Internet Law - Fall 2007

Favorite Thing Online

The protocol that allows us to use the internet as a telephone has to be my favorite thing online. It was a hard choice (I am a very big fan of World of Warcraft), but after realizing the many different ways in which I make use of it, and expect to continue doing so, I realize it is my favorite thing. VOIP is an amazing tool that helps us keep in touch with family and friends at a much more reasonable cost. But aside from all the obvious reasons for liking it, I also believe it has the potential to change the way business is transacted and regulated online on a global scale.
Examples:
* A program for Mac called "iChat" gives users the possibility of "chatting" by either voice (as in a telephone call) or by video conference. 3-way voice or video conference is also possible and loads of fun!
* A small black cordless phone that I have at home connects directly to my modem and allows me to call anywhere in the world for a very low flat fee.
* Finally and maybe even more importantly, World of Warcraft is in the process of incorporating their own VOIP "chat" to the game. This will be an amazing addition to the game because now we wont have to use caps lock to indicate our discontent, but we can actually yell at the mage who just killed the rest of the party. ^_~

Internet Favorites...

I think this is the obvious answer, but my favorite thing that I use on the internet is email – specifically Gmail. It makes staying in touch with people and communication in general so much easier...the less time I have to spend relying on my cell phone, the better. Email makes this a reality.

Other fantastic things on the internet:

Craigslist – I have bought and sold so many law school textbooks using this site. For the extra space in my apartment and the extra cash, I’m entirely grateful to Craig.

YouTube – I have no television reception in my apartment and this website keeps me from living in a (pop) cultural blackhole.

Slate.com – Some of my favorite writing is on this site.

NYTimes.com – Getting the news made easy and fast...I’m not such a big fan of Times Select though.

Assignment 1

I'm going to try not to allow this answer to sound like a cop out, but it may end up sounding like one.  Truthfully, I do not have a favorite thing on the internet, and it's not because its all so great that I can't decide.  It's because there are a lot of OK things out there, but nothing I find spectacular.  I dont sit around and surf the net, and I'm sure very few do.  I get bored pretty quickly after checking my email, reading a few articles on cnn (fewer and fewer these days because everything is a video now and theres no point to watching them at work or in class), and checking the yanks score on espn.  Even when I'm trying to kill time in a boring class (NOT internet law) I hit a dead end after checking wwtdd.com, and I resort to IMing to somone I havn't IM'd in a while with a simple "this class is so boring." 

Wait...

To the extent the prior paragraph says the internet is not fantastic, please disregard it.  I just read Ethan's post and I agree that craigslist is in fact fantastic.  I found my 4 bedroom apartment with no broker fee on craigslist and recently made a killing selling furniture. 

Yay internet.

My Favorite thing is...

    The Internet has done something drastic and awe-inspiring. It has enabled humanity to come together from all over the globe and effect change on one another. My favorite thing on the Internet reflects a mass movement of individuals sharing their knowledge and information at the speed of light. It is an effort to selflessly inform the masses, while asking for nothing in return. My favorite thing on the Internet is Wikipedia.
    Wikipedia is my favorite thing on the Internet for many reasons. I loved from the beginning how it is a network of people constantly adding information and amending what may be wrong or out of date. Its continually changing nature allows it to be the closest embodiment of what knowledge is. Knowledge is not a static object that can be solidified on paper and bound in books. It is dynamic and constantly changing, and Wikipedia changes with it. “Wiki” has become a solid aspect in my educational experience. It guides me when I am lost and leads me to where I should be going. It listens to my frustrations and offers up some answers, and no matter how hard I try, it seems that there is nothing it does not know. Why would that be? It is because it is the wealth of everyone’s knowledge and the expression of what can happen when we work together for the better.

favorite thing on internet

My favorite thing on the internet is espn.com's game cast. It allows me to follow the Red Sox every game with little dots running around the bases in live play by play action. However, it also serves as a major distraction and time suck; especially when they are losing. I also use email but never delete messages so I have a full, slow mailbox. Sometimes I think the internet is a huge energy suck that diminishes the quality of life. We shall see...

However, as an information resource, the internet is unparalleled. I also love online banking; that simplifies my life and I think that is a major coup of the internet: efficiency. Yet there are caveats to those traits too. Identity theft is rampant and cites like wikipedia are distributing less than fully accurate information. Maybe if I can learn how to balance the net's time-suck tendencies with its efficient benefits, I will become a happy web browser.

Steve Reich

assignment 1

My single favorite thing on the internet is the Google search engine. Once you type in what you are looking for in the search box it searches the internet to find relevant sites that match your search criteria. This site is very useful and convenient to find an array of material or sites. This site is user-friendly and serves as a starting point for me when I am looking for something on the internet. The search engine does almost all of the work for me and the only thing I need to do is figure out how to phrase my search request. Majority of the times the search engine provides me with want I am looking for. In summation, I like the Google search engine because if you don’t know something, either what it means or what it is or any other variation, then go to the internet and “just Google it”.  

Favorite thing to do on the internet

I actually enjoy doing a multitude of things on the internet, including: downloading music, checking my e-mail, checking myspace, chatting online with my friends (especially those back in Texas, since that is basically the way I keep in touch with them).  There are two things I enjoy doing the most, however.  I found it impossible to narrow it down to one thing, so two it is.

First, and probably nearest and dearest to my heart....shopping.  Adding items to my "cart" and "checking out," knowing that my new purchase will be arriving via FedEx in 3-5 business days, truly makes me happy.  As a law student who also works part time, I rarely have the time to physically shop.  Thus, I love that the internet essentially functions as one giant super mall, accessible to me at any time, day or night.  I can even shop in my PJ's while drinking a glass of wine.

Second, there is the wonderful world of celebrity gossip, my secret obsession...browsing perezhilton.com.  As incredibly preposterous, artificial, and petty the site is, I can't help but enjoy it.  Reading about Britney's latest stupid stunt, Lindsay Lohan's latest drug of choice, or Brangelina's trek around the world, it is a guilty pleasure that I indulge myself in whenever I get a free moment.

Assignment 1 - Favorite Thing

My favorite aspect of the internet is the heightened access to independent musicians and their work.

 

Most of the musicians I really like are independent artists. They tour less, play smaller venues and tickets are often hard to come by. The time in between albums is generally longer as well.

 

The internet, through YouTube, streaming video and Myspace, allows me to have access to the artists’ work more freely. Many of the musicians I enjoy utilize streaming webcasts of all their shows on tour, so if you can’t make it out to the show, you can still see your favorite artist perform. Some of the artists have their own channels on YouTube, announcing new shows, concert ticket pre-sales, contests, and other important information.

 

Many times the artists will debut new songs during live shows, and YouTube videos of performances helps to expose the music to a much greater audience and create hype for the new record it wouldn’t otherwise receive. Myspace music also allows artists to post early cuts of songs and demos before they are released.

 

I enjoy the easy access to new recordings, videos of live performances, notice of early ticket sales, and the greater connection with fans. 

Favorite Thing

My favorite thing about the internet is the communication software.  I am originally from Atlanta, moved to Austin for undergrad, and am now in NY.  Needless to say its hard to keep in touch with everyone I have been friends with or am friends with.  The internet allows me to stay in contact with everyone and find out what they are doing with their lives in a much easier, cheaper way than individual phone calls to each person would.  The internet also allows me to notify all my friends of important events in my life (getting into law school, moving to NY, etc) without having to make individual calls to each person.  I can use AIM to have conversations with people half way across the world without having to pay long distance bills and I can share photos with them without having to copy them and mail them through the dreaded postal service.  I can also use video chat to keep in touch with people who I am not able to see as often or on as regular a basis as I would like.

My Favorite Thing

My favorite thing on the internet is the information.  I can find process servers in Sarasota, the Jamaican Adoption Statute, free knitting patterns for dog sweaters, and the perfect bag for all my school stuff with just a few words typed into a search engine and a few clicks of the mouse. 

I use the internet at work to find all sorts of information that would require hours, if not days, of searching without the internet.  When we need to serve an out-of-state party, I can use Google to find multiple process servers in the area and compare their rates and services.  Some process servers will even accept the documents to be served by email, which expedites obtaining jurisdiction and helps the case move forward.  I don't have to go looking for a Florida phonebook or call information without knowing a business name to find the process servers. 

The internet makes my job easier by providing a gateway to the information I need.