Happy Trails

I'm looking forward to embracing mp3 consciousness in all its potential! My own preference will be to download audiobooks. I've been using "Coffee Break Spanish" with my ipod, and am looking forward to downloading Spanish instruction in the future.

Can it be that it's time to say adios? Perish the thought! Let's just say, hasta luego! I'll continue to post blogs, and keep you updated on my progress and on the the deterioration of my hearing .

So You Want To Be Digital Rights Manager

I’m on the side of the supporters of DRM because I believe in property rights. The ability of someone to profit from their own work is primary to our fundamental rights. I’m not unsympathetic to inconvenience some folks complain about regarding sharing of music. But rights of the producers of content greatly outweighs the inconvenience.
Steve Jobs makes a very convincing case for DRM regarding itunes. The ability to share music with 5 computers and unlimited ipods seems perfectly fair to me. but of course, I could be wrong.

What I Think About Online Learning

In a word, fun!

In more than a word, I think that most of the learning that takes place is an electronic or digital version of a correspondence course. It really depends on your ability to be an autodidact.

I got my liberry degree via the Internet, and it was efficient and convenient. But being physically in the presence of an instructor and peers is better. Who hasn't been in a class in which the teacher pick up from the stony silence or the poker-faced expressions of the pupils that something isn't clicking? Online, students and teachers are unable to communicate via body language. A person can make a subtle point by speaking, controlling the tone and pace of the words, and with gestures. This is lost in the digital classroom.

On the other hand, if somebody wants to go on at length, many online classes have bulletin boards whereby a pupil can go on at length, and maybe someone will read it. Also, digital classes are able to reach students around the world - bringing education into the home as well as into the classroom. Also, the anonymity of the Internet allows students to make comments or ask questions without all that humiliation. On the other hand again, this means that you may not really know the person like you would in their physical presence. Think of the flickr video we watched. Nobody said this, but when I was attending school online it was common for someone to say that they would like to get to know the person behind the posts.

This course, again, is fun. I've enjoyed watching the videos, playing with the digital toys, etc. But it seems to be pretty self-referential. That is, you learn about blogs in order to make more blogs. Maybe these blogs have substantial importance outside of the cyber-world. We'll see.

In our location, there are only a few people who have really been able to collaborate in a side-by-side manner. Much of the interaction has been of the nature of advice and encouragement as one walks by the other on the computer. The major way we help each other is by ensuring that we have time away from the desk to pursue these opportunities.

I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.

Being a born again dog lover, I enjoyed Dogster most of all. Catster - well, sure I like cats well enough, but I'm more of a dog person.

I was into wine sometime back, but now not so much. I've never been much of a beer drinker.

I don't do crosswords or soduko, so as good as those sites are, they don't do much for me either.

Trivial pursuit - same thing.

I don't mean to be a spoil sport about this, but I just don't enjoy computer games. I'd rather ride my bicycle or walk my dogs. That being the case, I don't currently have a need for trainco, although it is exactly the kind of website I think should be promoted.

For my fitness, regimen, I've registered with realage.com. You can download some excellent workouts that you can use on your computer on on your ipod.