Draw Something

As I looked at the links for this weeks blog post I could not help but think of the game that my boyfriend and his best friend were always playing: Draw Something. It was a game in which they compete to draw pictures that the other one can guess. I would often help him come up with a way to draw the topic. Its similar to an electronic version of pictionary. I personally don't have a smart phone to make pictures with. The art I've ever created has been for this class. So far I am having fun doing so and I hope to continue to learn how to make more art forms.

Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that protects people's creative piece while still allowing people to use them. Someone can create a piece of art and post it on the web. If they have a Creative Commons they can choose to only allow people to use it if they are not using it commercially. They can change their license at any time, which gives them the flexibility to find the license that works best for them.
Creative Commons is a great starting point for many beginner musicians. It protects their music, but also allows for sharing on the internet. This gets their music heard by more people. As they become more popular they may choose to get a copyright license or they may continue to allow their music to be shared. I think its a great idea for people to protect their stuff, but still allow for others to enjoy it.
http://creativecommons.org/about

The Next 5000 Days

As I watched that video of Kevin Kelly I took down two written pages of notes on things that he said in the video. Some of my notes are harder to follow, because I wrote them down so fast. However one thing I could tell based on my notes was that a lot of what he was saying has already come true. He was talking about how all of our devices will be connected to "the Machine." We now have smart phones, iPods with wi-fi, cars that have wi-fi. Almost all of our small devices can now connect to internet.
The other thing that I found interesting was when he talked about linking data to data and how it will be that one think will connect to another. Just this morning I signed into Facebook and a friend has posted up a link. When I clicked that link it asked "Do you want to sign in with Facebook?" I no longer have to make an account for every webpage. I can sign in via Facebook or Google. I am connected on the internet. Heather Lavallee is now hmlavallee@gmail.com or www.facebook.com/hmlavallee. I can be found on the internet and so can my information. Isn't that what's really scary?

The Cloud and Me

I do not go a day where I do not sign on to the computer. Whether it be to check my email, check Facebook, or now to check in with my online classes. I use the internet nearly everyday. I have family and friends all over the world and the internet allows for me to stay connected with them. I've used Facebook for about seven years now. I love the website and how easy it allows for me to stay connected with my family. My email allows for me to communicate with a wide variety of people at any time of day. I use sites like Flickr to host my pictures and Pinterest to search for new ideas. 
I can remember that five years ago, I mainly use the internet as a source for doing computer work. I also used it to talk to friends. However I did not spend nearly as much time on the computer as I do now. I feel like in the future I could become more dependent on the internet. I have found that I find it easier to email someone rather than to call them. I feel like the internet has hindered some of my communication skills over the years. I would like to think that I could get back to the way things used to be where I just use it for classwork, but I know that I would miss talking to friends and family and gathering new ideas for things to try.
~Heather