Google Print

Google is expanding...yet again. Their latest innovation is the concept of 'Google Print'. Essentially, this features now allows users to access a database of books, listing the book's title and author information, plus a brief synopsis of the book. Google has stated that the search result is to serve as a form of a card catalog, not book dispensary as many critics are claiming. Originally, Google's plan was to make the full text of all books searchable by anyone. They would have made available full text versions of books in the public domain (published before 1923) and portions of those works still in copyright. Admist all the controversy, Google announced they would change their policy, allowing current copyright holders to submit names of books they want excluded from the project altogether.

In my opinion, this is going to turn into the RIAA of the book industry. Google Print is a novel idea, but I can defeintly see where some people might feel as though they are being swindled. I assume that eventually, Google Print will allow access to the full-text of all books, but for a fee. Either way, it will be interesting to see where this goes.

Database Fights Diploma Mills

Before reading the article "Database Fights Diploma Mills" , I had no idea what a "diploma mill" was, or why some database would want to fight it. After reading into the situation, I now realize the extent of the problem facing the country today.

I am amazed at two things.

First, the fact that people can get these degrees from places such as Almeda University or Hamilton University just from life experience is absurd. I hate how people are out to make a quick buck, not caring about the type of service they supply or the ethics behind those services. Second, the fact that there are people that actually want to get these diplomas to "cheat the system" is beyond me. Do they really expect to go out in the job market, and win a job over someone with a degree from an accredited institution? I guess so, and I guess some places actually take these diplomas.

To me, any diploma that comes from an institution other than the norm, is nothing really. Maybe a half of a diploma? Sure, people can get by with these paid diplomas and make it to places where they would otherwise not even be able to dream of going. On the other hand, a degree from an established institution will get you much farther in life, and leave you with a sense of accomplishment. It is those people that have earned the right to be successful, instead of buying their success.

Search Engines

Upon reading the article, “Do Web Search Engines Suppress Controversy?” by Susan L. Gerhart, I defiently recieved a deeper knowledge of how search engines work, and the controversy surrounding their usage.The author was pointing out that users should be more aware of "indexical bias and ‘sunny only’ predisposition" of search engines and page authors. That is they should look for opposing/supporting arguments where appropriate. This can be achieved by using alternative search engines, more advanced queries, and by filtering through a greater number of search results.

Until having read this article, I had found myself being a one-dimensional search engine user. That is, I'd only use Google or Yahoo! (lately, YaGooHooGle has been developed for users of both search engines) to gather my information. I come to find out now, that through this one-dimensional pattern, I restricted myself from the majority of the other content pertaining to the subject at hand. However, I find that it would be very time consuming using multiple search engines to find other supporting/opposing arguments, when enough information is given to suit my needs using Google/Yahoo.

The author also states that using the Top 10 search results would help broaden the scope of the search. I find that in each search I have done, only the first two pages are remotely related to my search, with the other thousands of search results having nothing to do with my topic. I agree that there is more information out there, buried within the piles of search results. However, in the time used to search for that information, another more specific search could be used if you are that desperate for information.

Myself On The Web

My parents information, (Name, Address, Driving Directions) can be found when typing in our Home Phone Number into Google. It is quite interesting to see that anyone can get that type of information on the web. This is just another reason to leave your home phone number unlisted in phonebooks. This is a stalkers dream right here!

As listed in the Assignment guidelines, information about myself can also be found using the UMW Student search page. Using this resource, anyone can recieve my school email address, as well as a link to my UMW Webpage. I can also view information pertaining to myself at my old school, Northern Virginia Community College.

Other than those three resources, I found nothing more about myself on the web. Browsing through various search engines (Google, Yahoo, A9, and many others) for "Floyd Perry" or "Perry, Floyd" yielded much information - none of which had anything to do with myself.

Tyranny of Copyright

After reading the article "The Tyranny of Copyright?." I have developed several strong opinions towards to the subject.

Copyrights are something that we have grown up with, and really is just a second-nature word that we throw around here and there. The importance of copyrights is truly much more than that, and the issues surrounding the subject should become increasingly pertinent.

We have all heard of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and its association with Kazaa and other Peer2Peer programs. The RIAA is just one of many organizations seeking to stretch the limitations of copyright on the Internet to its fullest. By creating outrageous lawsuits against people simply because they downloaded a piece of work (whether it be music, movie, picture, etc), the RIAA has taken the theory of copyright to the extreme. It is one thing to blatently steal someone's idea or invention and make a profit from it; but to enforce a copyright regulation against sharing files over the internet that hold no bearing on importance or financial obligations is just absurd.

I agree with the article in that copyright on the internet needs to revert back to how it was when the idea was first concieved. To have Congress make it so any copyright can be extended well beyond the lives of those here makes new ideas hard to comeby. At the rate things are going now, copyright will control everything in our lives, when really it should be us, who control them.

Digital Piracy In The News

Court rejects RIAA request to identify song-swappers by By Grant Gross, IDG News Service

This article, found through http://news.google.com/ shares some information dealing with the on-going struggle between the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and online subscribers who download various music or movie files over the Internet.

As stated in the article, a U.S. appeals court rejected the RIAA's plea to identify alleged file-swappers in order to sue them. This decision by the court is the second time a federal court has denied access to those that seek names of online subscribers. Up to this point, the RIAA has simply filed "John Doe Lawsuits", meaning that the defendants are only identified once the lawsuit has begun.

In the end, this decision by the court serves no real purpose other than to help keep the concept of Internet privacy alive. Case and point of this concept is Verizon arguing that anyone could claim to be a copyright holder (could be anyone, from serial killers, rapists, etc.), and could subsequently file a subpoena to discover the identity and home address of any Internet user.

All-in-All, this is another small victory in what will turn into being a long struggle against the RIAA.

Phishing Scams

By now, I'm sure a good majority of us have either recieved these emails, or have otherwise seen these emails in some other fashion. It seems that the bulk of junk mail we recieve now falls into one of two categories. Porn, or Phishing Scams.

First, let me describe exactly what "Phishing" is. Basically, it's the act of sending an email to someone falsely claiming to be a legitmate company in an attempt to scam the user into giving private information that will be used for identity theft. The email usually directs the user to visit some website where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers. These scammers are relying on the fact that you forgot that any legitimate company would never ask for such personal information over the internet.

In short, never, ever give out any type of personal information over the Internet unless you are 110% sure it is a secure transfer. So this may seem like a pretty simple concept to understand right?

Well, I failed to abide by this when I was first using the Internet. I have since learned my lesson and will never again, to the best of my ability, allow myself to be so gullible towards things I see on the Internet. It was my Freshman Year in High-School, and I had just been given my very first screenname through AOL. I was all excited, constantly in chatrooms, living up the 'Internet Life'. It was in this excited stuper that I fell for one of the now oldest tricks in the book. I recieved an email from someone posing as 'AOL Admin' stating that my screenname would be terminated if I didn't provide "Critical Account Information" This included my name, DOB, SSN, screenname, password, and mother's maiden name. Me being young, naive, and quite frankly stupid, fell for this gimmick and gave my information to this fraud. I told my father immidetely, and had my father cancel my screenname to resolve the issue. In the end, no real damage was done, but there was a point in time where I was scared that I had just messed up big time.

I was lucky, that's for sure. Unfortunetly, countless others fall for such gimmicks everyday :(

Parking Permits

Prior to the Fall 2004 semester, student parking permits were free of cost. It appears that sometime since then people decided that things needed to be changed. Of course, the students get the brunt of this.

The construction of a parking garage for future students was planned, driving the price of parking permits to $100 per vehicle last year, and now $150 this year. I understand that this fee helps cover the cost of construction on the new facility and other things around campus. But my question is why upperclassmen have to pay for a permit, when the investment will not affect them in the least. The majority of students at UMW will long be graduated by the time the first car enters that garage. This makes no sense, and makes even less sense if you dive further into the situation at hand.

Since students have to pay such a huge fee for parking permits, shouldn't there be some type of benefit seen today? After all, we are paying for a service here. The opposite seems to have happened. Not only are students being forced to pay an arm and a leg, but they are also looking at less overall student parking spaces. In fact, it has been said that there are more Parking Permits, than there are Student Parking spaces. Makes total sense doesn't it? This is due to one of the primary student parking areas, located near the front gate, being converted to 'Faculty/Staff Parking' only. Commuting students, such as myself, are now forced to park at the far end of campus, sometimes causing a long and arduous walk from car to class. If the limited remaining parking spaces are full, tough luck. Looks like you'll be late for class looking to find a parking spot on the streets. Or worse, across Route 1 next to Einstien Bagel. Enjoy that walk guys.

I'm sorry, but that's just a bit unfair if you ask me. Not only are students now paying a ton of money for a sticker, but are also now severely limited in their parking options. The parking garage is a novel idea, and will serve future students of UMW very well; however, the current students do not deserve to be treated as such. If we are going to pay, at least make it worth our while.

As of right now, all I see is myself paying $150 for some garage I'll never see, and a 1.5 mile walk between my car and class. Nice service don't you think?