11-29: All This Twisting and Turning...

Actually, my title is really doesn't fit. In fact, changing the essay into a web format was quite easy. Mainly, I prepared myself before hand and knew to make life easier at the end that I would have to break my essay up into sections. Now, if only frontpage would work correctly or as the publisher intended...if only there weren't so many admin. locks...sigh.

The only real change in my essay was making the works cited into a launch pad of sorts. Here is where viewers of the page will launch outside the realm of my space and go to where I was at one point. But, all in all it was pretty easy to move my essay into the website templete. Having knowledge of basic html code helped immensely in this endeavor.

11-15: "Lefts" of Passage

In this day, everything is slowly turning into a commodity. Water has been privatized; in certain countries it is illegal to capture rain water for human use.

The latest thing to come under attack is copyright. While it is not close to being an all inclusive club, the length of a copyright should not extend indefinitely. Currently, the law protects Intellectual Properties for 70 years after the applicant's death. At what point does the term "limited" drop off?

I really wish I had my book right now but left it somewhere. So, sorry for the lack of quotes or the butchering of quotes.

Our fore-fathers believed copyrights were a necessary evil. However, artistic work had protection for a limited time (14 years I believe). The purpose was to reward the creator while allowing the public to generate ideas from the work once the copyright expired. In its (copyrights) original form, it balanced protection and innovation. Today, I would hardly say this is true.

The owners of copyrights continue to hoard their licenses. More years keep accumulating before the expiration of copyrights. How long will it be until nothing enters into the public domain? And now, with the advancement of technology, stricter laws may soon develop to combat piracy. A social rift is already being created.

Look at i-tunes, people have to pay to download songs. Those with the capable technology and funds can do so with ease. But, what about people with little or no access to the internet or people without the means to pay for such technology? Part of society's duty is to educate citizens. But now, one has to pay in order to do so. Granted, i-tunes is a bit of a stretch towards my overall point, but this technology is relatively new. This situation is analogous.

We have already seen the length of copyrights extended. But, does the public benefit from this? If so, intellectual properties would enter the public domain. This is not the case. The ownership remains with the artist or corporation. At some point, revenue will be generated from online media. Then, there will be a socio-economic rift between people who can afford such a luxury and those who can't. So, is "Copy Left" the answer?

"Copy Left" is a movement that, in simple terms, wishes to have intellectual properties enter the public domain. I believe that, while some may classify them as socialists, they are ultimately egalitarians. Equal access should be for all, not for those who can afford it. Is society going to charge people for taking books out of a public library?

Thinking about this, libraries are in defiance of copyright laws. Anyone can walk into a library and look at a book. Nothing stops the person from copying the entire book. Is it the libraries' responsibility to ensure this doesn't happen? Who is at fault? In a "Copy Left" world, issues will rise but the complexities of these issues probably won't be as great. Copyrights have had 200+ years to become distorted, twisted, raped, pillaged, plundered...etc. Isn't it time to let ideas morph from one thing to another, much like Dante morphing Virgil who in turn morphed Homer?

reconstructing...

Alright, it seems my focus for the web essay has found a particular focus. Instead of trying to explain what various governments are doing to protect their citizens, I am dissecting the issue of spam. A rough outline of my plan is as listed:

Introduction: I'll explain what spam is and how it is inherently connected to digital literacy.

History: I'll describe the origins of spam in context of the internet and how it has branched out to other devices (ei: cell phones, PDAs).

Hinderence:This section will be similar to history but will explain how it (spam) has become such an annoyance. In addition, specific figures concerning the cost the recipient of spam incurs will be discussed in this section. Finally, anlysis of the information provided will discuss the burden spam has on economies and consumers as well as lead into the next topic.

Regulations/Laws: This section will probably be broken up into 4 sections: International (UN and the ITU), European Union, United States, and other countries (Austrailia, Japan, China...etc). Here is where I will list the policies, bills, directives...etc. that have impacted the senders of spam. Furthermore, it will list various other initiatives to curb spam and future research being conducted at new laws.

Analysis: The final section will provide critical analysis of spam and regulations concerning spam.

This is a rough outline and will probably change during the course of writing/revising what I have. Should I expound more on any particular aspect?

11-8: Presentations

Overall, the group with the Web Style Guide: 2nd Ed. was the most useful for our Wikis and our Websites. It is easy to follow and is organized quite well, the site that is. It gives valuable information to help with the design of various sites as well as general guidelines.

I-claim, visualizing arguements, did not seem to be as informative as the "Guide." While it did raise some interesting points, most of the information was already in my head. It just helped to visualize it on screen. Also, the examples were very illustrative.

The remaining two had some information that is useful. However, the majority of the points seemed to be covered by the "Guide." Also, some of it was intuitive. You obviously would not want to put a pale color text on a white background due to the strain on the eyes. Overall, all of the presentations contained some usefulness, some more than others. But, the most beneficial seems to be the "Guide."

10-25: Eu-roping the Internet

Is it cheating when you type a blog on a PC rather than your own Mac? (I'm sorry Sawtooth).

Well, I still have yet to receive any offers for The Networks about my TV promo (sigh). But, now I've begun focusing on Europe's response to an ever-changing internet. I still will be discussing regulations and what impact they may have on the internet. However, the European Union seems to have the most information regarding a plan on how to safeguard the internet as well as maintains its usefulness. Furthermore, the EU has clear guidelines regarding security measures and implementation of them.

How does this tie into literacy? Well, without any sort of security plan, professors argue that the internet would be useless to the masses. Imagine being bombarded by Spam, Pop-up Adds constantly. Whenever you move your mouse, a new product will appear on your screen. Literacy could not exist or rather be found without some form of control.

That's all I got for now...my sleep deprivation is starting to kick in.

10-20: Coming Soon to Website Near You

(This post happens between 12:36 and 12:37)

The US contols the main servers that all internet traffic go through. Now, one man will infiltrate these servers to find information concerning the regulation of the internet. Many trials will he face...many hours will be spent...to present you, the reader, a webpage of critical insight regarding censorship and the freedom of information on the internet. Will you be prepared?

Coming soon to a website near you!

10-13: Smart Mobs Dropping Text Bombs

Howard Rheingold presents new (or new when this article was written) ways technology influences the way individuals act in a collective group. In particular, he discusses the use of mobile text messanging as one of the "Smart Mobs" prime tools for communication. In the Philippines, a crowd, protesting against a the current leader, assembled in nonviolent protest through the use of texting. This was the cheapest means of communication along with many people having cell phones as their only communication toll.

In 2005, one can download pictures from a friend through texts as well as videos. Imagine this technology (which I'm sure it has been used) in the hands of "Smart Mobs" for use organizing many people. But, at what point will the Government start to monitor these various forms of technology?

This is an interesting question. During the WTO convention in Seattle, there was "a more deliberate and tactically focused use of wireless communications." While many convened in a peaceful manor, there were those who acted in violent fashion. Could any violence have been stopped if these communications were monitored? As we discussed in class, the US controls the essential servers linked to the internet. It was a matter of minutes before the Iraq website disappeared right after the invasion of Iraq. With such control over the internet, could cell phones be prone to censorship or monitoring?