The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is the latest piece of U.S. legislation to rile up the Internet’s sizable population of digital rights activists. That’s especially true at places like Reddit, which largely led protests earlier this year again the Stop Online Piracy Act, which many consider CISPA’s spiritual predecessor.
So when the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a major CISPA opponent, launched a live interview on Reddit yesterday, all signs pointed to a runaway popular AMA (“ask me anything”). That didn’t happen.
In fact, the AMA, run by the nonprofit organization’s activism team, didn’t even break into the top 10 this week. Instead, redditors showered their upvotes on minor celebrities, like the guy who played a bit part in HBO’s Game of Thrones, and the Internet’s latest accidentally famous celebrity, the Ridiculously Photogenic Guy. Oh, and let’s not forget Firefly and Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, who scored the second most popular AMA all week.
Be sure to read the EFF’s informative interview here. But you won’t find it below, where we’ve compiled the top seven posts (seven being our lucky number) from Reddit’s r/IAmA this week, as voted by redditors themselves. We’ve also included a sample question and answer from each. For the complete list, check here.
A note on terminology: AMA stands for “ask me anything,” while “IAmA” is simply “I am a;” AMAA means “ask me almost anything.”
Were you at all surprised by the popularity of your character amongst fans of the show? (Supersimmo)
i was yes because he isn’t in the story a lot, but he is influential to arya and starts her journey and i think because we love arya we feel strongly towards anyone who is good to her. lets face it there are very few characters we can root for because they are noble and honourable
I’m sure that killing off a character you’ve invested a lot of time in can be tough. Have you ever found that doing this to a particular character has had a profound emotional affect on you? Who was the toughest kill? (dbertie)
I actually find it refreshing… delightful…. vaguely arousing….
Actually, I’m, no offense, very tired of being labelled as “the guy who kills people”. Shakespeare (he’s this hot new writer) does it way more than me, and everyone’s all excited about how he, as it were, holds a mirror up to nature, while I’m like the Jason Voorhees of the writing community. Unfair.
Also, probably Buffy’s Mom.
3) I am Al Lowe, creator of Leisure Suit Larry. AMA!
How do you think the point-and-click adventure genre can be revitalized? (nffDionysos)
I think touch screens will be the saving grace for point and clicks. When you can actually point at things, instead of mousing around, you’ll find the game much more responsive. I also look forward to using motion sensing in some new and creative ways. (Read into that what you will!)
4) IAmA Zeddie Little, “Ridiculously Photogenic Guy”
What has been your friend’s/family’s reaction to all this? did you know of memes before you became an internet sensation? (powermad47)
They love it. My dad was so proud he would have given away my complete biography, complete with SSN to a journalist until I had to ask him to dial it back a little bit, haha. Yeah, I’ve always found memes funny, but never, ever though I’d BECOME one. Bizarre.
Have you approached other news sources about your detention? If so, what was their response? Has your detention changed your perspective on policing, detention, incarceration, etc and the profits and costs (46K+) of keeping humans in cages? What do you hope to learn by doing this AMA? (moronic_semicolon)
Check out the site my wife created to document the whole ordeal. Under the media tab you’ll see the other news sources that covered our story.
www.freenaz.com/ My detention experience definitely opened our eyes to the corporate greed that drives our immigration policy, and I’m sure the same applies to criminal law too. I don’t think anyone should profit off of the detention/incarceration of humans, because once it becomes about profit, those in power no longer see those in the system as human- they see them as walking dollar signs.
How do you feel about the prevalence of 3D? (Fuqwon)
I’m as opposite from Jim Cameron and Peter Jackson as I can be on this. I agree with Chris Nolan’s recent comments (check out his interview at the DGA site). Movies are already 3D. When you put the glasses on, all you’re doing is putting a barrier between the audience and the film, pushing them further away rather than pulling them in.
I can’t say that I’ll never be forced to release a film in 3D, but I can’t imagine why I’d choose it.
What was jail like? (mybodyistheEarth)
Jail was disgusting. The holding prision in Chicago was aweful. They strip search you on intake, then you wear orange jumpsuits with cheap white boxers. Everyone eats beans and rice and have bad gas all day long. You are setup with people who have commited much worse crimes than you in transit to your final prison. This was called the MCC of Chicago. They treat everyone the same. You’re considered a criminal if you go there, even before you are convicted. People trade cigarettes, and things from commisary. There are gangs. For a white collar criminal who downloaded software off the internet, its extremely terrifying.
Photo via Joss Whedon
