Copyrights and Sharing

The presentation by Jason Hardin clarified my vague understanding of copyright. I have always had the common sense of what copyright laws are and how to avoid disobeying them, but now I see that there is some possibility for creative production within them. While I agree with having guaranteed copyright for an idea in a fixed, tangible medium, I find the option of a Creative Commons or other malleable copyrights beneficial. For myself, I may become inspired by a certain section of a song or photograph or artwork and want to build on it. For example, I might want to create a remix with the song or a digital collage with the artwork. However, if everything was exclusively copyrighted, I would never be able to do that. In this sense, I am glad that the use and reputation of non-profit organizations like Creative Commons is increasing and am thus content with the current copyright landscape and I hope it continues to develop.

There are some ethical issues that arise in this movement towards sharing. It may increase my generation’s and the following generations’ sense of entitlement. If people were able to download most of their products for free, legally, it may cause them to avoid payment even more decidedly. On the other hand, it might lead to an entirely different conception of ownership and what is meant to be payed for and what is meant to be shared.

My Network Diagram

Joe Hatch presentation

My entire perspective on computers changed by listening to Joe Hatch. While computers still scare me, his few words, along with the rest of this class, have taught me something about how networks are connected and how information is stored on my computer. I think systems in general are intriguing and now I am beginning to become interested in this system of the post-modern era even if I dislike technology as a whole (but that is an unnecessary tangent). Aside, out of all that Joe talked about, the spinning memory storage device inside computers and the method or lack-of that information is stored on them was most interesting to me. I guess that makes my favorite tip defragmentation.

I am excited at the prospect of being able to understand my own computer enough to protect it from viruses and phishers. I downloaded CCleaner today and I plan to run the first scan tonight. I went to the Winn help center to get re-connected to the Ethernet here (I have been running on wifi since last year), and I downloaded Sophos without looking at the directions. I also plan to defrag my laptop. I used to do this at home when my parents told me to for our main computer but since I have relied on the Trinity network to keep me secure. I now realize that I am still vulnerable. (My obvious procrastination still demonstrates my anxiety of interacting with computers in general). I am excited to learn more about how to use computers even if only that is means that I need to spend less time on them to accomplish what I need to- but I do see some things that could be fun in the future.