Final Project
This selection stems from different sources in Chapter 12: Harms.
To fight “piracy,” to protect “property,” the content industry has launched a war…as with any war of prohibition, these damages will be suffered most by our own people…is this war justified?
There is no good reason why this time, for the first time, the law should defend the old against the new, just when the power of property called “intellectual property” is at its greatest in our history…in the next ten years we will see an explosion of digital technologies…there is a vast amount of creative work spread across the internet. But as the law is currently crafted, this work is presumptively illegal…creative people are being forced not to express themselves.
Overregulation stifles creativity. It smothers innovation. It gives dinosaurs a veto over the future. It wastes the extraordinary opportunity for a democratic creativity that digital technology enables. We drive this creative process underground by branding modern-day Walt Disneys “pirates.”
Can common sense recognize the absurdity in a world where the maximum fine for downloading two songs off the internet is no more than the fine for a doctor’s negligently butchering a patient? The consequence of this legal uncertainty, tied to these extremely high penalties, is that an extraordinary amount of creativity will either never be exercised, or never be exercised in the open…
If a different system achieved the same legitimate objectives that the existing copyright system achieved, but left consumers and creators much more free, then we’d have a very good reason to pursue this alternative – namely, freedom…
When forty to sixty million Americans are considered “criminals” under the law, and when the law could achieve the same objective – securing rights to authors – without these millions being considered “criminals,” who is the villain? Americans or the law? Which is American, a constant war on our own people or a concerted effort through our democracy to change our law?
COMPLETE LIST OF SOURCES (in order)
- “You Are a Pirate” song from Lazytown
- Gong and all other sounds from Freesound.org, licensed under Creative Commons
- Audiobook by Dave Winer, from Lessig’s “Free Culture”
- Walt Disney Silly Symphonies – King Neptune (1932) from YouTube user VarunaRyder
- Carl Orff – Carmina Burana
- Prohibition – To Drink or Not to Drink from Enyclopedia Britannica (Britannica on YouTube)
- Pikachu from knowyourmeme.com, unkown author – originally from Nintendo
- “Happy Gilmore” from Universal Pictures
- “Computer Explosion in Slow-Motion” from YouTube user HedgeTV
- Image of Judge Greg Mathis from gossipgamers.com
- “The Big Lebowski” from Gramercy Pictures
- Media moguls chart from http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/front.shtml#chart
- “Dramatic Land of the Lost” from YouTube user zomglolcats
- “Glenn Beck – The Crying Game” from YouTube user Matt1up
- AT&T commercial “Rethink Possible”
- “Rip: A Remix Manifesto” by Brett Gaylor
- Girl Talk – “What It’s All About”
- “Team America” from Paramount Pictures
- “Dateline – To Catch a Predator” from NBC
- Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse in “The Chain Gang” – 1930
- “The Dark Knight” from Warner Bros.
- “Rip: A Remix Manifesto” by Brett Gaylor
- “American Flag waving in the wind with full sun creating glow behind it. Veteran's day” from YouTube user MattDeHaven
- “Let the Mighty Eagle Soar” as performed by former Attorney General John Ashcroft
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Which is American, a constant war on our own people or a concerted effort through our democracy to change our law?". The internet was the quintessentially transitory medium. And yet, as it becomes more important in forming and reforming society, it becomes more and more important to maintain in some historical form
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Youtube Video
Sooo i know it's still too long, I wanted to edit it shorter, but hell i got lazy and forgot.. anyway... here it is
2nd draft of my paper..
Cultural Internet or Internet Culture?
Sara Collins
A wise professor of internet studies once said, “The internet is a wonderful tool that no one has quite figured out what to do with.” This statement, while simple, says almost everything you need to know about internet culture today. The internet is a tool originally created to share physics papers, but which has now been repurposed to allow people to watch movies, follow their favorite sports teams, find a place to eat, do research, express their thoughts, talk to friends, meet spouses, trade stocks… The list is almost endless, but one of the biggest uses of the internet today is by generation Y. We are the social networkers.
Wikipedia, a social network itself, defines social networks as “a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes", which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige(all links included).” Social networks are places on the internet where people can share their thoughts, creations, lives, and much more. It is an interesting notion that through one user-generated definition a person can click on seven different links to other user-generated content, which will in turn lead to other sites and other information and sometimes to other media altogether. Interplay of content across multiple media platforms and the nature of people to jump from thing to thing is what Henry Jenkins describes as convergence culture. Social networks are the home of convergence culture.
Anyone born after 1980 can tell you about at least one social network that he or she has belonged to. There is Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, Match.com, LiveJournal, Flickr, and this author’s personal favorite, Phonezoo. Phonezoo.com is a relatively new site that allows users to interface and share pictures, ring tones, and games. The great thing about the site is users can use music from their own computer to cut thirty-second snippets of songs and create ring tones. The site will then send a multimedia message to the user’s phone, which can then be made into a ring tone or alert notification, or whatever else the person wants it to be. Phonezoo users can also download and share pictures or games that they have found on the internet or created on their own computer.
Phonezoo creates the opportunity for a perfect convergence culture on the internet. For instance: one user wants to make their favorite Black Keys song into a ring tone. The Black Keys do not have ring tones available on the internet so the user goes to Phonezoo and makes one. While walking around Wal-Mart the phone goes off and a customer hears it. They want to know who the artist is because the song has a great unique sound. After learning that it was the Black Keys, the customer buys the Brothers album before leaving Wal-Mart. He likes the album so much, that he decides to go to a torrent downloader site like Vuze, and download the whole Black Keys discography. Then he picks a new song and takes it to Phonezoo to create his own ring tone.
Convergence culture means information can cross media boundaries and go from one source to another and be shared by many. Phonezoo provides a platform for the ideal convergence culture using the internet, cell phones, mp3 players, and traditional media.
While Phonezoo allows for a free exchange of really cool music and pictures, the site also condones user activism. Many users like the site because they can get free ring tones and pictures for their phone, but the site uses pirated music and barely fringes on copyright laws. Ethan Zuckerman did a talk at ETech in 2008. Zuckerman’s theory is that for a site to work it has to be able to support activism. When a site supports passive activism, it is even better. Many users of Phonezoo are not on the site to spite the music industry for having the gall to charge $.99 a download; they are there because it enables them to create their own ring tones. Now if the music industry decides to shut down Phonezoo for copyright infringement, another site just like it will pop up and users will flock to it, because they want the freedom to create.
The cycle of establishment shutting down one thing, only to have the public find a way around it is exactly what Zuckerman describes in his talk. Social networks across the board allow for social activism in one way or another. Some sites allow for copyright infringement, some allow for public outcry, some allow artists who can’t get a gallery to show the world what others thought wasn’t worthy.
While no one has quite figured out exactly what the internet is for, one thing is for sure; use of social networks is one of the biggest and most influential. Many companies are learning the potential of online social networks and are creating their own Facebook and Twitter pages. Some companies even hire potential employees through social networks like LinkedIn or Monster.com.
Many people start their careers on social networks. Musicians can get their start on pages like MySpace and photographers can get their pictures seen on Flickr, and artists can get their work seen on deviantART. If nothing else, social networks provide a proactive form of social activism. New boundaries are being formed everyday that have never been considered before. If one person gets hired or exposed or bought through unconventional means, the internet has done something good through social activism.
Social networks may be new and scary to many, but they are opening doors to the world that can never be closed, and which will change the way we operate for the rest of our lives.
2nd draft of my paper..
Cultural Internet or Internet Culture?
Sara Collins
A wise professor of internet studies once said, “The internet is a wonderful tool that no one has quite figured out what to do with.” This statement, while simple, says almost everything you need to know about internet culture today. The internet is a tool originally created to share physics papers, but which has now been repurposed to allow people to watch movies, follow their favorite sports teams, find a place to eat, do research, express their thoughts, talk to friends, meet spouses, trade stocks… The list is almost endless, but one of the biggest uses of the internet today is by generation Y. We are the social networkers.
Wikipedia, a social network itself, defines social networks as “a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes", which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige(all links included).” Social networks are places on the internet where people can share their thoughts, creations, lives, and much more. It is an interesting notion that through one user-generated definition a person can click on seven different links to other user-generated content, which will in turn lead to other sites and other information and sometimes to other media altogether. Interplay of content across multiple media platforms and the nature of people to jump from thing to thing is what Henry Jenkins describes as convergence culture. Social networks are the home of convergence culture.
Anyone born after 1980 can tell you about at least one social network that he or she has belonged to. There is Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, Match.com, LiveJournal, Flickr, and this author’s personal favorite, Phonezoo. Phonezoo.com is a relatively new site that allows users to interface and share pictures, ring tones, and games. The great thing about the site is users can use music from their own computer to cut thirty-second snippets of songs and create ring tones. The site will then send a multimedia message to the user’s phone, which can then be made into a ring tone or alert notification, or whatever else the person wants it to be. Phonezoo users can also download and share pictures or games that they have found on the internet or created on their own computer.
Phonezoo creates the opportunity for a perfect convergence culture on the internet. For instance: one user wants to make their favorite Black Keys song into a ring tone. The Black Keys do not have ring tones available on the internet so the user goes to Phonezoo and makes one. While walking around Wal-Mart the phone goes off and a customer hears it. They want to know who the artist is because the song has a great unique sound. After learning that it was the Black Keys, the customer buys the Brothers album before leaving Wal-Mart. He likes the album so much, that he decides to go to a torrent downloader site like Vuze, and download the whole Black Keys discography. Then he picks a new song and takes it to Phonezoo to create his own ring tone.
Convergence culture means information can cross media boundaries and go from one source to another and be shared by many. Phonezoo provides a platform for the ideal convergence culture using the internet, cell phones, mp3 players, and traditional media.
While Phonezoo allows for a free exchange of really cool music and pictures, the site also condones user activism. Many users like the site because they can get free ring tones and pictures for their phone, but the site uses pirated music and barely fringes on copyright laws. Ethan Zuckerman did a talk at ETech in 2008. Zuckerman’s theory is that for a site to work it has to be able to support activism. When a site supports passive activism, it is even better. Many users of Phonezoo are not on the site to spite the music industry for having the gall to charge $.99 a download; they are there because it enables them to create their own ring tones. Now if the music industry decides to shut down Phonezoo for copyright infringement, another site just like it will pop up and users will flock to it, because they want the freedom to create.
The cycle of establishment shutting down one thing, only to have the public find a way around it is exactly what Zuckerman describes in his talk. Social networks across the board allow for social activism in one way or another. Some sites allow for copyright infringement, some allow for public outcry, some allow artists who can’t get a gallery to show the world what others thought wasn’t worthy.
While no one has quite figured out exactly what the internet is for, one thing is for sure; use of social networks is one of the biggest and most influential. Many companies are learning the potential of online social networks and are creating their own Facebook and Twitter pages. Some companies even hire potential employees through social networks like LinkedIn or Monster.com.
Many people start their careers on social networks. Musicians can get their start on pages like MySpace and photographers can get their pictures seen on Flickr, and artists can get their work seen on deviantART. If nothing else, social networks provide a proactive form of social activism. New boundaries are being formed everyday that have never been considered before. If one person gets hired or exposed or bought through unconventional means, the internet has done something good through social activism.
Social networks may be new and scary to many, but they are opening doors to the world that can never be closed, and which will change the way we operate for the rest of our lives.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
2nd Web Assignment
Cultural Internet or Internet Culture?
Sara Collins
A wise professor of internet studies once said, “The internet is a wonderful tool that no one has quite figured out what to do with”. This statement, while simple, says everything you need to know about internet culture today. The internet is a tool originally created to share physics papers, but which has now been repurposed to allow people to watch movies, follow their favorite sports teams, find a place to eat, do research, express their thoughts, talk to friends, meet spouses, trade stocks… The list is almost endless, but one of the biggest uses of the internet today is by generation Y, We are the social networkers.
Wikipedia, social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes", which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige(all links included).” Social networks are places on the internet where people can share their thoughts, creations, lives, and much more. It is an interesting notion that through one user-generated definition a person can click on seven different links to other user-generated content, which will in turn lead to other sites and other information and sometimes to other media altogether. Interplay of content across multiple media platforms and the nature of people to jump from thing to thing is what Henry Jenkins describes as convergence culture. Social networks are the home of convergence culture.
Anyone born after 1980 can tell you about at least one social network that he or she has belonged to. There is Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, Match.com, LiveJournal, Flickr, and this author’s personal favorite, Phonezoo. Phonezoo is a relatively new site that allows users to interface and share pictures, ringtones, and games. The great thing about the site is users can use music from their own computer to cut thirty-second snippets of songs and create ringtones. The site will then send a multimedia message to the user’s phone, which can then be made into a ringtone or alert notification, or whatever else the person wants it to be. Phonezoo users can also download and share pictures or games that they have found on the internet or created on their own computer.
Phonezoo creates the opportunity for a perfect convergence culture on the internet. For instance: one user wants to make their favorite Black Keys song into a ringtone. The Black Keys do not have ringtones available on the internet so the user goes to Phonezoo and makes one. While walking around Wal-Mart the phone goes off and a customer hears it. They want to know who the artist is because the song has a great unique sound. After learning that is was Black Keys, the customer buys the Brothers album before leaving Wal-Mart. He likes the album so much, that he decides to go to a torrent downloader site like Vuze, and download the whole Black Keys discography. Then he picks a new song and takes it to Phonezoo to create his own ringtone.
Convergence culture means information can cross media boundaries and go from one source to another and be shared by many. Phonezoo provides a platform for the ideal convergence culture using the internet, cell phones, mp3 players, and traditional media.
While Phonezoo allows for a free exchange of really cool music and pictures, the site also condones user activism. Many users like the site because they can get free ringtones and pictures for their phone, but the site uses pirated music and barely fringes on copyright laws. Ethan Zuckerman did a talk at ETech in 2008. Zuckerman’s theory is that for a site to work it has to be able to support activism. When a site supports passive activism, it is even better. Many users of Phonezoo are not on the site to spite the music industry for having the gall to charge $.99 a download, they are there because it enables them to create their own ringtones. Now if the music industry decides to shut down Phonezoo for copyright infringement, another site just like it will pop up and users will flock to it, because they want the freedom to create.
The cycle of establishment shutting down one thing, only to have the public find a way around it is exactly what Zuckerman describes in his talk. Social networks across the board allow for social activism in one way or another. Some sites allow for copyright infringement, some allow for public outcry, some allow artists who can’t get a gallery to show the world what others thought wasn’t worthy.
While no one has figured out exactly what to do with the internet, this author feels that the use of social networks is a great use for now. Some industries are suffering from their lack of internet savvy, but it is a small price to pay for the possibilities of the internet culture. If one person gets to sell their artwork outside of a gallery, one artist can sell his records without a label, or one business can run internationally out of a one-bedroom apartment, social networking is worth it.
Sara Collins
A wise professor of internet studies once said, “The internet is a wonderful tool that no one has quite figured out what to do with”. This statement, while simple, says everything you need to know about internet culture today. The internet is a tool originally created to share physics papers, but which has now been repurposed to allow people to watch movies, follow their favorite sports teams, find a place to eat, do research, express their thoughts, talk to friends, meet spouses, trade stocks… The list is almost endless, but one of the biggest uses of the internet today is by generation Y, We are the social networkers.
Wikipedia, social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes", which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige(all links included).” Social networks are places on the internet where people can share their thoughts, creations, lives, and much more. It is an interesting notion that through one user-generated definition a person can click on seven different links to other user-generated content, which will in turn lead to other sites and other information and sometimes to other media altogether. Interplay of content across multiple media platforms and the nature of people to jump from thing to thing is what Henry Jenkins describes as convergence culture. Social networks are the home of convergence culture.
Anyone born after 1980 can tell you about at least one social network that he or she has belonged to. There is Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, Match.com, LiveJournal, Flickr, and this author’s personal favorite, Phonezoo. Phonezoo is a relatively new site that allows users to interface and share pictures, ringtones, and games. The great thing about the site is users can use music from their own computer to cut thirty-second snippets of songs and create ringtones. The site will then send a multimedia message to the user’s phone, which can then be made into a ringtone or alert notification, or whatever else the person wants it to be. Phonezoo users can also download and share pictures or games that they have found on the internet or created on their own computer.
Phonezoo creates the opportunity for a perfect convergence culture on the internet. For instance: one user wants to make their favorite Black Keys song into a ringtone. The Black Keys do not have ringtones available on the internet so the user goes to Phonezoo and makes one. While walking around Wal-Mart the phone goes off and a customer hears it. They want to know who the artist is because the song has a great unique sound. After learning that is was Black Keys, the customer buys the Brothers album before leaving Wal-Mart. He likes the album so much, that he decides to go to a torrent downloader site like Vuze, and download the whole Black Keys discography. Then he picks a new song and takes it to Phonezoo to create his own ringtone.
Convergence culture means information can cross media boundaries and go from one source to another and be shared by many. Phonezoo provides a platform for the ideal convergence culture using the internet, cell phones, mp3 players, and traditional media.
While Phonezoo allows for a free exchange of really cool music and pictures, the site also condones user activism. Many users like the site because they can get free ringtones and pictures for their phone, but the site uses pirated music and barely fringes on copyright laws. Ethan Zuckerman did a talk at ETech in 2008. Zuckerman’s theory is that for a site to work it has to be able to support activism. When a site supports passive activism, it is even better. Many users of Phonezoo are not on the site to spite the music industry for having the gall to charge $.99 a download, they are there because it enables them to create their own ringtones. Now if the music industry decides to shut down Phonezoo for copyright infringement, another site just like it will pop up and users will flock to it, because they want the freedom to create.
The cycle of establishment shutting down one thing, only to have the public find a way around it is exactly what Zuckerman describes in his talk. Social networks across the board allow for social activism in one way or another. Some sites allow for copyright infringement, some allow for public outcry, some allow artists who can’t get a gallery to show the world what others thought wasn’t worthy.
While no one has figured out exactly what to do with the internet, this author feels that the use of social networks is a great use for now. Some industries are suffering from their lack of internet savvy, but it is a small price to pay for the possibilities of the internet culture. If one person gets to sell their artwork outside of a gallery, one artist can sell his records without a label, or one business can run internationally out of a one-bedroom apartment, social networking is worth it.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Stats
Someone from alaska and canada viewed my blog! Very cool. I like this new stats feature. I learned that most of my audience uses google chrome or firefox. It ws really enlightening to go through my stats. Very cool :)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
revised assignment
It was a hot, sunny afternoon in June. A girl of seven walked lazily down the road to seek out a playmate for the beautiful afternoon. That day was a perfect day for playing in the creek and catching craw dads with her friend Emily. Emily lived just down the road so there was no need to call ahead, the girl just walked in (they were practically family after all).
However, something was different about that day. Emily was not at her normal station in front of the television playing Nintendo. The girl called out for her friend and heard, "Back here!" from the back office.
The girl was tentative. That was Emily's dad's office, and they were not supposed to play in the office. Despite her trepidation, she went back to find her friend.
The girl found Emily typing in short slow intervals on the keyboard to her dad's computer.
Then there was a noise.
"Oh no! What did you do?!" the girl fretted.
Emily was calm. "What are you worrying about? It's just my instant messenger. I'm talking to Amanda about meeting up for ice cream later."
The girl was shocked. How could Emily be talking to Amanda without a phone?
Emily just shook her head and explained that all you had to do was download the program, enter a screen name, and start talking to anyone.
So began the era of instant messaging. Few summer days were spent romping in the creek without first checking to make sure there was no one worth while online to talk to. The internet opened new doors of communication that the girl had never dreamed of. It was new and exciting. Children all around the world could meet in one chat room and talk in their new language at speeds no parent could comprehend.
There was an invention of abbreviations and "text speak" which allowed children to express their ideas in 5 letters or less; P.I.R. meant "Parents in Room" to warn the sender not to say any dirty words or make any dirty comments; LOL meant that something was funny, but LMAO meant you were literally laughing your ass off (or so to speak). Kids learned to type faster than most adults could follow, and they learned to edit and condense paragraphs into sentences and sentences into letters. The internet provided an exercise in a new form of English that had never been considered outside a courtroom stenography class.
With just a few clicks and keystrokes any one could communicate with any one else, anywhere. Children in Matthews, North Carolina were talking to kids in Florida, Canada, France... The possibilities were endless.
This revolution in communication did lead to more awkward conversations and disturbing situations at times, but one thing was for sure: No one could resist the glowing screens and endless opportunities the internet provided.
In a matter of years information became accessible almost instantly. Within a decade everyone was buying into online instant communication. Today people can chat with experts, movie stars, politicians, and tech support crews. A woman can video chat with her husband in Iraq and a child in India can learn a new language from a child in Sacramento.
In an article by Vannevar Bush the world was introduced to a revolutionary idea for a machine that would allow users to share and organize information in a whole new way. Bush's ideas were forward thinking, which translates to scary for many. But Bush viewed this imaginary machine as the means to a better future. The internet has become much like Vannevar Bush's imaginary MEMEX machine in that it allows people all over the world to share and organize information in a whole new way.
The internet brought the world together and allows for countless options and opinions to be known. The internet is a beautiful invention that is just as new and exciting now as it was that first fateful day that two girls sat down to talk to a friend a block away.
However, something was different about that day. Emily was not at her normal station in front of the television playing Nintendo. The girl called out for her friend and heard, "Back here!" from the back office.
The girl was tentative. That was Emily's dad's office, and they were not supposed to play in the office. Despite her trepidation, she went back to find her friend.
The girl found Emily typing in short slow intervals on the keyboard to her dad's computer.
Then there was a noise.
"Oh no! What did you do?!" the girl fretted.
Emily was calm. "What are you worrying about? It's just my instant messenger. I'm talking to Amanda about meeting up for ice cream later."
The girl was shocked. How could Emily be talking to Amanda without a phone?
Emily just shook her head and explained that all you had to do was download the program, enter a screen name, and start talking to anyone.
So began the era of instant messaging. Few summer days were spent romping in the creek without first checking to make sure there was no one worth while online to talk to. The internet opened new doors of communication that the girl had never dreamed of. It was new and exciting. Children all around the world could meet in one chat room and talk in their new language at speeds no parent could comprehend.
There was an invention of abbreviations and "text speak" which allowed children to express their ideas in 5 letters or less; P.I.R. meant "Parents in Room" to warn the sender not to say any dirty words or make any dirty comments; LOL meant that something was funny, but LMAO meant you were literally laughing your ass off (or so to speak). Kids learned to type faster than most adults could follow, and they learned to edit and condense paragraphs into sentences and sentences into letters. The internet provided an exercise in a new form of English that had never been considered outside a courtroom stenography class.
With just a few clicks and keystrokes any one could communicate with any one else, anywhere. Children in Matthews, North Carolina were talking to kids in Florida, Canada, France... The possibilities were endless.
This revolution in communication did lead to more awkward conversations and disturbing situations at times, but one thing was for sure: No one could resist the glowing screens and endless opportunities the internet provided.
In a matter of years information became accessible almost instantly. Within a decade everyone was buying into online instant communication. Today people can chat with experts, movie stars, politicians, and tech support crews. A woman can video chat with her husband in Iraq and a child in India can learn a new language from a child in Sacramento.
In an article by Vannevar Bush the world was introduced to a revolutionary idea for a machine that would allow users to share and organize information in a whole new way. Bush's ideas were forward thinking, which translates to scary for many. But Bush viewed this imaginary machine as the means to a better future. The internet has become much like Vannevar Bush's imaginary MEMEX machine in that it allows people all over the world to share and organize information in a whole new way.
The internet brought the world together and allows for countless options and opinions to be known. The internet is a beautiful invention that is just as new and exciting now as it was that first fateful day that two girls sat down to talk to a friend a block away.
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