a stable BitTorrent tracker. Standalone BitTorrent trackers are much needed, they handle the communication between downloaders but don’t index any torrents themselves.

17. OpenBitTorrent

18. PublicBitTorrent

19. The Hidden Tracker

20. Denis.Stalker

 

DIY Pirate Bay Alternatives

The last category of Pirate Bay alternatives are the do-it-yourself projects. By using the three ingredients below The Pirate Bay can be easily rebuilt. It might take a few hours, but then the path to world domination is clear.

21. Pirate Bay Torrents Clone

22. Pirate Bay HTML Clone

23. Torrage: Torrent API

24. Tracker Software

 

Last but not Least

Google, the mother of all search engines has a filetype:torrent search command that allows you to find torrent files scattered across the Internet. Also, Google’s custom search allows everyone to create their own torrent search engine. Don’t tell the MPAA and RIAA.

25. Google

If you think we missed any good alternatives, please feel free to add your own in the comment section below, while clearly noting which category they fit into.

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