Flikr Badge Blog

Well, so I'm to create something new in my blog! A Flikr badge. I'm not sure what that is yet, but I'm about to find out and post one here, or embed it, or whatever it takes to get it here. Let's see what that is all about, shall we? Here goes:

www.flickr.com

Google v. Viacom

Is YouTube responsible? That is the question posed for discussion in our personal blogs for this week.
Viacom is suing Google "for allowing clips of its copyright videos to appear on YouTube", according to the article we were assigned to read at http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/07/judge-orders-yo.html. I think it's ridiculous, personally. Is Google responsible for what it put on one of their websites? Sure they are. Is it possible for Google to check for copywrite infringement on every single video uploaded to youtube? Not if they want the site to actually work. If they have to hire a room full of employees to screen every single video uploaded before allowing it to be viewed...well there are a number of things to consider here:

• It would have to be a REALLY LARGE room, with a LOT of employees (which would lower Google's stock value, due to excessive payroll)
• It would probably slow down the service to the point that today's short-attention-span generation would give up on it, and eventually the site would shut down (okay, that's an exaggeration, but I think the point is made)
• It's pointless and would be an undending task. How many times would they have to watch video and search the rest of the internet to be sure no one else has already posted it on their site? What about if a youtube user were to copy it off of one user's video list and adds it to their own, because they like it and want their friends and family to see it? How many re-views would this constitute for said roomfull of Google employees? It's neverending!

Now I'm not saying piracy is okay. Far from it. No, I think any type of video or audio piracy is wrong, and deprives the artists of their due income. But Viacom, while they have a point that Google should not be allowing videos from Viacom's site onto Youtube...isn't that Viacom's problem? Shouldn't they be putting protocols or security measures in place that don't allow their videos to be downloaded? Why is the onus on Google?

According to Wikipedia (yes, I know, not the most reliable of sources, but this seems legit, with all references in place anyway), in July of 2006, thats 2 YEARS ago, there were over 100 million videos being watched every day, and some 65,000 new ones being added every day. How is Google supposed to review that many videos and keep the site free? How many would pay for the privledge of uploading a video to youtube if that is what Google had to do to pay for the LARGE ROOM of employees?

Now, as to the liability of individuals who steal and post videos that are copywrited, there is the issue of finding them, for certain, but the username makes that a little bit easier. I, as I previously mentioned, do NOT think it is okay to pirate videos from a commercial website or one that requires payment for viewing. If you take something (if it's even allowed, I don't know that it is) from say, www.funnyordie.com, the humor website that allows "comedians" or "people who think they're funny" to upload videos, and post it on youtube...I say, "meh! Who cares?" As the old saying goes, any publicity is good publicity. It gets people talking about...YOU. So if you post a video to funnyordie, and later it appears on youtube, what's the big deal? You aren't making money off of it on funnyordie, so you're not losing it if it's on youtube. Have you ever seen "Evolution of Dance" on youtube? Sure you have! If not, stop reading this and go watch it, I'll wait. It's worth it. There, now you've seen it. The guy doing all the action? Yeah, he never made a dime off of it. Later, he went on the talk show circuit, and...oh, why was some guy in a video on youtube on a talk show, like with Oprah? Because after generating 92,458,811 hits (as of this writing), people start to take notice...so, as I was saying, he did make some money after appearing on some talk shows and promoting himself rather well. But he didn't make any money from the video on youtube, and he didn't sue the students that posted it for an absurd amount of money either.

Third point, how do I feel about Viacom's getting access to my personal information because of this lawsuit? I want to sue somebody! No, I don't, not really, but the point is Viacom isn't privy to my personal information, as I didn't sign a waiver or an agreement with them for them to have my information. I've never uploaded or downloaded anything from them, so as far as I'm concerned they have no rights in this matter. None at all. They need to let it go, and start beefing up their security if they're so concerned about "their" contend showing up on youtube. Blaming Google for anything of Viacom's showing up on Google's youtube site is like blaming a pawn shop owner that unknowingly purchased something that was stolen. Lousy example, but let's say this pawn shop owner has 100 million customers a day. Give him a break if a few things slip through the cracks. Don't go get the personal information from every customer in the shop.

In conclusion, I don't think Viacom should be given this information, I don't think Google is responsible, and if Viacom can catch and prosecute anyone who steals from their site, great, but don't expect Google to do their dirty work for them.

I myself, have 8 videos on YouTube (username jclough59, check them out if you'd like) with a grand total of 838 views. Three of them are videos I got from other sources. Did I give credit to these other sources? No. Neither do I take credit for these videos. I got them (probably in an email), enjoyed them, and wanted to share them with anyone interested in having a laugh or whatever. So what? Am I depriving anyone of income? I doubt it, but to tell the truth, I'm not sure.

My 2¢ worth

Taxes. That favorite subject of oh, so many people! I have reviewed the "pros" & "cons" of the two web pages that were assigned to us, and this is my 2¢ worth right here:

So we pay taxes for all sorts of reasons, such as police protection, firefighters, road maintenance, etc. Good, great, grand. Internet sales tax, while it may seem like a good idea or a bad idea based on your point of view, would be very difficult to regulate. To quote MARK WEISBROT, the pro-tax columnist from GazetteXtra.com, "...most states cannot borrow to cover an operational budget deficit. This means they will cut spending, including such items as health insurance for children and low-income families, child care and elementary education. In fact, at least 18 states are already making these kinds of cuts, and the recession has barely started...So we cannot afford to lose tens of billions of dollars in state and local tax revenues by exempting Internet sales. But even if it were affordable, there is no good economic reason to do so." Sounds good, right? Hey, more taxes for schools (that one always gets them), that's gotta be good! The children are our future, etc. etc. I'm right at the forefront of more money for schools, especially teachers, the most woe-fully underpaid people in the country in my opinion. Here's the rub: How do we make sure the taxes collected from Internet sales (or anywhere else, for that matter) goes to the schools and not to the ever-expanding military budget? We don't, that's the short answer to that question. The government uses it as they see fit, whether the taxes are collected from state or federal sources.

Now, let's talk cons of this Internet sales tax proposal. KRISTINA M. RASMUSSEN, the con columnist from the aforementioned website GazetteXtra.com, points out that "...each state has a homegrown tax system with differing rates, definitions and applications. Five states have no sales tax, 30 don’t tax food, and 11 exempt nonprescription drugs. What one state considers food, another might tax as candy. Some states base taxes on where shipments originate, others on destination. Different rates and rules for 7,500-plus local jurisdictions add another dimension of complexity to the mix.

The cost to online retailers to calculate, collect and remit these taxes could very well force higher prices or even business closures during this time of economic uncertainty." Just what we need, more small businesses going under. Yeah, that'll help the economy.

Don't get me wrong, I pay taxes and I don't gripe too loudly about it. I'm not a tax protester by any standard of the definition. In fact, I try to live my life according to Bible principles, and Jesus said to "pay Caesar's things to Caesar" which was a tax question put to him by the Pharisees in an attempt to trip him up. So I pay my taxes, and leave the rest up to the government. If they pass the Internet seller's tax proposal, so be it, I'll pay it. I won't look for loopholes, I'll just bite the bullet and grumble to myself.

However, don't expect me to like it. My wife and I buy and sell quite a lot on the Internet, not entirely through eBay, but some and the tax proposal, if it includes small time sellers like us, or just big companies that we purchase from, will surely affect us one way or the other. And like all tax increase proposals, it's gonna hit us in the ol' Bank account. Yay.

CIS 178 Internet class

Hokay, so I gotta start using this blog again. Well, I guess I will then! I usually just put down random thoughts in my MySpace Blog, and hopefully, they're somewhat entertaining and not too offensive or anything.
I'm looking forward to learning more about the internet in this class, and I'm taking CIS131 also this term, which is an intermediate class for Word and Excel software. Most excellent also, I must say! I had no idea how much of Word I wasn't utilizing, and I've only been to two classes so far! Rock on! Can't wait to get to Excel. I already know I don't know much about that program. I do know it's extremely useful and has tons of potential for users.
Anyhoo, I'm getting ready to leave town for a bit, so I'll be online at the hotel we're going to be at, and will have to be using my wife's laptop. Hope I can keep up.
Talk atcha later,
Jeffdawg

Wow! Got home from school, stopped off to buy some chinese food, and had a lunch "date" with my lovely wife of 7+ years. Supposed to be my day to clean, but...well...I don' wanna! I am waaaay behind on homework, so gotta get my nose to the grindstone here and get caught up. I'm just about done with my last High-School level algebra course. Yay! Finally get to take a college level math class. Sheesh!

I wish I'd have done some higher level math when I was in high school, but noooooo! I had to graduate early. Yeah, I was gonna go to college. That lasted all of one day back then, long story I won't go into. Suffice it to say I've spent the last almost 30 years doing labor intensive work. Earning a living with my back, instead of my brain. No more! I'm gonna get that BA in Mechanical Engineering, and that's the way it's gonna be (The good Lord willin' an' the creek don't rise)!

So, I'm outta here, just gonna go hit the books. Maybe drink a brewskie or two. Hmmm, that's what I need. BEER to clear out the old, weak, sickly brain cells. That way only the good strong smart ones will survive. YEAH!!

y'ever wondered?

I was thinking, have you ever wondered...
I heard that if your dog is feeling down, you should take him for a walk, since it will release endorphins (they have them too!), which makes them feel good. So, does that mean that water-dwelling mammals, when they're feeling good, their brains release endolphins?
What are the REAL differences between men and women? I'll tell you:

A.) The way we wash dishes.
A woman will: Wash the dish in the sink, then put it in the dishwasher, then if it's not clean, scrub it by hand with a scratchy-pad, then rinse & dry it, and put it away.
A man will: Put the dish in the dishWASHER. That's why we bought the stupid thing, and that's why they make them. To WASH DISHES!! If it doesn't get clean the first time, we dump more soap in, and run it through again. If it's still not clean, throw it away and buy a new one. Better yet, eat everything off of paper plates, because it's not only gonna save you money on hot water and electricity, it's like camping! Score!

B.) The way we pee. Yes, I said it. Someones been needing to say this for years, and I'm just the guy to do it. Women go in, sit down, do their business, and never touch the seat one way or the other. Men go in, lift the seat, do our business, then (most of the time) walk out. I, myself, in the interest of STAYING MARRIED, always put the lid down. No, really, ask my wife. However, for those guys that leave the seat up and irritate their wives, let me say this about that: You always hear the argument go this way, or a version of this way:
Woman: "You left the seat up again! Why can't you just put it down? You pick it up, you should put it down!"
Man: "I need it up, I lift it. You need it down, you put it down. It's a compromise."
Woman: "But in the middle of the night, I go in, and it's dark, and I fall in."
And right there, ladies, is where you lose the argument. Now, before you all start sending me hate mail or little "treats" you find in the kitty litter box, let me reiterate, that I do believe all men should make an effort to put the lid down. Your hand is right there when you flush (and please tell me you flush), so it's really not that hard to put the lid down. Then again, if the game's on, or dinner is ready, or something else important comes up, we do sometimes tend to forget. Thus the lid up in the middle of the night, and wives with wet butts. BUT, sometimes men have to have the lid down in the middle of the night too. Know what we do? We LOOK first before sitting down! Novel idea, huh? Know why we do it? Because somebody might have left the stupid thing up, that's why!

So there you go on THAT particular aspect of peeing. There is more, however. Women never, and I mean NEVER think as they're driving by a tall bridge or tower, "Hmmm, I think I need to pee off of that!" Never!
Guys, on the other hand, always think that. Maybe not consciously, but in the back of his mind he's thinking of peeing off of it. There are two reasons, excluding the obvious "because we can" that men think of doing this. And I say THINK of doing it. I'm not in any way condoning such action, just saying we think it. Two reasons, here they are:

We want to see if we can still be peeing when the stream hits.
We want to see if we can finish peeing before the stream hits.

And, we brag about it. If we're driving by said bridge, corn silo, or tower of any sort, with another guy, we'll nudge him with our elbow, and say, "see that corn silo? Pee'd off'n it! Still goin' when it hit!"
If women were so inclined to urinate off of tall structures, they most certainly would NOT brag to one another. Can you imagine overhearing two women talking and one of them saying, "You know Margret, I peed off a bridge yesterday! I was able to finsh before it hit! Isn't that amazing? It was so refreshing to just let 'er fly! Wow!" No. You'll never hear that. No way. For one thing, the desire just isn't there and for another thing...the logisitcs are all wrong. They'd stand a good chance of falling off the structure (remember, their backs would be to the edge), and landing in it! Nope, never gonna happen.

And there you have it, a few things I was thinking about on the way home today, and wondered if any of you fine folks have ever wondered about them. So...have ya?

I'm so Jealous!!

Yes, I'm green with envy right now, and I'm not too ashamed to admit it. I'm eaten up with it. Leahy, a great musical group from Canada is going to be in my hometown of Redding, CA on the 26th of January, and I can't go. My li'l bro and sis can go, a bunch of friends of mine can go, but my wife and I can't go. I'm jealous.
Never heard of 'em you say? Well! You should remedy that right away, lemme tells ya.
Leahy, an Irish Canadian group, a family actually, all learn to play the fiddle when they are around 2 years old. That's right! 2, I said! I was still wearing diapers at 2 for cryin' out loud. If I'd have been given a fiddle at 2, I probably would have hit the family dog with it! Until Fred came along, then I'd have found a new target, but that's another story.
Anyhoo, yes, it's Friday, I'm cleaning, but I just took a break, sheesh! Get off my back about it, willya?

Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A83ILAKjtQQ and check 'em out. Oh, and their website is: http://www.leahymusic.com/
They. Are. Awesome. Really, you should give 'em a listen.

P.S. Had a big math test today (shudder). I think I did okay. How the heck am I gonna get through Physics? Oooooh, I got a headache thinkin' about it.