Controversial message board site 4chan claims it has been blocked by Verizon Wireless. It’s the second time it has made such a claim against a major internet provider, following on from similar accusations against AT&T last summer.
If you’ve never come across 4chan, it’s technically a collection of image-sharing boards, though one such board (known as “/b/”) has played host to a variety of notorious online pranks including the following:
- Declaring an international Porn Day and attempting to overwhelm YouTube with uploads of adult material quicker than the site could filter them out.
- Rigging TIME’s online poll for man of the year to not only get 4chan founder Christopher ‘moot’ Poole to number one, but fixing the top 22 vote getters so that the first letter of each spelt out “marblecake also the game”, which refers to the IRC channel used to organize protests against Scientology and the philosophically questionable challenge by which anyone thinking of “the game” is judged to have lost said game.
- Being either the original source or the popularizing force behind both the LOLcats and Rick-rolling memes.
- Being the site where a man claiming to have been the person responsible for hacking into Sarah Palin’s e-mail account shared his tactics.
The site has posted a message this morning on its status blog saying ” Over the past 72 hours, we’ve been receiving reports from Verizon Wireless customers having difficulty accessing the image boards. After investigating, we found that Verizon is dropping traffic to/from boards.4chan.org, only on port 80 (HTTP). No other subdomain/IP/port is affected, which leads us to believe this block is intentional.” It’s since updated to say “After an hour and a half on the phone, we’ve received confirmation from Verizon’s Network Repair Bureau (NRB) that we are “explicitly blocked.”
Verizon has yet to comment publicly on the issue itself but says it has received a large number of complaints from customers about the blocking.
Last July AT&T blocked the site briefly, with the apparent explanation being that it was being used for attempts to disrupt traffic to other sites. 4chan users began discussing possible online action against AT&T but access was restored before this was carried out.
As with the AT&T case, it’s the reasoning behind Verizon’s actions which will be most significant. If there are valid technical reasons, most people will support the move as long as the situation is resolved quickly. If, however, the blocking is because of content reasons, the issue of net neutrality as a legal principle will again come up.
Related posts:
- Woman Drags Leashed Kid Through Verizon Wireless Store
- AT&T vs. 4chan
- Verizon Distributes Anti-iPhone Propaganda to Employees
It’s not what you look like, it’s what’s on the inside that counts – but even if your laptop is rocking some awesome innards, it doesn’t hurt to give it a little style. I have a Speck shell on my MacBook Pro, and it’s not only pretty, but it’s super durable. They’re running a special for Valentine’s Day – 25% off everything red, pink, and purple. And though they’re best known for their shells for Apple products, they have them available for PC laptops and a number of other gadgets as well, including Blackberries.
Here’s quite the gift for a geek girl, particularly one of the cosplay variety. This company just opened in December, and their mission is to take one of the most sophisticated garments every devised and make it… well, tactical. These corsets meet military specifications, and have quick-release buckles and modular accessory pouches. So whether you need survival gear, ammo, or whips and handcuffs, you won’t need a purse to carry it in. Oh, and there are versions for men, too.
Last year one of my suggestions was a scent locket from 
For those of you who do want to go the traditional flower route, here’s a way from ThinkGeek to give some science with your roses! You add this stuff to the water in a vase; it’s actually a water-hungry polymer that absorbs more than 100 times its mass in water, turning it into a cool collection of tiny gel balls. It’s pretty and it’ll keep your flowers alive longer.
Not only does this count as a pink gadget, but it’s practical, too. If you want to be really romantic, slap a label on it that says “second honeymoon fund” and watch the pennies turn to dollars as you empty out your pockets. Also, take note that for some reason, you can get one of these for $14.95 but two for $10. Math fail = sale win!
Etsy is a great place to look for unique, crafty gifts, particularly of the geeky variety. These made-to-order rings are a bit pricey, but definitely a conversation starter. The crafter suggests that giving the rings one at a time could be fun, ending with the Pacman to top it off.
Another find from Etsy, for the World of Warcraft player in your life. A small version of a hearthstone to hang on a necklace, it’s subtle, and it has a nice thought behind it: you can always find your way home.
For the horde! And for that WoW girl. And from the crafty (or thrifty) gift giver. Here’s some step-by-step instructions on how to make your own horde earrings.
