I was thinking about this weeks prompt and the great speakers that are coming to Lafayette. I completely understand why we are not allowed to record their speeches. But what about our class lectures? The other day I noticed that two girls in my art history class were recording the lecture. I know that they never asked the teacher if this was okay. I was thinking about a book that my aunt gave me called “College Success”. It had a section on recording I noticed when I flipped through it and it mentioned that recording is not always a good idea and that a lecturer’s permission is necessary.

I am a TA in the art building and I was excited to learn that at the beginning of this semester we acquired a 3d printer. This seemed so futuristic and I was excited to learn how to use it and create things. The first program that we installed allowed us to access a database of already created objects that people were sharing. People knew that others would copy these objects. I was surprised however to see a lot of media material such as a Yoda miniature or a Pokemon. There are also such things as 3d scanners. Someone could hypothetically copy any action figure and start to reproduce the design as their own.

Last night I attented a talk in Kirby 104 given by Stanley Ronell (link includes just the basic facts about him), a Holocaust survivor. Although I wasn’t expecting to be able to relate this experience to copyright or other such Vast issues, it actually is quite relatable. In fact, one of the first things that Mr. Ronell mentioned was just how important it is to pass down stories from people to people. He talked about how Holocaust survivors are a dying breed and once they are gone, only we are left to tell and pass on their stories to future generations. That got me thinking about copyright. Who owns these stories? But then I thought, does it really matter who specifically “owns” the story, as long as the message is passed along? I think it is ironic how big time speakers such as Blair and Goodall will most likely not let you video tape their speech, while many Holocaust survivors, who I have come in contact with, in fact encourage just that.

Thus, I think the allowed copyright definitely depends on the message being portrayed by each speaker. Since the Holocaust speakers are usually speaking about their part in history, their specific horror stories, it makes sense to want to reccord such so we can all remember them(because they are not documented). On the other hand, Tony Blair and Jane Goodall are talked about so much online, in books, in journals, on TV..etc. For example, type in Blair or Goodalls name into google and you’ll get endless hits- with information galore about them. On the other hand, type in Stanley Ronell and although there are some hits there are significantly less. So, because there is already so much information out there on such big time speakers, it is not necessary to videotape or audio-record their words. However, because there is little known about this generation of Holocaust survivors, videtaping and audio-recording are really the only ways that their history will be preserved for good.

Today, I am going to talk about the cost of printing vs. Ebook distribution.  Obviously, if a book was distributed by printing, a lot of different costs go into it, such as cost for paper, labor, bindings, print, and shipping.  Alternatively, Ebook distribution costs are dramatically lower.  There is no shipping cost, there is not printing cost, or paper cost; the only cost would be the cost paid to the developer for making the ebook and the company that distributes the ebook.  Is this a good thing?  Many jobs will be lost and only someone with a specific skill set in computer development can help make an ebook.  There also is an unlimited supply of ebooks, unlike paper books.  This makes the possibilities of distribution endless for ebooks as long as there is internet, but there is a limit for paper book distribution.  I think that publishers may move to ebooks because it can make them a lot more money.  I don’t think this is a good thing because many people can lose their jobs.

Currently, ebook distribution is somewhat impractical because the majority of people do not have e-readers and there are political and logistical problems (that you can read about in THIS article) that have arisen.

What do you think?

In this article  Jane Goodall addresses the plagiarism incident regarding her book, Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder from the World of Plants. Interestingly, the book is co-authored with Gail Hudson, meaning Goodall is not solely at fault. The article continues on to state how, with the internet as it is today, it is fairly easy to plagiarize from others, sometimes even without knowing.

I am on the Budget Committee for Student Government. Last night a representative from Marquis Players came in requesting additional money for the show, Curtains. The copyright cost more than expected. (Here is a link to the Oxford Companion to the American Musical about Curtains for a description of the production.) The committee was very confused why the organization hadn’t correctly budgeted for the copyright costs. The brown bag discussion with the theatre professor proved very useful as I helped explain the complex copyright licensing process. It was interesting to see how copyright laws we learn about in class affect students at Lafayette.

I found this blog to be very interesting because of the points it presented on whether e-books are a good deal for consumers. Unlike traditional books, E-books present an initial fixed cost–the tablet itself. Then books can be loaded onto the tablet at a smaller cost (sometimes) than printed books. The article also touches on how books don’t get damaged once they are purchased. They cannot be misplaced either unless the tablet is lost. Is this the relationship that consumers have with books though?

Some people buy books, read them once, and never touch them again. Others like to swap books with friends. In this case, as the article notes, e-books might actually present more costs to consumers than traditional books.