What is SOPA and why are so many people against it? To get to the bottom of this we must first have a basic understanding of the proposed bill. SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act. It essentially gives content creators (e.g. Warner Bros.) supreme power over the internet. It is designed for these content creators to be able to “block” websites that offer pirated content. This is where the term “internet censorship” became associated with SOPA. I am strongly opposed to the SOPA bill as it will grant extraordinary power that is undoubtedly to be abused.
Now that we know what SOPA is, let’s review the process in which a website gets “blocked”. If SOPA is passed, it will grant content creators the power to effectively remove sites from Google searches, PayPal payments, etc. that they believe have infringed upon their copyright agreements. The thing that is astonishing is that in its current draft, SOPA does not require any court appearances or judicial sign-offs for content creators to obtain before they are able to “pull” sites from the internet. Congress is relying on a “good faith belief” that content creators will not abuse SOPA.
Large internet companies (AOL, EBay, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Mozilla, Twitter, Yahoo and Zynga) have written a letter to congress expressing their concerns about SOPA. Under SOPA these companies would be forced to monitor what users upload and link to, to make sure it does not contain copyrighted material. Facebook alone has 800 million active users which would be an astronomically impossible task to monitor each and every upload and link posted. If they didn’t abide by this, you know the drill, content creators make a claim against Facebook and it would be “blocked”.
The overwhelmingly infuriating part of SOPA is this simple fact: it won’t work. All a site must do after being “blocked” is simply change their URL and poof, they are back to providing the same copyrighted material, only under a different name. On the other hand, it will cause huge penalties for the websites listed above because of things they simply cannot control.
Today, January 18, 2012, we received a taste of what it would be like for one of these major sites to have been “censored”. All day today Wikipedia went black. If you traveled to the website, it would not let you access it vast collection of encyclopedic entries. Personally I use Wikipedia daily, and even though it was only shut down this one day, it proved to me that we cannot let internet censorship block our most frequented websites.
Although the purpose of SOPA is not to block these mainstream websites, but in reality it is an inevitable side effect of the increased pressure placed on piracy websites under SOPA. Also do not get me wrong, I am fully against online piracy, but SOPA is not the way to combat it. SOPA grants too much power to content creators in a way that will essentially censor the internet. It is for this reason that I take up a strong position opposing SOPA and the imbalance of power it grants to content creators.
"More about SOPA and PIPA – End Piracy, Not Liberty – Google." Google. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/sopa-pipa/.
Barrett, Brian. "What Is SOPA?" Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. http://gizmodo.com/5877000/what-is-sopa.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Police Ride-Along Part 3
This post will be a continuation of my previous post. Right now I am in the middle of describing one of the adventures I went on that night.
At this point I was freaking out on the inside. Officer Doyle had just come pack to get into his SWAT uniform! It was apparent that things were getting serious. After Officer Doyle had left again there were three more police cars that had pulled up and parked behind where I was parked. I would watch as they would get out of the squad car and head down the road. One squad car was a K-9 unit. Two officers with ballistic shields got out of another car. Needless to say, things were getting interesting. Because I was parked so far away and behind a truck, I had no idea what was going on. I was sitting there for at least 45 minutes just wondering about the event unfolding.
After that anxious 45 minutes, a different officer came back to the squad car. I was relieved to see that things were over. At this point the officer pulled the squad car up to the house they had been at. They put the suspect they had arrested at the house in the back of the squad car I was in. For about a minute it was just me, and "Joe", and it was a little awkward. He asked me what I was doing, but I didn't respond and I just ignored him-as Officer Doyle had instructed me to do should there be someone in the back of the squad car. Personally I found "Joe" amusing. He was complaining and for some reason was humorous to me.
Next they transferred "Joe" to a different squad car and took him off to jail. Officer Doyle brought me into the house that they had been surrounding and let me observe as they searched the house. They took the K-9 unit through and found both marijuana as well as a razor blade believed to have been used for cutting up crack rocks. Unfortunately since "Joe" did not live at this house, and he had broken in, they could not tie the drugs to either the owner of the house or "Joe".
I thought this experience was my favorite of the night. After rereading through it, I feel as though I have left out some of the details, or at least that it doesn't sound as "exciting" as when I explained my adventures in person. I will continue soon with Police Ride-Along Part 4, that post will include the rest of my Ride-Along adventures and wrap up the series.
Word Count: 440
At this point I was freaking out on the inside. Officer Doyle had just come pack to get into his SWAT uniform! It was apparent that things were getting serious. After Officer Doyle had left again there were three more police cars that had pulled up and parked behind where I was parked. I would watch as they would get out of the squad car and head down the road. One squad car was a K-9 unit. Two officers with ballistic shields got out of another car. Needless to say, things were getting interesting. Because I was parked so far away and behind a truck, I had no idea what was going on. I was sitting there for at least 45 minutes just wondering about the event unfolding.
After that anxious 45 minutes, a different officer came back to the squad car. I was relieved to see that things were over. At this point the officer pulled the squad car up to the house they had been at. They put the suspect they had arrested at the house in the back of the squad car I was in. For about a minute it was just me, and "Joe", and it was a little awkward. He asked me what I was doing, but I didn't respond and I just ignored him-as Officer Doyle had instructed me to do should there be someone in the back of the squad car. Personally I found "Joe" amusing. He was complaining and for some reason was humorous to me.
Next they transferred "Joe" to a different squad car and took him off to jail. Officer Doyle brought me into the house that they had been surrounding and let me observe as they searched the house. They took the K-9 unit through and found both marijuana as well as a razor blade believed to have been used for cutting up crack rocks. Unfortunately since "Joe" did not live at this house, and he had broken in, they could not tie the drugs to either the owner of the house or "Joe".
I thought this experience was my favorite of the night. After rereading through it, I feel as though I have left out some of the details, or at least that it doesn't sound as "exciting" as when I explained my adventures in person. I will continue soon with Police Ride-Along Part 4, that post will include the rest of my Ride-Along adventures and wrap up the series.
Word Count: 440
Police Ride-Along Part 2
This post is a continuation of my Police Ride-Along. I will start off immediately following the suspicious vehicle report.
Our next call came in regarding a hit and run at the QuickTrip on Center Point Rd. Now if you know your way around town, you realize that there are two QuickTrips on Center Point Rd. There is one at the 29th St. and one at 32nd St. This initially confused us because the dispatch did not specify which. This points out the need to be specific and detailed, but also concise when passing along important information. We had initially been at the on on 32nd St. and when we realized we were at the wrong location we went to the 29th St. location. When we arrived at the correct location, we met with the lady whose car had been hit. Unfortunately she and none of the witnesses saw the license plate of the person who had hit her. Despite her recent misfortunes she still seemed cheery and happy. What was worse was by the looks of it, it was new,probably a 2010 or 2011 Limited Toyota Rav4. Because no one had gotten the persons license plate number, there was essentially nothing we could do.
Our next call, and rightly so, was the most exciting adventure of the night. We were called to a location on the NE side of Cedar Rapids. I was pretty confused as to what was going on. Officer Doyle parked the squad car behind a truck and down the street from the house in question. He did this both to protect me, and to hide his squad car. He told me to stay in the car while he walked up to the house. After about 10 minutes of sitting there, he came back and said to me, "This might be a while." He informed me that he may have to have someone come pick me up and end the ride along early. He then went to the trunk and took out an M4 and put on his tactical SWAT vest.
Word Count: 344
Police Ride-Along
So a couple weeks ago I had the unique opportunity to do a ride-along with the Cedar Rapids Police Department. I had this opportunity because I am part of the Youth Five Seasons Leadership program. It is a program conducted by the adult leadership program of Cedar Rapids. We travel around town learning about social, economic, and political aspects of Cedar Rapids. Leutentient Fitzpatrick has given all 40 Youth Leadership participants an opportunity to go for in a police ride-along. I was leery of going on one because I thought that 1) it would be boring 2) it would be awkward 3) it would take too much time out of my day (6 hours). I decided to just do it. I did it on a half day, so that at least gave me some time to work on homework.
My ride along officer was Officer Douglas Doyle. My initial impression was that he was a soft-spoken, laid back police officer. As I found out later, he is strict and sticks to the rules. I admire this because without people like Doug, then we were have a great problem on our hands, for this I respect him.
I will now take you through a event by event basis of what happened that night:
The night started off with a a tour of the Police Station. I found this very interesting as we were able to see all parts of station. This included the 911 headquarters, SWAT headquarters, SWAT truck, crime labs, gyms, and much more. Everything seemed surpirsingly new, either that or everything was extremly well kept, which isn't hard to believe.
After we left the station we just drove around downtown until our first call over on the NE side. It was at the apartment complex on Blairs Ferry Rd. by Interstate-380. There was a call that came in reporting a suspicious vehicle. When we got on the scene there was a white sedan with the hood open, windows partially down, and running. Officer Doyle instructed me to stay in the car while he went and searched the area. After a few minutes of walking around, a teenager came up and spoke to Officer Doyle. He explained that he had just been putting in radio equipment and had left the car running.
Word Count: 382
Mobbed
I have just witnessed my second ever episode of mobbed and I must say it is the most awkward television show I have ever seen. I cannot believe what is going on. The featured person of this episode is a guy that met a girl on the internet and has never actually met in person before. From what I can tell, he is asking to move in with her. (My television is cutting in and out). Awkward right? You can obviously tell that the girl is completely and totally uncomfortable with the situation, as I believe anyone would be.
I believe that this is wrong, I don't think she should be put on the spot in front of a large dancing crowd, and even then a televised audience. If I was in her position (with the corresponding adjustments), as embarrassing as it would be, I think I would say no. Although I do admire the guys courage, and that I would never be able to do something like this.
Think about it people. If you were in her position, and you were "mobbed" what would you think? A guy that you met on the internet, comes across the country asking to move in with you. I'm not discrediting online relationships, but there is definitely a degree of awkwardness that goes along with it.
Things throughout the episode that contributed to the overall awkwardness:
1) They had never met in person
2) The first time he asked her the question, she was silent and didn't say anything. This was huge hint that she didn't really want to
3) When her favorite band or something like that showed up to play, she didn't recognize them
4) When they first saw each other she kept saying "You're real" in a not excited, monotone voice.
5) She failed to recognize that they were now dating
I almost feel it is unfair to the girl to essentially be forced into saying yes. The episode just ended and she did indeed say yes. Howie Mendel is the host of the show and to be completely honest, he does absolutely nothing. He is solely there. I believe the show just wanted to be paired with a celebrity to boost its overall appearance.
Word Count: 375
I believe that this is wrong, I don't think she should be put on the spot in front of a large dancing crowd, and even then a televised audience. If I was in her position (with the corresponding adjustments), as embarrassing as it would be, I think I would say no. Although I do admire the guys courage, and that I would never be able to do something like this.
Think about it people. If you were in her position, and you were "mobbed" what would you think? A guy that you met on the internet, comes across the country asking to move in with you. I'm not discrediting online relationships, but there is definitely a degree of awkwardness that goes along with it.
Things throughout the episode that contributed to the overall awkwardness:
1) They had never met in person
2) The first time he asked her the question, she was silent and didn't say anything. This was huge hint that she didn't really want to
3) When her favorite band or something like that showed up to play, she didn't recognize them
4) When they first saw each other she kept saying "You're real" in a not excited, monotone voice.
5) She failed to recognize that they were now dating
I almost feel it is unfair to the girl to essentially be forced into saying yes. The episode just ended and she did indeed say yes. Howie Mendel is the host of the show and to be completely honest, he does absolutely nothing. He is solely there. I believe the show just wanted to be paired with a celebrity to boost its overall appearance.
Word Count: 375
Things That Grind My Gears
1) Hypocrites
2) When I over think something
3) Teachers assigning an overwhelming amount of homework
4) When people won't be quiet
5) When people are patronizing
6) When Iowa beats Iowa State in football
7) When people talk in learned diction in normal conversation
8) When people try to take control
9) When people act as though they are "better" than others
10) When people constantly show off
11) When teachers are unfair
12) When I mess up in show choir
13) When I mess up in tennis
14) When I make dumb mistakes on tests and quizzes
15) When people make a big deal out of something that is not
16) When I have to write a paper
17) When I don't have the will power to blog
18) That "crunch time" right before a big assignment is due
19) When you go in to turn in a paper or project and finding out you did yours completely different than everyone else
20) When one of my electronics runs out of battery
21) When my broadcast signal on my TV goes in and out
22) When TV programs don't follow the schedule
23) Waiting to get out of the South lot
24) When I can't think of the word I'm looking for
25) When people mess with my stuff
Word Count: 221
2) When I over think something
3) Teachers assigning an overwhelming amount of homework
4) When people won't be quiet
5) When people are patronizing
6) When Iowa beats Iowa State in football
7) When people talk in learned diction in normal conversation
8) When people try to take control
9) When people act as though they are "better" than others
10) When people constantly show off
11) When teachers are unfair
12) When I mess up in show choir
13) When I mess up in tennis
14) When I make dumb mistakes on tests and quizzes
15) When people make a big deal out of something that is not
16) When I have to write a paper
17) When I don't have the will power to blog
18) That "crunch time" right before a big assignment is due
19) When you go in to turn in a paper or project and finding out you did yours completely different than everyone else
20) When one of my electronics runs out of battery
21) When my broadcast signal on my TV goes in and out
22) When TV programs don't follow the schedule
23) Waiting to get out of the South lot
24) When I can't think of the word I'm looking for
25) When people mess with my stuff
Word Count: 221
Thomas Kaiser
Tommy Kaiser is a great kid. He plays football and is in Show Choir. He is nice and friendly to everyone. He is currently the Vice President for the Class of 2013. He runs track as well as hurdles. He is an all around good person.
One of the key characteristics that makes Tommy such a good person is his universal acceptance of all types of people. This is one of the major factors contributing to his friendliness. In my years of knowing him, I have never met someone that did not like Tommy, and I have met a lot of people. His also controls his friendliness and stands his ground very well in a way that contributes his character. His lighthearted and easygoing personality makes him a very like-able by his peers.
Tommy is not a person to sit around and do nothing. He is very involved in his school, further raising his profile. He has played football for the past three years, starting on varsity this year. He has also been the vice president of the class of 2013 for three years running. His newest development in his involvement at Kennedy High School began this year. Last spring Tommy decided to step out of his comfort zone. He decided to do something that most football players would never do, go out for show choir. These two activities don’t usually mix together as they are on opposite sides of the spectrum of activities here at Kennedy. I believe that he has definitely been a pleasant addition to the show choir family.
It is obvious that Tommy is a positive role model at Kennedy. He exhibits Leadership skills in his day to day activities but also is able to settle down and have a good time. Not many people are able to do what he does, and for that I respect him.
Word Count: 312
Monday, January 2, 2012
Steve Jobs
Isaacson, Walter. Steve Jobs: a Biography. Simon & Schuster, 2011. Print. (598)
Reading the biography of Steve Jobs has totally changed my perspective on him. Before reading this book, all I knew was (as it is referred to in the book) Act 3, when Jobs returns to Apple. I have only been alive for this time period, so it was all I knew. How was I supposed to know the whirlwind life he went through?
I decided to read this book for two reasons, one because I was growing fond of Apple products, and two because of Job’s recent death. It was definitely not one of those books that you can’t put down. It does not keep the reader eager for more, but this is partially expected of biographies. It took a lot of will power to finally just sit down and read it. Being a hefty book, the longest I have ever read, I found it tiring to hold the book up over long periods of time.
As far as the actually content, I enjoyed the later part of the book because it was the part that I was alive for. I could remember back to when a certain events occurred, something I couldn’t do with the beginning parts of the book. For some of the earlier parts, there were YouTube videos of some of the events described. I used YouTube to watch the 1984 (success), and 1985 (flop), Apple Super Bowl commercials. The book also described the Job’s unveiling of the Macintosh in great detail, so I decided to just go watch the actual video of it instead.
Obviously the book taught me a lot about Jobs that I had never known before. I had grown up during the time of his life where he was much more mature, and had a much more controlled personality. I could hardly believe that the same person that had created Apple and seems so nice now, was also the cold and rude person that co-founded Apple. The book followed a rough chronological format, occasionally jumping around a bit, but was still easy to follow. Some things also were repeated, something that would probably have been fixed had Walter Isaccson not pushed the release date. I have also heard that Isaccson is considering an add-on or some other additional book to supplement this book because he did not get all the details he wanted into this one.
Despite this I am very pleased with my selection to read this book. It has offered me much insight to how technology has come to where it is today. It has told me the great journey of the world’s most incredible visionary of our time.
Word Count: 450
Reading the biography of Steve Jobs has totally changed my perspective on him. Before reading this book, all I knew was (as it is referred to in the book) Act 3, when Jobs returns to Apple. I have only been alive for this time period, so it was all I knew. How was I supposed to know the whirlwind life he went through?
I decided to read this book for two reasons, one because I was growing fond of Apple products, and two because of Job’s recent death. It was definitely not one of those books that you can’t put down. It does not keep the reader eager for more, but this is partially expected of biographies. It took a lot of will power to finally just sit down and read it. Being a hefty book, the longest I have ever read, I found it tiring to hold the book up over long periods of time.
As far as the actually content, I enjoyed the later part of the book because it was the part that I was alive for. I could remember back to when a certain events occurred, something I couldn’t do with the beginning parts of the book. For some of the earlier parts, there were YouTube videos of some of the events described. I used YouTube to watch the 1984 (success), and 1985 (flop), Apple Super Bowl commercials. The book also described the Job’s unveiling of the Macintosh in great detail, so I decided to just go watch the actual video of it instead.
Obviously the book taught me a lot about Jobs that I had never known before. I had grown up during the time of his life where he was much more mature, and had a much more controlled personality. I could hardly believe that the same person that had created Apple and seems so nice now, was also the cold and rude person that co-founded Apple. The book followed a rough chronological format, occasionally jumping around a bit, but was still easy to follow. Some things also were repeated, something that would probably have been fixed had Walter Isaccson not pushed the release date. I have also heard that Isaccson is considering an add-on or some other additional book to supplement this book because he did not get all the details he wanted into this one.
Despite this I am very pleased with my selection to read this book. It has offered me much insight to how technology has come to where it is today. It has told me the great journey of the world’s most incredible visionary of our time.
Word Count: 450
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