Thursday, March 11, 2010
Digital Media Copyright Act
After reading information of the Electronic Frontier Foundation website, I have concluded that the United States allows it's businesses to much freedom, no matter what the cost to growth and consumers.
DMCA may have had good intentions at the inset, however, politics and greed have corrupted it. Corporations have used these laws to impede competition and innovation, as well as stifle free speech against them, and squash any research that is not in line with their views.
Any act that discourages foreign researchers from disclosing information to the US citizens, can never be positive. Nor, prohibiting growth in commerce giving citizens the right to choose between companies products, cannot be called unconstitutional.
I am not sure how to make changes to the DMCA to be fair as well as beneficial other than not allowing copyright laws to dictate the end result.
DMCA may have had good intentions at the inset, however, politics and greed have corrupted it. Corporations have used these laws to impede competition and innovation, as well as stifle free speech against them, and squash any research that is not in line with their views.
Any act that discourages foreign researchers from disclosing information to the US citizens, can never be positive. Nor, prohibiting growth in commerce giving citizens the right to choose between companies products, cannot be called unconstitutional.
I am not sure how to make changes to the DMCA to be fair as well as beneficial other than not allowing copyright laws to dictate the end result.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
WolframAlpha vs. Google
1. English words containing the letters "eue": This one is a little tricky, Google's first listing was morewords.com. Morewords had the best answer, but WolframAlpha was quicker and listed words that had eue, but not in order
query: all english words containing the letters eue
Answer: Feued, queue, queued, queueing, queuer, queuers, queues
2. How much potassium in 4.7 oz of banana? WolframAlpha was the quickest and most accurate.
query: how much potassium in 4.7 ox of banana
Answer: 477mg
3. How old was Barack Obama on the day you were born? WolframAlpha was the quickest and easiest.
query: what year was obama born. then obama's birthdate - my birthdate
Answer: 7 years, 5 months, 4 days
4.Date and time of the next total solar eclipse in Eugene? WolframAlpha was the quickest and easiest.
query: when is the next total solar eclipse in eugene, oregon
Answer: 4:52 pm PDT | Sunday, May 20, 2012 (2.328 years from now)
5. What is the minimum and maximum price of google stock since it went public?
Once again WolframAlpha was the quickest and easiest.
query: google stock history
Answer: minimum: $ 100.01 Sep 3, 2004 maximum: $ 741.79 Nov 6, 2007
6. Link an image of the barcode for UPC 01234567890. WolframAlpha again the quickest and easiest.
query: barcode upc 01234567890
7. How many vertices does an icosahedron have? WolframAlpha again the quickest and easiest.
query: icosahedron vertex
Answer: 12
8. Distance from Eugene to Tokyo? WolframAlpha (beginning to see a pattern)
query: distance between eugene oregon and tokyo
Answer: 4886 miles
9. Average Oregon income per capita? WolframAlpha
query: average oregon income per capita
Answer: $31,930 per year
10. What is the morse code for your name. WolframAlpha
query: morse code for marquee
Answer:
-- -- M
* -- A
* -- * R
-- -- * -- Q
* * -- U
* E
* E
query: all english words containing the letters eue
Answer: Feued, queue, queued, queueing, queuer, queuers, queues
2. How much potassium in 4.7 oz of banana? WolframAlpha was the quickest and most accurate.
query: how much potassium in 4.7 ox of banana
Answer: 477mg
3. How old was Barack Obama on the day you were born? WolframAlpha was the quickest and easiest.
query: what year was obama born. then obama's birthdate - my birthdate
Answer: 7 years, 5 months, 4 days
4.Date and time of the next total solar eclipse in Eugene? WolframAlpha was the quickest and easiest.
query: when is the next total solar eclipse in eugene, oregon
Answer: 4:52 pm PDT | Sunday, May 20, 2012 (2.328 years from now)
5. What is the minimum and maximum price of google stock since it went public?
Once again WolframAlpha was the quickest and easiest.
query: google stock history
Answer: minimum: $ 100.01 Sep 3, 2004 maximum: $ 741.79 Nov 6, 2007
6. Link an image of the barcode for UPC 01234567890. WolframAlpha again the quickest and easiest.
query: barcode upc 01234567890
7. How many vertices does an icosahedron have? WolframAlpha again the quickest and easiest.
query: icosahedron vertex
Answer: 12
8. Distance from Eugene to Tokyo? WolframAlpha (beginning to see a pattern)
query: distance between eugene oregon and tokyo
Answer: 4886 miles
9. Average Oregon income per capita? WolframAlpha
query: average oregon income per capita
Answer: $31,930 per year
10. What is the morse code for your name. WolframAlpha
query: morse code for marquee
Answer:
-- -- M
* -- A
* -- * R
-- -- * -- Q
* * -- U
* E
* E
Differences in Search Engines
USS Yorktown NT: Bing and Google listed wired.com first and wikipedia second, while Baidu search results were reversed. The third listing was different in all three search engines.
Google China Censorship: Bing had various news stories at the top, wikipedia, then googlewatch. Google had googleblog, guardia.co.uk, then wikipedia. Baidu
39ipol.biz, cn.reuters, them blog.163.com
Tiananmen Square: Bing listed wikipedia on the massacre, wikipedia tiananmnen square, then bloomberg. Google had wikipedia on the protests, travelchinaguide.com, and then image results. Baidu interestingly, had nothing on the massacre. vsearch.cctv.com, flag raising space.tv.cctv.com, story about two foreigners stabbed recently.
Taiwan Independence: All three search engines listed wikipedia first. Bing had listings about foreign policy www.fpif.org then antiwar.com. Google listed Taiwan Independence Movement wufi.org.tw and then news einnews.com while Baidu's stories were e.3edu.net US not supporting the movement, and tanghu.net combating the movement.
Google China Censorship: Bing had various news stories at the top, wikipedia, then googlewatch. Google had googleblog, guardia.co.uk, then wikipedia. Baidu
39ipol.biz, cn.reuters, them blog.163.com
Tiananmen Square: Bing listed wikipedia on the massacre, wikipedia tiananmnen square, then bloomberg. Google had wikipedia on the protests, travelchinaguide.com, and then image results. Baidu interestingly, had nothing on the massacre. vsearch.cctv.com, flag raising space.tv.cctv.com, story about two foreigners stabbed recently.
Taiwan Independence: All three search engines listed wikipedia first. Bing had listings about foreign policy www.fpif.org then antiwar.com. Google listed Taiwan Independence Movement wufi.org.tw and then news einnews.com while Baidu's stories were e.3edu.net US not supporting the movement, and tanghu.net combating the movement.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Circle Track Racing Blog
My new favorite blog is http://blogs.circletrack.com/index.html. I find it interesting because I love racing! My daugther races a limited late model in Washington, she was picked for the NASCAR 2010 Combine for their diversity program. So I like to follow all the latest racing news!
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