Netiquette

    Netiquette is a set of rules on how to behave online. Netiquette affects everyone who has access to the internet. Your boss, friends, parents, relatives, teachers, etc. Good netiquette includes treating others respectfully, make sure your profiles are appropriate and make you look good, keeping fights off cyberspace and don't get involved, respect others privacy, and be patient with those who make mistakes. Poor netiquette would include making fun of others online, starting fights, going through someones files, and taking advantage of the power you have in cyberspace. These are basically the unspoken rules of being online and in cyberspace. If you violate these rules, you will be caught, and you will suffer. 

Is Downloading Music Legal/ Understanding Copyright

      Sharing music from an Mp3 happens all the time and is very popular. Yes, Mp3 is legal, but it often misleads people. What is illegal is unauthorized copying of music. You can make a copy of the CD for your own personal use but may not give that copy to someone else. Whether is is sold or given away, it still violates the Copyright Law. So to put it simply, you need to pay for your tracks or songs. For example, pirating a movie. Lets say you rented Mission Impossible for the night. You really enjoyed it and would like to watch it again when you get home from work tomorrow. Sadly, the movie is due before 8 o'clock and you don't get off work until 9:00. So you whip out your video camera and re-tape the entire movie. Your extremely happy with it and invite some friends over to watch it with you. Once the movie is over your friend wants to borrow it. So you let him and don't think anything of it. You just violated the Copyright law severely. To distribute that copy to another person you must have the permission of the original owners. In other words its basically stealing. Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the U.S. to the creators of "original works" including videos, music, literary works, photographs, paintings etc.

                                       

Justice Weighs Case on Imported Text Books

         In Washington, 2010, The Supreme Court is investigating a copyright case about the sale of imported textbooks on eBay that has wide-ranging implications for many products made abroad and sold in the United States.

         The case arose from the entrepreneurial impulses of Supap Kirtsaeng, a Thai student who attended Cornell University and the University of Southern California. He helped pay for his education by selling text books that his friends and relatives had bought abroad and shipped to him. 

           The general rule for products made in the United States is that the owners of particular copies can do what they like with them. If you buy a book or record made in the United States, for instance, you are free to lend it or sell it as you wish. The question for the justices was whether that rule, called the first-sale doctrine, also applies when the works in question were made abroad. 

          

         The answer turns on a phrase in the Copyright Act, which appears to limit the first-sale doctrine to works “lawfully made under this title.” The lower courts said that textbooks manufactured outside the United States cannot have been made under American law and so remained subject to the control of the owner of the copyright. The case was then closed with no charges nor fines. 

Greece Glogster

Greece Project

     I really enjoyed this research project. It was actually a project that seemed like fun because we got to pick our own topic, which was nice. My favorite part of the project was creating my PowerPoint. I've always had fun creating PowerPoint's because I like to be creative when it comes to my projects. I didn't have a least favorite part because it was a great project. I didn't really learn anything new about Greece though. I already new a lot which is why I chose it as my country. The only difficult part of my reasearch was getting the right facts. There was always something wrong with the page I was on and I had to go to a different one because it wasn't accurate at all. Some strong points in my presentation was how I didn't have to put full sentences. That I already new enough about my topic that I only had to put small cues on my presentation. I spoke loud, and clear so the class could hear me well enough. My weakness was being able to see my cues. I had to keep looking over to see what the PowerPoint said, and that kind of threw me off. But I think I did really well and I think I got a good grade overall.
             I would keep doing this project myself because it helps kids learn about a country and it gives them computer skills and presentation tips.

Snapchat: Sexting tool, or the next Instagram

Most parents are disapproving Snapchat for various reasons. They are concerned that it is just a new Sexting tool and that teenagers will take it too far. For teens, it is a safe way to send nude pictures to others, but will be deleted shortly after arrival to another Snapchat. It is said that it's competing with Facebook and maybe Twitter. The makers are certain that it will be the next Instagram.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/03/tech/mobile/snapchat/index.html?hpt=te_t1