Assignment 10 - Screenshot of Google Reader

Assignment 9

a. What problems has the DMCA created?

• The DMCA Chills Free Expression and Scientific Research.
  Experience with section 1201 demonstrates that it is being used to stifle free speech and scientific research. The lawsuit against 2600 magazine, threats against Princeton Professor Edward Felten's team of researchers, and prosecution of Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov have chilled the legitimate activities of journalists, publishers, scientists, students, programmers, and members of the public.
• The DMCA Jeopardizes Fair Use.
  By banning all acts of circumvention, and all technologies and tools that can be used for circumvention, the DMCA grants to copyright owners the power to unilaterally eliminate the public's fair use rights. Already, the movie industry's use of encryption on DVDs has curtailed consumers' ability to make legitimate, personal-use copies of movies they have purchased.
• The DMCA Impedes Competition and Innovation.
  Rather than focusing on pirates, some have wielded the DMCA to hinder legitimate competitors. For example, the DMCA has been used to block aftermarket competition in laser printer toner cartridges, garage door openers, and computer maintenance services. Similarly, Apple has used the DMCA to tie its iPhone and iPod devices to Apple's own software and services.
• The DMCA Interferes with Computer Intrusion Laws.
  Further, the DMCA has been misused as a general-purpose prohibition on computer network access, a task for which it was not designed and to which it is ill-suited. For example, a disgruntled employer used the DMCA against a former contractor for simply connecting to the company's computer system through a virtual private network ("VPN").  
•  
• [directly from http://www.eff.org/wp/unintended-consequences-under-dmca]

b. Should the DMCA be changed and if so, in what ways?
The DMCA has a legitimate function, which is to protect the intellectual property rights of people and corporations.  This is not problematic, as it merely intends to protect one entity from harming another.  That is totally fair.

The DMCA should be changed so that it has very narrow interpretations so that it can't be stretched to seem to apply in cases when it shouldn't apply.  Also it is a shame that the DMCA hinders competition and free speech, the two elements of American society that are perhaps the most important.  The DMCA should be written so that it does no generate unintended consequences that are ultimately unconstitutional.

Assignment #7 Video Mash-up

Check out this video mash-up of Queen, Joan Jett and Weezer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA0ZcQ6m65E&feature=player_embedded#

Search Engine Homework A5

1. All english words containing the letters "eue"

Answer:     banlieue, enqueue, queue,

Query used:     which words end with -eue
Method used:   Google


2. How much potassium in 4.7 oz of banana?

Answer:     477 mg
Query used:     How much potassium in 4.7 oz of banana?
Method used:   Wolfram/Alpha

3. How old was Barack Obama on the day you were born?

Answer:           11 years 3 months and 14 days
Query used:     How old was Barak Obama on 11-18-1972
Method used:   Wolfram/Alpha



4. Date and time of the next total solar eclipse in Eugene?

Answer:             August 21, 2017
Query used:       when is the next solar eclipse in eugene oregon
Method used:    Google

5. What is the minimum and maximum price of google stock since it went public?

Answer:            Minimum was $290.89, maximum was $626.75
Query used:      What is the minimum and maximum price of google stock since it went public?
Method used:    Wolfram/Alpha


6. Link an image of the barcode for UPC 01234567890

Answer:

Query used:     generate image of barcode for UPC 01234567890
Method used:  google

7. How many vertices does an icosahedron have?

Answer:           30 edges and 12 vertices
Query used:     How many vertices does an icosahedron have?
Method used:   Google

8. Distance from Eugene to Tokyo?

Answer:            4886 miles

Query used:      What is the distance from eugene oregon to tokyo
Method used:    Wolfram/Alpha

9. Average Oregon income per capita?

Answer:           $20940

Query used:     What is the Average Oregon income per capita?  
Method used:   Wolfram/Alpha

10. What is the Morse code for your first name?

Answer:

Query used:           What is morse code for Jeff
Method used:         Wolfram/Alpha

Search Engine Homework

Enter the following search terms into google.com, bing.com, baidu.com (major Chinese search engine) and google.cn (google's Chinese website). In your blog, comment on any differences in search results you see. I don't expect you to be able to read Chinese, but the actual URLs will be in english and often will have english summaries.

1. uss yorktown nt

2. google china censorship

3. Tiananmen Square

4. Taiwan independence



For item #1 all the search results were very similar, as that topic was just and informational item related to Microsoft NT an how it caused some computer glitch problem on a US navy ship.  I did note, however, that Bing's results seemed just like all the other results, even though it was negative press about Bing's mother company Microsoft.  Microsoft didn't seem to alter the search results to hide this information.

For item #2  most of the returns seemed similar, because the ideological differences are still shrouded within the conversation.  It seemed like there were many different opinions represented by all search engines.

But when searching out information on #3 the search results got creepy.  The China search engines, Baidu and Google.cn did not return any results relating to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in which 3000 pro-democracy protesters were killed when the Chinese military used force to clear the square. 
China continues to censor information on the internet in China and the search results for Tiananmen Square search results reflect that consoring.

Item #4 has similar results to #3.  Notable the Google.cn page actually returned an error code.

Led Zeppelin plate of shrimp

One morning before heading out to go to work I sat playing my guitar for about twenty minutes, working out the chords for Zeppelin's "Going to California", and awesome, sort of obscure Zep tune.  Well I had to go or I was going to be late, and I reluctantly put the guitar away and hurried out the door, got in my van and took off across town.  I got about five minutes away and was still sorta singing the lyrics in my head, so I turned on the radio, and yes it was "Going to California" ... Unbelievable. 

This really illustrates a classic plate of shrimp.  They are often the kind of minute detail that most people wouldn't even notice.  And the occurences, individually, might be easily dismissed as random coincidences, but when viewed together, over time, the occurences seem to garner more "meaning".  What that meaning is is a total mystery, seems hard to contort any meaning out of some of the strange circumstances that often accompany these stories.  When these events occur day after day, then the argument that they are just freak coincidences becomes untenable, after all how likely is it that you will experience a freak occurence day after day?  They really just become a regular occurence that can't be explained, which is very cool.

Feel free to share your stories on this blog ... I will continue to try to explain some of mine as they occur.

http://plateofshrimp-tobster.blogspot.com/2008/09/plate-of-shrimp-for-your-head_26.html

this is a link to another guy with interest in the plate of shrimp idea

I like the way he describes it on his page

Actual plate of shrimp

This is an actual plate of shrimp

not to be confused with the theoretical

A "plate of shrimp" has become a catchphrase that is used to represent certain types of events one experiences throughout the day involving the odd coincidences in life that seem too random to just be chance, suggesting some kind of mysterious force just under the surface of human reality and perception.
The only real evidence of a plate of shrimp occurring are the odd, strange, and weird coincidences that seem to creep up throughout the day, from very mundane details to very pivotal realizations.
It also seems that the more one recognizes these events and appreciates them, the more they seem to happen, and, perhaps, the more meaningful they become.

Sure the theists will immediately describe it as God's will etc ... which is fine for them, but what about the rest of us who don't really put all of their eggs in that basket, those of us who are interested in rational, analytical examination of the human experience.

How does a rational, analytical person describe these events? Is it quantum physics working its patterns on us, or vice versa? Is it a glimpse into an alternate reality? Or is it just a deeper glimpse into our current reality. Do these occurrences have meaning, or are they just odd random coincidences without any meaning?

The Movie "Repo Man" is where the catchphrase was coined ...
From "Repo Man"

"A lot o' people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch o' unconnected incidents 'n things. They don't realize that there's this, like, lattice o' coincidence that lays on top o' everything. Give you an example; show you what I mean: suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconsciousness."

I personally have some extraordinary stories of these cosmic coincidences. And upon closer examination I bet you do too! I am really interested in hearing your stories, and sharing mine.

So I'll post some of my stories here, and you can post yours too.