Net Neutrality

For those of us who weren’t aware apparently there is a huge debate on network neutrality. The debate involves new economy companies like Google and Yahoo but also the old economy companies like AT&T, Verizon Communications, Time Warner and Comcat. Congress is attempting to decide how much control the new and old companies should have involving the Internet pipelines (Wikipedia). To understand net neutrality we may think of it as no discrimination which is prevents Internet providers from speeding up or slowing down Web content based on its source, ownership or destination (SavetheInternet.com). Network neutrality is what allows us the ability to “access any Web site we want, whenever we want, at the fastest speed,” and watch “online video, listening to podcasts, sending instant messages anytime we choose” (SavetheInternet.com). Net neutrality is the “principle that Internet users should be able to access any web content they want, post their own content, and use any applications they choose, without restrictions or limitations imposed by their Internet service providers”( www.commoncause.org). Network Neutrality is what makes all of those things possible. Net neutrality is what allows economic innovation, democratic participation, and free speech online, something many of us take for granted. The reason for the debate is that the oldest and largest economy companies like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner want to decide which Web sites go fast or slow and which won't load at all, acting like a “gatekeeper” (SavetheInternet.com). Basically these companies want to tax content providers to guarantee their own speedy delivery of data and “discriminate in favor of their own search engines, Internet phone services, and streaming video, while also slowing down or blocking their competitors” (SavetheInternet.com).

Many may just believe that this just involves the corporations but it affects many others. Think of small business owners. They benefit from an internet that allows them to compete directly small business owners’ and Net Neutrality ensures that “innovators can start small and dream big about being the next EBay or Google without facing insurmountable hurdles”(SavetheInternet.com). Not just small business owners will be affected by the larges companies taking over the internet, everyone who uses the internet will be affected. Consumers are the ones ultimately in control. We decide what content, applications and services to use. The website Save the Internet says that without net neutrality the “Internet will look more like cable TV,” with network owners will deciding which channels, content and applications are available; consumers will have to choose from their menu.” Also decisions would be made by corporate boards, not the consumers. Without network neutrality, we would lose innovations, competition would be limited, and access to information restricted. Above all and the main reason to support network neutrality is that consumer choices and the free market would be sacrificed to the interests of a few corporate executives.

A major reason to support net neutrality is because it affects many of us. It determines what information if available to us and allows us all to have equal access to the internet. When comparing the internet to telephone providers, consumers are not told who they can call or what they can say. Broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online as well. Many of us are unaware of the issues revolving network neutrality and those who may have heard of it are may be unaware it involves us, the daily consumers of the internet. The idea of an open internet is at stake.

(September 2006). A Battle for control of the web. The Wall Street Journal Savetheinternet.com Wikipedia.com

Virtual Economies

Learning about virtual economies is a completely new topic for me and one that I find overwhelming. It’s hard to fathom the idea that millions of people invest hours, upon hours of their time playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games and for many “it is more than just a game- it’s an escape, an obsession and a home” (Levy, 2007). A virtual economy is “an emergent economy existing in a virtual persistent world, usually in the context of an Internet game” (Wikipedia). The millions who play these games create new economies that for the participants involved are as good as real and in cyberspace, economies seem to mirror the real world. These virtual worlds also show a comparison to real life in that participants interact one-on-one socially. Wikipedia states that “people enter these virtual economies recreationally rather than by necessity; however, some people do interact with them for "real" economic benefit.”

Two of these virtual economies include Second Life and World of Warcraft. Second Life is considered an “open” virtual economy, while World of Warcraft is considered a “closed” virtual economy. Second Life was launched in 2003 with a downloadable client program called the Second Life Viewer. The program enables its users, called "Residents", to interact with each other through motional avatars, providing an advanced level of a social network service combined with general aspects of a metaverse. For those who do not know, metaverse is widely used term to describe the vision behind current work on fully immersive 3D virtual spaces (Wikipedia). Second Life is a user-defined world in which people can interact, play, do business, and otherwise communicate .Virtual worlds allow real people to live some of their lives through made up characters. Similar to the real world residents can explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade items and services from one another(Wikipedia). Second Life also had its own economy and a currency referred to as Linden Dollars. The virtual economy allows players to participate in an economy that features aspects of the real world. Residents are able to create new goods and services, and buy and sell them in the Second Life virtual world. Within the virtual economy there are also currency exchanges where Residents can exchange real world currencies for L$. Second Life allows for legal trading of in-world currency. Also one major point I learned is that although Second Life is considered a game, technically it does not have points, scores, winners or losers, levels, an end-strategy, or most of the other characteristics of games, though it can be thought of as a game on a more basic level because it is "played for fun".

World of Warcraft run by Blizzard Entertainment, is its fourth game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994. (Wikipedia.com) The virtual game has more than seven million players and is considered the most advanced and popular (Levy, 2007). The online role-playing game, World of Warcraft takes place within the world of Azeroth, four years after the events at the conclusion of Blizzard's previous release, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Other aspects of the game include players going on quests and slaying mythical beasts, massing virtual wealth, gaining power as well. Unlike the game Second Life, World of Warcraft takes place in a fantasy world where there is “interaction between guilds and individuals relies on human choices and moral” (Levy, 2007). Players control a character avatar within the game world and game rewards player who succeed with money, items, and experience, which in turn allow players to improve their skill and power. Players can also participate in duels which are fought between members of the same or opposing factions, although these do not provide tangible rewards (Wikipeda.com). The game was designed to be an open environment where players are allowed to do what they please alongside optional quests that players can complete to advance further in the game. Blizzard has also created a way for members to become members of the virtual community. World of the Warcraft also believes that using real money within the game to gain an edge violates the game’s “egalitarian spirit” (Levy, 2007). Contrary to Blizzard there is an industry making tons of real dollars, by “gold farming,” which is the accumulation of in-game currency and selling it and also “power leveling, borrowing someone’s avatar and grinding through the game to gain experience (Levy, 2007).

Between Second Life and World of War craft are two completely different virtual economies, where one encourages, the other discourages. Both are two of the most popular online games available, with millions of members. Each game allows players to live their life through someone else, an avatar and whether I understand the ever increasing popularity of virtual games is beyond me.

Second Life

World of Warcraft

Giles, J.(2007). Life's A Game. Nature.

Levy, S. (2007). World of Warcraft: Is It a Game. Newsweek. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14757769/site/newsweek/page/3/print/1/displaymode/1098

Asssignment 10- Print news vs. Online

A topic that was given much attention in both a newspaper and an online news source is the story of a mother, Theresa and father Roger Liao searching for a cure for their two sons, Jake and Nate. Although it is a graphic story, it seemed to me an important one. A news column by Anita Manning from USA Today called “An experiment to save a son” uses up a majority of the cover page of the Life section, as well as the entire second page. The article basically shares with the reader a mother’s struggle to find to a cure for her son’s disorder, epidermolysis bullosa. It also speaks about the trial and error treatment used on Nate Liao and that until now had only been tested on mice (Manning, 2007). I also found an article on the internet from an online paper, the Examiner called “Family waits for cure for son’s rare disorder.”

The Liao’s son has a rare disorder, epidermolysis bullosa, or EB. According to Wikipedia.com epidermolysis bullosa is a “rare genetic disease characterized by the presence of extremely fragile skin and recurrent blisters formation, resulting from minor mechanical friction or trauma.” The USA Today describes that the rare disorder is due to the lack of protein that is needed to keep skin attached to the body (Manning, 2007). Although I’m sure a majority of us have not heard of epidermolysis bullosa, an estimated one out of 50,000 births of males and females of all races and ethnic groups are affected with some type of EB, the worst form being Hallopeau-Siemens disease, which is lifelong (Kohlhepp, 2005). In the case of the Liao’s two of their sons carry epidermolysis bullosa, one of them in fact carries the worst from of EB, Hallopeau-Siemens disease.

After comparing the USA Today’s article, “An experiment to save a son” to the online article, “Family waits for cure for son’s rare disorder” I did notice one major difference between the two sources, the USA Today wrote more about the disease itself and the transplant experiment while the article online wrote more about the family and carrying for two children who live with EB. The online article also seemed to show how much the disease affects the children who carry it. The Examiner explains that because of Jake’s illness, his body does not adapt well to temperature changes, he spends little time outdoors and won’t be able to attend public school due to fear of him getting severally hurt and causing infection. And although the news print source goes into some detail, the online article explains in detail a major concern for parent’s whose children carry EB is the fact that their hands and feet can critically be damaged due to the fact they are used the most. The mother is quoted saying “He could live without toes, but it would be difficult for him to live his life without the use of his hands” (Kohlhepp, 2005).

I also noticed that the two articles focused on different children, the story in USA Today spoke more about the youngest boy Nate, while the article online spoke more about Jake, both sources choice to focus on one child over the other. Each source however used several pictures to illustrate how the boys are affected by the disorder physically showing the boy’s covered in bandages, their newest blisters, along with their several other healing sores.

Although I don’t necessarily keep up with current events, I prefer and believe news papers and online news papers sources are more informative when compared to looking to a blog for information about current events. Regarding the article “An experiment to save a son” and the article “Family waits for cure for son’s rare disorder” I believe both articles to be informative in different aspects. In the USA Today I learned more about the future cure for ED and in the online article I learned more about living with the disorder itself. I found that they each balanced each other out and what I did not get from one source I got from the other so in that case I find both online sources and the traditional print source important and valuable.

Epidermolysis bullosa. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 2, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidermolysis_Bullosa

Manning, A. (2007, November 1). An experiment to save a son. USA Today, pp. D1, D2.

Kohlhepp, J. (2005, April 5). Family waits for cure for son’s rare disorder. Examiner. Retrieved November 2, 2007,
from http://examiner.gmnews.com/news/2005/0420/Front_page/001.html