You Really Want Congress to Worry About This?

Lawrence Lessig does not understand why Congress is so concerned about remixes. He believes that Congress should be worried about more important issues than copyright concerning remixes. Stephen Colbert does an interview with Lessig, Stephen Colbert Interview, where Lessig clearly expresses his frustration over this issue. I enjoyed how Colbert throws in his various opinions, how he "doesn't really care" about this issue, and invites everyone to create a remix of his interview.

I do not really know where I stand on this issue. I understand that an artist wants money and recognition for their song being used, but I also understand how many people enjoy making remixes (it's a form of artistic expression). I'd really appreciate comments in regards to which way you swing. Should Congress worry about this? Is it that big of a deal? Or should everyone continue to make remixes and parodies because it's not really a big deal?

Generation F: Future or Failure?

I personally am not a fan of the Facebook generation. It saddens me to think that people my own age can't have a conversation in person, but they can type, text, or tweet about it. I'm all for technological advances, but I think that it's gone too far when people can't speak face to face.

I'd be a liar and a hypocrite to say that I don't take advantage of the online world. In my own life I find Facebook and texting to be handy, but I find that it becomes addicting. As my fellow classmate, Bernice, pointed out last week: texting is dangerous while driving! Are we so lost and consumed in our other world (Generation F) that we are willing to risk our lives and "reply" or "update a status" while driving? I think we are.

Even at my job this week my children were complaining that an employee spends all of his time on the phone "texting and tweeting". We can't even work without being attached to our phones and the online world. These things can be helpful and save time, but they can also have negative consequences as well.

What are your thoughts? Is Facebook a good or bad thing? What parts are really helpful about the online world? Or would we be better without it?

I know it's been great for me, but I also know how negative it has been as well. Millions of people survived without having an online world, so we should be able to as well. Right?

More Tail, Less Mainstream

What is the Long Tail? I had no idea what the long tail was until this week! The Long Tail is exactly what I'm interested in. It's all about what isn't mainstream yet still incredibly popular. It's those books, movies, music that hardly anyone ever hears (or even knows about!), BUT it's a favorite and many people love it but just don't know about it... yet. The article I read, The Long Tail, was extremely helpful in allowing me to understand what the Long Tail is, how it works, and why it's so important to know about.

I always assume that I'm a mainstream type of person. Whatever is on the radio, whatever the newest book or movie is (that I'm aware of), is what I'm listening to, reading, or watching. I realized though that for me and many others "As we wander further from the beaten path, we discover that our taste is not as mainstream as we thought (or as we had been led to believe by marketing, a lack of alternatives, and a hit-driven culture)" (The Long Tail). In fact, as the article explains, I may click on an artists, listen to a song on YouTube, click on suggestions, find new artists, until I find one I really like who is definitely not mainstream! It's a great process, and the Long Tail is very interesting and exciting--"what's really amazing about the Long Tail is the sheer size of it. Combine enough nonhits on the Long Tail and you've got a market bigger than the hits" (The Long Tail). It means that I may start mainstream and end up in a very different location which can be a very positive thing.

Podcasting for Dummies (like me)

I am so challenged when it comes to technology and anything computer related really. It takes me a while to understand and be able to perform any function involving a computer. This week I've been learning not only about computers, but specifically the audio world. Even more specifically: podcasts.

I listened to a podcast, Podcasting for Dummies. I listened to episode 1: "how to make a basic podcast". It didn't sound very basic for me. Podcasts really take a lot of time, software (such as Audacity), and even money. They can become even more complicated with a co-host or trying to create a podcast with multiple recordings!

On a positive note there are millions of podcasts out there which gives a large selection. Anyone can find something that appeals to them. Also who doesn't love something that's free? Subscribing for free to podcasts is a major plus.

Overall I am not the biggest fan though. They're very popular and there are millions of podcasts out there. I think I'll stick to blogging, vlogging, and screen (not pod!) casts.

Vlog-Round 2