Public Domain from the New York Public Library

Artist and history buffs rejoice 180,000 new exhibits are now available in the public domain.

Public Domain Collections: Free to Share & Reuse

That means everyone has the freedom to enjoy and reuse these materials in almost limitless ways. The Library now makes it possible to download such items in the highest resolution available directly from the Digital Collections website.

No permission required. No restrictions on use.

Enjoy!

Hot, Dry, and Sunny with a Touch of the Holidays

The desert is a strange place to live.

Heat and monsoon storms can make the summer months nearly unbearable. The rest of the year, except for six weeks in the winter, makes up for this hot uncomfortable weather. I for one cannot wait for autumn.

I have been searching for a way to be celebratory in the fall without falling into the religious/consumer trappings of the modern world.

If you want to give thanks or presents, why is it only on designated holidays?

Governments or churches should not be setting the standard. As a free thinking adult, I should be setting my own course. I should be my own role model.

So as the heat lingers I have been plotting my days of celebration for this autumn. From simple meteor showers to feasts, my non-conformist ways should not make my life dull or uninviting.

If you could make your own holiday schedule, what would it be?

Have a great and wonderful day!  

The Day WE Fight Back

Take part

The SOPA and PIPA protests were successful because we all took part, as a community. As Aaron Swartz put it, everybody "made themselves the hero of their own story." We can set a date, but we need all of you, the users of the Internet, to make it a movement.

What we can do

Congress is considering two major bills.

• The USA Freedom Act curtails NSA surveillance abuses.
• The FISA Improvements Act attempts to legalize bulk data collection of phone records.

We need to tell Congress to pass the USA Freedom Act and amend it to make it even stronger.

Taking a Stand

I've add a new banner to my blog. One I hope everyone will put on their website and blog. It is important to let the world know that we will not put up with mass surveillance.

I hear excuses of: well, if you aren't doing anything wrong...

That's an immature response. The idea is freedom from this type of mass intrusion. The government is NOT allowed to watch anyone without due process of law and a warrant signed by a judge showing probable cause. 

No more secret laws, secret courts, secret charges. Enough is enough. The secrecy has to stop!

It's against the law. It's against the Constitution. It's against the Bill of Rights.

Therefore the government and private corporations are stealing from you. It's called theft. 

It's not for national security because the more information that is collected and stored places your nation's security in more jeopardy, not less. 

So if you love liberty irregardless of lame excuses, then please join me in protesting the illegal acts perpetrated by our government on innocent people for power and control.

Be the hero of your own life: save privacy and freedom!