I really liked the presentation about downloading music. In retrospect, I think I would have liked to research and present more about the ethical issues involved in sharing files. It is such an interesting topic with soooo many different sides of the story. It really got me thinking.

I thought it was really funny that one kid in the group had found a torrent for the book so that it wasn't necessary for him to purchase it. I liked that their presentation was brief and to-the-point. They talked about downloading vs copying cds, and the chances of getting caught. They also talked about itunes, one song sales, and store exclusive cd releases.

I don't know how I feel about downloading music illegally. I do think that the internet has made it much easier for artists to get their work seen (Lily Allen was discovered on Myspace!!!)- this is a good thing. I don't really use limewire or anything, but I am a frequent customer of itunes. I love being able to make single song purchases, and I don't really believe that they hurt the music industry. Physical cds are expensive (last time I bought a new release at Fred Meyer I think it was $16.99!) compared to itunes, and I have more control over what I buy. I think that if the RIAA or artists are mad, they need to do like the newspapers and evolve to make a product that is successful.

I also think it is ridiculous that the RIAA (I think it's them!) want to stop Pandora or make them pay royalties. I understand that they feel they are losing money, but I think that free services like Pandora help the RIAA and artists, because they introduce the public to new artists. Since David and I discovered Pandora, we've bought soooooo much music we've heard on there. If you haven't used Pandora, I suggest you check it out. You put in an artist or song you like, and it chooses songs that are musically similar. It creates a sort of radio station, based on your votes (yay or nay) on the songs. It gives you lots of new music to listen to and vote on. You can also create all kinds of radio stations, and I believe they only ask for your email address to register. Plus, it's free!

The bottom line is that I don't think anyone will ever be able to stop illegal downloads without grossly invading peoples' privacy (which I hope doesn't happen). It's also an issue that DRM (think that Sims game, Spore) really frustrates honest consumers. The music industry must do like the newspapers, and find a way to make their product better, more accessible, or whatever they need to do to make money. I talk a lot, however I have no idea as to how they should do this.

So, as part of our blogging assignment, I'm supposed to blog about the group presentations I saw. I am going to reflect on my own group's presentation, as it didn't go exactly the way I'd imagined. A forewarning: I am a control freak about this kind of thing, and honestly prefer working on my own, because I can get it just how I want it without anyone messing it up.

I think it was a mistake to try to have seven people. The presentation was really long, and I think it would have been better to break it into two presentations or something. I also think that when you get a group that big, it gets hard for anyone's idea to come through loud and clear. It's also hard to organize/gather that many people to work on the presentation.

I put together our powerpoint, and I felt like everyone's piece of the presentation was so different. I tried to edit them so that everyone's was approximately the same length and they seemed more cohesive. I must admit that the book seemed awfully complicated, and like a lot to take on.

I wish I had convinced the rest of my group to just read the Kevin Mitnick book, The Art Of Deception, like I did. However, I did feel like my part of the presentation added an important cap to the end of our group presentation.

I really think that one of the most important parts of controlling/using new technology is the human aspect. Mitnick makes some very serious, scary points, that are important to note. His book opened my eyes, and made me curious about all the times the "yellow pages" called to "confirm" my company's information. Before I was hesitant to help them, and now I refuse to even speak to them. I consider myself to be pretty internet savvy, and I still could have fallen for some of Mitnick's schemes. I like to be helpful at work, and it (customer service) is part of my job. I think it's clever (and scary) to take advantage of traits like this.

I can really see it happening at a place like Microsoft, and it makes me wonder what kind of security expectations/training they have (should ask the dad!). I could totally see a helpful temp admin faxing information or giving it up because they didn't realize this seemingly innocuous information was actually important.

The book was interesting for the most part, and I recommend it. I wish the author had talked more about his own exploits, but he probably didn't want to get himself into trouble (again). I was curious to hear more about things that really happened, and a little disappointed that he didn't share more. I think it's awesome he wrote the book though. Better that someone who is very clever and curious (but not devious) show people these sorts of security holes, than for someone to exploit them.