QotW3: Virtual Pirates: Show Them Some Love (some of them might be really hot)!

We’re all familiar with the term ‘piracy’ or ‘software piracy’ and it’s easy to put an ugly face on it and deem it bad and a form of defamation to the industry. Too easy. Even though the Computer Crime Research Centre (CCRC) in Ukraine calls it ‘dirty campaigning,’ we should take a closer look at both sides of the coin, and examine the bigger picture to this controversial issue.

Personally, I feel that piracy is not such a big deal and if anything, is a mostly-positive attribute to technology and society. The attitude I’m harboring towards this matter might be due to the fact that I’m not losing billions of dollars in sales each year, like gaming companies such as Activision and Electronic Arts do. The truth of the matter is, computer piracy is a costly business for many companies and that is why governments are taking such a fervent stance against it. In 1997 alone, the worldwide estimate of losses due to piracy was approximately $11.4 billion (Software Publishers Association, 1997). That just makes you want to shout out in disbelief and envy doesn’t it? That’s enough to buy over Krispy Kreme and maybe a bag of cheetos and that’s all I really need!

As much as piracy brings disgrace and loss to companies, it has its advantages and positive points as well. If you think about it, I’m sure you’ll agree with me or at least give the whole issue a second thought before condemning it entirely.

Firstly, piracy is a form of flattery, just as imitating is. Software companies should instead take it as a compliment that their product is something so desirable and has acquired so much attention that it’s brought about other independent agencies manufacturing copies of it. It’s like starting a trend. I’d certainly take it as a compliment, should others adore my produce or me so much that it causes the majority of them to replicate what they see. Wouldn’t you?

Secondly, I see piracy as just another form of publicizing a product. Just as how although celebrities whine and complain about the paparazzi and tabloids being annoyances, they in fact need to be grateful to these sources for their fame and stature – without the press publicizing and promoting them and their work, mass recognition would be not be a possibility. Likewise, by reproducing computer games for example, pirates are actually helping to promote the manufacturers and their games! Instead of denouncing them, software giants such as Microsoft should give them credit for part of the publicity gained for the company or their software. It’s all about exposure, baby.

Thirdly, we all know that originals are a lot more expensive than copies. This poses a difficulty in acquisition for the poor and needy. Imagine what it’s like struggling to keep the family together financially and still having to purchase the latest version of Microsoft Office for your job, which pays as much as Walmart pays its deli workers. Caught between a rock and a hard place, wouldn’t it be a load easier if you could find something within your budget? Well piracy helps bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, in that aspect (of being able to buy a particular piece of software or item). It increases the accessibility of the good by selling it at a much lower price, so as to make certain that every one gets a fair, or should I say more apt, opportunity to buy it. See, there’s some good in their hearts after all! Awwwh…

Lastly, making replicas at low cost and high profit is but an extremely entrepreneurial way of making money. Though not the most creative or moral, or legal for that matter, the bottom line is that it makes money. No risk no gain right? It’s like having a franchise of the Olive Garden, only with the price and quality of the food lowered.

Conversely, the main reason that governments and authorities are coming down hard on piracy – ‘infringements can be punishable by up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines’ (Penalties of Piracy, RIAA) – is that it makes money, a lot of money. Do you honestly reckon they’d give a New York minute’s worth of attention on an industry which, though illegal, only brings in about $500 a year – maybe something like illegal doughnuts or the unauthorized use of paper towels in restaurants? I don’t think so. Sure, it might also be due to the protection of intellectual property and all that jazz but c’mon, when push comes to shove it’s all about the moola!

In conclusion, maybe my perception is a little flawed, okay a lot, but I seem to think I make sense (either that or the weed’s kicking in). I hope that the next time you pass vendors retailing pirate software, movies, games, etc (doughnuts included), you’d patronize them instead of calling the cops, or at the very least just walk on by. They need to make a living too you know!


References:

Brian A. Cole (1998, Nov 5) ‘Computer Piracy’ Position Paper. Retrieved January 30, 2007 from:
http://u.cc.utah.edu/~bac2/piracy/paper/paper.html

Recording Industry Association of America ‘What the RIAA is Doing About Piracy’ Retrieved February 1, 2007 from:
http://www.riaa.com/issues/piracy/riaa.asp

Business Software Alliance ‘Software Piracy Figures’ Retrieved Febrary 1, 2007 from:
http://www.bsa.org/hongkong/press/newsreleases/Latest-Worldwide-Software-Piracy-Figures-Released-Five-Years-US-59_2-Billion-Lost-more-than-half-of-all-business-software-used-in-Hong-Kong-still-illegal.cfm

The Shadow Internet. Retrieved February 1, 2007 from:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/topsite_pr.html

COM 125 Week 2: E-mail

The creation of electronic mail or ‘e-mail’ is, to me, one of the most significant inventions of the Internet world. Not only has it reinvented the way we communicate; it has also made efficient the way we did.

E-mail is a natural use of networked communication technology that developed along with the evolution of the Internet. Think standard snail mail on steroids, because that is what e-mail is. Instead of writing a letter by hand, pen and paper, you do it on a computer or in these days, even a mobile phone and at your own convenience. E-mailing a friend or business partner is extremely much more efficient than writing to him. It is also more accessible and cost-efficient than writing a letter – it takes a fraction of the time to send and receive them and practically costs nothing! This way, you’ll never be placed in the annoying situation of being out of envelopes or stamps whenever you want to send a message. E-mail is a form of asynchronous communication, which means that communication does not occur at the same time: the sender sends a message and the recipient reads it at his own convenience. This is especially useful for communicating between long distances and different world time zones.

On the other hand, security and privacy are rather low with e-mail. Although the majority of them are delivered to the correct addressee without intervention, there are certain times that the messages may be intercepted by individuals other than the sender or recipient. This could occur due to an incorrect address, system administrator intervention or maybe even a transmission error. It also happens because ‘e-mail messages are not generally encrypted and have to go through intermediate computers before reaching their destination, meaning it is relatively easy for others to intercept and read the messages,’ as stated by Wikipedia’s Definition of E-mail. Just like everything else, there are pros and cons with e-mail as well.

The Internet we of today are so familiar with is actually using many characteristics inherent of e-mail and since it is a known fact that ‘it actually predates the Internet and was a crucial tool in creating it’ (History of the Internet, Wikipedia), it is only fitting.

These days, most if not all consumer-related websites have a ‘Contact Us’ link on their webpage that upon clicking reveals contact details and sometimes even the address of the company or organization. This trait is very helpful to visitors of the site as it enables them to direct any queries they might have to the company, most of the time via e-mail. Being able to communicate online on different webpages and to groups not only increases interactivity, it also makes the acquisition of information so much easier. Imagine logging on to Apple.com and having a question regarding the Dashboard application. Is it not just remarkable that you can access their support page and post your query to them, before definitely getting a reply?

On to a larger scale, the whole instantaneity of the modern Internet appears to be somewhat similar to its predecessor, e-mail, does it not? Searching for ‘cheap car rentals’ on Google.com and getting almost instant results seems a lot like the almost-immediate response you would get from an e-mail, does it not? Think of hitting the ‘Search’ key as sending an e-mail, and the results you get as the recipient replying your e-mail. They are indeed very similar are they not?

In conclusion, I feel that although the technologies involved with the creation and use of e-mail are many, the main and probably most distinct quality would be its instantaneity. In this day and age where immediacy and speed are synonymous with the Internet, we have but the genius of e-mail to thank, as much as we take it for granted.

So the next time you do a search online, try thinking of it as sending another e-mail.

when the pants are down

if any of you watch the L word, i think you're brilliant! i like shane cos she's so hardcore-ish and i'm sure you can tell, i have nothing to blog about. oh the life of a lifeless. okay so anw, i don't get why sgp doesn't allow the L word to be aired here. it's plain sick that thousands (or however many people there are in sgp) are missing out on such a killer show! it's like sex and the city, only think of carrie's mr big as a chick and you're done, mostly. as if that doesn't sound enticing enough, em' chicks are SO DAMN 'oooh break me off a piece o' that!' GORGEOUS, you'd probably convulse at the start! it's as irresistible as an all-you-can-eat bacon buffet, where they marinate everything in bbq sauce and then line the bacon with more bacon and cram it into a bacon roll, is to large dude. mmmm that's mighty tempting/awfully greasy and disgusting! ima go sleep now, just because.

are your pockets full of sand?

i often feel insecure. i don't have many friends, nor do i want any. the world's so tough on me and sometimes i wish i weren't apart of it. oh why must i feel this way, oh why.


HAHAHAHAHA so now i know how you depressed people feel when you write about your emotions in your blogs. ugh, tis disgusting! awwwh... boo hoo, i'm down, i'm upset... boo YOU. oh wait, apparently mocking emo people is wrong, and a tad insensitive. i hope i didn't hurt any of your feelings, emo ones. PSYCH! ima go eat cereal now. bonne chance!

au sujet de moi

sometimes i have trouble breathing.


so i'm somewhat a 17-year-old boy who likes his sleep. i sorta have a thing for it. the parents call me julius btw. i used to be really interested in sports (anything that made you perspire) but that's up till i figured it'd be easier to NOT be active, or maybe even be in a comatose state, chowing down on em' krispy kremes! mmmm... krispy kreme... eating's good, i enjoy eating. only, i'm kinda small so i can't really eat much - maybe a dozen bags of cheese puffs, a super-sized quarter pounder with cheese meal, some seasoned curlies and probably a serving of cherries jubilee. all that aside, i guess my special ability is being random, really random. the typical start of a conversation with me might resemble something like this: 'hey how goes it? what'dchew do last night?' 'jeebus! muffins are boiling as we speak!' yeah it happens as commonly as finding hoboes sleeping behind the deli in your local walmart. this coveted skill comes in handy if you need me to space-out and start having a spaz right in the middle of class so it'd attract enough attention for you to walk right out. my foot itches - okay so maybe it's a disease i can't control, who's minding?! i'll think of what else to write so in the meantime, this' all you're getting! yes, it's all that and half a pie. au revoir!