Even though the tide has turned in their favor in the battle over SOPA, some of the most popular sites on the web are blacking themselves out today to protest the controversial Internet censorship bill. How should you navigate the web without them? We’ve got some suggestions:
Wikipedia
You may know that years and years ago, humans stored their knowledge in things called “books” and deposited them in vast buildings known as “libraries.” But what you might not know, is that a few of these “libraries” still exist today — and some of them have not yet been shuttered by government cuts! Find the nearest one on Google Maps.
Alternately, you can gain some precious retro street cred by looking things up on Encyclopedia Britannica.
(Or Shhhhh! Go to Wikipedia’s mobile version.)
Craigslist
You need a site where one can exchange money for goods and services, such as apartments, musicians and escorts who are definitely 100% without-a-doubt not child prostitutes? Or do you just want to find casual encounters with consenting real adults like this “sweet sexy girl just back from Hong Kong”? Either way, the Village Voice’s Backpage.com is the place for you! (EDIT: Or you could just click a tiny “Go to Craiglist” button on the blacked-out page.)
With a site as wide-ranging as Reddit, you can’t fill the void left by its SOPA blackout with just one replacement. Here’s a list of sites that, when put together, will maybe — just maybe! — will add up to the world-changing power of Reddit.com:
— For a collection of interesting and thought-provoking articles that will surely include one piece that is perfectly targeted to your inherent biases, go to MetaFilter.
— If you have a hankering for juvenile rage comics and hacky image memes, take a gander at 9gag.com. If your jokey image tastes are more refined, check out Canvas.
–If you’ve recently realized that all religion is a sham and need to circlejerk about it, a simple image search for “atheism Facebook screenshots” should get you through the next eight hours before r/atheism is back up.
–Finally, if you want to continue the good fight against manipulative females out to steal your money and falsely accuse you of rape, make use of the resources at MensRightsActivism.org.
Imgur –Who will host your pictures? How about ImageShack and TinyPic?
SongMeanings.net
Lyrics.com. A-Z Lyrics. Metro Lyrics. Lyrics Mode. SongLyrics.com. Lyrics Search Engine. LyricsFreak. That should do it!
The Oatmeal
Just kidding. There is not substitute for The Oatmeal.
A full list of companies participating in the blackout in available at SOPAstrike.com.
