Chris Nolan's Presentation

From his presentation I learned alot of new and informative information. At first I figured that there wasn't alot to searching the web and that the searches and variety we very similar. But I was wrong. One thing I thought that was really cool is the advanced search feature ongoogle. It is awesome how you can use it to limit the search to avoid commercial sites and can specify your search to .edu, .gov., etc. based on the type of results your looking for. I didn't realize this feature and google scholar as well that make google such a diverse and more complex site than I thought based of the simple design. The information I learned about google as well as various other search engines and databases really put in perspective the power of the internet and how diverse it really can be.

Copyright and Mickey Mouse

Almost of the information I learned today was new. I was very unaware of the seriousness of copyrighting and all the different laws and what having a copyright entails. I was unaware of the Sonny Bono Act. I didn’t realize that this bill added in 1998 was to extend the time of the copyright of a person an extra 20 years to the now 70 years after their death that they still would be the sole proprietor of that copyright. This Mickey Mouse Protection Act has two distinct sides to it. On one hand it seems fair that Walt Disney’s company should be able to hold these rights to the characters forever. On the contrary many argue that it seems unreasonable to keep passing laws for something that someone that has been dead so long company is trying to hold onto and that they should become part of the public domain. I side with those that think Disney should maintain these rights. There are multimillion and billion dollars parks and franchises that run on these distinct and creative characters and I feel as it is unjust to give up these just because the original owner is dead. I believe that the copyright should stay with the company as long as it is in business and that they should still have the sole rights to all the characters.

FACEBOOK!

As facebook has become a staple among teens its hard to pick out a college student that doesn't use it anymore. I use it daily as a tool for communication whether it just be friendly chat or to check and see what could be happening in a group I'm involved with. It is useful academically as a person can get a message out there quickly, easily, and across a medium that students check multiple times a day. I also helps the transition from high school to college easier as you can stay in touch and keep up with old friends lives without too much time or effort. Its a simple easy way for students to be connected that can be used for many different things.

Check out what the Christian Science Moniter had to say about facebook