The crazy world we live in, and how it might just get worse...

Note: This post is going to be a bit informal, a bit informational, and a lot of ranting and raving. Brace yourself.


         Alright, as most of my readers know, since so far most of you are friends and family or maybe you took the time to read my bio, I'm a computer tech by trade. As a computer tech, there are always people out there who ask for help, need things, and usually require it as simply as possible. In an effort to provide this to friends, customers, family and random passers-by who are complaining about tech issues I can help with, I have spent money over the years on different servers and/or services online. I have LogMeIn Free for my personal computers and those of my immediate family, I have FreeVNC for customers or friends who require it, and I have a paid file-sharing account, where I can post anything from my own music files (which I also post on YouTube when I can be bothered), free tech tools, and the occasional picture I'm trying to share with people. I've never shared anything copyrighted on my file-share account, unless you count my own songs which are sometimes cover songs of other people but don't actually count as copyrighted material in the 'piracy' side of the mentality.

     For years, I've had the same company doing the file-sharing. Recently, I noticed I was paying quite a bit more for this service than I would somewhere else. So I switched services over to FileSonic, who offered not only unlimited space, which is always good, and unlimited time limits on my uploads. They also offered a 2GB file size limit, well above any other people's file size limits for uploads, which means that no matter how big the tool, how huge the signature file or how long the song/video I captured and wanted to share was, I'd be covered. Yay!

     Now, last week, the FBI raided MegaUpload, arrested the owner, seized the website and hardware and god knows what else. In my looking into file sharing servers last month, I almost chose them because they're well known, they're inexpensive, and they usually have easier links to their files than some places because they tend to be shorter. When I'm dictating a link to a customer/friend/family member over the phone, simplicity is essential. So, thank goodness I didn't choose them, right?

     Nope, doesn't matter. The raid on MegaUpload has caused several different file sharing services to block their file sharing! This means that while I can upload files to be stored... I can't share them with anyone!

THE FILE SHARING COMPANIES AREN'T SHARING FILES.

That's like saying the cops arrested a doctor in LA, so now all the other doctors aren't practicing. They'll let you visit, and they'll charge you... but they won't diagnose you, and they won't write prescriptions, just in case. And its not just one or two. I've counted thirteen, so far. Obviously, MegaUpload is down, and doesn't count in this list.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/14-free-megaupload-alternatives/

In this lovely list of alternatives to MegaUpload compiled by Digital trends, you yourself can see that 13 out of their 14 alternatives have reduced their functionality to Personal Storage only. Meaning that if you want to take that video you recorded of your daughter taking her first steps and upload it to a file server to share it with everyone more easily, you may just be out of luck for a while.

     As for me and helping others, what am I to do now? I have no idea. I might go back to paying more at my old file-sharing service (Rapidshare) who, at least for now, is still working normally. But that also means that the money I just shelled out for this brand new File Sonic account might be a loss due to the stupidity in the world around us. And I don't think that is tax deductible.