(via crookedindifference)
Internet addiction has same effect as cocaine on brains: study
This is your brain on the Internet: Messed up where there should be connections for making decisions and having normal emotions.
Results of a new study suggest people who cannot control, cut back or stop their use of the Internet have abnormal white matter structure in the brain similar to what is seen in cocaine and crystal-meth addicts.
According to the study’s authors, as the number of people logging onto cyberspace soars, “Internet addiction disorder” — which is poised to enter the official lexicon of psychiatric illnesses — “is becoming a serious mental-health issue around the world.”
The disorder, as described in the study published this week in the journal PLoS One, is defined as “problematic” or pathological computer use that can cause “marked distress” and interfere with school, work, family and social relationships.
For their study, led by Hao Lei of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, researchers scanned the brains of 17 teens and young adults, aged 14 to 24, with Internet addiction and 16 healthy “controls” of similar age.
People were classified as suffering from Internet addiction disorder, or IAD, based on a questionnaire that included the following: Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet? Do you stay online longer than originally intended? Do you feel restless, moody, depressed or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?
(via brooklynmutt)
Afghan girls work at a first Internet cafe for women in Kabul March 8, 2012. Afghanistan opened its first female-only internet cafe on Thursday, hoping to give women a chance to connect to the world without verbal and sexual harassment and free from the unwanted gazes of their countrymen.
[Credit : Mohammad Ismail/Reuters]
Massive Street Protests Wage War On ACTA Anti-Piracy Treaty
(shown above: Anti-ACTA protests across Europe)
The world is witnessing the largest offline protest against copyright legislation today. Massive demonstrations against the draconian anti-piracy treaty ACTA are spanning four continents, with protests in more than 200 European cities alone. Hundreds of thousands of people are taking to the streets to prevent their countries and the European Parliament from putting the free Internet at risk by ratifying
“I’m a Canadian.
We’re a quiet bunch; prone to enjoying hockey, drinking stronger beer than our friends south of the border, and lovers of fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy.
We also, apparently, have an inferiority complex when it comes to being evil dirt bags, because we’ve decided to pass our very own version of SOPA up here.
Only better*
Meet Bill-C11. Formerly Bill C-32. (I think they thought if they made the number lower people would care less about it?)
{…}
But, as innocuous as it sounds, C-11 does a whole lot that SOPA did with a few extra twists you might not find in the Wikipedia write-up.
Like your PVR? You can’t keep it under C-11.
Like ripping CDs to your iPod? Say bye-bye.
Hey, do you want to be able to unlock your $500 smartphone and take it to a provider less dedicated to violating your wallet? That won’t be allowed either.
Did you get accused of internet piracy but no evidence has been presented and a trial date hasn’t even been set? Under C-11 your ISP will now be forced to terminate your internet access.
And people say that governments can’t be bought.
{…}
There are only 14 days left people. Get active.”
Send a letter to your Member of Parliament now. The letters are prewritten, you just need to click send.
http://www.ccer.ca/letter-wizard-enter/
Come on non-Canadian people, please signal boost this for your Canadian friends.
help us polite canucks please :)
(via artmotherfuckers)
global petitions:
Act against ACTA (to the U.S. Congress)
citizens of europe:
contact your representatives!!!!!!
go to http://www.europarl.org/, select your country (left colume) and then find the contacts of your representatives under “Parlament”, “Your MEPs” or something like this. AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
(via stfuconservatives)
The Charity Search launched at midnight, and allows you to search Google, Yahoo, or Bing the same way you would any of those search engines on their own. The difference is, each search donates 1 cent to Invisible Children and other great organizations. How easy is that? Can you imagine how fast that money adds up, given how many people use search engines every minute?
Bookmark it and pass it on. For more information about donation and logistics, check out The Charity Search.
(via lgbtlaughs)
yup
(via lady-lutra)
![fotojournalismus:
Afghan girls work at a first Internet cafe for women in Kabul March 8, 2012. Afghanistan opened its first female-only internet cafe on Thursday, hoping to give women a chance to connect to the world without verbal and sexual harassment and free from the unwanted gazes of their countrymen.
[Credit : Mohammad Ismail/Reuters]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0mlqsrZtO1r44q44o1_500.jpg)
