Fluidity of Ideas by Steven Johnson

Watching some videos about Steven Johnsons ‘, “Where good Ideas come from,” captivated my attention.

Mr. Johnson, a motivational speaker, analyzed inventions and innovations as a product of collective thoughts being brought into one contest to produce something way meaningful. In the human consciousness, it is a bit hard to think of someone’s achievement as a collective effort. Looking at this issue in Steven Johnson’s way over-looks the popular norm that glorifies individuality.

Individuality has being promoted by so many cultures, especially the American culture. Yet, individuality has never being practiced by the American people. Obviously, no man can remain an island. Humans depend on each other to exist.

Over the years innovations were brought out by one or more individuals, but these grandeurs innovations were the products of studying, human- to human interactions, seeing, thinking, and exploring the products of other people’s work.

Today, the internet and all it social media have become a means that more ideas could be shared. Every day people post millions, or even more, documents- researches, ideas, products, and all sorts of things on the internet- making the accessibility of ideas easier.  The fluidity of ideas through the internet have made the world aware of new technology, and helped researchers in other part of the world see a baseline to new researches and exploration of more ideas.

With great technology comes great responsibility

Since the coming of the internet, technology has accounted enormous growth. Just from the beginning of the Y2K, phone companies- like Apple, Blackberry, Android, Nokia, and the rest of them- have produced more sophisticated technology that people never imaged of. Thanks to the availability of the internet. Now, a lot more can be done with a cell phone than was ever done 30- 40 years ago with a computer. Yet, a lot of critics still seek answer to this question, “How has the internet influence the quality of human life?”

Sociologists would suggest that to get the answer to this question the unit of the society- the family– should be assessed. In most part of the world family values are passed on from generation to generation through quality family times spent talking to one another in the dining table.

Today, most family times are spent either on the internet and all its supporting technologies. Most kids today do not have the patience to listened to grandma and grandpa tell them wise stories of old, these kids would rather be on their phone all day.

Further, the institution of marriage, which is the binding force of most families, is at the verge of collapse. Divorce rate is rising every day.  Some sociologist would attribute these changes to the availability of options, that is, some part of America have more women than men and in other part there are more men than women, but the internet and it technologies makes it easier for married people to be more promiscuous and made these options truly within reach.

In addition, a lot of children today would rather adhere to the lies they hear, watch, or read about, in the internet and it technologies than take the advice of their parents. For example, a typical American teen is ready to act like Lady Gaga anytime than to dress as modest as mama would want her to dress. 

Also, the internet has taken out the distinction between home and work. Today many American families have to put up with one or more of their family members who rather stay on the computer or phone all day transacting business or taking online classes, than spend quality family time with them. For these reasons, children are unconsciously made to learn these bad habits and adapt it as a way to raise their own children when they grow up.

In conclusion, technology is one of the greatest things that have ever happened to humans. However, the way and manner it is used determines the role it will play in one’s life. If one has a piece of these technologies, one has to learn how to set priorities in life because with great technology comes great responsibility.

Internet Job Not Meant For All

It is obvious that all humans are built differently. Some people do very well in some aspects of life, while others do better in some other aspects. The most important thing is know which is best for you- working physically at a job place or through the internet.

Most people who are introduced to the online business end up not following up on it. For the past couple of years there have been several promotions for jobs online, especially in the aspect of product marketing. Some people just jump into it because of the promising amount of money the promoters anticipate the potential employees are going to be making from these businesses. So, some of these people start with the consciousness that they were going to make easy and convenient cash, but you just have to work really hard and dedicate much time to make that kind of cash.

Second, one just have to really love surfing the internet to do really well in most, if not all, internet work systems. My roommate, who does not derive pleasure from using the internet thought he could be a great internet business owner, when he was first introduced to the Amyway online business in 2008. He was determined to do the business, but on the long run he gave up because he always forgot he had to use the internet to promote his business- poor kid!

Obviously, online jobs are either for you or not for you. For, those who think the internet could be a good source of earning a living; I will say that the sky is your limit. The passion for computer and the internet is the first step. I will suggest you watch the video below for a glimpse of some areas of online businesses that might interest you. For, those who cannot relate to online business, I will suggest you stick with what is best for you. Differences in human character creates a dynamic and fun world. We all are meant to exist. 

Internet safety continues

With knowledge comes fear. The issues of cyber-crime has made internet surfing really insecure. A lot of the internet users today use the internet because no other option is within reach. The sophistication of these cyber criminals are growing daily. The question many internet surfers pose is whether cyber security is growing as well.

Well! Desperate criminals have to be fought with desperate measures.

Cyber security companies are not relentless in their fight to supersede the sophistication of these criminals. Just recently, the Apricorn Aegis soft wear company created a well- protected hard- drive. This hard drive is one of a kind, it assurance of security is awesome. The Apricorn Aegies Padlock Encrypted Hard Drive even, protects your data from a computer you just got done using. This video below gives a little glimpse about the sophistication of this piece of equipment.     

For Kids many educational videos are posted everyday on the internet to create awareness of the safety levels of social media. Some of these videos are also supposed to help parent reinforce these information about internet criminals to their children. Children using social media are warned in so many ways to know who to add and how to identify predators. 

Cyber-crime and Justification!

The World Wide Web is growing daily, so the world of crime never stops growing.  Nearly obsolete are big bank robberies with high tech machine guns and armory in developed nations. Though, cyber-crimes seem to have lesser amount of causalities, the financial loss seems to be enormously huge. To some cyber criminals– it is just a game, and not a crime.

Today, these so- called games have revolutionized in dynamic varieties making it difficult for people not to question even the most genuine enterprise. Recently, a lot of cyber criminals have started using “kick-starter– [which] is a public funding website for creative projects,” as a means to dupe their victims. Thereby, making a lot of donors question the authenticity of the original kick-starter website. Apparently, these donors would not be blamed for trying to save themselves from being duped. But, the financial support of these talented persons all over the world is in jeopardy.

Further, the number of people who have lost their life-savings to these- so called lucky gamers –is embarrassing. Just in 2000, an American lost his life savings to some Nigerian cyber- criminals known as 419. These guys send random email to their victims in promise for oil, land, and riches of some sort. Unfortunately, a middle aged lady bought into it and sent them her life-savings. If both parties were greedy it is not in my opinion to say. What matters is that the crime was committed.

Fortunately, there have been growing solutions to cyber-crimes. In some countries in Europe, the government have created some sort of strategies to improve cyber security. Some others have cyber police who monitor the web to make sure crime is controlled. In Nigeria, some American News reporters work with the government to track and catch cyber- criminals in internet cafes. There have been enormous improvements, but does this mean that crime can be abated? No. Like other crimes, it won’t be completely ceased, but a reduction in the amount of people engaging in these crimes will decline a great deal.

My property and My World: Intellectual property and a shared culture.

Creativity and creation goes together. Creation has evolved in its creativity from time to time, from generation to generation. The human mind was designed to think and create; so came, elegant arts, music, technology and all of human’s magnificent handiwork.

Apparently, humans do not just create; they create to gain gratification from their creation. We humans are social beings. We all have needs and these needs are the vehicle to creative thinking. In such manner, people seek for various means of solving their needs. Some depend on other people’s solutions of the same problem to fulfill their needs, and some create different methods for themselves and others to use.

Our world of today cannot do without both kinds of humans- the consumers and the innovators. Without the consumers there will be no gratification for the innovators, and without the innovators there will be no gratification for the consumers. Also, both categories are interchangeable based on need, time, place, and ability.

In the internet world, for example, properties are created and gratifications are given. People upload their intellectual properties in the internet for financial or appraisal gratifications from the world seeing, using, learning, exploring, and expanding on the uploaded ideas.

The internet help create a verse audience and more market for some innovators. Some of these innovators who use the internet to gain financial gratification of their intellectual properties complain that their properties are being reproduced illegally. But, very few of them will tell you that they lost money from some consumers pirating their products. For example, Gaimen, an illustrious writer in his video on Copy Right Piracy and the Web  agrees that Piracy has helped him gain more audience.

In conclusion, intellectual properties are meant to be shared by whatever means, so far gratification is achieved. The web is the best means of exchanging these properties no matter the problem that it faces. The Web reaches more audience through assumed problem like piracy. And when an innovator reaches more audience, more intellectual gratifications are reached. Our problem should not be stopping piracy, but using it to our advantages.

Intellectual Property and Cover Versions

According to U.S Copyright laws, the “Smooth Criminal” released by the Alien Ant Farm is a fair use.

Despite the fact that the Alien Ant Farm made some money from the music, they used the sound track and some wordings in M.J’s song as a cover to their music.  According to Wikipedia.org, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song. This is permitted by copy right so far tribute is given to the original musician and other necessary authorizations are gotten.

In addition, I do not think the Alien Ant Farm version of the “Smooth Criminal” sold more copy or devalued the original Michael Jackson’s Version of the song- Smooth Criminal.

I believe all parties benefited from the remix of the song. Though lots of critiques are saying that the remix was a mockery of the original version, but I think it makes the original version more appreciative. It reminds people about the Legend M.J. And the presentation would make anyone want to listen to the original version. For the audience, the creativity in the rewriting of the song is really interesting and fun to watch. This particular video has over 22 million viewers on youtube.com. So, I feel it is a brilliant job- not an original- but captivating.

In reiteration, the  I think the author  in “Walking on Eggshells,” Jordan Roseman, means that when your creativity is new to the market it is still yours, but when it becomes popular enough to have earned you enough credit, as deemed by the society, then, it becomes the property of the public. For example, the smooth criminal and most of Michael Jackson’s music have in one time or another being used as a cover for other artists’ music. All he receives is just attribute and No Cash Money.

Though I agree with Jordan Roseman’s central idea, I may not agree with her rationale using the numerical values; 100% and 0%. If she had use70% and 30% respectively, I would have agreed with her idea on remix/ reuse. In the smooth criminal by Alien Ant Farm, creativity was only used in the wording, which was not still 100%. Most credit will still go to the music legend M.J.

Free Speech in the Internet Society Censored!

Freedom of speech! Is there any such thing as freedom of speech in the internet society? In America, certainly to an extent there is a level of freedom of expression. Recently, we as Americans have noted that our privacy in expressing our freedom in the society is limited. So, this right is also limited in the internet society.

Further, the regulation of freedom of speech limits our freedom of expression. A local carpenter once told me in a furious voice, “Why would the government tell me I have freedom of speech and I cannot tell this government a piece of my mind without been thrown in jail.” Even in our free society there are very few things one can post in the internet without getting into trouble. You express yourself on Facebook; you end up having problem without your employment.

In some other country, the government restricts what you are able to do in the internet. For example, the citizens of some Islamic nations are really restricted on how they use the social media for expression of their free speeches. In America, the government monitors every data you enter on the internet to make sure you do not make any anti American remarks.

Then! How can we ever have the free-will to express ourselves without restrictions?

Maybe, the restrictions are mediums to create social stability, a government official remarked. As humans we need to be regulated or else there will be chaos. So, the internet needs to be regulated or else there will be chaos. For that reason, some of our expressions of free speech are censored.

Facebook privacy: Come on!!!

The new Facebook privacy policy is scary!

Facebook owners beautifully titled their privacy policy, “The Data Use policy.” That title only sends out one message- if you want to use our web site these are the rules you are bound by. Though it states that users information are kept private, I feel the Facebook data use policy is just guilt statement of confession set out to avoid lawsuit. I compliment our present law system for that.

Facebook invades their customers’ privacy even without saying so directly. I was so shocked by the part of the Facebook Data Use policy titled, “Other information we receive about you,” in this URL-http://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/your-info.

Shockingly, Face book have apps to collect data from people’s devices even when theses persons are not actively logged on to Facebook at that particular time. So far, these users have logged on to Facebook with that same computer or appliance at least ones before, Facebook could access data from their computer system.

That’s creepy!

I believe our privacy should be protected. I see no understandable reason, from a consumer stand point; data could still be obtained from my personal computer or other application even after logging out of Facebook.

Come on Facebook! Don’t you guys think you are going over the edge? I would think the advertisement money should be enough.

  Video uploaded on you-tube  by Shiromasa Yamamoto on Oct 27, 2011