I’ve spent the last few weeks staring at back issues of the Murray State News, (not for fun, honestly, I need them for my master’s project so I can graduate). In the more recent issues, particularly the one from April 16, 2010, there is an article “Online defamation of professors questioned” which raises some very good points that students may not realize, including the fact that posts on facebook and twitter, if public, are considered publishing.
I got rather uneasy when I first read the article back in April and I’m still uneasy when I read it. I got downright queasy when I read the News staff editorial that week, “Carelessness of student body can cripple University's reputation”. It seems to be more than anything trying to drum up support for a new university policy concerning online defamation, which is (a.) not needed and (b.) has a high potential for abuse.
The university does not need a policy regarding defamation because we already have laws protecting people from defamatory remarks. Professors (and in fact, students) are protected from slander by law. If anyone says something defamatory about anyone, they have legal recourse. Likewise, students (and, also, professors) can then use the truth as a defense in court and against SLAPP suites.
SLAPP suites bring me to my next concern, which is that, since the university will be circumventing the courts in this matter, due process may be lost in the move. Depending on how this new policy is written (and at this point I’m sure it’s going to be written sooner rather than later) it may demand that any professor can demand any post be taken down until it’s reviewed.
Will first amendment protections be included in the policy? Will Murray State just go ahead and block RateMyProfessor.Com?
There was a third, smaller rumbling in my gullet while I was reading the words of professors interviewed for the story, one I couldn’t quite place until later. After reading through it again I realized that these were not men cowering in fear of the power these faceless students have over their online popularity, these were the words of men sharpening their swords, bracing for the coming battle. But whom would they be fighting? Hopefully not the very students that take their classes! Oh, well, then... good luck with that.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Thoughts on USA/England match
I wonder how many news stories will lead off with "It's not easy being Green"?
Also, Howard should get a statue made of him. Not a giant statue, something more life sized. Maybe one of those butter statues they have at the Iowa state fair.
Also, Howard should get a statue made of him. Not a giant statue, something more life sized. Maybe one of those butter statues they have at the Iowa state fair.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wonder if apple approves....
Concerning ATT's new data plans:
When Apple introduced the iPad 3G it promoted a "breakthrough deal with ATT". $15 for 250MB and $30 for unlimited on a month-to-month basis.
Now, six months after it was announced, and one month after the iPad 3G shipped, ATT seems to be reneging on the deal. They've jacked up the price per GB (Old: $30 for 5GB. New: $25 for 2GB).
This has got to be another thorn in the foot of Apple. ATT, something Apple can't control, is taking away from the user exerience. They've had a year to implement tethering (something the iPhone, to great applause, learned to do last year) and now are wanting to charge users another $20 a month to use the same 2GB they get for $30.
Let me explain that a different way: for $30 an ATT user gets 2GB of data from their device. For another $20 they can hook that phone to a computer and surf the internet through their phone. If they do this, they use that same 2GB. When that 2GB is exhausted, they have to pay $10 more for another GB.
Meanwhile, in Ireland (on Meteor), you can get 10GB for €15. Coupled with a cheap voice/text plan, you get it for €25 ($30) total. I hate American cell phone plans.
When Apple introduced the iPad 3G it promoted a "breakthrough deal with ATT". $15 for 250MB and $30 for unlimited on a month-to-month basis.
Now, six months after it was announced, and one month after the iPad 3G shipped, ATT seems to be reneging on the deal. They've jacked up the price per GB (Old: $30 for 5GB. New: $25 for 2GB).
This has got to be another thorn in the foot of Apple. ATT, something Apple can't control, is taking away from the user exerience. They've had a year to implement tethering (something the iPhone, to great applause, learned to do last year) and now are wanting to charge users another $20 a month to use the same 2GB they get for $30.
Let me explain that a different way: for $30 an ATT user gets 2GB of data from their device. For another $20 they can hook that phone to a computer and surf the internet through their phone. If they do this, they use that same 2GB. When that 2GB is exhausted, they have to pay $10 more for another GB.
Meanwhile, in Ireland (on Meteor), you can get 10GB for €15. Coupled with a cheap voice/text plan, you get it for €25 ($30) total. I hate American cell phone plans.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
How I spent my "today"
Today I spent a good six hours on a TV shoot for a show that will most likely never be shown here in the states, but will draw a few million people on BBC1.
I'm not sure how much I should talk about, only that it's Wallace and Grommet's new show "Wallace and Grommet's World of Inventions", where the claymation pair feature interesting inventions by interesting inventors from around the world.
The segment that was filmed today focused on a local inventor from the turn of the century, Nathan B Stubblefield, who came up with a primitive form of wireless telephony in the 1890s.
The host for today's segment and some other "on location" shots is this guy, who is pretty awesome and very humble. In fact, all the crew was very nice. They could have easily done this in a field in England, but came to western Kentucky to film a bunch of locals putting copper rods in the ground. It was a great way to spend the day, and I feel that Ruger will be featured pretty heavily in the episode.
I'm not sure how much I should talk about, only that it's Wallace and Grommet's new show "Wallace and Grommet's World of Inventions", where the claymation pair feature interesting inventions by interesting inventors from around the world. The segment that was filmed today focused on a local inventor from the turn of the century, Nathan B Stubblefield, who came up with a primitive form of wireless telephony in the 1890s.
The host for today's segment and some other "on location" shots is this guy, who is pretty awesome and very humble. In fact, all the crew was very nice. They could have easily done this in a field in England, but came to western Kentucky to film a bunch of locals putting copper rods in the ground. It was a great way to spend the day, and I feel that Ruger will be featured pretty heavily in the episode.
Monday, May 3, 2010
So much going wrong at once.
Let's see. We have the largest ecological disaster in the history of the planet happening right now, along with a bomb in Times Square and Nashville is now a mermaid paradise.
If I wasn't busy with finals and a cumulative project I would use this time to analyze how newsites are covering each event. Sadly, I don't have that sort of time anymore.
And that "largest ecological disaster" line is only because the TVA coal ash spill from christmas 2008 released only a little over 1 billion gallons of toxic, mildly radioactive gunk into the Tennessee River (don't eat the fish) and THAT was labeled the "worst ecological disaster" and so far, as of today, BP says the oil spill is only 2.7 million (at a rate of 210,000 gallons a day, other estimates put it as high as 12.2 million) but covers 50x150 square miles.
If I wasn't busy with finals and a cumulative project I would use this time to analyze how newsites are covering each event. Sadly, I don't have that sort of time anymore.
And that "largest ecological disaster" line is only because the TVA coal ash spill from christmas 2008 released only a little over 1 billion gallons of toxic, mildly radioactive gunk into the Tennessee River (don't eat the fish) and THAT was labeled the "worst ecological disaster" and so far, as of today, BP says the oil spill is only 2.7 million (at a rate of 210,000 gallons a day, other estimates put it as high as 12.2 million) but covers 50x150 square miles.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Federal Work Study
TL, DR - I've been given almost $3,000 from Uncle Sam to work at MSU, but MSU is only going to pay me $2,500. If you are in the FWS program please do the math yourself and figure out if they are holding anything back.
I'm in the Federal Work Study program at MSU, and as the year draws to a close I've noticed that these numbers don't add up.
Total Authorized Available: $2,994.25
Total Work Study Earned: $2,001.00
Remaining Work Study Balance: $993.25
Remaining Percentage of Work: 33.17
Total Hours Remaining to Work: 137.0
as of Mar 12, 2010
That's for last pay period, so as of tomorrow it should look like this.
Total Authorized Available: $2,994.25
Total Work Study Earned: $2,145.00
Remaining Work Study Balance: $819.25
Total Hours Remaining to Work: 113
I've been authorized by the Financial Aid Office to work for 12 hours a week, and classes end in 3 weeks, and finals are over in 4, so at most I can work 48 more hours, leaving a total of 65 hours that I won't be able to work. At the end of those 48 hours I will earn $348, only $2,493 of the promised $3,000. That 65, at minimum wage, comes out to $471.25. Of course that still leaves about $30 unaccounted for, but I’m ok with that.
I noticed some discrepancies earlier this year, but I didn't sit down and do the math until today, but I still can't figure out how they are dividing up the money.
If they, the people in the financial aid office, simply divided the award amount ($2,994.25) by the amount of full weeks from the start of school, Aug. 19, to the final Friday of finals week, May 7, (38 weeks)the amount of money per week comes out to $78.95. Again divided by minimum wage (7.25) that comes out to working 10.889 hours a week. Since that is an hour less than what they told me to work then they were expecting some weeks I would not be able to work. So therefore we take out the 3 weeks of winter break (Dec. 19 to Jan. 10) and the 1 week of spring break we are left with 34 weeks, and at $88.07 a week we get 12.15 work hours a week, paid for by Uncle Sam.
But I don't work 12.15, I work 12, and get $87 for it. 87*34=2,958. That's still more than I will currently be getting. I didn't work the first full week of classes (I hadn't found this job yet) but that would still come out to $2,871. Now let’s do all the calculations again but start with $2,871.
Total Authorized Available: $2,871
Total Work Study Earned: $2,145.00
Remaining Work Study Balance: $729
Total Hours Remaining to Work: 100.55
We still have 4 weeks left in the semester, taking another $348, but still leaving $381 unclaimed dollars for 52.55 unworked hours.
I've been told by bosses around campus that they don't have the money to pay students, that they are getting less money from the government to pay students, that they have to have matching funds to pay students, etc. so they are cutting hours. It's a good cost cutting measure, but some students rely on these jobs so they don't have to go out and find ones at WalMart or McD's.
If you are getting FWS funds, sit down with a calculator and double check the numbers available to you on MyGate. If you find something go down to the office and ask them about it. It's probably too late in the semester to do anything, but be sure to check next semester as well, and make sure they don't pull this again.
I'm in the Federal Work Study program at MSU, and as the year draws to a close I've noticed that these numbers don't add up.
Total Authorized Available: $2,994.25
Total Work Study Earned: $2,001.00
Remaining Work Study Balance: $993.25
Remaining Percentage of Work: 33.17
Total Hours Remaining to Work: 137.0
as of Mar 12, 2010
That's for last pay period, so as of tomorrow it should look like this.
Total Authorized Available: $2,994.25
Total Work Study Earned: $2,145.00
Remaining Work Study Balance: $819.25
Total Hours Remaining to Work: 113
I've been authorized by the Financial Aid Office to work for 12 hours a week, and classes end in 3 weeks, and finals are over in 4, so at most I can work 48 more hours, leaving a total of 65 hours that I won't be able to work. At the end of those 48 hours I will earn $348, only $2,493 of the promised $3,000. That 65, at minimum wage, comes out to $471.25. Of course that still leaves about $30 unaccounted for, but I’m ok with that.
I noticed some discrepancies earlier this year, but I didn't sit down and do the math until today, but I still can't figure out how they are dividing up the money.
If they, the people in the financial aid office, simply divided the award amount ($2,994.25) by the amount of full weeks from the start of school, Aug. 19, to the final Friday of finals week, May 7, (38 weeks)the amount of money per week comes out to $78.95. Again divided by minimum wage (7.25) that comes out to working 10.889 hours a week. Since that is an hour less than what they told me to work then they were expecting some weeks I would not be able to work. So therefore we take out the 3 weeks of winter break (Dec. 19 to Jan. 10) and the 1 week of spring break we are left with 34 weeks, and at $88.07 a week we get 12.15 work hours a week, paid for by Uncle Sam.
But I don't work 12.15, I work 12, and get $87 for it. 87*34=2,958. That's still more than I will currently be getting. I didn't work the first full week of classes (I hadn't found this job yet) but that would still come out to $2,871. Now let’s do all the calculations again but start with $2,871.
Total Authorized Available: $2,871
Total Work Study Earned: $2,145.00
Remaining Work Study Balance: $729
Total Hours Remaining to Work: 100.55
We still have 4 weeks left in the semester, taking another $348, but still leaving $381 unclaimed dollars for 52.55 unworked hours.
I've been told by bosses around campus that they don't have the money to pay students, that they are getting less money from the government to pay students, that they have to have matching funds to pay students, etc. so they are cutting hours. It's a good cost cutting measure, but some students rely on these jobs so they don't have to go out and find ones at WalMart or McD's.
If you are getting FWS funds, sit down with a calculator and double check the numbers available to you on MyGate. If you find something go down to the office and ask them about it. It's probably too late in the semester to do anything, but be sure to check next semester as well, and make sure they don't pull this again.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
New guerrilla marketing campaign idea
A buddy of mine posted pictures on Facebook recently of Westburo Baptist Church (the single-family church from Kansas that protests soldier's funerals) protesting something in Charleston, and that's what made me revist an idea I had last week, when a similar family was holding up offensive signs on a street corner in Murray.
When I drove by these people holding signs last Sunday I mistakenly read one as "God hates fangs", a saying from True Blood. Once I realized my mistake I thought "Wouldn't it be cool if someone made a God Hates Fangs sign and went out there and stood with them?"
And that's the basis of the idea. In True Blood there is the "Fellowship of the Sun", an anti-vampire church. Since season 3 starts soon, my idea is to have HBO print up a bunch of FotS placards, send them to town ahead of WBC, and have a bunch of True Blood fans drown out the disrespectful asshats. Season 3 gets promoted and HBO is seen as providing a civil service. Win-win.
When I drove by these people holding signs last Sunday I mistakenly read one as "God hates fangs", a saying from True Blood. Once I realized my mistake I thought "Wouldn't it be cool if someone made a God Hates Fangs sign and went out there and stood with them?"
And that's the basis of the idea. In True Blood there is the "Fellowship of the Sun", an anti-vampire church. Since season 3 starts soon, my idea is to have HBO print up a bunch of FotS placards, send them to town ahead of WBC, and have a bunch of True Blood fans drown out the disrespectful asshats. Season 3 gets promoted and HBO is seen as providing a civil service. Win-win.
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