Grace Before Dying

Grace Before Dying - Book Trailor

Copyright Criminals

Question: Interrogate this statement: "The photographer is to the painter as a sampler is to the instrumentalist."

The statement above is very interesting because it shows how sampling like photography are easy short cuts from someone’s hard work. But both are a completely different format.  Painting involves brush strokes and different techniques where photography takes lighting and the click of a button.  Both take the right eye, but the photographer isn’t a detriment to the painter.  Similarly, the sampler is taking pieces of the instrumentalists work, but is using it in a completely different way.  They are able to take someone’s great instrumental work and turn it into another masterpiece.  The instrumentalist, just like the painter, should be flattered and happy that this would occur, but instead we see pure capitalism at work.  It shows another way to make more money and today who wouldn’t like this?

Its funny how in today’s world we see copyright infringement as frowned upon, but its ironic due to the fact the public is constantly pirating music and movies.  As seen in Copyright Criminals, the industry had no idea that this would ever occur.  When sampling first began, it wasn’t seen as a threat because the industry didn’t realize how much people would make from it and how much they could make from selling the sample.  The same trend occurred with the pirating of music.  When it first began it was seen as just sharing music with other people via the Internet.  The industry wasn’t too threatened by it because they didn’t think it would take away from their sales, but when they were able to get the music for free the consumers stopped paying for majority of music. 

The ironic part of the video we saw in class was the different views on sampling.  Some artists felt very passionately that sampling destroyed real talent and was an easy way out, where others believed that this was just a way for an artist to take an old hit and create new music from it.  Couldn’t this trend also be seen in fashion?  Leggings and leg warmers were worn when my mother was young, but just last year they became popular again.  Using someone elses style or music as a basis to create your own seems harmless enough, but now people are charging extreme amounts of money which destroys the ability of sampling creation. 

Google Street View

Question: If the government did something like Google Street view we would freak out. Why don't we freak out if a private corporation does it?

The public seems to be much more sensitive when the term government is incorporated.  We see this as an invasion of our privacy and an encroachment into the territory of our own rights.  It is a constant fear that the government is trying to gain control of their lives reducing freedom.  No one likes the fear of the government having a view of our houses, streets, schools, etc. available at the tips of their fingers.  This point of view was seen when, in the past, the government began listening in on phone conversations.  We see this as a total invasion of privacy.  With government comes government enforced rules, the question of how long they have had the information, and the possibility of a fee to access the database (since there are taxes on almost everything).

When the public thinks of a private corporation doing this same exact thing, we believe that there is a reason that is beneficial to us.  These corporations are thought to be doing it for the public good.  These private corporations also don't have a hand in our lives.  It is also key to point out that anyone, with access to a computer, is able to see it equally. Private corporations are also subject to the laws created by the “government” which are there to protect the privacy of the public. 

One specific example for fear of government is Marxism.  The pure fact that the government was scared of Communism (a fear which the public picked up pretty fast) and enforced a law that said even without proof we will condemn you for pure belief is crazy!  If anyone thought that you were a part of espionage, they were able to report it to the government who would then prosecute you.  This invasion of privacy and rights led to an epidemic of government fear.  Even more so then before, people learned anything the government created had the possibility of danger, specifically stemming from all of the power they hold.

Facebook Terms Ethics Debate

After reading the Terms of Use for Facebook I am completely surprised.  It seems like every clause is made to cover their own needs and concerns.  They have created a social platform which has allowed numerous people to share pictures, information, etc. with their friends and strangers, yet when you sign up you don't see the fine print of how this information you upload to share with your friends and family will be used for their own purposes as well.  They create privacy settings and application settings, but they leave a clause about how they "cannot guarantee" the absolute execution of it.  Specifically I find it interesting that they provide the provision for safety that "you will not bully, intimidate, or harass any user" yet later in the document they make sure that any cases which are brought up find Facebook employees free of "any claims and damages, known and unknown, arising out of or in any way connected with any claim you have."  They seem to contradict one another.

When applied to moral ethics which we have recently learned about I feel as if the entire document serves a relativist approach.  I find that everything secretly says, whatever you decide is good for you is fine as long as I don't do it.  It holds no responsibility for Facebook themselves.  But they also try to push the idea of duty seen in a Utilitarianism approach.  They ask you not to lie, not to hurt others, not to use other people for your own personal benefit, but yet they have no punishment or enforcement of it.  They try to regulate it, but out of the many users currently signed up, they can't guarantee they will be able to find or take it down.  It's quite confusing...

I look forward to hearing more about it during class today.  So that I can clarify and see clearly how to apply it more specifically to these moral ethics ways of thinking.

Portfolio ! :)

Hi Everyone!  I created my own portfolio using Wix.com -- Here it is!  It includes my TED Talks, my Final Question, and my Slide Share.  I'm pretty impressed and it took a lot of time. But I think I learned so much about creating a website!  Check it out!

My Portfolio

TED Advice

After watching numerous TED Talks, creating my own, and observing others I have learned several important rules one should use when creating one. After presenting mine I thought of a million things I could have changed: Say this instead of that, use this joke, ask this question. So here is what I have developed.

1. Engage your audience!
Make it interesting for your audience.  If not they will daze off and fall asleep.  Nothing is worse then sitting through a presentation when you glaze off and can't help but yawn over and over.  Plus your meaning is lost and no one walks away wowed.  I suggest asking questions, playing a humorous video, or involving them in an activity.

2. Don't use to many charts and graphs!
Some people in your audience don't benefit from charts and graphs because they aren't numbers people.  I'm one of them.  If you need graphs keep them to a minimum or have them move.  The movement will keep even the none numbers people engaged.  Or try to make a graph using words.  I have an example of this earlier in my blog posts using Graph Jam.  Look it up -- give it a try.  ( I used this in a presentation for another class and it worked out GREAT! )

3. Be short and too the point.
Don't ramble on for hours and hours if your statement is clear.  No one likes to listen to someone who sounds like a broken record on repeat.  Vary it up, take different angles to achieve your point.  This can be used and achieved through simple variation of examples - Video, Picture, Graph, Effective Question. These different ways are engaging but don't come across the same even if they do have the same point.

4.  Be confident!
Remember that this is your presentation.  You know the material, no one else.  So if you stumble on something keep going.  No one else will know but you.  When your confident it shows and everyone else believes in you.  It will be portrayed in your presentation - be it slides or another kind - and the audience will be much more engaged.  They will feel like you truly know what you are talking about.

5. Practice, Practice, Practice
No one can ever practice too much before they present.  Many professionals, including Steve Jobs, practice over and over before a presentation.  This is how they learn what works and what doesn't works.  They also learn how to avoid bad pauses, ums, likes, or other safety words you may use when presenting.  This will also help your presentation move smoother and make it more effective. Nothing is more distracting then the presenter saying like every 5 seconds (once the class notices they will begin to count how many times - therefore your meaning is lost! )

Final TED Talk

Ted slides

View more presentations from azentner.