Loridiamond's Blog

standing on someone else’s shoulder

loridiamond — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:37:18 +0000

I do not think that the copyright law needs to be changed, at least not drastically. Copyright laws need to acknowledge the information highway and the easy access to materials there. I think that our world is changing and that there is much easier access to much more information than ever before. I think that people need to decide how public they want to be with their ideas.

This topic is really about faith in the public arena and whether or not people give freely their ideas or want to be paid for it or credited for it. There is a synergy that happens when people learn from other people, and some would argue that there is no such thing as original thought because we are all processing other’s ideas as we form our own. In academic communities as well as in the business world people should get credit for the work they have done. However, there should be an understanding that we are all standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. (by the way, I think I stole that idea from a poster I used to hang in my classroom!) But it is true! We all learn from one another. There should be credit given to someone who comes up with something that changes the way we see the world…that shifts our paradigm, and there should be the ability for people to protect their life’s work as their own. But once we publish our ideas, others are free to comment on it, challenge it and even change it.

The area where there is much dispute about copyright laws is in the entertainment field where people are downloading music, and videos and words from others. The publishing field has access to copyrighting these items, and could make adjustments for newer technologies. Just because technology has changed doesn’t mean we should relax the copyright rules, maybe just change them a little. I guess I am not so hard nosed and more democratic in philosophy. How would socrates feel if everyone was holding on tightly to their own ideas, only to share them for a fee? Our FREE AMERICAN society is based heavily on litigation, lawyers and control of wealth……and how that relates to someone’s original art or ideas??? I do not claim to know the answers.

deep web- Finding NEMO

loridiamond — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:25:53 +0000

So this week’s readings made me think of the ocean. Yes, its true. The metaphor is a good one. When I searched gambling on the four sites you listed, Bing and Yahoo seemed very similar in their results. But lii.org and deepdyve.com came up with less commercial, more scholarly articles. In lii.org there are articles from scholarly journals, and from bing and yahoo the search brought up newspaper articles and websites for self help groups.

When I searched for cars and recipes the results that showed from lii.org were more dated and not recent. When I searched for cars and recipes from bing and yahoo I got very recent results from recipes and reviews recently published.

keeping up with the news

loridiamond — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:01:03 +0000

In order for me to keep up with the happenings around the world and around the city, I listen to NPR on a daily basis. This is my major source of daily information about politics, lifestyle and the world. I listen to this radio station when I wake up and get ready to start the day. I listen to it while drinking coffee and making lunches for the kids. I listen to it in the car and in the evenings and on weekends. I even download their podcasts. I also read the New York Times on line and occasionally the Huffington Post and CNN.com. Friday nights I watch Real Time with Bill Mehar. Sometimes if I can stay awake I watch the local 11:00 news, Charlie rose, Conan O’Brian or letterman. After Letterman, there is this guy, Craig Ferguson who is hilarious. But that is pure silliness, not news. I also read People magazine while waiting to be checked out at the supermarket. I never buy that magazine; just flip through the pages while waiting my turn. Occasionally I read articles in the New Yorker or articles that my sisters send me through email.

HealthCare-Semantics-Rhetoric-Whatever?!?! It’s just your HEALTH!!

loridiamond — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:39:58 +0000

In answer to this week’s assignment I went onto GOOGLE and typed in HEALTHCARE REFORM, and there were hundreds of sites to choose from. I deliberately chose two sites from news organizations that are supposed to be reporting the news not making the news. I chose two sites that have opposing ideologies. I think it is important to always question the source of material and use your mind to think critically about all information you are given.

I worry about people who don’t understand that when someone doesn’t have health insurance, their care still costs money and that money needs to come from somewhere. I also am very aware that because I am healthy, I hardly cost the system any money, even though I pay a lot for my health insurance. I also know that the pharmaceutical companies are greedy and therefore untrustworthy, even though I take medication every day that I will have to take for the rest of my life. This is not an easy problem. If it was, it wouldn’t be a problem for so many people for so long!! I don’t pretend to have any answers, but I do know I need to be informed for myself, for my family and my community.

getting into the groove of things

loridiamond — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:35:44 +0000

So……the month of September has come and gone. I wonder if I should clear out my shorts and t-shirts and take out the hats and gloves. I am getting into the groove of being a full time student. Today I actually scheduled time at a museum for a few hours before going to my Thursday night class. What a treat that was. I am hoping to use some of the information I have learned in this class to help me with my research for that Thursday night class.

Here’s a question for the group: Can teachers teach creativity? How do you know if someone is creatively gifted? Is being creatively gifted different from being intellectually gifted? Can you be one without the other? Let me know what you think.

first post

loridiamond — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:46:30 +0000

Hi everyone. This is my first post for this class. Believe it or not, I have blogged before. It can be intimidating thinking that anyone on the internet can access your thoughts and ideas. As an introduction, I am a mother and a teacher who is currently taking a sabbatical after 14 years of teaching. My children are in first and fourth grade and I thought it was a good time to take a breather from my professional life and have more time to focus on them as students. This academic year I am taking three classes at LGCC and three classes at Hunter College. I hope this class will be fun and informative.

Hello world!

loridiamond — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:39:28 +0000

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!