File-Sharing

File-sharing or piracy is the question.What is should be considered stealing and what benefits does it have for the industry. What can the recording industry do to either stop or work with the file-sharers. When I was in high school I used file-sharing programs more. I was always looking for new music or downloading some of the old classics. I think part of the reason why file-sharing is so popular is that there is a large amount of music out there, an amount we couldn't possibly buy, but often enjoy listening to. I would never walk in to a store and steal a CD, but some how it doesn't seem the same when you download off the of the internet. To begin, I think it has to do a lot with the idea that it is called file-sharing. I would never think to steal or pirate music but if I'm just sharing that really great song from someone else just like me it seems legal. I see nothing wrong with barrowing a Cd to burn from a friend, so why should sharing with other music lovers like my self be anything different. In addition, I believe in the long run we are helping the music industries more then we are hurting them. We are making their music and their artists more popular and many of us still do buy the CD. The RIAA said that record stores around the country are closing because of piracy. I think this is an effect of more music being used digitally. People have less need for a store when they can download it off of itunes instantly opposed to having to drive to buy it. File sharing is not going to go away, and its time that the record industries start finding a new way to deal with this. Licensing music to online radio stations and providers is a start but its not enough. Itunes does offer good deals and I do find myself now using it opposed to downloading illegally. However, the average college student thinks about the money in the record companies pocket compared to the money in theirs. So obviously they are going to choose file-sharing over buying a over priced Cd. Cd prices should lower after the initial release and continuously cost less. Music that is over a certain age should be shared legally for free. I'm not advocating stealing from record companies because their rich, but I'm also not advocating selling over priced music to people who just want to hear all that is out there. Music is something we all love. It has the power to effect our emotions, make us happy when we are sad. Music is something that everyone deserves to enjoy, which is why I advocate change for file-sharing within the industry whatever that may be.

Analog VS. Digital:The Battle

I'm not sure I can give any specific examples of how analog vs. digital has changed my life except for my ability to own more music. I can get music at the touch of a button on Itunes and I don't need to buy the entire CD. I can listen to thousands of songs and they take up no space in my room. Not to mention, I can carry around that same 4,000 songs in my hand where ever I go.
I like to think that I don't necessarly compare media opposed to appreciating it for it's different quality. There is something amazing about the idea that we can create anything on a computer and make it seem lifelike and real on the movie screen. There is also an essence of class that you can receive from a black and white film that can't be recreated the same today. It's wonderful to be able to listen to clear music anywhere I go.However, there is also something really wonderful about listening to an old record. It seems more like they are there in the room with you. The sound seems more real opposed to something created in a studio by computers.
The Pro's to Digital are: clearer picture and sound, ability to hold large amounts of music in a small space, better graphics for film, and cutting edge special effects.
The Pro's to Analog are: Clearer and more life like quality to the music, and an essence of class.
Con's to digital: often looses quality in some cases, able to loose music since it is all kept electronically, has large files that take up a lot of room on computers.
Con's to Analog: takes up space in home, may have poorer quality of sound, and little special effects done by computers.

E-waste

For the sake of poor countries such as Nigeria, China, and India E-waste is a problem in need of crucial reformation. Waste from cell phones, computers, and other electronics have been dumped off prom larger countries such as the U.S ,Europe, and Japan in to poor rural parts of poorer countries. In attempts to cut costs for recycling agency's in the U.S they smuggle their excess of materials too expensive to recycle into poorer countries. These poor countries villages are filled with large amounts on electronic waste. Waste that contains large amounts of lead and mercury which seeps in to the ground, in to the water, and ultimately in to the bodies of the people living in that community. The workers who work with the waste often burn hazardous materials with no protective gear, and use make shift tools which are often dangerous to work with. It is vital that we listen to the agreements made my the Basel Convention and stop dumping our hazardous waste on to poor countries.
Obviously, the tracking of smuggling to foreign countries is a hard thing to do. Especially when people can be paid to look the other way. That is why in my opinion it is important to deal with the problem in our own countries. We should have a tax in all the states that is set aside for the proper recycling of electronic products. We need to refurbish and reuse all electronic parts that can be reused. Furthermore, the electronics companies need to start building computers that allow easier reuse of the internal parts. As for the parts that can only be thrown away, we need to start making them out of materials that can be recycled. For the sake of our planet, we need to start thinking of suppling environmentally safe products that can easily be recycled, and longer lasting products so they don't need to be replaced so often opposed to only thinking of profit.
I used to not really think about the cell phone, or computer that i threw away or recycled. Figuring that it was just going to be properly managed by the government. You can rely on no one but yourself, it truly is up to us to fix this problem. I will try to think twice about whether I really need that new phone. Most importantly though, I will make sure that i send my used electronics to a place that will properly reuse or recycle my used products.