FCC proposes free Internet… as long as it’s censored

On the surface this seems pretty good. But is the censorship aspect a catch? Censorship of pornography is often prone to erroneous filtering of educational material (AIDS/sex education), artistic expression, and political content. Will this really be a ‘free’ internet? Should parents be responsible for monitoring content and not the ISP?

“U.S. communications regulators are considering auctioning a piece of the airwaves to buyers willing to provide free broadband Internet service without pornography.”

Full story here.

The Age of the Web Browser

Here is yet another article on how companies are getting involved in how we use our computers

Next month, after three years of development and six months of public testing, Mozilla, the insurgent browser developer that rose from the ashes of Netscape, will release Firefox 3.0. It will feature a few tricks that could change the way people organize and find the sites they visit most frequently.

full story here

AP Dell Optiplex GX620 desktop

movie review

It’s taken me a few years since high school to really find a passion in life. I feel that I would like to be a writer. More specifically a movie reviewer. Perhaps this class can help in the development of that dream. I have written my first movie review EVER and would like you all to take a look at it and give your honest critique of my critique. “It’s based on the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Here it is:

We first see Dr. Jones as Russians are pulling him from the trunk of a car. They have brought him to a warehouse that seems very familiar. They have forced him into finding what they deem “a military secret.” Anyone who knows anything about the aircraft crash of 1947 can figure out the direction in which Spielberg wants to take this movie. The movie then becomes a means of how to get where Spielberg is going. Sure the writers try to throw us off the track by mentioning certain cultural rituals, but audiences today are too smart for such trivialities.

In addition to its 80s predictability, the picture is disappointing in that the writers have lost all sense of originality with a storyline reflecting National Treasure and Stargate. In any case, how realistic is a sixty-six year old man fighting and beating people half his age? Doesn’t putting “mileage” on a car make it weaker? Spielberg, you should’ve stopped at Raiders with this story.

Google’s YouTube vs. Viacom…contemplating the outcomes

The ongoing law suit is heating up. Google’s lawyers say the action “threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information” over the web. An important moment in the online battle between the old media (tv) and new (web) over exclusive copyright restrictions.

link to story

P&G To Enter Entertainment Arena

Here is the information that I informed the class about Procter and Gamble breaking into the music business. I guess you have the money and backing you can do about anything?

P&G Enters Music Business

TAG deodorant gets record label through Island Def Jam partnership

By Ann Brown

April 24, 2008 — The makers of TAG men’s deodorant and body spray are looking to capitalize on a unique marketing strategy. Procter & Gamble (P&G) has partnered with Island Def Jam to launch TAG Records in an effort to reach TAG’s target market–the young male consumer. Grammy award-winning music producer Jermaine Dupri has been tapped as president of the New York-based venture that will focus on hip-hop music.

full story here.

Listen to sound clips from the film Network (Lumet, 1976)

\”I\’m Mad As Hell!\”Howeard Beale\’s Sermon

Summer reading on the history of the Internet

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy
What the Dormouse Said: how the 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Revolution by John Markoff
Where the Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet by Katie Hafner

last.fm – a social music revolution

this is the site I mentioned where you can either download the player or just play online. It also integrates with your itunes if you want it to, by uploading your listening history and generating neighbors based on listening compatibility. Check it out.

click here

Oldest sound recording ever heard

Audio historians have found a sound recording that pre-dates Edison’s phonograph. The device, the ‘phonautograph,’ was invented by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville and patented in 1857, some 20 years before Edison unveiled the phonograph.

click here to listen

Time Warner Inc. to sell off Time Warner Cable!

Holy moly! Looks like one conglomerate decided bigger is no longer better. Maybe a new trend in media strategic thinking moving away from the mantra of conglomeration, diversification, and synergy? How will this impact jobs? Often with mergers there are layoffs, but with the reverse, will new jobs be generated? What will this to Road Runner rates? Will this somehow improve competition?

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