Goodbye to Blogger?

I'm sure I'm not alone in thanking you for years of quality content on this blog. I would be very sad indeed if this were truly the end of the Ergosphere.

Might I suggest wordpress.com as an alternative?
 

I'll have to examine their offerings in detail, but I like the price already.
 

http://wordpress.com/blog/2007/02/06/
new-blogger-importer/
This widget just came out.
 

Uuuhh. Having a Google Account is not exactly like like pledging fealty. You do not have use the account for anything. I have several email accounts. Some of them just collect spam.
 

Maybe, but I'd have to be logged into the account to comment or post... and all my searches would be associated with it.

Combine this with Google's data-retention policies (everything, forever), censorship of critics of Islam and proven willingness to hand over information to abusive governments, and I want to dissociate myself from Google.
 

EP, I too appreciate your work. I looked at the banned video (there's a link on slashdot) and was not impressed. The guy took a bunch of hellfire quotes out of the Koran and set them to creepy music. If he did that using the Bible or the Torah, he could make those religions look pretty sick too. I don't see what good he's doing other than inciting religious hatred, and I don't think we need any more of that. No one has a right to post on YouTube. That is a privilege. If Google wants to take down a vid, it is their right. In fact, given that the video was promoting hate to an international audience, I would say that taking it down was Google's responsibility in keeping with "do no evil". Would you be equally incensed if they took down a video that was anti Christianity or Judaism? How about a video that showed people how to easily create a powerful toxin or explosive, and encouraged its use for the mass murder of white people? Black people? Giving kidnapping lessons to child predators?
 

perhaps u can try wordpress..i like it much more than e-blogger.
 

That's the point, George.  Google has no problem with people taking quotes out of the Bible and doing as they will with them, but it seems to have put the Koran above such criticism.  This is pretty much the definition of "dhimmitude" (see the left sidebar).

Not only does this make a mockery of Google's "Don't be evil" motto, it's downright un-American.
 

I would be surprised if there has never been an anti-Christian or anti-Judaism video removed. Maybe there have been removals but nobody got up in arms about it so we never heard about it? I bet the JDL, Bnai Brith, the Anti-Defamation League etc could provide a ton of videos that are "no longer there". A lot of people are running around today claiming that America is going to be overcome by Muslim extremists and we are all going to be living under Sharia law. I'm not claiming that you believe that, but worrying about this particular bit of "censorship" out of all the videos that have been removed is at least somewhere on a paranoia continuum that extends to the above dangerous meme. And I do mean dangerous in that it is part of the support base for an executive branch that really seems to want to bomb Iran, and possibly Syria after that.
 

That's the strange part, George:  the censored videos were from someone who did quite a few bashing Christianity (whether they were fair or outrageous, I cannot say — I have no interest in such things) but they remained on YouTube until he posted the one full of Koranic quotes.

When agitators are hyping "the war on Christmas", do you really think that nobody ever submitted a complaint about this guy before?  And how about the viciously anti-Semitic cartoons which are staples of the Arab press?  Does YouTube censor them?  (Serious question.)

I'm testing a blog elsewhere.  I'll move The Ergosphere when I'm good and ready.
 

I don't really follow Google's censorship. It seems like I have hit countless vids that have been pulled, but I think mostly for copyright, maybe some for something like glorification of unsafe behaviours... Well, good luck with the move and let us know where you land, EP. In the energy arena, you are a Cree LED in a field of incandescent dim bulbs.
 

opit said... http://wordpress.com/blog/2007/02/06/
new-blogger-importer/
This widget just came out.

True & very nice...
I have switched may accounts to WordPress as it allows you to "transfer/import" you entire blog from current google... Seamless.

Then you can still "email to post" and "blog this" like blogger!

Woohooo!
 

You could use CustomizeGoogle, a Firefox extension that doesn't allow Google to keep your search info. I'm not sure how it goes for Blogger, though.

Personally I greatly dislike Google and I think they're the opposite of "not evil" from what I've seen of them up close. I used to work for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4E5btrmqyA
That tells a bit of the story.
 

Ha, remember when we thought google wanted too much private information!

Wow things change.

I still care about privacy, energy, environment and the things you post.

Thanks for sticking with it.