Time to Draw the Line…

In the article, “On Locational Privacy, and How to Avoid Losing it Forever“  the writers define locational privacy as the following:
“Locational privacy (also known “as “location privacy”) is the ability of an individual to move in public space with the expectation that under normal     circumstances their location will not be systematically and secretly recorded for     later use”.

“Expectation” is the key word here. As a private citizen of the US, I would expect for my whereabouts to be my own private business and not subject to scrutiny or attention by anyone unless I authorize it. However based on the amount of location devices out there these days that expectation for privacy is being compromised.  More than ever it seems the thing to do and more and more devices are coming out to get you to let others know what you are doing, such as GIS, Foursquare, Places,  google maps, etc. For example, several sites such as, Just Spotted, have been appearing that will track the location and whereabouts of celebrities in their personal lives.  Just Spotted actually uses the massed information of tweets, blogs, and news articles online to track exactly where a particular celebrity is in the world. Clearly this is overly obsessive behavior but there are actual fans out there that value that information.   This raises the question of How much location information is OK to share, and who should have access to it?

On the other hand the good thing about it is when there’s an issue of national security, locational devices can assist the government in tracking these threats more efficiently than before.  Where to draw the line as it relates to locational privacy will probably be one of the most important issues the global governments and citizens will have to make going forward. However, as the writers did by publishing this article, starting the conversation and creating awareness of the potential threats due to location services  technology  is a start.

A Generation of Criminals

The discussion this week has taken us on a journey to learn more about the shifting models of creation and participation in art & pop culture.   We watched a video “RIP: A Remix Manifesto”,  that provided insight into the world of video mashups and music downloading.   Video mashups are  a new and exciting phenomenon, changing the way in which the music industry is doing business and the construction of copyright legislation. The process of video mashups involves taking a collage of songs and creating a new song from them.   The video presents the discourse on the revolution of the copyright laws due to evolving trends in the industry. On what side of the argument, there’s the “copy-right” in which it is important that copyright laws be in place to protect the original creators of the music or song. Initially, copyright laws were to made to encourage  creation yet today with all the legalities, it actually discourages what it originally set out to do. However, the alternative view is from the “copy-left “, which views the music used to make video mashups as this public domain that must be protected in order to ensure future innovation and further creativity.

I do understand reasons why the copyright laws are becoming more involved in protecting music to protect the artists and profits.  On the other hand, I do understand that it is important to protect our freedom of speech and future innovations. The concept of mashups is to cutup and integrate parts of the old song in order to make something entirely new. Simple math to me says if you take A+B and then you get C, then that is a totally different product.  Since video mashups create something new that otherwise wouldn’t have been in existence then the creator shouldn’t be accused of copyright infringement because it is something completely new. Initially, copyright laws were made to encourage creation yet today with all the legalities, it actually discourages what it originally set out to do making me and the rest of those in my generation criminals.

Stop All the Noise!

This week, we watched a brief presentation, “May I Have your Attention Please”, written by Linda stone that provided insight into historical developments of all the madness behind this noise; this feeling of being tied down to our phones and feeling like we constantly have to answer email. According to Linda, “Our truth is we really operate in a noisy world and we try to stay on top of everything.” If I were a member of Linda’s audience during this presentation, I would have been in her “Amen Corner” because I definitely have experienced experienced the noise in my life and feeling this need to divide my attention amongst multiple things just to get things done.

I recently decided that I wanted to take a vacation to get away from all the noise. This noise being the feeling of stress I feel that I have to always be connected or available for people to reach me. The information provided this week, made me reflect on the purchase of my smartphone and how it has affected my life. When I forget my phone sometimes, I feel this sense of freedom and peace that I don’t have to be tied down to respond to anyone nor urgent matters.  In March of this year, I finally decided to join the rest of the world and get a smartphone so that I could check email and correspond with family, friends, clients, etc. when I’m away from my computer.  I am one of those people that feels as if my quality life is often compromised by technology and it makes me feel enslaved. However on the flipside it does allow me to be more accessible and allows me to multitask in getting things done more efficiently. Also I have to admit my smartphone has become an indispensable part of my life. But I have to wonder is this worth all the “noise”?

Not long ago, Microsoft introduced a new phone on the scene to rival the Iphone, Android, and other smartphones, called the Windows 7 phone. Microsoft 7 phone ads said “It’s time for a phone to save you from your phone”.

In this ad, people are constantly driven to divide their attention between technology and other tasks which is exactly what Linda discusses in detail in the presentation. Microsoft’s intention for producing this phone was to save us from our phones and I definitely applaud them in their efforts.

Now I think, Microsoft may’ve been ahead of it’s self because people with smartphones are enslaved to it and don’t want to spend less time on it, but would like to spend more. However, based on Linda’s presentation and studies, I believe one day this will be the case that we will become so overwhelmed by all the noise of having to be connected that the desire of humanity will grow to yearn for peace by escaping all the noise.