How has the Internet and technology affected an individual's right to privacy?

I began to allude to this topic in my last post.

There are several ways in which the internet and technology has affected an individual's right to privacy.

Lets just state the obvious - the Internet and technology has become so advanced, there is hardly anything known as "an individual's right to privacy." Technology geniuses could find anything that ever was published on the Internet - its like a giant cloud of history and information that is never truly deleted from the atmosphere that is the Internet.

Take for instance, FACEBOOK. (dun dun dun)

Or any social network, for that matter.

More and more people are publishing their "private" information on social networks. The networks provide "privacy policies" and "privacy settings," which allow some control. But really, as I mentioned, any expert has the capability of retrieving any history on the internet.

You can even consider Google.

They have employees who's job is specifically assigned to tracking user's history. They know when you searched what and how much you searched it. I understand the necessity of this.

All of that being said, I feel like people today are becoming more vulnerable, more transparent. They are more willing to put more information on the Internet than ever before. Because of that, the world has become more connected. This is producing negative and positive side affects. Which I could write about for days! Ill spare you!

I believe it to be imperative for individuals to have rights to privacy.

This comes in moderation, of course.

In light of the internet - I believe it is understood that whatever is placed on the internet is on the internet forever. Its hard to find hardly any privacy on the internet.

The government will constantly be collecting data about individuals, which I believe to be necessary. However, there needs to be regulation even on this matter. The Law of Privacy regulates what can be taken, and where it is stored.

DIARY OF A MAD SENIOR WOMAN

(a collection of self portraits from the past two weeks)

WORK

WORK
WORK

...and more WORK.

School is demanding. And it requires much discipline.
I need more discipline.
I have two weeks left of my college career, and I'm feeling the weight of all assignments, and the urgency to GET THINGS DONE.

These tips from College Fashion have helped me out:
1. Avoid stressful people.
Stress actually is contagious. During exam week, resist the urge to have a study session with your super-tense friend, especially if she’s complaining about all the work she has to do and breaking pencils all over the place. Her stress will only add to your stress.

2. Eat healthy and exercise.
This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a wonder how many people forget it. Skip the sugar, which will make you crash, and go for snacks like granola bars, healthy cereal or fruits and veggies to keep your blood sugar stable. If you’re studying for a long period of time, eat some protein too. Also, try to get some form of exercise. Even a 10 minute walk will leave you calmer and more focused.

3. Just say NO.
I don’t mean to drugs, although I’m not recommending them or anything. What you need to say no to are the people who want to take up your time. There will probably be a friend who needs to talk to you for hours about her life, or a keg party the night before your final, and if you say yes, you’ll probably be tempted to blow off studying. Resist the urge. Say no to the distractions and be selfish for a day. You want a good GPA, right?

4. Force yourself to take breaks.
For every hour or so that you work, take a 10 or 15 minute break. Let yourself do whatever you want (check Facebook, check out that guy sitting nearby, stare off into space, call a friend, etc.) for those 10-15 mins, then start working again. This gives your brain a little rest and will help keep you more focused when you are actually doing work.

5. Visualize it all going right.
This is actually my favorite tip of all, even though it sounds kind of nuts. Imagine yourself taking the test and feeling confident that you know all the information. Picture getting all of the answers right, and focus on how relaxed you feel. Then picture the A on your test paper. When you imagine a happy ending, that’s often what happens, because you make the decisions that lead to it without even realizing.

6. If you’ve studied all you can, get up your confidence!
When test-time rolls around, it’s time to get yourself into confidence mode. You’ve prepared as much as you could, and now it’s time to ace the test. The tip here is to do whatever works to convince yourself you are going to do really well. Again, I know this tip sounds a little crazy but you just have to try it for yourself. I think you’ll like the results.

KENTUCKY NATIONAL GUARD



This semester, I am in my final Public Relations class.
My capstone class, if you will.

When we started the class, my professor stated, "This is your 9-5 job."
It has been just that, my demanding-last-semester-of-college job.

We are planning a recruitment campaign for the Kentucky National Guard on Murray State's campus.
We have had to do a lot of RESEARCH for this campaign.

JSTOR has come in handy.
Through JSTOR, we've been able to find a lot of articles about the history on the National Guard, as well as research reports on various issues with the National Guard.

Copy Right

The one part of the Copy Right Law that I would change is the Intellectual Property Rights.
This part of the law is confusing to me!

"Intellectual property (IP) is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs."

The public domain part of the copyright law states:

"Works are in the public domain if their kind is not covered by intellectual property rights or if the intellectual property rights have expired, have been forfeited, or have never been claimed. Examples include the English language, the formulae of Newtonian physics, as well as the works of Shakespeare and the patents over powered flight."

I wish there were a more clear definition of Intellectual Property, so that it would never be in question what is or is not Public Domain!

ODE TO ROOMMATE

I can't believe I've written on this blog all semester and haven't even mentioned my sweet roommate and BEST FRIEND,

STEVIE MIRANDA WEST.

Introducing the one and only.

Stevie is quite the technology extraordinaire. And by that I mean, she doesn't know much at all. But through this, I have learned much. Ignorance is bliss. She's pretty happy.

I say this out of love. She is dear to me, and I have learned so much from her.

Stevie is from a small Amish community in Tennessee. She left the Amish sect for college - her family has disowned her. My family has been given the privilege of taking her in and loving her like she is one of our own. I remember meeting Stevie freshman year. She is full of life and love, and her name is really cool.

Could you imagine transitioning from a technology-less community, to a world where technology RULES? She stepped into the "information age" at 18.

Okay, I'll cut the crap.

She's not from an Amish community or any of those things - but she really does hate technology. Stevie doesn't know much about it, and she is okay with that. I admire her - I truly do. I am not ashamed of my love and obsession for the Information Age, however, I do wish to live more simply sometimes. And thats that - Stevie lives simple, and she is satisfied. She'll deal with technology when she needs to, but unlike me, its not something she has to have every day.

In her case, ignorance truly is bliss.

I am tempted often to break plagiarism rules.

Its hard!

I think the main reason it is so difficult is because sometimes the main source just explains/words the idea better than I could. Thats it, plain and simple. Don't you ever read something and think to yourself, "I couldn't have said it better myself!"

I can take the blame for this. I am simply not intelligent enough to come up with wise thoughts and clever statements on my own. Its my lack of discipline in the art of reading and writing - I don't do it enough.

Laziness will always lead to plagiarism.

Its something I could definitely improve. Its never my intention to "steal" someone's work. It's just difficult for me to reword or take away from the original thought of the author or creator that I adore so much.

AVOID PLAGIARISM

Even after four sweet years of college, I am still learning about all the guidelines to plagiarism.

There are several ways I make sure to avoid plagiarism.

One practical way is after reading a source, I like to verbally explain to myself what it is the source is saying about my topic. Saying it out loud allows for me to form my own thoughts and

opinions, and it reassures me that I am actually learning the information.

Also, I like to have my peers proofread and make sure that I am properly siting all sources.

A third way that helps me test plagiarism is by submitting my papers to websites such as TurnItIn. This website checks the entire paper to ensure its credibility. It is the global leader in addressing plagiarism and giving feedback.

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The sites I included:

1. The Hype Machine: Expert advice on great music and concerts. From their website, "We are creating tools that empower independent voices that write about music. We think a select group of passionate people can produce more engaging conversation than a huge social mob, or a rigid hierarchy of editors. We amplify their posts and the audio they choose, to help this vibrant culture spread."
2. Obscure Sound: A blog that keeps you up to date on up and coming artists, as well as their concerts. Mike Mineo is the founder of the blog. This site’s aim is relatively straightforward: to provide music fans with the latest and greatest music. It is updated frequently.
3. NPR Music Blog: National Public Radio is a highly credible radio station which also provides a lot of internet services. This website is constantly updated with news about artists, new music releases, and concerts.
4. Now Playing Nashville: Nashville is relatively close to Louisville and Murray (my two places of residence.) Also, it is music city. This website is constantly updated with the latest news on concerts in Nashville.
5. Lousiville Concerts: I am from Louisville, so this website keeps me updated on the music scene in my favorite city.
6. Stub Hub: This is a website generated for ticket sales. It also has tour dates for just about any band you can think of!
7. Poll Star: another ticket sale website.
8. Live Nation: another ticket sale website.
9. Ticket Master: another ticket sale website.
10. Yahoo! Music: a credible search engine that is updated with music news and concerts.

I am intrigued. Fascinated. Infatuated.

From Life123:

"Free running is categorized as a "physical art," which consists of participants performing movements through various structures. Free runners are often seen performing free running exercises on objects such as walls, railings and trees. The idea of free running is to generate physical representations of freedom and beauty. In layman's terms, it is the physically taxing performance routine you often see people performing on ledges or other high objects, but, fundamentally, can be practiced in much simpler settings. "

This video is of the new Free Running academy - Tempest Freerunning Academy - in California. The Academy is California's first and only training facility solely dedicated to the growth and spread of freerunning. Wow! I did gymnastics as a child and loved it - I think I've missed my calling. Forget Google, I'm moving to California and dedicating my life to free running.

Free running combines acrobatics and parkour. The definition of parkour is (from WiseGeek)

Parkour is a movement philosophy which was developed in twentieth century France. It is a bit difficult to define parkour, since it integrates several disciplines; it could be said to be a sport, a hobby, and a philosophy. Essentially, parkour is about learning to navigate obstacles, and rethinking the use of one's body and the use of public spaces.

With that being said, I'll leave you with a clip from one of my favorite episodes of The Office:

Google

I love Google.

My top four favorite Google applications are:

1) Google Mail. (Gmail)

My Gmail allows for 7569 MB. Thats incredible. I'll never run out of Gmail space. It's easy to navigate and manage. ALSO, Gmail has a chat feature - Gchat. I use this feature often. You can video chat on Gchat as well.

2) Google Reader.

I love blogs. I check a large number of blogs every day, and Google read

er keeps them all organized. Its like email for the blogs you follow. Any time a blogger updates, it pops up in my "new" inbox. Again, this application is easy to navigate and so convenient!

3) Google Calendar

I need help with organization, and Google calendars does just that. I can upload all of my events to my calendar, and even better - Google calendar is in sync with the calendar on my phone. Even better than that - my family can load

their calendars and share them with me. Being away from home, this application brings my heart a lot of joy.

4) Google Books

Right now, you can search over the full text of some seven million books through Google Books. Google has partnered with renowned libraries around the world to include their collections in Book Search. Google has also partnered with over 20,000 publishers and authors to make their books discoverable on Google. You can flip through a few preview pages of these books, just like you'd browse them at a bookstore or library. You'll also see links to libraries and bookstores where you can borrow or buy the book. What's not to love?

WIKI WIKI WIKIPEDIA

Knowing that the public has the ability to change any information on the Wikipedia site, makes Wikipedia lose all of its credibility. Its humorous and entertaining to me, however, I would never reference this site for any topic of research or interest. It's absurd that any random person could create a false "Biography" on a false person and post it on the web.

The only times I reference Wikipedia are if I need a quick definition. Wikipedia is usually the first option that pops up on a Google search, so often times I click on Wikipedia and take a quick glance.

If I saw false information on a page on Wikipedia, I would probably change it. Then again, why would that matter? If it is not a credible site, how would me changing the information make it anymore credible? No one has to believe that I'm a credible source - the public doesn't know me from Adam. Its a vicious cycle! Its the Internet!

I'm a Bandwagon Fan.

...and I'm not ashamed of it!

This past weekend I was able to go to my first Major League Baseball game. I loved it.

I went to St. Louis with eight of my closest friends to watch the St. Louis Cardinals play the San Antonio Padres.

Despite the fact that the Cardinal's lost, I got to see Albert Pujols hit a home run!

I don't know much about baseball, but I do know Pujols is a big deal. In fact, I was sporting a Pujol's jersey at the game, compliments of my friend Melissa.

I learned a lot about baseball on Saturday.

I know a guy with a decent St. Louis Cardinals blog (a junior at Western Kentucky University):

Red Bird Report

I feel inspired to get into the spirit of America's past time. It's time I finally join the crowd, jump on the bandwagon.