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OwenBloggers: Isaac - MBA '08 |
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Then, about 30 seconds after I posted my last entry.
It's 2007 people! you'd think Microsoft would at least make their error messages slightly useful. Basically, this says:
"Your PC just lost control of its bodily functions. We totally have no idea what just happened. Dude, just sit tight and let's both hope whatever just happened doesn't happen again. Oh--- by the way, I lost whatever that stupid thing was that you were working on. Bummer."
The below article is is from Wired.com:
University of Michigan Identifying Students to RIAA, According to Email
Today, I received an email apparently sent by Paul Howell, Chief Information Technology Security Officer of the University of Michigan, to all of the university's faculty and staff. In the email, Howell writes that the university is in the process of identifying to the RIAA the [at least] twelve students belonging to the IP addresses on the RIAA's hit list, in cooperation with the organization's new anti-file-sharing initiative. The email also said that the university will notify the students that their names are being turned over to the RIAA.
Although Howell had already left the office by the time I called, University of Michigan staff confirmed that a letter regarding file sharing was sent to students; I hope to speak with Howell tomorrow for more detail.
Here is the full text of the email:
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On Friday, March 9, and Saturday, March 10, the University of Michigan received notification that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) intends to sue or receive settlement from more than a dozen members of the U-M community engaged in unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing of music over the Internet. The RIAA has designated these individuals through IP addresses, and the University is in the process of identifying and notifying them.
This action is part of an increased effort to curtail unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing. As a result, individuals who engage in this practice are more likely than ever to be identified and sued by the RIAA. Most have settled these lawsuits out-of-court, typically for $4,000-$4,500.
The University does not condone unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing. Individuals who engage in it are violating a variety of University policies including Standard Practice Guide 601.7 - Proper Use of Information Resources, Information Technology, and Networks at U-M. This reminder also has been sent to all faculty and students.
Faculty, staff, or students who have installed peer-to-peer file sharing programs on their computers and are concerned that they might be unwittingly sharing files illegally should visit the University of Chicago's useful web page that describes how to disable file sharing on a variety of programs (http://security.uchicago.edu/guidelines/peer-to-peer/).
U-M maintains a web page (http://www.copyright.umich.edu) that describes the University's position on illegal sharing of copyrighted materials and also includes a growing list of FAQs. All members of the University community are encouraged to study the materials on this page.
Lawful downloading of music is possible through sites such as Apple iTunes, MSN Music, Rhapsody, Ruckus, etc. Details about a number of these sites are available at:
http://mp3.about.com/od/wheretobuymusic/a/all_profile.htm and http://mp3.about.com/od/freemusicdownloads/tp/freeandlegalmp3.htm.
Paul Howell
Chief Information Technology Security Officer
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So, help me out here; I want to understand this better. I don't really have a stance on the RIAA/filesharing debate; I see both sides of the coin. But in this case, what in the world is UM thinking? Read the email very carefully--- the RIAA "intends to sue" these students... they haven't actually even brought a case against them. UM is hunting down and identifying the students and turning them over to the RIAA--- so they're the police now?
If I have a problem with an Owen student because they keep posting derogatory comments on OwenBloggers, and I decide I might sue them, I can just ask IT for their identity? If I write something here on OwenBloggers (a non-Owen site) that someone believes is defamatory to them, and they "think" they might sue me, they can ask Owen to identify the PC that accessed OwenBloggers to post that entry?
It's disheartening to see an educational institution such as UM forget that in this country we have a legal system; if the RIAA wants to know the identities of these students, we have courts and we have subpoenas. Where will it end? If I think a classmate that doesn't care for me is writing emails to my prospective employers telling them what a jerk I am and not to hire me, can I waltz into the IT department and demand this person's identity because I *might* sue them? How about if someone quotes my work on OwenBloggers on another website and doesn't give me credit for it? Can I ring up their hosting service and demand their name and address?
Where does it end? You used to be able to count on your educational institutions to at least err on the side of caution... Now, it looks like they work for the recording industry.
So i decided i wanted to catch up on some of my housecleaning duties today; found some old DV home movies of past Christmases and vacations and the like. Huh... wonder if those trite apple ads about "just make a movie, it's so easy" are really accurate.
I dont have a powerhouse Mac. I've got an iMac, a nice one, but still not a video-editing behemoth Mac with 16 gigs of RAM or anything, just an off-the shelf model with no video editing software besides what came with it (iMovie).
So i plugged in my 6 year old Sony handycam which oddly had a firewire port back then. iMovie pops up, asks me what i want to call my project. In less than 15 seconds i'm editing tape and inserting titles for chapters without even having to THINK. i think that's what's great about macs... you dont have to say "where would i find this"... it all just kind of works.
So i'm importing an huge movie file and i noticed how unbelievably fast it was converting the movie... really fast. So i decided to run a little test. Let's see what my dinky little off-the-shelf iMac can do.
As i type this, i'm making a backup of my important files to an external drive (100 gigs), posting a blog entry, converting a video, playing iTunes, and just for fun, creating a powerpoint, browsing the web, and watching a quicktime movie. It's just as responsive right now as it is sitting idle--- which means it's about 100 times more responsive than any PC under any circumstances. a little tool i have called iStat is telling me my iMac is kinda busy, but not really--- 73% of resources are free and i honestly just cant think what other applications to open to test it further.
I love... LOVE my mac.
What does this have to do with a blog about B-school? yeah, not too much... but maybe i can convince some of the incoming students they dont have to settle for the dark and uninspiring world of the PC--- take that money you'd spend on a thinkpad and buy yourself a Mac. i promise you it'll be the best purchase you'll make.
So yesterday in Strategic Management our discussion centered around a case reading on Apple Computers. Given my recent conversion to the "light side" (several readers pointed out that M$FT in fact the dark side), i was ecstatic to share my recent conversion and how it changed the way i look at computers.
Sadly, many of my classmates came up to me after the class and wanted to explore my reasoning as to why i left the confines of the kingdom of Gates for the open fields of my new Jobsian paradise. Most were exactly as misinformed as i once was; they mostly felt Microsoft was the only type of OS you could use in B-school, and that there were severe limitations to a Mac. So how does a Mac work in the business world?
1- Office. Office is the premier productivity suite--- it is the gold standard. Microsoft's biggest cash-cow has a Mac sibling, but it isn't nearly as robust as the Windows version, right? That is oh so very incorrect. The Mac version of Office is actually BETTER than the windows version. Editing tools float around in one convenient box, and you can place them anywhere on the page to fit your liking. The basic controls that are hidden by default in the Windows version are out in front on the Mac version. Excel rocks. Excel is sooo much better on Mac. Formulas are easier to create (not that contrived formula lookup page) and because of the different screen layout you can see more of the workbook. Even Powerpoint has a better interface. Oh, and did i mention Pages and Keynote (the Word and Powerpoint Mac packages) are about 100 times easier to use than the MSFT variants? Last night i created a one-page layout with graphics and text that would have taken at least an hour in word; in Pages--- 10 minutes. Keynote has features like "Export to Flash" or "Export to Powerpoint" that makes interoperability with any system a cinch. You don't even need Powerpoint--- just send someone the flash version and it loads in their browser. And just to dissuade any notions that Mac files don't work with PC's, that was true a few years ago, but today Mac handles and shares with PC's transparently.
2- Outlook. I haven't set up Parallels yet (to run windows on a Mac), but yes, Mac Mail is limited compared to Outlook. This is the Achilles heel of Mac. Owen has a webmail variant that is everything i need from exchange (calendar/mail/folders), but i still wish the Mac version included the scheduling components from Exchange. If they could get Calendar and Mail working in concert with Exchange, that would remove any barrier to entry as i see it.
3- Everything else. Web browsing (same or better)... Document creation (much better), photos (no comparison), interacting with Windows machines is a breeze, and all the little necessities of life are much improved (networking, chat, etc).
Overall, there are some Windows only programs that i wish were on Mac (Outlook mainly) but the lack of these applications is nothing compared to the benefits Mac brings in the simple things like stability and ease of use. For all of you out there planning on attending Owen next year, the IBM laptop program is a great gig, but if i had it all to do over again... Macbook Pro. No question.
My wife pointed out that just because i bought a Mac, I'm not automatically cool. I tend to think i was never and will never be cool, but i do now understand that there is a better way... I was blind, and now i see.
So I lifted this from my favorite gadget blog, Gizmodo.com...
It seems you've got a greater chance of being attacked by your laptop than by a shark. For all the "flaming batteries from hell" we've been hearing about, I've yet to hear WHY this is happening. I know they've related it all back to Sony-sourced batteries (now in the millions), but what's the problem? Short-Circuit? Overheating? Seems like everyone is recalling batteries, but what's the problem with them? I think it must be some devastating "oops", otherwise we'd have been given an explanation by now.
Why do you care? I'm writing this only inches away from my personal IBM-labeled 20-volt IED.
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