So I'm taking this Intellectual Property and Copyright class, and it's making me totally paranoid.
- I have plans to scour my entire blog for unintentional infringements to be removed.
- Driving home, I got behind a service truck and the company name was the title of a popular old film. I now know that titles can't actually be copyrighted, but I just kept thinking, "technically, that's 'unfair competition' - if they wanted to come after this guy, they'd actually have a case. With precedent."
Knowledge is a terrible burden.
Seriously, though, it's very interesting stuff. If I were planning to study law, I think I would want to be a copyright lawyer. And it's surprising how many times it's come up in all three of my classes - not just the one devoted to the subject.
In other news, today on my commutes I started reading Dallas Willard's The Spirit of the Disciplines. So far I've only read the preface, the introduction, and the first few pages of chapter one, and I'm already wondering how on earth I didn't read this book years ago. I will definitely be reviewing it when I'm finished.
Anyway, I think that's all for today.
...
Yeah. It is.
Next post will be a Wednesday Review of the movie, The Book Thief.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Friday, January 9, 2015
Technological and Cultural Wins
So, yesterday I took my headphones with me to school, because I had a lot of time between classes and thought I might want to listen to music while I did my reading and ate my food and all that. The problem? I left my mp3 player at home.
Yeah.
The good news is that my lack of readiness prompted a couple of technological wins for me!
1. I downloaded an app to buy music through my phone. I bought the music, successfully downloaded it, and plugged in my headphones to listen to it. Win.
2. In looking through all my apps and such, I discovered that my phone has a sound recorder! All those times I spoke writing ideas into the notepad app and had to fix huge errors in the transliteration, and I could have been making plain old voice memos! And from now on, I will be.
I have now officially entered the 21st century.
I have also experienced a couple of cultural wins this week:
1. After more than a year of hemming and hawing, I finally bought myself a guitar today. I walked into a music store that I drive past all the time and was like, 'hey, you guys have any small, not-horrendously-expensive-and-possibly-used guitars?' They did. It's an adorable 3/4 size, which I need, because my hands are small. I also signed up for a few lessons to get me started. Next Christmas I'll be accompanying the family while we sing carols.
2. Not so much a 'win' as an event: This week, I stumbled into The Taylor Swift Vortex. I'm not a Swifty (Swiftie?), but I did finally sample some of her music online, and I have to say: It's pretty well-written. I even really liked some of it.* I have since purchased my first Taylor Swift song, Blank Space, because once I realized it was an ironic, satirical response to her image in the nastier elements of the media, I also realized that it's incredibly funny. So is the music video.
Well-played, T. S. Well-played.
What else?
Later this month I'll be heading up to Seattle to see Tosca, my third ever opera. I can't wait! Also, one of my classes this term is going to see a bunch of stage plays. (Yes!!) I'll let you know how they are.
Anyway. Technology and culture, folks. Technology and culture.
*Not all of it. But it's surprising I liked any of it because pop and country are not my go-to styles of music, and she mostly writes about things I have no point of entry for. But hey - I can appreciate art without having an emotional connection.
Yeah.
The good news is that my lack of readiness prompted a couple of technological wins for me!
1. I downloaded an app to buy music through my phone. I bought the music, successfully downloaded it, and plugged in my headphones to listen to it. Win.
2. In looking through all my apps and such, I discovered that my phone has a sound recorder! All those times I spoke writing ideas into the notepad app and had to fix huge errors in the transliteration, and I could have been making plain old voice memos! And from now on, I will be.
I have now officially entered the 21st century.
I have also experienced a couple of cultural wins this week:
1. After more than a year of hemming and hawing, I finally bought myself a guitar today. I walked into a music store that I drive past all the time and was like, 'hey, you guys have any small, not-horrendously-expensive-and-possibly-used guitars?' They did. It's an adorable 3/4 size, which I need, because my hands are small. I also signed up for a few lessons to get me started. Next Christmas I'll be accompanying the family while we sing carols.
2. Not so much a 'win' as an event: This week, I stumbled into The Taylor Swift Vortex. I'm not a Swifty (Swiftie?), but I did finally sample some of her music online, and I have to say: It's pretty well-written. I even really liked some of it.* I have since purchased my first Taylor Swift song, Blank Space, because once I realized it was an ironic, satirical response to her image in the nastier elements of the media, I also realized that it's incredibly funny. So is the music video.
Well-played, T. S. Well-played.
What else?
Later this month I'll be heading up to Seattle to see Tosca, my third ever opera. I can't wait! Also, one of my classes this term is going to see a bunch of stage plays. (Yes!!) I'll let you know how they are.
Anyway. Technology and culture, folks. Technology and culture.
*Not all of it. But it's surprising I liked any of it because pop and country are not my go-to styles of music, and she mostly writes about things I have no point of entry for. But hey - I can appreciate art without having an emotional connection.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Back to School
Today marks my third day back in college. I've had two classes; today will be day two of my first class. So far, so good!
I've been trying out taking the bus to campus, and that's been working out well enough. It's nice to be able to read during the commute. You know.
As for the classes themselves, I like what I've seen so far. I'm taking a class on book publishing. We had some reading homework that probably should have been really dry but that I found fascinating.* The syllabus looks good - we're going to form mock publishing companies, and one day we're taking a field trip to Powell's because, in the words of the prof, 'why not'?
The other class promises to be more interesting than you'd think. It's all about intellectual property and copyright laws. Uch. Thankfully, the prof isn't trying to turn us all into lawyers - he seems really chill and fun. Although I haven't yet done any of the reading for that course, what we went over in class was interesting and informative. There is hope.
So here I am, Wednesday morning, eating breakfast while I type. I made the mistake of finishing my publishing reading last night before bed. I had a hard time getting to sleep, thanks to all the resulting thoughts and ideas competing for my attention. I may spend my commutes today jotting down some of those instead of reading. We'll see.
Oh! What am I reading on my commutes? Your God is too Small, by J. B. Phillips. It's a pretty small book, but it's very compact - it says a lot in a small amount of space. I'm a little over halfway through. It's pretty interesting.
Well...I guess that's about it. Next week I'll be doing a new Wednesday Review on the movie, The Book Thief (it's quite excellent). I was going to do it today, but it felt rushed - this one deserves proper treatment.
So. Until next time!
*With the exception of about four pages in one of the books, talking about things like paper weights and cost/profit margins or something.
I've been trying out taking the bus to campus, and that's been working out well enough. It's nice to be able to read during the commute. You know.
As for the classes themselves, I like what I've seen so far. I'm taking a class on book publishing. We had some reading homework that probably should have been really dry but that I found fascinating.* The syllabus looks good - we're going to form mock publishing companies, and one day we're taking a field trip to Powell's because, in the words of the prof, 'why not'?
The other class promises to be more interesting than you'd think. It's all about intellectual property and copyright laws. Uch. Thankfully, the prof isn't trying to turn us all into lawyers - he seems really chill and fun. Although I haven't yet done any of the reading for that course, what we went over in class was interesting and informative. There is hope.
So here I am, Wednesday morning, eating breakfast while I type. I made the mistake of finishing my publishing reading last night before bed. I had a hard time getting to sleep, thanks to all the resulting thoughts and ideas competing for my attention. I may spend my commutes today jotting down some of those instead of reading. We'll see.
Oh! What am I reading on my commutes? Your God is too Small, by J. B. Phillips. It's a pretty small book, but it's very compact - it says a lot in a small amount of space. I'm a little over halfway through. It's pretty interesting.
Well...I guess that's about it. Next week I'll be doing a new Wednesday Review on the movie, The Book Thief (it's quite excellent). I was going to do it today, but it felt rushed - this one deserves proper treatment.
So. Until next time!
*With the exception of about four pages in one of the books, talking about things like paper weights and cost/profit margins or something.
Monday, January 5, 2015
International Lunch Feast
Think of it as an alternative to the picnic lunch.
You're heading home from your first day of classes. It's lunch time. You know you don't have anymore ready-made food or leftovers at home. You're thinking about how long it will take to make that spaghetti and meat sauce. You realize you're about to pass by Barbur World Foods on your way home.
There's really no decision to make.
So you stop and head in. You're not there for the produce. You're not there for the few regular groceries they have. You're there for the deli, and whatever else looks interesting.
They have a whole bunch of stuff in the deli that you recognize from your visit to the Mediterranean, so you get some sambousak, some spanikopita, a fatayer spinach pie, a couple of kibbeh, and some other thing that looks familiar but you can't remember the name of. You weren't planning on getting any condiments, but you go ahead and sample the hummus, baba ghanouj and tatziki, and boy are you glad you did.
You grab a house-made maamoul for dessert and some pita bread for the condiments, then decide to go ahead and check out the rest of the store. To your great delight, you find the same brand of mango and guava nectar that you drank in Jordan, and the lesser-known Schogetten brand of chocolate you enjoyed in Germany.
Eager to sample your treasures, you hurry home and stick an unlikely amount of food on a plate for an International Feast of Epic Proportions.
You should try it some time.
Seriously.
You're heading home from your first day of classes. It's lunch time. You know you don't have anymore ready-made food or leftovers at home. You're thinking about how long it will take to make that spaghetti and meat sauce. You realize you're about to pass by Barbur World Foods on your way home.
There's really no decision to make.
So you stop and head in. You're not there for the produce. You're not there for the few regular groceries they have. You're there for the deli, and whatever else looks interesting.
They have a whole bunch of stuff in the deli that you recognize from your visit to the Mediterranean, so you get some sambousak, some spanikopita, a fatayer spinach pie, a couple of kibbeh, and some other thing that looks familiar but you can't remember the name of. You weren't planning on getting any condiments, but you go ahead and sample the hummus, baba ghanouj and tatziki, and boy are you glad you did.
You grab a house-made maamoul for dessert and some pita bread for the condiments, then decide to go ahead and check out the rest of the store. To your great delight, you find the same brand of mango and guava nectar that you drank in Jordan, and the lesser-known Schogetten brand of chocolate you enjoyed in Germany.
Eager to sample your treasures, you hurry home and stick an unlikely amount of food on a plate for an International Feast of Epic Proportions.
 |
| Who can name the forgotten item at 9 o'clock? Anyone? |
You should try it some time.
Seriously.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Disproportionate Excitement
A lot's happened in the last couple of days, you know?
I mean, first of all, big one: It is now 2015!*
But it's also my last chance to hang out with people with abandon before school starts up.
So, I spent New Year's afternoon with some friends watching the newest Doctor Who Christmas Special, Last Christmas. It was pretty good. Not my favorite Christmas Special, but still really good. It was a lot of fun, and had a nice engaging plot and a rather sinister and creepy monster.
Also, the first few Christmas Specials of the reboot have just been longer DW episodes that happen to take place at Christmas time, but ever since Steven Moffat took over, they've been very, very Christmasy. We had A Christmas Carol, whose Christmasy-ness is obvious; then we had my favorite, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, which was all Christmas trees because of Christmas presents, and so on; then there was The Snowmen, featuring...well, snowmen; then there was The Time of the Doctor, which actually takes place in a town called Christmas, for heaven's sake; and finally, there's Last Christmas, featuring Nick Frost as Santa himself.
Anyway, they feel much more Christmasy than they used to, which I like. So hat's off to Moffat for that.
So. What else?
Yesterday I spent a bunch of time with Mom. We went to the Bridgeport Barnes and Noble and I spent the last of my Christmas book money. Between the three people who gave it to me at B&N and Powell's, I now have so many new books, I hardly know what to do with myself. :)
Last night I went over to Aunt M and Uncle B's, and got to spend a little time with cousins, which was great. They sent me home with my very first Voodoo Doughnut.
Later, my brother Steven called to regale me with the wonders of the movie The Book Thief, and tell me that I am required to go buy it and watch it today. He described it as 'excellent'. High praise, from Steven. Not to be taken lightly. The movie will be seen tonight. We also made plans to start reading Spencer's The Faerie Queene. We'll go canto by canto and compare notes over the phone. So excited.** We start with the letter from Spencer and his dedicatory sonnets sometime this coming week.
There's more going on, but I guess that's it for now. Gotta dash - things...happening. Well, four things. Well, four things...and a lizard.^
*Woo-hoo!
**Not sarcasm. Not even a little bit. So. Excited.
^I was going to paraphrase this line from Blink, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
I mean, first of all, big one: It is now 2015!*
But it's also my last chance to hang out with people with abandon before school starts up.
So, I spent New Year's afternoon with some friends watching the newest Doctor Who Christmas Special, Last Christmas. It was pretty good. Not my favorite Christmas Special, but still really good. It was a lot of fun, and had a nice engaging plot and a rather sinister and creepy monster.
Also, the first few Christmas Specials of the reboot have just been longer DW episodes that happen to take place at Christmas time, but ever since Steven Moffat took over, they've been very, very Christmasy. We had A Christmas Carol, whose Christmasy-ness is obvious; then we had my favorite, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, which was all Christmas trees because of Christmas presents, and so on; then there was The Snowmen, featuring...well, snowmen; then there was The Time of the Doctor, which actually takes place in a town called Christmas, for heaven's sake; and finally, there's Last Christmas, featuring Nick Frost as Santa himself.
Anyway, they feel much more Christmasy than they used to, which I like. So hat's off to Moffat for that.
So. What else?
Yesterday I spent a bunch of time with Mom. We went to the Bridgeport Barnes and Noble and I spent the last of my Christmas book money. Between the three people who gave it to me at B&N and Powell's, I now have so many new books, I hardly know what to do with myself. :)
Last night I went over to Aunt M and Uncle B's, and got to spend a little time with cousins, which was great. They sent me home with my very first Voodoo Doughnut.
Later, my brother Steven called to regale me with the wonders of the movie The Book Thief, and tell me that I am required to go buy it and watch it today. He described it as 'excellent'. High praise, from Steven. Not to be taken lightly. The movie will be seen tonight. We also made plans to start reading Spencer's The Faerie Queene. We'll go canto by canto and compare notes over the phone. So excited.** We start with the letter from Spencer and his dedicatory sonnets sometime this coming week.
There's more going on, but I guess that's it for now. Gotta dash - things...happening. Well, four things. Well, four things...and a lizard.^
*Woo-hoo!
**Not sarcasm. Not even a little bit. So. Excited.
^I was going to paraphrase this line from Blink, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
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