PRO:

 With the expansion of technology the internet has become more of a necessity than a luxury. The ability to access and store mass quantities of information on a computer rather than storing thousands of books has come a long way. But now things have become a little more spacious thanks to Goggle. Goggle has created a project called “Book Search” that can help minimize the lucrative amounts of paper that we use daily. Their goal is to scan all written texts and store it on Google’s database so it can be accessible to consumers worldwide. Authors from all over the globe can use Google Book Search to reach out to their audience.

 Copyright laws have been a strong pillar for our Constitution for decades. They are placed to “protect the integrity of creative work while allowing next generations of creators to build on the cultural foundations around them,” (Taking Sides, p. 92). However it’s clear that many of the copyright statutes have become outdated as well as counterproductive. The main objective of this project is to unify all texts under one roof, per say. Goggle is not trying to take any credit for previous work. The internet is a huge marketing tool to get your product some exposure and Google Book Search is only trying to help. The more people see it, the more people buy it!

 The project is also beneficial for the several other reasons: “First, works on the margins of popularity will find a small audience larger than the near-zero audience they usually have now. Second, the universal library will deepen our grasp of history, as every original document in the course of civilization is scanned and cross-linked. Third, the universal library of all books will continue to culivate a new sense of authority” (Taking Sides, p. 91). Another huge reason that no one tends to talk about either is possibility one of the largest issues this world is dealing with. An exuberant amount of paper would be saved with the development of this project. Millions of trees are cut down yearly because of the demand of paper. Well say no more Mother Nature cause Google is thinking green.

 There are always a few issues at hand with a new idea. There are texts that date hundreds of years back that do not have references of the original authors. Who takes credit for an anonymous piece of work? Google has reached a settlement to compensate authors for publishing their material and created a Books Right Registry. This settlement gives Google a clean starting point in the posting of many books that go unclaimed. Authors, who may opt out of the Books Rights Registry, decide what to charge to have their book read online and get paid a portion of a fee charged to the reader. Google receives 37 percent of the fee, with the publishers and authors splitting the remaining 63 percent for the book. Payments are distributed through the nonprofit Book Rights Registry”. This seems more than fair for the publishers.

 Google Book Search is a great opportunity for the world to become acclimated with the technology that is to come. Laws and regulations should be revisited and adjust to the times that we live in. The groundbreaking benefits that this idea portrays should not be overwhelmed by the selfishness of copyright laws.

Wikipedia articles are produced by a structured debate that allows us to transcend the prejudices and self-interest of individuals.

 Since the dawn of the new millennium Wikipedia has introduced a new medium in which research becomes just a little bit easier. With the idea of a massive internet encyclopedia capable of exploring practically any person, place, thing, coined-phrases, the list goes on. There is no limitation. The searches are endless and it is all harnessed under one website. Wikipedia is a fair system that allows us to transcend the prejudices and self-interest of individuals.

 In order for Wikipedia to remain a fair and transparent structure certain guidelines and rules are placed to keep its integrity. 248 guidelines and 44 official policies to be exact are sited to allow this site to remain accurate and credible. There is a lengthy process in which users must oblige in order to post a page. And the most common misconception of any random user editing which ever page he/she feels appropriate is gone. There is now an editing committee that strives on erasing and removing any inaccuracies on Wikipedia. When the editors can’t seem to agree on the subject it is sent to an arbitration committee which they discuss and take vote on their decisions with their say as the final verdict.

 Wikipedia has done a tremendous job trying to keep their integrity as reliable source. The administration doesn’t mess around and you can ask the Church of Scientology. They have officially been banned from Wikipedia as they continued to violate the rules and regulations. The reason for this ruling was because editors from the Church of Scientology page were not allowing counterarguments to be alongside their views. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

 Wikipedia has been ranked as one of the top searches on the Internet for quite some time and for a damn good reason. It works! The results do not lie. In this day of age if it was such a failure with numerous flaws then it wouldn’t be as successful as it is today. Why would anyone use an inaccurate encyclopedia? The unlimited power of “search” under one website is at your finger tips. Use it. It’s there for a reason.

Con:

In recent years there has been a number of questions brought to the public attention about the abundance of violence in the media. Numerous of studies since Bandura and his famous Bobo doll  have been conducted (especially with children) to try to distinguish if viewing violence can trigger violent behavior and most scientist can agree to a degree. Now far from the age of Bandura the question has now been modified within the last 10-15 years, whether video game violence is more harmful than television violence. Critics from both sides of the spectrum sneer at each others scientific methods as flaws are noticeable however I am here to convince you all that violence in television has a greater effect on children.

 Children have more frequent access to a television then video games. Here are a few points I would like to share:

• According to USAToday, the average American home has more television sets than people.
• Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680 (4 hours a day)
• Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours. Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500 hours
• Number of murders seen on TV by the time an average child finishes elementary school: 8,000

*The final three bullets were sources from the California State University website.

The average age of American gamers according to our text is 30. Marc Prensky of “game2train”,  a firm that promotes the educational use of games says that only a third of games are under 18. So just by the information that I have bestowed upon you how is it possible that video games are at fault.

Since the advancement of games with realism being major component, the gaming industry have been issued to place a rating system similar to that of film.

• Early childhood (3 and above)
• Everyone (6 and above)
• Everyone 10+ (10 and above)
• Teen (13 and above)
• Mature (17 and above)
• Adults Only (18 and above)

This rating system is used to enforce the content of each video game and to monitor who can purchase these games. If kids are playing games meant for matured audiences then its not the children who are purchasing them. Parents need to make more of an effort to monitor their children and make sure they are not playing games that are not meant for their age. People complain about big retailers selling Adult Only games but unrated movies with more explicit content gets a pass.  

And with that I will seguay to television. Parents are not monitoring what their children watch. Violence in television and film has become so mainstream that people don’t necessarily think of it as a big deal anymore, because its always in front of you. It’s always there. You see real people acting what children can assume as being real scenarios.  The big fight scene at the end of the movie, good against evil,  with special effects that last 20 minutes. Kids embrace the action and story on film and on television more whether it is violent or not because its looks, sounds, and feels real. And now all of a sudden violence is found more on video games and everyone is flipping sh*t.

In closing I believe that the gaming gernation that lives now will see nothing of this. Using the idea from our text the older generation (the ones who are complaining) don’t understand because they have never played or been upart of games growing up. It is just like rock and roll in the 50s. It was condemend because it encouraged bad behavior to the youth at that time. But now the post war generation is old and mature and rock and roll is harmless. Violence in television plays a stronger roll on children because of its realism and abundace.

PRO:

With the decrease of newspaper sales people all over the world people are now relying more on the Internet for their daily fix of news. It has come to a point in our society now with the new phenomenon of “blogging” all kinds of news and information are being distributed over the net. On one hand you have the respectable and newsworthy journalist who you as readers have counted on since you were able to pick up a newspaper. And on the other hand you have the witty, not worried about their image, regular Joe citizen who tells it like it is without any boundaries. This ladies and gentlemen is the dawn of Citizen Journalism.

 The media has become a powerful tool with many different medians keeping everyone connected and informed on what is going on in the world. With that come great responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is using the media as a controller of the government. Essentially normal citizens like you and I are keeping things in check and make sure they are run smoothly, like a watchdog. The term “watchdog” when being referenced to media was coined by Englishmen Edmund Burke to refer to the political power possessed by the press during the late-eighteenth century.

 Citizens that do their own research and investigations on what ever they choose to write open are not swayed by numbers, ratings, political stances, or the government. It is raw, unfiltered information given to you by your average Joe on how he/she sees it. News agencies from FOX to CNN are extremely careful on the news they print and how they print it to achieve there monthly goals in ratings. News companies have labels and guidelines to follow unlike citizens. You have agencies that are conservative and others that are liberal speaking on the same issue with completely different spins on the story. There are a lot of cases when issues are not covered in a socially responsible manner. Mass media should provide citizens with information that identify the problems in our society, and unlawful activities of those who have power.

 CNN has created a great idea of crowd sourcing and implemented a section on their website called “iReport,” which is a segment strictly for non-journalists expressing their views on issues that affect them. This allows the readers and writers that have the same everyday experiences be heard and shared by the average peer. I believe this way people will relate more with news.

 In closing the effects of the watchdog mentality will allow average citizens to keep a close eye on the government and their corrupting ways of the media. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!

Position: Pro

Google Health might be the most innovative time saving invention ever created. It almost seems like every time you go to the doctor’s office whether it is a new physician you are seeing for the first time or the same family doctor that you have been going to ever since you had the chicken pox, there is a pile of paper work on the clipboard waiting for you at the front door. Let alone it is the SAME INFORMATION they keep asking for. I mean, I thought they keep all of this on record. Or possibly its just practice for us patience just to make sure we never forget our name, date of birth, and what we are allergic to.

 Sometimes you anticipate that you need to fill out a stack of papers so you leave for the doctor’s office 30 minutes earlier. Not anymore! This constant stream of information allows you to store and keep all of your records under one network. If you change your job, insurance, or move to a different country, your records are safe and can be found in a secure location. Not only do you have complete access to your records at any given point in time, all of your doctors are also up-to-date. This means doctors and laboratories don’t have to wait on each other to receive your latest results on the biopsy you had done of that fungus growing out the side of your face. Pharmacies no longer have to sit on the telephone for 20 minutes while they speak to a automated machine checking your policy when refilling a prescription.

And the best part about is it’s free! No cost what so ever. You must have an account with Google Health with a name and login just like opening an email account free of charge.

The obvious question that is brought up to try to put a negative spin on this product is it would be easier for identity thieves to apprehend personal information. Google Health will not sell, rent, or share any information without your consent. They have done a great job and taking full precautious measures with privacy and security to make sure that your information is safe. The user has full authority on who can access the information.

With the dawn of new technology it is only logical to use the technology for the betterment of society. This product could save millions of people time and money. Privacy protections laws are up to date and doing what they can to keep cyber thieves on their heels.  Information will always continue to grow and expand with new horizons. Now its time for us jump on board, don’t waste your time with all the hassles doing things the old fashion way.

Position: Con

One of the things that  makes this country of ours so great is that amazing line in the Constitution that states, and I quote ” Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise their of; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble. and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” We as citizens of the United States of America have the right to express our feelings and say how we feel. I believe that the FCC is slowly but surely pulling in the reigns inch by inch on freedom of expression. If the language or nudity bothers you, then don’t watch or listen to it.

When the Federal Communications Commission was established in 1934, its purpose was to keep an eye and ear on things with the Communications Act. The FCC’s mission states “to make available so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, rapid, efficient, Nation-wide, and world-wide wire and radio communication services with adequate facilities at reasonable charges.” Back then they had no where close to the information, technology, and communicative mediums to worry about. Now that everything is digital and with the dawn of the internet, the FCC is going to have alot more things to tackle. Display warnings that entail the context and nature of the program. From there it is the responsibilty of the citizen to choose whether they want to participate or not.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a difference in expressing your deepest feelings and a issue with national security. I’m all for the “not allowed to threaten the President” rule.  You want to hate people on your own time thats your progitive. I wouldn’t threaten the President publicly or through the press unless you want the FBI at your front doorstep. All the rules of free speech go out the door on those examples.

All Im saying is that freedom of speech and press is the very backbone that allows this country to continue and be viewed as a modeled regiem (per say). Individuals flee countries like Cuba and North Korea because of issues like freedom of speech.

F*ck the FCC. All it does is harness the capabilities and potential of  a great country.