Copyright issues are a minefield. This is caused by the major reason that copyrights are violated or brought into question: money. Greed has lead to legal action and lawsuits filed by major corporations with their large legal teams. Anything that violates their copyrights costs them money, whether it be a bootleg movie or a torrent for a record label's music. The internet changed the way that pirated materials are distributed; next to gone are the days of bootleg discs being sold on the street or by a bus stop, now is the time of torrents and widespread internet piracy. At first the corporations cracked down and a few stories of kids being sued for enormous sums were gobbled up by the media, but they could not stop the tide. Taking out a few children could not stop the flood of information, it was like trying to stop the sale of drugs by putting a few junkies in jail. As long as the head of the snake remains, it will live on.
So recently corporations have taken a new approach and now attempt to shut down sites that host pirated media. An article written just last week showed the ironic results of such attempts to stop internet piracy: (http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/05/copyright-holders-ask-google-to-take-down-their-own-takedown-notices/). This article focused on the take-down notices posted by Google and the information posted with them as they are in the process of being taken down. This information includes direct links to the sites with pirated media before they are completely taken down, allowing people to go to the site and perhaps download the materials and then re-post them on another site. Copyright holding companies such as Universal and NBC have urged Google to take down these notices which are ironically not really stopping piracy as perpetuating the pirated materials existence on the internet. Whether or not Google will comply is unknown but it is unlikely that online piracy will be easily stopped.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Privacy and Security
The evolution of social media has drastically changed the type and amount of personal information available on the internet. From current physical locations tracked through the use of smart phones to post to Facebook to incriminating or private photos appearing on popular social media sites - sensitive information is abundant. Many people are not aware of how to keep such things private and this issue continues to get increasingly complicated; so much so that as stated in an article by Rebecca Greenfield - a family photo of Randi Zuckerberg, the sister of Facebook's founder was accidentally leaked onto public Twitter. (http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/12/facebook-privacy-so-confusing-even-zuckerberg-family-photo-isnt-private/60313/) If the sister of possibly the most popular social media site cannot even manage to keep her photos private, what hope is there for the average person?
The only true way to keep your private information off the internet is not to post it in the first place. People need to learn to keep their sensitive information to themselves because once something is posted online, it is there forever. If adamant lovers of social media insist on continuing to post, then privacy filters need to become more strict in order to keep photos, text, and other data in the intended circles. Not only do these filters need to be more strict but there must be a push to educate the population on how to use these tools, how to maintain their privacy, and perhaps a reminder what might not be a good idea to post in the first place.
The only true way to keep your private information off the internet is not to post it in the first place. People need to learn to keep their sensitive information to themselves because once something is posted online, it is there forever. If adamant lovers of social media insist on continuing to post, then privacy filters need to become more strict in order to keep photos, text, and other data in the intended circles. Not only do these filters need to be more strict but there must be a push to educate the population on how to use these tools, how to maintain their privacy, and perhaps a reminder what might not be a good idea to post in the first place.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Creativity Part B
For this assignment I used a screen recording program to capture live game play footage of myself playing a popular mmorpg the Lord of the Rings Online. I then edited the video and trimmed it down to a reasonable length. After this I added in parts of four songs to go along with the video footage and finally took the entire thing and uploaded it to www.dailymotion.com. Here is the link and the embedded video:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xy43gv_lord-of-the-rings-online-brief-video-with-music-for-cs-100_videogames#.UT3jOBzOGVN
Lord of the Rings Online - Brief Video with... by dm_513dcc6859bc9
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xy43gv_lord-of-the-rings-online-brief-video-with-music-for-cs-100_videogames#.UT3jOBzOGVN
Lord of the Rings Online - Brief Video with... by dm_513dcc6859bc9
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Social Media
Social media is web 2.0 technology, users interact with websites and contribute to the ever changing sites such as Facebook and Twitter. While the original examples of such sites were at first used for business networking, they rocketed into a new wave of Internet culture with nearly everyone having a Facebook from grandmothers to small children. While such sites can be great for reconnecting with old friends or communicating with relatives in another country, they pose a new danger. People mindlessly post everything about themselves and their days, such information as their current locations is often tracked even if they are not posting - this creates a risk for easy burglaries and stalking. Much as the wild west was a new frontier, the Internet is not all rainbows and ponies, serious dangers exist online and people should be cautious in what they post for the world to see.
Virtual worlds are digital environments in which humans control three-dimensional avatars. These avatars can often perform many actions and usually are accompanied with a text chat feature the user can utilize. The worlds themselves vary from Second Life type worlds which mimic real life to massive multiplayer online role playing games (mmorpgs). In a typical mmorpg, players can do everything from talk, voice chat, battle, trade, and sometimes even experience digital weather and day-night cycles. Of the virtual worlds that I have had an avatar in, all but one have been mmorpgs. In these I tend to pick a sword slashing, potion drinking warrior. A shift from gaming and recreation is occurring, especially in the case of Second Life and spin offs which have begun to be used in place of international business meetings in person due to their cheaper cost and easier use (Going to the virtual office in Second Life by Mark Tutton).
Virtual worlds are digital environments in which humans control three-dimensional avatars. These avatars can often perform many actions and usually are accompanied with a text chat feature the user can utilize. The worlds themselves vary from Second Life type worlds which mimic real life to massive multiplayer online role playing games (mmorpgs). In a typical mmorpg, players can do everything from talk, voice chat, battle, trade, and sometimes even experience digital weather and day-night cycles. Of the virtual worlds that I have had an avatar in, all but one have been mmorpgs. In these I tend to pick a sword slashing, potion drinking warrior. A shift from gaming and recreation is occurring, especially in the case of Second Life and spin offs which have begun to be used in place of international business meetings in person due to their cheaper cost and easier use (Going to the virtual office in Second Life by Mark Tutton).
Sunday, February 17, 2013
World Wide Web
The future of the World Wide Web is looking to be packed with increasing changes in where information is stored. Computers started very large, filling an entire room and begun to get more and more compact. However despite the razor thin phones and tablets, physical servers have not declined in importance. In fact, with "the Cloud" (information stored off site, currently Amazon and Google are the major providers of cloud storage) surging in popularity - physical servers are becoming more important yet again. These companies own large physical servers on which the data storage space is available for rent to companies for a reasonable price.
In the article "'The Cloud' Challenges Amazon" by Brian X. Chen, it is stated that many companies pay for space on Amazon's data centers. These companies include everything from small time sites to popular and well-known services such as Netflix and Instagram. The article talks of how an error or natural disaster can damage a data center and such an event can take down "the Cloud" until the damage is repaired. While this causes minor inconveniences for people watching Netflix, there are much more serious implications for small sites who cannot afford to pay for all the redundancies Amazon offers at a price.
In the future it is likely that the use of "Cloud" services will continue to increase, especially as people become increasingly dependent on technology at their fingertips and monthly fees. Fast, easy, and cheap is seen as ideal in this country - so the "Cloud" flourishes and thrives. These services have driven businesses such as Blockbuster, family-owned video stores, and Hollywood Video bankrupt. Yet no one seems to notice, they just push a button or a spot on the screen and stream videos. The future looks dim for brick and mortar stores, as technological advances continue to fly past them in profits.
In the article "'The Cloud' Challenges Amazon" by Brian X. Chen, it is stated that many companies pay for space on Amazon's data centers. These companies include everything from small time sites to popular and well-known services such as Netflix and Instagram. The article talks of how an error or natural disaster can damage a data center and such an event can take down "the Cloud" until the damage is repaired. While this causes minor inconveniences for people watching Netflix, there are much more serious implications for small sites who cannot afford to pay for all the redundancies Amazon offers at a price.
In the future it is likely that the use of "Cloud" services will continue to increase, especially as people become increasingly dependent on technology at their fingertips and monthly fees. Fast, easy, and cheap is seen as ideal in this country - so the "Cloud" flourishes and thrives. These services have driven businesses such as Blockbuster, family-owned video stores, and Hollywood Video bankrupt. Yet no one seems to notice, they just push a button or a spot on the screen and stream videos. The future looks dim for brick and mortar stores, as technological advances continue to fly past them in profits.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Networks and Communication
Internet communication technology includes email, texting, instant messaging, and video and audio messengers such as Skype. Such technology has a variety of strengths and weaknesses; lightning fast speed of communication tops the list of advantages - messages travel from sender to recipient almost instantaneously. This strength can also be a weakness as both companies and other parties can easily flood email in-boxes creating a virtual ocean of mail to sort through. Another advantage of email is low cost per message, all that is needed is internet access and some form of computer and one can send an email. Texting however comes at a monthly fee, which is extremely overpriced due to the almost non-existent cost of relaying a text message.
The major issues with such technologies that are frequently discussed are spam, texting and driving, and phishing. These issues are a problem because as people have become increasingly dependent on technology - millions have seemingly lost their common sense. Spam and possible phishing scams should be dealt with just like junk mail, if you do not know the sender and are not expecting the email - do not open it. Texting and driving is a problem because people split their attention between their phones and the road, this is also an easy fix - set your phone to vibrate or leave it in your bag. Bringing your phone with you and attempting to text while you drive is the older equivalent of trying to write a letter on horseback; people have to make a conscious attempt to remember that the road should be their only concern - their friends will still be there when they park, the world will not end if they wait until their commute is over. However insisting on texting and driving leads to injury and possibly death for not only the offender but other people driving on the same roads; this is a preventable event - society needs to re-learn how to be patient, lives literally hang in the balance.
The short Times article about the woman who took a 900 mile detour, a total of a day including a nap and gas refill. This not only shows the learned helplessness of modern society but the over-dependence on technology and the lack of common sense. People such as this treat technology as if it is manna from the hand of God himself, while it is supposed to be a tool just like a map or a telegraph. This woman blindly followed her GPS for 23 hours longer than the estimated 1 hour drive that she was supposed to undertake. The people in modern societies as previously stated need to use technology with common sense, and put a stop to the same sheep like behavior that led to the extinction of the dodo bird.(http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/15/belgian-woman-drives-900-miles-instead-of-90-thanks-to-her-gps/).
The major issues with such technologies that are frequently discussed are spam, texting and driving, and phishing. These issues are a problem because as people have become increasingly dependent on technology - millions have seemingly lost their common sense. Spam and possible phishing scams should be dealt with just like junk mail, if you do not know the sender and are not expecting the email - do not open it. Texting and driving is a problem because people split their attention between their phones and the road, this is also an easy fix - set your phone to vibrate or leave it in your bag. Bringing your phone with you and attempting to text while you drive is the older equivalent of trying to write a letter on horseback; people have to make a conscious attempt to remember that the road should be their only concern - their friends will still be there when they park, the world will not end if they wait until their commute is over. However insisting on texting and driving leads to injury and possibly death for not only the offender but other people driving on the same roads; this is a preventable event - society needs to re-learn how to be patient, lives literally hang in the balance.
The short Times article about the woman who took a 900 mile detour, a total of a day including a nap and gas refill. This not only shows the learned helplessness of modern society but the over-dependence on technology and the lack of common sense. People such as this treat technology as if it is manna from the hand of God himself, while it is supposed to be a tool just like a map or a telegraph. This woman blindly followed her GPS for 23 hours longer than the estimated 1 hour drive that she was supposed to undertake. The people in modern societies as previously stated need to use technology with common sense, and put a stop to the same sheep like behavior that led to the extinction of the dodo bird.(http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/15/belgian-woman-drives-900-miles-instead-of-90-thanks-to-her-gps/).
Monday, January 21, 2013
Introduction
Greetings, my name is Will and I am a junior at NEIU. I have moderate experience with computers including a four year computer science track in high school. These four years began with a year learning about Microsoft Office and computer history, followed by a year of programming using Visual Basic, then a year of programming using Java, and finally a year of web design using Notepad to create HTML web pages.
Aside from my background in information technology, I have a deal of knowledge and experience with writing and psychology. I recently submitted a poem into an international contest and got published last spring in their annual anthology. As for my understanding of psychology I have completed several classes at NEIU and I am starting my second semester as a declared psychology major. I am looking forward to graduate school for psychology after attaining my bachelor's degree.
Aside from my background in information technology, I have a deal of knowledge and experience with writing and psychology. I recently submitted a poem into an international contest and got published last spring in their annual anthology. As for my understanding of psychology I have completed several classes at NEIU and I am starting my second semester as a declared psychology major. I am looking forward to graduate school for psychology after attaining my bachelor's degree.
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