The biggest news of the week was the near-victory of an amendment in the House of Representatives that would have defunded the National Security Agency's bulk phone-data-collection program.

In other news: Julian Assange stepped up to the political plate (for better or worse) and the biggest crowdfunding campaign EVER is underway.

1. Rep. Justin Amash's amendment to defund the NSA's phone-record-collection program nearly passed in a House vote on Wednesday. But what may have seemed like a defeat was actually a triumph: It forced representatives to go on the record and show us where they stand. And now we know that we need only seven more allies to take the House should someone introduce a similar amendment.

2. The Linux-distribution company Ubuntu launched the biggest crowdfunding campaign since ... well, ever. The company is hoping to raise $32 million on Indiegogo to fund its super-powerful open-source smartphone/computer combo, the Ubuntu Edge. And the effort seems to be working: The campaign has already raised more than $6 million, with some pledging as much as $10,000.

3. Trendon T. Shavers is the Bernie Madoff of the Internet. He was recently accused of operating a Ponzi scheme when his company, Bitcoin Savings and Trust, took 700,000 Bitcoins from investors before abruptly shutting down about a year ago. That translates to roughly $60 million in today's dollars.

4. On Thursday, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange announced the formation of the WikiLeaks Party, through which he plans to run for state Senate in the Victoria region of Australia. Maybe he stands a chance — though it might be tough for him to govern while he’s holed up in London's Ecuadorian embassy.

5. Ever wondered what Wi-Fi actually looks like? An artist got together with an astrobiologist to bring you the Wonderful World of Wi-Fi.

Finally, you can enjoy the soothing sounds of an all-female Japanese orchestra playing “Ode to Joy” using theremins nested in matryoshka dolls. The Interwebs just don't get any better than this.