Recently, the community of so-called "Internet pirates" has come back into the limelight with the recent trials in Sweden of the founders of a well known and popular torrent tracker website, "The Pirate Bay". It has drawn a significant amount of press, especially after the conviction and jailing of the parties involved, even attracting a few high-profile celebrities, such as Paul McCartney and the vocalist of the band Snow Patrol. Many online supporters have engaged in protests both on and off the web. Protests were held outside the courthouse and during the raid on the Pirate Bay HQ, and a loosely connected internet collective named "Anonymous" lead a Distributed Denial of Service Attack, effectively IFPI website for a few hours.
This raises the question: should media be free to all or should we still pay for our music and movies?
Personally, being exposed to the culture of the Internet nearly constantly, I am inclined to say media should be free. More and more, we're able to get programs, services, and information for free. However, I can understand the argument of the production companies and their gripes. In all honesty, though, some of their claims seem to be blown out of the water. Though there are people who never buy anything, most of the time, people will download or listen to something for free, and then purchase the full thing, or purchase other related items. Not to mention the fact that live ticket sales are still extremely profitable, and one concert can make as much if not more than typical CD sales.
My opinon aside, there's no doubt that media is changing. There's no denying that people are more inclined to download and will want more things for free. Record labels and other production companies are going to need to get creative or they will risk dips if they can't keep up with trends and technology. Of course, they'll always have a responsible and reliable market, as a majority of people still do purchase music, but if you ignore the rising demographic of Internet-users, a few years down the road, that base may not exist.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
T-TV TV Show...
I was planning on doing a more interesting post today, but I think I need to do a bit more research before I can make a proper post. So for now, to tide you over, I'll do something I've been wanting to do for a while now: review television programs.
The United States of Tara - one of the best dramadies I've seen in recent years. US of Tara chronicles the struggles of a woman suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder, otherwise known as multiple personalities, and her functionally dysfunctional family trying to make it through the day despite their odd trials and tribulations. This show is definitely not "school appropriate", so I won't go into too much detail, but it's filled with unique comedy and captivating characters of all types (especially with Tara's "alters" mucking it up periodically) that really hooks you into the show itself. I'd recommend giving it a look, if not for just a few episodes.
Fringe - J.J. Abram's latest TV project. This show revolves around the concepts of "Fringe Science" (otherwise known as pseudoscience), obscure, supernatural research into strange events that would otherwise not be allowed by other fields of research. The show centers around Olivia Dunham, a young FBI agent recently recruited to investigate a strange series of occurrences labeled as "The Pattern". She recruits the help of an insane genius, Dr. Walter Bishop, and his equally genius but more grounded son, Peter Bishop, to rectify and explain these odd occurrences. The best part about this show is that it is both episodic and has an overarching storyline, allowing you to either watch it in chunks and still be entertained or watch the thing in whole and get the full experience. One thing done very masterfully in this show is the subtle symbolism, whether from small objects you would otherwise ignore, split-second cameos of mysterious characters, or the strange symbols aired between commercial breaks. These almost unnoticeable Easter eggs really complete the eerie experience of the whole show and make it all the more mysterious.
Battlestar Galactica - I previously mentioned this series in one of my earlier blog posts and the press it was getting after the UN hearings concerning its themes. While I'm naturally inclined to like it, being raised on Star Trek, even if you don't like space operas, the drama behind it often makes you forget that the characters are flying around on a gigantic warship in the middle of deep space. Practically every actor, even some of the more minor ones, is extremely believable and emotional, clearly putting their heart and soul into the roles. Mary McDonnell is easily my favorite actor in this series, and her portrayal of the dying leader destined to save humanity is phenomenal, to the point where you'd never know she's known anything else. If you haven't heard, the series recently ended, but most of the series is out on DVD, and you can generally catch reruns on Sci-Fi. I've been watching it on DVD, so I haven't been able to catch the end of it, but I'm looking forward to it when I can.
The United States of Tara - one of the best dramadies I've seen in recent years. US of Tara chronicles the struggles of a woman suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder, otherwise known as multiple personalities, and her functionally dysfunctional family trying to make it through the day despite their odd trials and tribulations. This show is definitely not "school appropriate", so I won't go into too much detail, but it's filled with unique comedy and captivating characters of all types (especially with Tara's "alters" mucking it up periodically) that really hooks you into the show itself. I'd recommend giving it a look, if not for just a few episodes.
Fringe - J.J. Abram's latest TV project. This show revolves around the concepts of "Fringe Science" (otherwise known as pseudoscience), obscure, supernatural research into strange events that would otherwise not be allowed by other fields of research. The show centers around Olivia Dunham, a young FBI agent recently recruited to investigate a strange series of occurrences labeled as "The Pattern". She recruits the help of an insane genius, Dr. Walter Bishop, and his equally genius but more grounded son, Peter Bishop, to rectify and explain these odd occurrences. The best part about this show is that it is both episodic and has an overarching storyline, allowing you to either watch it in chunks and still be entertained or watch the thing in whole and get the full experience. One thing done very masterfully in this show is the subtle symbolism, whether from small objects you would otherwise ignore, split-second cameos of mysterious characters, or the strange symbols aired between commercial breaks. These almost unnoticeable Easter eggs really complete the eerie experience of the whole show and make it all the more mysterious.
Battlestar Galactica - I previously mentioned this series in one of my earlier blog posts and the press it was getting after the UN hearings concerning its themes. While I'm naturally inclined to like it, being raised on Star Trek, even if you don't like space operas, the drama behind it often makes you forget that the characters are flying around on a gigantic warship in the middle of deep space. Practically every actor, even some of the more minor ones, is extremely believable and emotional, clearly putting their heart and soul into the roles. Mary McDonnell is easily my favorite actor in this series, and her portrayal of the dying leader destined to save humanity is phenomenal, to the point where you'd never know she's known anything else. If you haven't heard, the series recently ended, but most of the series is out on DVD, and you can generally catch reruns on Sci-Fi. I've been watching it on DVD, so I haven't been able to catch the end of it, but I'm looking forward to it when I can.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wiki Wiki Savvy
Or, Wiki Wiki Tavi 2.
ISO 3103 - An interesting article I stumbled upon while browsing the semi-official Wikipedia online store. It's humorous how we've managed to standardize something so basic and run-of-the-mill as brewing a pot of tea.
Extreme ironing - An "extreme sport" that's more of a parody of extreme sports than it is an actual athletic event. It mostly entails going to ridiculous places and ironing clothes. It's crazy where some of these people have pressed their shirts; on plateus, while freefalling, bungee jumping, even underwater! In fact, a group of 72 divers set a world record by having all of them iron their clothes simultaniously while submerged!
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo - One of the anomalies of the English language. The ability to repeat the same word eight times and still have it make grammatical sense just goes to show how weird English is as a language.
Thinking about the immortality of the crab - An interesting Spanish idiom, and while I haven't found a use for it just yet, I hope to find one. I find it interesting how such strange things can manifest themselves in a language, as nothing about "the immortality of the crab" strikes me as related to daydreaming.
Schizophasia - A.K.A. word salad, a serious condition with quite humorous results. There is something about "Tissues without a triangular head lice be it with controller is the noodle man of ice pops and radio yes thanks." that I find to be extremely hilarious.
String Theory - While not exactly "strange", it is definitely out of the ordinary, and Wikipedia provides a primer on this extremely facinating theory of particle physics that has always interested me. Take a look for yourself and see if you can sort through the jargon; it'll change your view of the world.
ISO 3103 - An interesting article I stumbled upon while browsing the semi-official Wikipedia online store. It's humorous how we've managed to standardize something so basic and run-of-the-mill as brewing a pot of tea.
Extreme ironing - An "extreme sport" that's more of a parody of extreme sports than it is an actual athletic event. It mostly entails going to ridiculous places and ironing clothes. It's crazy where some of these people have pressed their shirts; on plateus, while freefalling, bungee jumping, even underwater! In fact, a group of 72 divers set a world record by having all of them iron their clothes simultaniously while submerged!
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo - One of the anomalies of the English language. The ability to repeat the same word eight times and still have it make grammatical sense just goes to show how weird English is as a language.
Thinking about the immortality of the crab - An interesting Spanish idiom, and while I haven't found a use for it just yet, I hope to find one. I find it interesting how such strange things can manifest themselves in a language, as nothing about "the immortality of the crab" strikes me as related to daydreaming.
Schizophasia - A.K.A. word salad, a serious condition with quite humorous results. There is something about "Tissues without a triangular head lice be it with controller is the noodle man of ice pops and radio yes thanks." that I find to be extremely hilarious.
String Theory - While not exactly "strange", it is definitely out of the ordinary, and Wikipedia provides a primer on this extremely facinating theory of particle physics that has always interested me. Take a look for yourself and see if you can sort through the jargon; it'll change your view of the world.
Sweet Tweets
Recently, I've noticed the rise of Twitter, the "micro-blogging" social networking site. I've always been interested in these kinds of Web 2.0-era concepts, but never entirely understood this concept. Why do you need or want to know what someone is doing at any given time of the day?
Twitter justifies its existence with the simple rational that the first thing we ask someone when we see them is "What are you doing?" In some sense, I'm inclined to agree; what our friends and and family are doing is generally something in which we take great interest, but to me, I don't exactly see why we need to know exactly what everyone is thinking at every waking moment.
I do see the practicality of such a tool, as it's a short, sweet and general form of communication that can help coordinate events or inform others of what you're planning on doing if they would like to accompany you.
It also forces you to be concise, making your messages short, sweet and to the point. In a lot of ways, that can make information easier to get across. This has proven to hold true, as in crisis situations, Twitter has been used by eyewitnesses to quickly get on-the-ground info to outsiders so they can better assist, such as during the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, or the bushfires in Victoria in February.
Of course, this brings up the issue, how much is too much? Do we really need to know exactly what someone is doing just when they're doing it? Or is there some element to this disconnection that keeps us human or helps us in some way? I think that running at such a fast pace and keeping our distance through technology is ultimately detrimental to us as a society, and though things like this are great and definitely useful, we should be wary of the thin line between effective communication and the removal of the human element.
It seems like a lot of fuss to make over 150 characters, doesn't it?
Twitter justifies its existence with the simple rational that the first thing we ask someone when we see them is "What are you doing?" In some sense, I'm inclined to agree; what our friends and and family are doing is generally something in which we take great interest, but to me, I don't exactly see why we need to know exactly what everyone is thinking at every waking moment.
I do see the practicality of such a tool, as it's a short, sweet and general form of communication that can help coordinate events or inform others of what you're planning on doing if they would like to accompany you.
It also forces you to be concise, making your messages short, sweet and to the point. In a lot of ways, that can make information easier to get across. This has proven to hold true, as in crisis situations, Twitter has been used by eyewitnesses to quickly get on-the-ground info to outsiders so they can better assist, such as during the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, or the bushfires in Victoria in February.
Of course, this brings up the issue, how much is too much? Do we really need to know exactly what someone is doing just when they're doing it? Or is there some element to this disconnection that keeps us human or helps us in some way? I think that running at such a fast pace and keeping our distance through technology is ultimately detrimental to us as a society, and though things like this are great and definitely useful, we should be wary of the thin line between effective communication and the removal of the human element.
It seems like a lot of fuss to make over 150 characters, doesn't it?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
"Battlestar" Down to Earth
Recently, the UN had a session discussion the popular Sci-Fi series Battlestar Galactica, a revival of a series from the 70's about a fleet of human ships driven off the 12 colonies (all named after the 12 signs of the western zodiac) by a race of human created "organic" robots, the Cylons.
Personally, I'm an avid fan of the series, having only recently discovered it this past winter. I can understand why it's recieved such praise as both a drama and a science fiction series. However, even I find it strange that the series has grabbed the attention of the United Nations. What is it about Battlestar that's captivated the leaders of the free world?
According to Sci-Fi, the show's primary broadcaster on which the series's fifth and final season is airing, the show raises discussion over "human rights, children and armed conflict, terrorism, human rights and reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faith."
At first glance, you'd wonder how all these themes can appear in the realm of "nerddom", but there is an abundance of examples of many of these themes.
(Warning: SPOILERS!)
For instance, the controversy of whether the Cylon models (the Cylons engineered to be nearly human) should be treated humanely appears constantly throughout the series, such as the treatment of the Eights, and more specifically Boomer/Athena, the legitamency of the many Cylon/Human children fostered, and how the enemies of humanity should be treated, even when its clear that they were never truly our foes.
It's clear that many of these themes appear in Battlestar and make this more than just your run-of-the-mill space opera. A lot lies under the surface of this dynamic, addictive chase through space, and if it's good enough for the UN, it's good enough for me.
Personally, I'm an avid fan of the series, having only recently discovered it this past winter. I can understand why it's recieved such praise as both a drama and a science fiction series. However, even I find it strange that the series has grabbed the attention of the United Nations. What is it about Battlestar that's captivated the leaders of the free world?
According to Sci-Fi, the show's primary broadcaster on which the series's fifth and final season is airing, the show raises discussion over "human rights, children and armed conflict, terrorism, human rights and reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faith."
At first glance, you'd wonder how all these themes can appear in the realm of "nerddom", but there is an abundance of examples of many of these themes.
(Warning: SPOILERS!)
For instance, the controversy of whether the Cylon models (the Cylons engineered to be nearly human) should be treated humanely appears constantly throughout the series, such as the treatment of the Eights, and more specifically Boomer/Athena, the legitamency of the many Cylon/Human children fostered, and how the enemies of humanity should be treated, even when its clear that they were never truly our foes.
It's clear that many of these themes appear in Battlestar and make this more than just your run-of-the-mill space opera. A lot lies under the surface of this dynamic, addictive chase through space, and if it's good enough for the UN, it's good enough for me.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Bloggin' Blarney
Most people know Saint Patty's Day as a good excuse to go to the bar after work and chug a few pints. Few people, however, truly know its origins and the history behind it. In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day as well as my Irish heritage, I've compiled a few interesting facts about the holiday, it's history, it's traditions, and St. Patrick himself.
- St. Patrick is actually not typically associated with the color green. In fact, a shade of (typically) dark blue, St. Patrick's Blue, is more commonly associated with him and with Ireland in general.
- Furthermore, "wearing of the green" originally referred to the wearing of a shamrock on your clothes to show your patriotism to Ireland or association with Catholicism.
- Protestants, in defiance of the Catholics, would wear orange on St. Patrick's Day, in reference to William III of Orange, who defeated King James II, a Roman Catholic, outside of Dublin.
- The shamrock, which typically has 3 leaves, is symbolic of the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost).
- The snake is also associated with St. Patrick, as part of his legend is the banishing of snakes from Ireland, symbolizing the victory of Christianity over the pagan beliefs.
- St. Patrick was actually not Irish; he was sold into slavery at age 16 after being stolen from his home in Wales and returned to his home about 6 years later, coming to Ireland as a missionary for the Catholic church.
- Savannah, GA claims to have the largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the United States, with over 750,000 attending the 2006 parade. It's also held on the day of St. Patrick's Day regardless of when it falls, unlike many others held
- Every year, the Chicago River is died green in celebration of the holiday. The green vegetable dye used for the first time was enough to keep it green for a whole week!
Bibliography:
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Title Pending
Here's the beginning of a short story I conjured up from the hobo documentary I watched in Lit. Hopefully I'll finish it before too long and update this post.
The steady tattoo of the rails below as the car glided across the smooth steel tracks rang sonorously in the cramped car, rattling the crates as they shifted in time with the movement of the train. Huddled in between them, Lucian sat, nibbling on the stale remnants of the cucumber and butter sandwiches he had hobbled together from the charity of a grocer the night before. With his long legs at his bony chest and his arms squeezed between two boxes, he idly watched the flickering light from the crack in the door. As he swallowed his last bit of food, he sighed, shifting into as comfortable positions as he could achieve wedged in between the gigantic boxes. All of the other men riding the boxcar had long gotten off, getting off at Las Vegas before hitting California.
Lucian, however, was keen on hitting Los Angeles and getting a job in a restaurant there. He knew he could wash dishes and get a good meal if he was lucky and maybe be able to get a nice place to sleep. He had become sick and tired of riding the rails all the way from Baltimore, but there was little work in the town after the crisis a few years back, and his father had left him and his mother alone to sustain themselves on whatever money she could muster.
Lost in his thought, he didn’t seem to notice the shadows on the floor begin to slow their flickering dance. The tattoo soon fell silent, and with a lurch and a sigh, the train came to a halt, throwing him forward from his tight nook. Suddenly, he found himself on the wooden floor with a mouth full of sawdust and soot.
“Hey, kid, need a hand?”
Coughing, he raised his head to see a man towering above him dressed in a worn out suit coat and a pair of torn slacks, reaching down to help him on his feet. A bit hesitantly, he took the man’s offer, gripping his calloused palm as he righted himself.
“I been watchin’ you since ya got on. Been wonderin’ what a kid like you’s been doin’ hoppin’ trains.”
“Been tryin’ to get to Los Angeles to get a job and help my mama.” Lucian explained between hacks.
The man simply shook his head and dipped a hand into his pocket, withdrawing a shining pocket watch that looked as if it had been bought yesterday.
“Looks like we got enough time for lunch. Lemme take ya into town and buy ya a sandwich.” He offered.
“T-thanks, mister.” Lucian stuttered, brushing the dust from his body.
He hopped off the car, gesturing for Lucian to follow.
“So, what’s your name, boy?”
“Lucian. You?”
“The name’s Gabe.”
The steady tattoo of the rails below as the car glided across the smooth steel tracks rang sonorously in the cramped car, rattling the crates as they shifted in time with the movement of the train. Huddled in between them, Lucian sat, nibbling on the stale remnants of the cucumber and butter sandwiches he had hobbled together from the charity of a grocer the night before. With his long legs at his bony chest and his arms squeezed between two boxes, he idly watched the flickering light from the crack in the door. As he swallowed his last bit of food, he sighed, shifting into as comfortable positions as he could achieve wedged in between the gigantic boxes. All of the other men riding the boxcar had long gotten off, getting off at Las Vegas before hitting California.
Lucian, however, was keen on hitting Los Angeles and getting a job in a restaurant there. He knew he could wash dishes and get a good meal if he was lucky and maybe be able to get a nice place to sleep. He had become sick and tired of riding the rails all the way from Baltimore, but there was little work in the town after the crisis a few years back, and his father had left him and his mother alone to sustain themselves on whatever money she could muster.
Lost in his thought, he didn’t seem to notice the shadows on the floor begin to slow their flickering dance. The tattoo soon fell silent, and with a lurch and a sigh, the train came to a halt, throwing him forward from his tight nook. Suddenly, he found himself on the wooden floor with a mouth full of sawdust and soot.
“Hey, kid, need a hand?”
Coughing, he raised his head to see a man towering above him dressed in a worn out suit coat and a pair of torn slacks, reaching down to help him on his feet. A bit hesitantly, he took the man’s offer, gripping his calloused palm as he righted himself.
“I been watchin’ you since ya got on. Been wonderin’ what a kid like you’s been doin’ hoppin’ trains.”
“Been tryin’ to get to Los Angeles to get a job and help my mama.” Lucian explained between hacks.
The man simply shook his head and dipped a hand into his pocket, withdrawing a shining pocket watch that looked as if it had been bought yesterday.
“Looks like we got enough time for lunch. Lemme take ya into town and buy ya a sandwich.” He offered.
“T-thanks, mister.” Lucian stuttered, brushing the dust from his body.
He hopped off the car, gesturing for Lucian to follow.
“So, what’s your name, boy?”
“Lucian. You?”
“The name’s Gabe.”
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