Say it isn’t so!

The past few weeks we have been dealing with this idea of books becoming digital. I have been hearing this from a lot of different perspectives and my mind is going crazy trying to wrap my head around this issue.

I talked to the Librarian at the university I work at about this issue. She is convinced that it will never happen. She said this "fear" has been around for the past decade and nothing has happened yet. She stands firmly on the grounds that students learn more from using actual books.

But is that just a librarian talking or is that really the case? Is there something about actually having the book in your hands or will the future generations prefer a computer on their lap? I hate the idea of books becoming extinct, but is it a necessary transition?

Run Baby Run!

A goal I have set for myself this year is to run the half marathon at the Memorial Marathon. That is 13 miles! The weird thing is I don't run. Honestly I haven't "ran" in about three years. I signed up for a 5k on Labor Day and ran about two miles of the three. I only almost died like twice. I did it in 43 min (which is not that good). After this race I realized the need to train, go figure! I hope that writing this blog will keep me encouraged to keep it up! I'll keep the blogging world posted on my progress!

MTV Music Awards

Yes, I am really about to blog about Kayne West! I'm sure just like hundreds of other people who thought what he did was stupid. It showed no class. For those who may not know, Taylor Swift won "Best Music Video" at the MTV VMA Awards tonight. During her acceptance speech, Kayne went up on stage and took the mic from her. He went on to say, "I'm sorry, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time." He completely ruined Taylor Swift’s moment.

I will agree that Taylor may not have been the best choice for the “Best Video” at the MTV music awards, since she sings country music. But that doesn't change that she did, and she got the votes. She was completely shocked and didn't know what to say after Kayne embarrassed her in front of millions. I felt bad for her, and I don't care if Kayne is known for being outspoken and causing uproar, that is a little too far.

Sorry but I had to get that off my chest!

"Government barking at the door of free speech"

I just read an article in the Gazette, "Government barking at the door of free speech". It talks about the issue with anonymous bloggers, writers, ect. It recalls the current court case where Google was forced to give the name of one of their anonymous bloggers because of the content in the blog.

The writer of the article quotes Barbara Allen, a former Tulsa World editor and reporter, "This is a country that supports a free press and freedom of expression, and on that has very thoughtful laws about what is and what is not considered protected speech. I cannot support the kind of paternalist view that suggests 'nastiness' is something the government should attempt to control or regulate. It truly flies in the face of the foundation of this country."

The writer believes that we should not blog anonymously. He says that it's reasonable for the courts to hold people accountable for what they say, but when they are ordering for the names of anonymous bloggers to be revealed, it can't be good for free speech. So, his main argument is don't write anonymously. By doing so you are doing your part to keep the government from barking at the door of free speech.

I found this article intriguing and it left me with a few questions...

Should bloggers write anonymously or not?
Should the court system order companies to give them names?
What does this do for free speech?