Sehr geehrter Herr Heveling, Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Krings,

zu Ihrer Erklärung zum Thema SOPA und PIPA vom 25.1.2012 (nachzulesen unter http://goo.gl/YDZiJ) möchte ich gerne einige Punkte anmerken:

Sie bezeichnen das deutsche Urheberrecht als „ein Eckpfeiler des Rechtsstaates und der sozialen Marktwirtschaft“. Korrekt ist, dass das Urheberrecht den Urhebern diverse Rechte einräumt. Diese Rechte sind von einzelnen schwerlich zu vertreten oder durchzusetzen. Somit sind es große Unternehmen und Interessengemeinschaften, die hauptsächlich von diesen Rechten profitieren. Das mag der Wirtschaft zu Gute komme, ist jedoch ein Ziegelstein auf dem Bremspedal einer sich immer schneller weiterentwickelten Gesellschaft.
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This poem is four verses long. Each verse describes a feeling. Each verse is also a step on a one-way path. The verses can be summarized by what was, what is, rejection and what will be.

Opening my heart is difficult enough
showing what I feel is unadorned tough
For you I do this just once more
despite the abstinence I swore.
Accept my open arms or walk away
and what you choose I will obey.

You ask, why we should work this time
and declare that our interests don’t match.
Why make it sound like the break-up is my crime?
Why does it feel like the question is a catch?
It’s obvious we’re not the same
but it’s love that makes us tame.

Rejection is what you are offering
the words you say are like a poisoned string.
You imply your feelings have gone cold
or is it something that you’re told.
It doesn’t matter anymore
you’re locked up well behind that door.

I do remember when we first kissed
now it’s a corrupting memory I dread
so when I see you I’ll pretend you don’t exist
and when I miss you I’ll pretend that you are dead
because to acknowledge that we’re just apart
will break the stitches that stop the bleeding from my heart.

Nine universes are in parallel
that makes nine lives each
as far as I can tell.

In nine lives the chance that our paths would cross
nine times the opportunity for loss.

In eight lives we actually meet
but only in seven did we ever greet.

In six I was brave enough
to ask you out, but it was tough.

Only five times you agree to it
and five times the chance for us to split.

In four lives we were struggling
to stay as one in suffering.

Three times we did reconcile
and all was good just for a while.

In the second together we were sublime
we stayed together to the end of time.

But in this one, for reasons I don’t know
I made the mistake to let you go.

An der Ecke zwischen hier und nirgendwo
hab ich dich gefunden
und vielleicht geht es allen so
doch haben wir uns endlos geschunden.

Neben allerlei und unter allem
fand ich an dir meinen Gefallen,
wie Welten die aufeinander prallen
ineinander verhakt mit uns’ren Krallen.

Los zu lassen, das ist schwer
die Frage: Ist da nun nichts mehr?
Wie kann es das gewesen sein
ich dachte du wärst ewig mein.

Stets im Abseits, mittendrin
handelten wir ohne jeden Sinn.
Mit dem Herzen voll voraus
unbeirrt ins frühe Aus.

Liebste Liebe höre mich
warum lässt du mich im Stich?
Sind Gefühle hoffnungslos
oder gibt es Grund für diesen Stoß?

Lang genug zusammen gelitten
oft genug nur noch gestritten
aber der Schlussstrich änderte nicht viel
brachte uns beide nicht ans Ziel.

Es gibt nichts zu begleichen
und auch nichts zu erreichen.
Die Waage im perfekten Gleichgewicht
und trotzdem: ewig trübes Licht.

Gefangen im Leben
gegeißelt durch Zeit
hör auf an mir zu kleben
dann bin ich befreit.

[Am Ende von nichts
am Anfang von allem
kein Laut wird erschallen
Diamanten des Gesichts.]

Walk with me in the silver glow
where the moon will shine and the shades will grow.
Stars like freckles on the night’s sky
lay down in the darkish green, let got – fly
Smell the cold, the icy air
this time is precious, this time is rare.
The grass is gently whispering
where crystals of frost are glistening.
As a courtesy or out of sympathy
time stands still for this symphony.
Still shadows rule the darkest night
they only need the faintest light.
Don’t be afraid of figures in the gray
as long as we’re together we’ll see another day.
Where you, Solanum, face your darkest hour
my roots will provide refuge and power.
Let there be an arctic storm
love will keep us safe and warm.
Walk beside me – for a moment, pretend to be just mine
feel the night’s electric shivers in your spine.
Try to protect this magic in a shell
but dawn will always break the spell.
This trail we walk is just a tiny part
on the path that meanders through the valley of my heart.

Google+ is the answer of Google to Facebook. Some have long been waiting for this.
The basic features currently offered are Circles, Hangouts, Sparks, Huddle (for mobile users).
Let me say a few words to each of these features.

Circles
… are groups of users. As everywhere in google these associations have a label-like character and not a hierarchical character which means: You can add one person to multiple circles. This comes in very handy when using the other features of Google+. This is also more natural than the “one person can only belong to one group”-approach since a person can both be a friend and a colleague, just to name an example.

Streams
… are micro messages we all learnt to love. Post your status, post a link, a video, every community or social platform has these nowadays. What’s different in Google+ is that you can choose who should be able to read this stream. If you’re going to a party you may want to post that, but only to your friends, not to you colleagues or boss. Just select the Friends Circle and/or some individuals and hit the share button.
This of course works both ways. While signed in Google+ you can choose which streams you want to read, just select friends and all the streams of your colleagues will be gone from the view .

Hangouts
… are personal chatrooms. You create a hangout and choose who may join. The invitees will see that you’re currently in a hangout in their streams and may join you – if they so choose. Hangouts are not limited to text, you can use your video camera and mic to talk. Also a very neat feature is, that you can select a youtube video and watch it together. Hopefully there will be a way to share your desktop in the future – That way we can all move to Google+ and don’t need Microsoft’s Skype anymore

Sparks
… are a sort of interest groups. You can enter a keyword and add it as an interest. If something is posted, that contains this keyword you will be notified about this post. As far as I can see there is no real group functionality behind this. However – I can’t really remember when, if ever, I posted something to a facebook group so I’m not missing out on something here.

Huddle
… i think it’s a multi-recipient-sms-chat software for your mobile phone. Didn’t get it to work already (always got ‘failed to send’). Since I don’t have an sms flatrate I should be careful with this. I’ll update this part as soon as I know more.

Update: If you’re getting failed to send – try updating your Google+ App on your Phone
There’s one for iPhones now too.

What’s more to say?
Google+ integrates with many of the existing google services like youtube or picasa. As a matter of fact, Google+ does not own a separate photo album functionality – it simply integrates picasa smoothly. The same goes for Google Talk and the PlusOne (+1) functionality which is the ‘I like’- button of Google. Hopefully there will be a ‘-1′ button soon, I know you all want it as bad as I do. (Just remember that you want this button, but you don’t want to be ‘-1′-ed yourself. Just saying – maybe it’s not such a good idea after all)

I believe Google+ tops Facebook in many ways. I feel to have more control over my profile and the groups I join. I really hated that Facebook adds you to groups without any confirmation. Anyhow people are creatures of habit. You all don’t need the games you can play on facebook, but you will miss them anyway. Kind of like a toy that you never use – but won’t give away because you once paid for it. Your friends are already on facebook – well that could be changed, but why should you initiate this move. This kind of thinking will make you and your friends stick with Facebook ’till the sun turns supernova and all live on earth dies. I know Google+ can be much better than Facebook but it’s thanks to the lazyness of all of us that it will be tough to break out of our Facebook habits and do the one right thing: Move to Google+ because Google has your data anyway – no need to hand it to Zuckerberg as well.

I am the lone wolf of the night
crying out for luna’s sympathy.
Forever asking why I have to be
the evil creature that will bite.

I walked among you for a while
doing so I felt quite juvenile.
But human life is temptation and desire
that’s the least what I require.

Emotions hurt like a gaping wound
at least that’s something that I found.
The injury was left untreated
and all my will was soon depleted.

My heart ached merely from seeing you
alone I did not know what I should do.
It’s an indescribable twist of mind
but I had to leave you far behind.

Now back to wolf I cannot speak
but being like that made me weak.
Love is nothing a wolf should undergo
it’s not even something a wolf should know.
Though there is something I’d never have reckoned
I would not want to have missed a single second.

And so I howl at the pale old moon
he’s my solace, bane and boon
You will always be my sun
I’d need wings but I have none.
To be with you is what I yearn
but I can only ever burn.

Electric clouds,
the air is crisp -
fleecy patchwork
in the sky.
Slipping secret -
rays of light,
stains of reds
in paling azure.
Frigid breeze
the slightest shivers
goose bumps
crawling up your scruff.
The frailest hide
stands on end
a lonely driblet
on your skin.
Rolling distant,
timbals sing.
Soon now,
soon.

Rome wasn’t built in one day
each board hat to be nailed to an other
every stone was placed beside the next -
You could say that Rome is complicated
but it was not built that way.
The way a building is created
from the basement to the gable
so is everything that’s made by man.

If you set out on a journey
you know how far you have to go
but there is no point in counting down the miles
it is each step towards your goal that counts.

In matters of the heart
you tend to see skyscrapers
where only a cabin is.
It’s okay since that’s what love is all about
believe and blind faith in a better life à deux.

Though you should never forget
behind that shiny facade of all
are stones and boards, there always were.

The journey that you set out with another
can be done one foot before the other
So if you falter,
when you see no horizon
and all you feel are the cracks in your foundation:
Remember you don’t have to leap back all at once.
Take a break and then do it
step by step.

The following is an interpretation of a song sung by Justin Vernon (with Bon Iver) called Flume. I feel that it is wrong to dissect a song and break it down until all the magic is gone. However what I will give is only an approximation of what the song says and means to me. A song or poem is already an interpretation of something larger, so all I can do is add bits here and there to help you understand what I see in this song. This interpretion is a poem / song itself. I recommend you listen to this amazingly beautiful song on youtube before you continue reading.

Now I have only my mother’s love left
That ought to be enough, is it?
I’m leaving my heart exposed
that’s why you can see (and understand) what I feel
(maybe not on purpose).

Only love can ever leave you completely empty
The weight of my tears keeps me from flying
what I need are perpetual roots
to ancher me, to provide shelter and warmth
in times I feel like I am drifting away.

Melancholy – looking back to old times
a picture of our whole family hanging on the wall,
me still inside my mother’s womb.
I am searching for something to hold on
but there is nothing left
at least not for me.

Only love can ever make you feel this bad
Searching for a place to rest
but afraid from being hurt again.
I’m not ready to be burned
in fear – unable to leave this safe and solitary place.

Only love can desert you like this
The weight of my tears keeps me from beeing free
what I want is something (as) static as the moon
to root me and provide shelter and warmth
in times I feel like loosing it.