I Don't Even Have to Leave My House Anymore

Current mood: slightly overwhelmed
Current tunes: SuidAkra - Dead Man's Reel

The Internet has drastically changed a variety of phenomena in our world. The primary metamorphosis that the Internet has caused in society is the reduction of the transaction cost of forming ties with other people. It was only twenty years ago that the most common manner that people formed groups, whether for leisure or political purposes, was by going out and recruiting people personally. If a group-former were wealthy enough and well-connected, he or she could broadcast a message out to a wider audience by television or radio. However, the message would be sent once and anyone who was not listening or watching would miss it and their opportunity would be lost forever. Now, with the advent of the Internet, people can post messages to very public places, some reaching wider audiences than radio and television. The message is also more permanent and can be read at any time.

The second-most significant change that the Internet has made to society is that we are now producers and consumers instead of primarily consumers. Before Web 2.0, the Internet was mostly used for accessing information published by relatively few entities. However, with social media and other interactive web services, all Internet users can now produce information and consume it. As mentioned above, it used to be the case that there were two distinct groups: broadcasters and consumers. Web 2.0 has made the consumer a producer. Many producers are still more trusted that most, such as news corporations, government websites, and other high-profile sources, but the common man has a more powerful voice thanks to the new way in which we use the Internet. It is no longer solely movie studios that create videos with millions of views. A teenager with a cellphone could film an event and rack up viewers. A political columnist is no longer the sole voice in politics. A blogger with an opinion has just as much say in matters of government.

Digital Faith

Current mood: pretty happy
Current tunes: Masterplan - Aeronautics

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has benefited greatly from computers and the Internet. First, members have access to an array of wonderful church tools thanks to computers. Family history, which used to take months or even years to prepare one name to take to the temple can now be done in a few weeks. Scheduling a church building for an activity is easily done online. Scriptures are now available in digital format to allow access from computers and cell phones. Missionary work is also being blessed by the advent of the Internet. Curious people who wish to investigate the Church can visit mormon.org to learn about beliefs and practices instead of waiting for missionaries to find them. Mormon.org's recent revamp has been an extremely beneficial move for the Church. Not only is the site more interactive and more informative than its previous version, it is able to connect with member's Facebook accounts, showing investigators how real members of the Church are.

The Priest and the Shopkeeper

Current mood: a little stressed
Current tunes: Wintersun - Starchild

Open-source software development is a wonderful method of developing programs. It pools the talents hundreds of developers around the world. However, open-source will never replace closed-source software development. The reason is that humans are primarily motivated by self-interest and open-source development does not encourage this behavior. In a perfect open-source world, programmers would contribute to many different projects, and all software would be free. Programmers would make money by donations to their projects by those who use them. Unfortunately, this model cannot work because when something is available for free, why would anyone pay money for it? How many programs, apps, and services have we used which ask for donations and we never contribute (sorry Jimmy Wales)? Programmers need a guaranteed source of income so they work for companies which must keep their software secret so they can gain revenue. Open-source software is a great ideal and has brought many innovations to the world, but it will never replace traditional closed-source software.

Great Aunt Lucy's Online

Current mood: happy
Current tunes: Fail Emotions - Speed of Light

Computers and the Internet have had an amazing impact on family history. In the days before the Internet, finding information was the most difficult step of connecting with ancestors. People interested in family had to look up where their predecessors lived and write to the nearest genealogical society, church, or government record library in order to request that microfilms or other records be sent. Now, FamilySearch contains billions of records that have been digitalized and indexed, making searching extremely fast. Finding new information can still be a challenge, but with the advent of the Internet, finding information that other people already have is almost instantaneous. With these wonderful tools in place, no one has any excuse not to do family history.

Listened to Anything Good Lately?

Current Mood: happy
Current Tunes - Stratovarius - Unbreakable

The current copyright laws pertaining to technology and modern media are ineffective at protecting the interests of artists, inventors, and the public. The Internet has facilitated music and software sharing. This sharing should be used to promote an artist's work, not restrict it. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to advertise: it's free to companies and customers trust friends more than advertisements. Customers are able to preview music before purchasing. People should not copy music blatantly and distribute it to their friends, but copying music so an acquaintance can decide if he wishes to purchase it should not be penalized. Under the current laws, however, this sharing is illegal. Unfortunately, there will always be opportunists. When Radiohead released their album In Rainbows, they first released it as a "pay-what-you-like" download. Most people chose to pay nothing (http://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/40444). Is this evidence that file sharing must be regulated?  As an aspiring intellectual property lawyer, I will have to help answer questions such as this.