MANILA, Philippines — Much has been said about the presently hibernating PIPA/SOPA and other similar antipiracy legislation in the United States and other countries. Certainly, we haven’t seen the last of governments’ efforts to control and take down Web sites that promote or facilitate online practices that pave the way for misappropriation of intellectual properties.

The world also does not have a shortage of governments onion-skinned about some Web sites hosting images or texts they deem insulting or critical of their political leaders and other members of their ruling class, and horror of all horrors, of their gods.

From the other side of the aisle, comes online citizens’ push for absolute freedom on the Web. They show complete disdain for any efforts at establishing mores and standards that would help create norms for online behavior approximating civility.

They readily oppose anything they perceive as an effort to reduce online freedom.

There must be a compromise between these extreme points of view threatening the online world’s very existence.

Largest Fuel Cell

Flanders is home to the world’s largest fuel cell. Chemicals vendor Solvay recently announced that the proton exchange membrane fuel cell, located in one of the communities in Belgium’s Dutch-speaking region, has entered into service.

The fuel cell, which converts chemical energy from hydrogen into electricity, produces enough to power some 1,400 homes.

I think we should buy at least a dozen of those.

India Conquers Google

India’s government has been demanding for quite some time now that Google removed Web pages considered as offensive or insulting to the country’s political and religious leaders.

In fact, a court in New Delhi has ordered Internet companies Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Blogspot, along with a number of other Web sites, to present their respective plans for ensuring that no “offensive” photographs, images, videos, or text will find their way to their networks.

The Indian government has, for weeks, been pressuring the Internet’s largest companies to comply with the country’s online censorship policies and regulations.

Afraid perhaps of losing access to India’s 100 million (and growing) Internet users, Google and company have no choice but to give in to the Indian government’s demands.

For a country whose economy has made giant gains from doing business on and via the Internet, India, through its anti-Web actions, seems to be hurting the proverbial goose that lays the golden eggs.

Where Do I Start?

Microsoft has reportedly removed the Start button from the coming edition of its operating system, Windows 8. Based on leaked screenshots of the operating system’s Consumer Preview version, only the “super bar” remains.

Before its removal, the Windows 8 Start button, which was found in the Metro user interface, provided user access to the OS search, devices, settings, and share panels.

The final version of the OS seems destined to be missing the Start button, a Windows mainstay for several previous versions.

I wonder how Windows users will react to this amputation.

That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.