UWB radio transmissions

2. What might you do with access to UWB radio transmissions if you had a receiver in a car?

Ultra wide band radio transmissions use very low energy levels for short range high-bandwidth communications. I do not know much about the technology, but it might be a technological revolution if perfected. To me it sounds like the technology would be useful for sending digital information. UWB could be useful for the wireless transmission of music from a computer directly to a car. This would eliminate or decrease the use of CDs, iPod, and satellite radio in the car. It also seems like it would have the potential to access almost all the uses the Internet from the car. It would be pretty cool to write an email by just using your voice, and have that transmitted immediately while driving. The possibility of future technology seems endless and I can’t wait to see what the world will be like in ten years.

Ken Zeran

1. What might you have done differently if you were in the position of artist Ken Zeran, mentioned in this chapter?

Before I dive into my response I think it is important to recognize that Ken Zeran’s story occurred in 1995, which was long before Web 2.0 emerged. Basically, Zeran was thrown into an online story outbreak that contained falsified information. He did almost everything he could to protect his reputation by containing AOL, KRXO, and trying to personally relay his story to phone callers. He also stuck by his innocence and pursued a deformation suit against the companies. I would have done the exact same process as Zeran, given the time period; however, if this happened today then it would be important to take advantage of the valuable resource known as the Internet. Zeran could have fought back by creating an online blog, or posted his accounts on a social network. He could have accessed other media outlets to make his side of the story more public.

DRM-protected content

What’s the value of a bit? It seems that going after folks who have traded songs or movies online is a huge expenditure of effort and money. Is DRM-protected content the way to go? If you don’t agree, propose another method for the distribution of digital multimedia so that content creators can still be compensated.

To prevent infringement many companies have turned to digital right management (DRM). DRM is digital content controlled by restrictions, limiting the use of the information. DRM-protected content, like everything else, has its advantages and disadvantages. I believe that DRM-protected content has helped prevent infringement and illegal downloading; however, I believe the restrictions leave users with little options.

According to Abelson the cost of illegally downloading a song could range from a minimum of $200 to be as high as $150,000. Personally, I did not know until after reading chapter 6 that the costs associated with a bit could be that substantial. I believe that these cost deter some people from illegally downloading songs, but in reality a lot of individuals will still take the risk of illegally downloading. The DRM-restrictions placed on media downloaded from iTunes or say from a CD prevent some users from playing the files, or transferring the data. I think DRM is a current solution to prevent users from illegal downloading and sharing media files. Though, I believe there will we new technologies that find away to get around DRM-protected material. I do not believe there will ever be a system that could not be hacked. I think DRM-protected material is a good thing for the market, since it helps reward file creators. I also, believe that it places to many restrictions on files. For example, the invention of iTunes allowed downloader’s to pick and choose what songs they want, and to customize playlist. The invention of the Napster and the recently shut down Limewire offered users to download similar files for free. The difference is iTunes downloads are protected, which prevents infringement and viruses. The bad thing is that iTunes downloads have restrictions on the files can be transferred. Overall, I think DRM-protected material has been a good thing, but I believe it may restrict how users use files that they rightfully own.