Bonus Mission #2: 2nd Life is a Game!!! not...

First Life...Second Life...What about the Third?

After going through the Second Life website and reading a few Second Life related websites, I personally feel that Second Life is definitely not the traditional computer game that we are familiar with. In fact, Second Life is described to be a "rich, persistent alternative world." (Levy, 2006)

Unlike any other computer game, Second Life requires players, or what Second Life users refer to as residents to build up their own character. This is distinctively different from a game where people simply assume their characters from a set of players that have already been programmed into the game. The adopting of a character and then customizing it shows that it is more than just a game. (Levy, 2006)

In addition, one can virtually start a business and upkeep a thriving economy on Second Life. I feel that this is the most important factor that does not qualify Second Life as a game. It is what differentiates it from the rest of the computer games. Anshe Chung, is probably the most famous resident on Second Life when she appeared on the front page of Business Week as she made her first million on the "game"! Second Life participants are able to trade in a virtual economy using "Linden Dollars" and they can be converted into U.S dollars at about 300 to the real dollar by using a credit card at online exchanges. Chung, for example made her money through property in Second Life. According to the Business Week, Chung's firms now has currency holdings worth $250,000 in real U.S dollars. Chung's business on Second Life has been doing so well that she has just opened a 10 person studio in Wuhan, China. Thus, Second Life cannot be considered as a game because it has come to a stage where the virtual role playing economy is so strong that residents have to utilize skills and services from the real world.
Another distinguishing factor of Second Life from any other game is the policies that have been set to protect the resident's creations. This is definitely a unprecedented change in online games.(Business Week, 2006) Second Life is also different from any other normal computer game because it allows its residents to build anything online. These can range from clothes to houses and my lecturer Kevin Lim has even built a chair on Second Life!

The functions of Second Life can be used for entertainment, leisure but much more than that. As Second Life is not like any other game, companies and businesses have been using Second Life as a model for their real-world businesses. Businesses have adopted practices in Second Life, such as training of workers, product design and development till the marketing of the final product. Companies such as Rivers Run Red, a British branding firm for example has gone to the extent of entering Second Life and working with real world fashion and media firms to create new designs. Thus, businesses are now able to take designs and happenings in Second Life and apply them into the real world today. Therefore, Second Life has become more than just a game, people have used them as templates for businesses. (Business Week, 2006)

In conclusion, it is a matter of time that people start realizing the abundant opportunities of Second Life and discover that Second Life is not only fun, but practical in the real world as well.

Reference:

Levy (2006). "World of Warcraft: Is It a Game?" Retrieved April 3rd 2007 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14757769/site/newsweek/page/3/print/1/displaymode/1098/

Business Week: My Virtual Life (2006) Retrieved April 3rd 2007 from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982001.htm

QotW8: Blogging Ministers

Instead of focusing on one particular minister's blog for this week's contribution, I would like to talk about the "P-65" blog.(http://p-65.sg/) This blog was adequately chosen as I have visited it a few times and because a particular entry in this blog has a strong personal and sentimental value to me. (this, I will elaborate briefly later on)

The "P-65" blog has a rather catchy tag-line, It's Where We Talk" and it is composed by 12 Members of Parliment (MP's) that were born after Singapore's independence. Various issues are being discussed in this forum, everything from Parliment-related issues, such as the recent GST hike to less weighty issues that revolve around the minister's personal lives, like for example practicing for the hip-hop item during the Chingay 2007. The politicians will first post an entry about a particular issue and citizens can freely leave their comments or suggestions regarding the topic. After a brief lookup on this blog, I found that the first blog entry was posted on October 3rd 2006 last year. It was a post by Christopher de Souza on the subject "Street Soccer Boots" A check on Technorati shows that the "P-65 blog" has 38,943 as it's rank status, and has 301 links from 101 blogs. (updated 7 days ago) Although this blog is run by 12 different politicians, I will focus on one individual, Mr Teo Ser Luck, examine some of his blog entries and discuss about the reader's comments.

Mr Teo Ser Luck is a member of the Pasir Ris Punggol Grassroots and Community and the Parlimentary Secretary to the Minister for Community Development Youth and Sports. Due to his appointment, his blog posts often revolve around youth and sports related issues. His blog discusses youth issues, such as how to bring about the best in them and sports topics, for example sports excellence and the grooming of the sports industry in Singapore. However, a check on the comments left on this blog always reflect the same few names. Familiar ones include "El" and "Easternwind", both are probably the most active visitors to this blog. The comments left by the visitors are really nothing out of the ordinary, and we see comments such as "I agree with you on that" etc. Therefore, I would say that the tone used is very mild. From the majority of the comments gathered, it seems that most people agree with what the politicians say rather than disagree with them.

However, I would like to inform others that not only national related issues and policies are being discussed on the blog. Stories that touch and revolve around the life of anyone of these 12 politicians are posted on the blog too. I would like to highlight this particular entry, "My 2 Mentors" posted on October 7th 2006. It was extremely heart-warming to read this blog post by Teo Ser Luck as he talked about his 2 mentors that helped him and gave him invaluable advice when he was working in the private sector. Though it was something that was personal to him, he chose to post it online and share his thoughts with others. I felt touched by his action simply because the mentor "Chan" which he referred to in his entry was my beloved uncle who passed away of cancer last August. Knowing that he appreciated my uncle as his mentor was heartfelt.

Putting personal matters aside, I am very glad that our local politicians and members of the public have taken to blogging to voice out their comments on national issues. Though I feel that there is still much room for democracy, I am glad that our people and even politicians have broken out of their comfort zone to share their views. That is indeed a VERY important first step. Blogging will definitely increase a country's democracy, as in the case of USA, the improvement in technology has enabled the expansion of knowledge, freedom and it will also democratize culture. (Carey, 1989:144) Though we still have a long way to go to achieve democracy through blogs, I believe that the government has identified and realized that blogs will play a very vital role in our citizen's lives in the future. Thus, the government has "prepared" herself by setting a new division- New Media Unit by the personal relations communication department of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Arts(MICA), to offer advice to the government on Internet public communication. Even the rise of local bloggers, such as Mr Brown who comments on national related issues are drawing hundreds of listeners each week. However, we must all realize that in order to attain success in greater democracy through blogging, bloggers must never mix their personal feelings with the proper issues, they should focus on the rationality of the content alone. (Calhoun, 1993:13)

Hence in conclusion, I believe that blogs will bring about greater democracy in Singapore. However, we are still in the infancy age and have a really far way to go. However, it is comforting to know that our local politicians and citizens have taken such a serious attitude to blogging. Hopefully, all will work out well in the future.

References:

Carey, J.(1989) "Space, Time and Communications: A Tribute to Harold Innis", in Communication as Culture. New York: Routledge: 12

Calhoun, C.ed. (1993) Habermas and the Public Sphere. Massachussetts: MIT Press.

Giam, Gerald (2006). "Review- The politics of Singapore's new media in 2006." Retrieved March 23rd 2007 from http://theonlinecitizen.com/2006/12/31/review-the-politics-of-singapores-new-media-in-2006/

QotW7: Twit Twit: An Online Community

"A Twitting Success"

When everyone was logged on to "Twitter" instead of paying attention to our Communication 300 class on Thursday, I knew that "Twitter" was an instant hit with the class. Almost every student was so excited about adding new friends into our community, to the point that I encountered problems when logging into the page!

According to my lecturer, Mr Kevin Lim, "Twitter" is one of the latest online communities that have been introduced in the United States.Though "Twitter" might still be a little unfamiliar to some Singaporeans, we must not fail to realize the emergence of an online community is not a new fad in Singapore or in any country around the world.

In this age of vast internet usage, computer-mediated communication (CMC) has dominated our everyday lives. According to the Online Services, online services has grown to more than 40% from 1993 to 1994 and they have reportedly more than 6.3 million subscribers. (Online Services, 1995) There is also an estimated 25 million CMC users worldwide. (Calem, 1992) An online community is a very popular avenue where people can gather, communicate and make friends with people of similar interests. According to Rhinegold (1993), a virtual or online community is defined by "social aggregations that emerge from the internet when enough people carry on public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace."

The following examples show that "Twitter" is a classic example of an online community. After playing around with the program, I managed to add my friends into my community and we started to communicate with one another. Firstly, "Twitter" can be considered an online community because my classmates and I had a shared goal and interest that served as the primary reason for all of us to belong to a community. Secondly, we managed to engage in repeated and active participation between our friends and our conversations were often intense, including some shared activities between everybody in class. Lastly, we also had a shared context of social conventions, such as the use of a similar language and protocol. (Whittaker, Issac& O'Day, 1997, pg.137) Hence, all of the above characteristics support the claim that "Twitter" is an online community.

In conclusion, since it is often difficult to maintain relationships over long distances nowadays, and physical seperation has reduced the strength of a person's membership in a community, I am certain that the advantages of an online community will aid people in maintaining and strengthening friendships between one another. (Gergen, 1997; Jones, 1997; Rhinegold, 1993)

References:

On-line services continue to boom. (1995, January 14). Rocky Mountain News, p. 59A. Retrieved March, 15, 2o07 from http://www.rhinegold.com/texts/techpolitix/VCcvil.html

Gergwn, K. (1997). Social Saturation and the Populated Self. In G.E.H.C.L. Selfe (Ed.), Literacy, technology, and society: confronting the issues (pp.pp.12-36). Upper Saddle River: NJ: Prentice Hall. Retrieved March, 15, 2007 from http://www.ifsm.umbc.edu/~preece/paper/7%20Handbook%20v1.7Final.pdf

Whittaker, S., Issacs, E., & O'Day, V. (1997). Widening the net. Working report on the theory and practice of physical and network communities, SIGCHI Bulletin, 29(3), 27-30. Retrieved March 15, 2007 from http://www.ifsm.umbc.edu/~preece/paper/7%20Handbook%20v1.7Final.pdf

QotW6: I need MY privacy!!!

My Private Online World

In this age of vast internet usage, everything has literally gone online. Many of us are currently taking online courses, most of us shop online and most of us communicate with one another via the internet! Due to the increasing amount of time that is now spent online, people have begun to participate in many different kind of social networks, such as blogs and forums. Through these avenues, we can come together with people of similar interests, make new friends and discuss about topics that we are highly enthusiastic about. However, when communicating online, how do we necessarily know that the other party that we are talking to is actually who he described himself to be? How can we safeguard our online privacy while maintaining our active participation in online networks?

As sociologist Thomas Mathiesn puts it, we are experiencing an "omnipticon" in the internet age. We have to be aware that there are many people watching others, and even though we do not know who is being watched exactly, we cannot be oblivious to this fact. In addition, due to the nature of online communication, we often interact people whom we will never meet face to face. Thus, there is a tendency to market ourselves as someone who is popular and trustworthy. After all, who will actually know if that is your true identity? (Rosen, 2004)

I have been a member of several forums, such as femalefirst (www.femalefirst.co.uk) since last year. Though I fully appreciate the benefits that I receive from communicating with others, I am fully aware of the importance of protecting my privacy online. Therefore, I have taken the necessary measures to protect my online identity. Thus, I have adopted the following measures to ensure the privacy of my online identity and to guard myself against unwanted intrusion, such as cyber-stalkers.

Firstly, I try to be prudent about not revealing any personal information to any third parties when I am communicating with others in the forum. Web browsers can also be configured to create a pseudonym instead of using a real name. Therefore, I never go online with the name "Pamela" or "Pam", but choose another nickname. In addition, I often find many sites that offer prizes and rewards in exchange for personal data. However I never exchange my personal data and I have been taught not to respond to spam mail, even if it is to remove it because it will only show that there is someone at the receiving end and this will make your online presence a more valuable commodity to others. I have also developed an alternative email address when participating in any forums in order to avoid falling into the evil hands of others. (Hyman, 2002)
There have also been other tips that have been given to me, such as using strong passwords to protect my personal information and to to change my passwords regularly. ("staysafeonline", n.d.)

Practicing the above methods have allowed me to protect my online privacy so far. Hopefully I will not fall prey to all cyber-privacy crimes and let my online experiences such as participating in forums always be a pleasant one.

References:

Rosen, Jeffery (2004). "The Naked Crowd" Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/0000000CA5FF.htm

Hyman, Gretchen (2002). " EFF Issues Update on Online Privacy" Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/1365961

Eight Cyber Security Practices to Stay Safe Online (n.d.) Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http://www.staysafeonline.info/practices/five.html

Female First Website www.femalefirst.co.uk

QotW5: Are You Really Who You Are?

What is your Online Identity?

In the age of vast internet usage, the context of human communication has been altered. With the birth of instant messaging and forums, we can now indulge in "many-to-many" interaction, one that is not affected by geography. Many people have since formed communities and forums that are based on their common interests such as sports, technology gadgets etc. These forums enable people who share a similar interest to discuss issues on a common platform with no regards for their physical location of their members worldwide. (Lackaff, 2003)

However, with this rapid advancement in technology, many problems have also surfaced. Given the unprecedented abilities of the internet, data can now be easily moved around and altered!(Massum and Zhang, 2004) This means that one can easily change the content that they see online or even alter the information that has been posted by others. This problem then boils down to the question of one's reputation on the internet and how one is actually able to maintain his or her own online identity.


An online identity that I am going to discuss about, is something that I have come into contact before. For all basketball and NBA enthusiasts, I am sure this website realgm.com (www.realgm.com) will definitely ring a bell in their heads. Realgm is a website where all basketball enthusiasts come to get their daily dose of the latest action and information on the happenings in the basketball world. In such a site like this, a forum cannot be excluded because this is the best place where basketball fanatics can gather and discuss about their common passion.

A forum like the one I mentioned above is the best place to establish one's reputation and online identity. This is because the individual can choose to be annonymous and develop their reputation based on the quality of their ideas and comments rather than on their wealth and social status. (May, 1994) The reputation and their online identity are often the motivating factors that push people to actively participate in forums and online communities. (Donath, 1996) As mentioned above, I would like to talk about this particular member that participates actively in the "Charlotte Bobcats" forum. He goes by the user-name "fatlever" and is a significant contributor to the forum. If one were to scroll through the entire forum, one will find that he is a moderator for the forum and provides good comments and insights to many of the basketball games. His reputation has been built based on his intelligent and interesting remarks and it is further enhanced when he contributes information that is admired by the group which he participates in. In this sense, I would personally say that "fatlever" has a certain reputation in the Charlotte Bobcats' forum. As "fatlever" follows the games religiously, has constant access to these games, he has become a significant contributor and is touted to be extremely knowledgeable in the basketball scene. Other members in the forum take his comments very seriously and many even ask for his opinion on issues such as the upcoming game score, the most valuable player (MVP) , the biggest surprise and disappointment etc. A check on the profile of "fatlever" shows that he has been a member since June 2001, posted 5491 posts so far and an average of 2.63 posts per day. This shows his high level of participation and reputation that he has in this forum.

However, with the advancement in the virtual world, a host of other problems such as identity theft have been born. This is the simple fact, "if I can pass as you, I can wreck havoc on your reputation either online or offline." (Donath, 1996) One can always take someone else's online identity and ruin the reputation that has been built by the other party. In the virtual world where face-to-face communication is absent, it is so simple to be able to pass off as someone else after getting hold of the person's user-name and password. According to reports, there has been a sharp increase in online and computer-based identity theft through means such as the use of keyloggers. The number of keyloggers have increased by a startling 250% between January 2004 and May 2006. Keylogger is a malicious software that tracks the typing activity of a computer and captures the passwords and private information of the user.(Prince, 2007) In the case of "fatlever", his reputation on the Charlotte Bobcats' forum might be tarnished if someone manages to get hold of his user-name and password and then assumes his identity to post information that is irrelevant to the forum discussion. This can be easily done if "fatlever" is a careless individual and accidentally reveals his personal information and details online. More than often, careless actions such as forgetting to close your login page with your personal details after usage at a public computer terminal will grant others access to your user-name and password. A person with the personal information of "fatlever" can then assume his online identity and start posting information, and others will think that the posts have come from "fatlever" himself. In this scenario, there is a high possibility that the reputation of "fatlever" will be tarnished after people start posting comments under his user-name.

In conclusion, one must be aware that our identity and reputation in the virtual world is build on information that we reveal online, rather than matter in the physical world. (Donath, 1996) Therefore, just as it is easy to compose information and build our reputations online, we must be aware that it is just as easy to commit identity theft and ruin one's online reputation completely.

References:

Donath, Judie(1996). "Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community" Retrieved February 21, 2007 from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html

Lackaff, D. (2003). "Norm maintenance in online communities: A review of moderation regimes unpublished master's (preliminary) thesis, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia" Retrieved February 21, 2007 from http://lackaff.net/node/20

Massum, Hassan and Zhang, Yi-Cheng (2004). "Manifesto for the Reputation Society" Retrieved February 21, 2007 from http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue9_7/masum

May, T (1994). "The Cyphernomicon: Cypherpunks FAQ and more" Retrieved February 21, 2007 from http://www.oberlin.edu/%7Ebrchikind/cyphernomicon/

Prince, Brian (2007). "Report shows spike in Online Identity Theft" Retrieved February 21, 2007 from http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2084453,00.asp.

www.realgm.com

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewforum.php?f=53

QotW4: "It is better to give than to receive"

Giving and Receiving

Ever since the time of the hunting and gathering societies, a hunter's status in his tribe was not based on how much kill he ate, but it was determined by what he brought back and gave to others. To many, success is defined by what one can offer to others and taking pride in our valuable contributions to others. (Pinchot, 1995) Thus, the emergence of a gift economy is not a new idea or concept, instead it has its roots deep in human nature.

The gift economy can be viewed as an outlet where people can come together "to learn, to understand, to change and take charge of the world." (Pollard, 2005) It is a platform where people offer information without the expectation of any direct return. The gift economy is viewed as a sharp contrast when compared to the traditional commodity economy where price is the main driving factor. There are several motivating factors that fuel a gift economy. Some feel that they have a certain reputation and prestige to upkeep after contributing valuable and trusted information on a certain subject forum. (Rhinegold, 1993) Others might feel a sense of efficacy in which one claims that their information provided affects a particular environment and it boosts their image as a person with efficacy. (Bandura, 1995)

We must be aware that the emergence of online gift economies have been rampant in these recent years. As an increasing number of people communicate online, many groups and forums have also been established for people who share similar interests or belong to the same community. The low cost and the easy distribution of information are also the driving factors behind the online gift economy. People who are intrested in photography for example, might be a member of the online photography society or a die-hard soccer fan might have an exclusive membership to a soccer-only forum. At these forums, people can post their queries and thoughts online, and people of similar interests will help them out, all without a monetary cost.

Having a keen interest and eye for fashion, I belong to several fashion forums such as the "Female First" forum ( http://www.femalefirst.co.uk) where ladies can post their fashion dilemmas or any interesting bits of fashion news online. People will then respond by giving feedback to the receipient or comment about the piece of news that has been posted. However, I would like to discuss about an online gift economy that was introduced to me by a friend.

"Time Zone"(www.timezone.com) is reputed to be the world's leading English language website that offers information about watches to watch enthusiasts all around the world. It is even quoted to be "The world's watch information resource" In this website, one can scroll through the numerous watch forums that are offered. There are public forums where people can post general comments and questions and it boasts a specific brand forum where more than 20 of the world's most reputable watch brands can be found. Therefore, if one might have a question about a particular brand of watch, he or she can go directly to the brand forum and post a question there. An example will be the author "garyny" going into the Cartier brand forum and asking if it is difficult to exchange the bracelet of a Cartier watch. He then received help from a member "hpg1971" regarding that post. Therefore, this is a classic example of a gift economy where one received help from another person and does not expect anything in return. People also contribute news and articles into the community articles of the website, watch reviews, industry news and interviews. Many contribute information voluntarily to these websites in order to share their interest with others and they often do not look forward to any rewards or returns. There is even a French and Japanese language forum that is catered for the Japanese and French members. Therefore, should anyone have any queries about any watch, they can always proceed to Time Zone to have their doubts cleared by others- all at no monetary cost!

In conclusion, we must realise that though money is what drives the economy, not all economies in the world are based on stretching and maximising one's personal gain, in fact some are founded on the basis of giving. (Pinchot, 1995)Therefore as what author lewis Hyde wrote in the book, "The Gift: The Erotic Life of Property", one's gift economy status is with accordance to those who gives the most to others.

References:

Kollock, Peter (1999). 'The Economies of Online Cooperation; Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace" Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm

Pinchot, Gifford (1995). "The Gift Economy" Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC41/PinchotG.htm

Pollard, Dave (2005). "The Gift Economy" Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/2005/04/17.html

www.femalefirst.co.uk

www.timezone.com

Rheingold, Howard. 1993. The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. New York: Addison-Wesley.

Bandura, Albert (editor). 1995. Self-Efficacy in Changing Societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Goodbye Crazy Horse :(

Bye Crazy Horse

I managed to catch one of the last performances at Crazy Horse last Friday night. The 400 seat-theatre was more than 70% filled, and i suspect that the rather huge turn-out was due to the fact that people were rushing to catch it before it officially closed on Sunday night.

After leaving the venue at Clarke Quay, i thought to myself why this concept of a cabaret did not take off in Singapore.Were people still not open to this idea? Personally, i enjoyed myself throughout the entire performance. The decor inside was plush and luxurious, with velvety deep-red and gold being the main color theme. The girls danced really well, the lighting was good and i found the whole show really artistic. Or was the price holding people back? Some complained that the price of the tickets were a lil too expensive, with VIP tickets going at $185 (inclusive of a std. drink) for a show that lasted only around...less than 1.5 hours. Whatever the case, i think that its a real pity that the Crazy Horse cabaret had to close down after making its debut in Singapore slightly more than a year ago. Hopefully, if a similar business concept comes to town again, we'll be much more open and receptive of the idea :)

QotW3: Can both parties ever be happy with copyright laws?

Copyright- Making Both Parties Happy
In this modern day and age, we see the word "copyright" being used ever so frequently. Suddenly, almost everything around us seems to be protected by the copyright law, everything from the Happy Birthday song that we sing to even the price list on Best Buy during Black Friday! (Ovalle, 2005) , (Lim, Kevin, Communication 125 lecture, 9/01/2007) However, has anyone ever wondered how the copyright law came about?

The copyright law evolved with the printing press in England during the end of the 15th century. During that time, it was not practical for the author to copy his or her own book, therefore, they "sold" the rights of copying the book to the publishers. Thus, the copyright was considered a non-controversial issue. (Stallman, 2000) However, the copyright law is now in place, mainly to protect the interests of the authors. The law aims to give creators the right to own their creations exclusively, benefit them financially and to encourage authors to create more original works of their own. The copyright law is also more concerned with the primary market, which is the first sale of the material. (Ovalle, 2005)

With the advancement in technology, much information has been available online. Since it is so simple to create information in cyberspace, the information can be subjected to change easily. Digital information sharing between users have also been popular. The illegal sharing of copyrighted materials on peer to peer networks has been rampant, with file sharing being one of the most common online activities. According to statistics, more than 60 million Americans have downloaded music and this number continues to grow rapidly. In the founding year of Napster in 2004 there were more than 9 million simultaneous users on major peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. (Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf, 2005)

Though it seems that the copyright law is protecting mainly the interests of the authors, the law is actually intended to maintain a balance between the interests of the authors and the public. However, the public has voiced their discontentment as many feel that the authors have been given too much protection and that the law puts them at a disadvantage. Therefore, I feel that there should be some changes made to the copyright law in order to accomadate both the interests of content creators and the public. The "Lehman White Paper", a conference that was held at the University of Oregon, for example states that the copyright laws should never propose that the public trade "all" its freedom to the published works. Both parties, the content creator and the public should benefit from the law. (Stallman, 2000)

Personally, I feel that there is a major change that should be made to the copyright law in order to give maximum benefit to both the parties. The length of the copyright should be reduced. In the US for example, most books that are published are out of print within 3 years, however, the copyright for these books is a whopping 95 years! I do not think that a 95 year copyright is needed, in fact a 10 year copyright from the date of publication will be sufficient. Even amongst the content creators, some authors find that a 10 year copyright is too long. The government should empirically study the length of copyright that is needed to keep the publication active, following which the length of copyright be allocated to the different categories of work. The copyright of movies for example, should last a period of around 20 years. This will also include the rights to sell paraphernalia with the picture of characters on them. The copyright of software should be the shortest, for a period of roughly 3 years. This is because, the software industry is constantly improving and unless the company is in serious trouble, they would have produced a newer version of the software within a period of 3 years. (Stallman, 2000) Therefore, if we shorten the copyright, the public will feel more satisfied and at the same time, the content creators are still being protected.

The next solution that can be adopted in order to accomadate the interests of both parties will be to implement an internet voluntary payment system. There could be a box on the top right hand side of the webpage that indicates to the public that they can click and donate some money to the author if they are satisfied with the piece of work that they are viewing or listening to. Many believe that this system will work very well in the developed and wealthier countries because many people really appreciate their author's work. This can be a way of keeping a "painless kind of copyright for general public that is still of benefit to authors" (Stallman, 2000) In addition, when the public makes these donations to the authors, the creators will know that they are being recognized and this will spur them to create even better work in the future.

In conclusion, we must realise that the issue of copyright law is a very sensitive and thorny problem that the public and the content creators have yet to resolve. The government can come up with many solutions such as the shortening of copyright and the internet voluntary payment system but these solutions will only work if both the content creators and the approach this problem with an open-mind and resolve the problem together.

References:

Ovalle, Carlos (2005). "Information in Cyberspace: Why Copyright?" Retrieved January 31, 2007 from http://sentra.ischool.utexas.edu/~i312co/2.php

Stallman, Richard (2000) "Possible Solutions to Copyright Problems." Retrieved January 31, 2007 from http://www.carnall.demon.co.uk/stallman/solutions.html

Stallman, Richard (2000) "Freedom-Or-Copyright?" Retrieved January 31, 2007 from http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/freedom-or-copyright.html

Strumpf.K and Felix Oberholzer-Gee. (2005). "The Effect of File Sharing on Record Sales: An Empirical Analysis" Retrieved February 1, 2007 from http://www.unc.edu/~cigar/papers/FileSharing_June2005_final.pdf

Thanks SQ!

this has always puzzled me- why do our locals complain so much about our national air carrier? ive heard all sorts of complains, everything from lousy service to not so pretty-looking air stewerdesses! im not posting this blog entry to sing any praises about Singapore Airlines and say that they're the best in the world, but i just feel that we complain far too much sometimes...and personally, ive not experienced any lousy service of any kind on any Singapore Airlines flights that ive taken.

anyway, just want to commend on the effiency and professionalism of Singapore Airlines. my friend was supposed to leave on a midnight flight back to Sydney 2 days ago. however, upon checking in, they realised that the flight had been overbooked.after they found out that it was impossible to have him upgraded (it was a full flight) they gave him a full explanation abt the situation immediately and was extremely apologetic. They then promised to check him in on the next available flight(following morning), gave him $500 cash and issued him a complimentary upgrade pass. His luggage was still promptly checked in so that he didnt have to go through all the check-in procedures the following morning. though it was a lil inconvenient on my friend's part, i dont think he complained. Afterall, he had gotten himself a free 500 bucks and an upgrade.

As the slogan reads, Singapore Airlines- a great way to fly, but in my friend's case, it'll be Singapore Airlines- definitetly a great way to fly! :P

COM 125 Week 2: Email to Instant Messaging

From Email to Instant Messaging

The internet has played an integral role in our lives since the early 1990's. Though some might describe the birth of the internet as "accidental", we cannot deny that one will find life seemingly empty and out of place if we do not have any access to the internet today.The birth of the internet started in the 1950's when engineer Douglas Engelbart began to think about understanding an increasingly complaicated world dominated by technology. He wanted to see if computers could assist him in handling and solving many intricate problems. Hence the motivating factors behind the development of the net was cultivated by people who were keen on using the computer to intensify human thinking and communication.
(Rheingold, 1993)

It is tough for one to discuss about the internet without mentioning the functions of e-mail. Electronic Mail or e-mail for short is the pioneer of modern age internet communication. It is the improvement of snailmail as one can receive a mail in the matter of minutes, as compared to the number of days or even weeks one had to wait for a letter to be posted. The email is basically a way of storing and forwarding "method of composing, sending and receiving messages over the internet." (Wikipedia, 2006)

The email was invented in late 1971 by computer engineer named Ray Tomlinson. As an engineer, he experimented with a self-written program called SNDMSG. It was a program that researchers used to leave messages for one another using network communications. However, when using that program, one could only leave a message on the computer that you were working on for other people to read. Hence, Tomlinson created a file transfer protocol, called the CYPNET which adopted the SNDMSG program to send electonic messages on to any computer on the APRANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). The first electronic message that was sent was actually between 2 computers that were situated next to each other! Using the ARPANET network as a connection between 2 computers, the first message that was sent was "QWERTYUIOP". As many found the email a quick and convenient way of relaying messages to people over vast geographical distances, the email grew popular amongst many. The development of email storage started with Hotmail when it offered 2MB of storage in 1996 and more recently, Google launched the Gmail 1GB storage. (Wikipedia, 2006)


To sate our never ending desire to want more, humans constantly developed improved ways of online communication. Although the email provided a quick and almost fuss-free way of delivering messages to one another, one could not communicate with the other party in real-time. In addition, one always had to go through the trouble of accessing the inbox and then retrieving the new messages from it.

Thus, the birth of "instant messaging"was born. To many, "instant messaging" seemed like an enhanced and superior way of online communication. This was because one could hold real time conversations with one another. This meant that there was no time lag when sending the message to the receiving party. The Internet Relay Chat (IRC) for example was the first world-wide chat system that allowed people to chat in real time using chat rooms. Born during Summer in 1988, it quickly became a popular way of online communication as it was a cheap way of communicating across vast geographical distances in real time. (Stenberg, 2002) The IRC also played an important role in providing information during an emergency. When Hurricane Katrin struck in 2005, the IRC was the only communication mechanism that people used to gain information about the disaster. (Kalt, 2000)


Mirabilis Ltd launched the instant messaging program, ICQ ("I Seek You") in November 1996. It was the only producer of instant messaging till May 1997 and had attained 850,000 registrations. I still vividly remember the distinct green flower as its logo and the sound produced each time one received an incoming message. In 2002, the downloads for ICQ surpassed 200 million. Other instant messaging services that followed include the American Online Messenger (AOL Instant Messanger) which was released in May 1997. The AIM is being constantly upgraded, with a new version AIM 5.5 that comes complete with live video instant messaging and is compatible with Apple's iChat AV video conferencing. However, the instant messaging service that many are most familiar with would be the MSN Messenger. Launched by Microsoft in July 1999, the MSN fever was caught by many and after only 2 years, MSN messenger has become the single most used free instant messaging throughout the world. In May 2003, the user base hit a high of 100 million active users per month.


Hence, the above shows how the development of the email has influenced the internet that we are so familiar with and use today. From a quick and convenient way of relaying messages over the internet, people started to invent ways of conveying messages in real time. This led to the development of instant messaging where people not only communicated with each other via text messages but could also conduct live video instant messaging. Hence, it is the human nature of constant improvement and upgrading our current technology that has led us to the internet we use today.

References:

Rheingold, Howard (1993). "Visionaries and Convergences: The Accidental History of the Net" Retrieved January 24, 2007 from http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/3.html

History of World Wide Web (5 September, 2006). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_World_Wide_Web&oldid=73974490

Stenberg, Daniel (2002). "Internet Relay Chat". Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://daniel.haxx.se/irchistory.html

Kalt.C (2000). "Key Features of IRC" Retrieved January 25, 2007 from http://www.livinginternet.com/r/rp.htm

Introduction of Email (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2007 from http://www.lyris.com/resources/whitepapers/listservers_history.pdf

Email (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2007 from http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventions/a/email.htm

The Development of Email Storage (n.d.) Retrieved January 24, 2007 from

http://news.com.com/5208-1032_3-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=212&messageID=11791&start=-1

Instant Messaging and its Effects on Student Life (n.d.) Retrieved January 25, 2007 from

http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~yrjiang/background.htm

Are Kids Even Kids Nowadays???

Have the Kids been Overworked?

A Korean boy whom i was tutoring fell asleep while i was teaching him today. Though that irritated me, knowing the reason behind it left me very disturbed. We had a good 45 min talk when he told me about his life and what was going on. I shant reveal his name but he's only a grade 8 (14 yrs old) boy who is studying in an international sch here. One wld expect a Grade 8 student to be happy, carefree and to focus on his studies. But not for this boy, i was shocked when he told me about the timetable that his mother prepared for him, something he has followed so religously for the past 3 years. He claimed that his mother is an over-achiever and wanted him to be perfect in almost everything. Hence, outside of his sch timetable, he has to set aside time for rugby, tennis, golf, piano, violin and clarinet classes and tuition for subjects like English, Mandarin and Math. He is constantly on the move and has no time for himself at all. In order to squeeze in all the activities, he has to be up by 7 every morning and sleeps ard 3 am or later after he completes his homework.


I didnt want to, be i cldnt help but feel sorry for this boy. He was obviously overworked and felt so exhausted!There was little i could do but to let him have a lil nap during my class, but i left his house feeling very bothered by what he told me. :(

My "MARK" from outerspace!!!

I've been "MARKED"!!!

I was greeted with a mark on my chin this morning! An unsightly mark that left me extremely puzzled.. HOW DID IT GET THERE? its not a bruise because it isnt pain when i rub it, it isnt a scratch because i dont normally scratch my chin ( i mean who does?) and its not a cut because i dont remember hurting my chin recently. oh wells...i tried my best to conceal the "mark" before going to sch but people still noticed in nevertheless. What really sucks is the fact that i dont know what caused it, so i cant figure a way to treat it (eg: applying cream to the affected area) Hopefully, the mark will lighten and fade off before the weekend arrives. I really do not wish to spend my weekend being "marked" :(

Unveiling the Haute Couture of Phone Fashion!!!

Calling In Style???

As many Mac fans (eg: my lecturer Mr Kevin Lim) lust over the new iphone, im sure many fashionistas can't wait to lay their hands on the new Prada phone! Just weeks after Karl Lagerfield revealed that Chanel will be manufacturing their own skis (sking in style), Prada announced its partnership with LG to produce the world's most stylish phone. Now, one can literally call in style. Measuring a mere 12mm thick and spotting a chic glossy black handset, this trendy phone also boasts a range of the latest technology- such as completely touch-screen, video player, high quality camera and an MP3 player. As the phone looks like it just stepped off the catwalk, im sure it'll be flying off the shelves once it is being launched in late Feb. I mean which girl wont want to be seen whipping out her Prada phone from her Hermes Birkin or Fendi Spy? Though the functions of this phone cannot compare with the iphone, im sure its style makes up for everything else. Now thats another item added on to my wish list! :)

RSS...XML..RSS FEEDS???

oh gosh...today's lesson was really quite an eye-opener for me..for the first time, i heard of terms that i've never even come into contact with! ha! for those who know me well enough, im really not the best with computers!

i must admit that i felt quite lost in today's class. on one hand i was rather excited because i wanted to find out about things i never knew about the internet, however, all the terms seemed like they came from another planet. then the next thought flashed in my mind..will i get yet another "C" grade for this subject? NO!!! my one and only pathetic "C" grade for intro to computing was bad enough.. so kevin, i really hope that you'll understand why i have this phobia towards any subject that is com related. yikes...anyway, this is what i always tell myself when i face any difficulty: If you're stuck in any situation and you know that theres no possible way out, rather than grumble and bitch about your predicament, why not learn to make the best out of it? i mean grumbling isnt going to get you anywhere is it? Praying that i'll understand more from the next class on thurs.Hopefully, i'll emerge from COM 125 with a positive and new perspective about the internet and a very happy person :)

The Novice Blogger gets EXCITED!!!

Had my first proper COM 125 class today..as the class was sceduled to be right after our lunch, i was intitally afraid that i wld have to struggle to keep my eyelids open! But i was wrong...class went on real fine! i was given a deeper insight into blogs, a brief history about it and the many wonderful little things we could actually accomplish just by using our blogs. I also related particularly well to Kevin when he mentioned abt how some individuals have this typical stereotype that a blog is just about letting people have a sneak peak into your personal life...because i was once like that too! yipee!...my interest of blogs is slowly increasing and i really hope that the next few lessons will equip me..the NOVICE blogger with more handy facts and info on how to "improve" on my blogging skills and abilities. Looking forward to the next couple of "hands-on" blogging sessions during class :)

Who's behind the little black dress? Me in a Nutshell...

Pamela Yang is the name..but everyone calls me Pam! i choose to think that im still 21 this yr (though im actually going on 22) im the baby of the a close-knit family of 4 and contrary to the belief that siblings have trouble getting along, i have an absolutely fantastic relationship with my pilot/flight instructor bro. its a pity that ive always been misunderstood when people first meet me...people say that i give others the very cold and snobbish vibes; even my SIM pals thought that of me initially. Argh!!!! someone help me please??? after getting to know me, you'll know that im really friendly and at times crazy..ha!

The 3 F's of my Life....

My life revolves around the 3 F's. Food, Fun and Fashion! yesyes...i love to eat and often have the occasional pig-out sessions with my boyfriend and other groups of friends. Though people know me to be a real health nut when it comes to food (less oil, salt and stuff..) i still enjoy my char kway teow n sambal stingray! And yes...people think im crazy but i ABSOLUTELY dislike chocalate! I bet im the first person you've met who doesnt love chocs. I love to have fun... i can go to great lengths just to seek fun n thrill (talk about climbing over my sch gate with my friends at 3am in the morn...ha!) I adore fashion, shopping n dressing up, and have always found that the fashion world has so much to offer. Its like a world that is bursting with new surprises everyday! Of course, i aspire to work in the fashion industry after i graduate, prob in the comms and business development field of luxury retail fashion. Dream companies that i hope to land myself in...LVMH, Valiram Group, FJ Benjamin etc. Though some of my friends never understand me and think its an utter waste of time or perhaps even bimbotic, i do spend quite a fair bit of time digging my face into fashion magazines and watching re-runs of runway shows on Vogue.com To supplement my additional income for shopping, (something im trying so hard to cut down), I give English tuition to 4 absolutely adorable Korean boys. Don’t get me wrong here, they’re just great company. Im thankful that my job is pretty easy. Their parents hire me mainly to baby-sit and talk to them…not really to teach…so the “English tutor” thing is really just a title.

When it comes to sports..im afraid im in the wrong dept...one quick glance at me and you'll prob know that im not the sporty sort....i used to swim quite a bit in my younger days and always had a strong passion for dance. I was a dancer before(ballet, tap n modern) but stopped when i entered JC..a real pity actually. Golf is one special sport to me because it was what brought my boyfriend and i together, but im still trying to find more time to practice my shots at the driving range :)

So thats me in a nutshell...i hope that the lil bits of info of myself havent' been too tough for you to digest... :)

I actually have a blog now..wow

I never thought of myself having a blog..oh wells its just that I was "forced" into creating a blog as it constitutes a part of my grade for a module that im taking in sch this sem. Don't really fancy using such a strong word like "forced" so maybe i'll just say that i was "strongly encouraged" to create a blog of my own?

Personally, i find it quite puzzling on why i never got down to having a blog of my own since i actually spend a fair bit of my time reading other people's blog. yup yup...its my way of getting myself updated about the lives of the people around me and perhaps also lets me in on the hottest, and most juicy gossip about others? Ha! fine i admit it..i love to gossip! ( i mean which girl doesn't? ) please...i've got guy friends who bitch n gossip more than i do...so don't you dare look at me as if ive committed the biggest sin on planet earth.

According to the first part of my "mission" for this week, (as my lecturer prefers to phrase it) im supposed to have like a mini introduction of myself. So who's actually hiding behind the little black dress? i'll leave it for another entry. tata