What does Evansville, IN have to offer?

Evansville, Indiana is a city that you may not think about when considering Indiana. It is a fairly large city of about 100,000 residents on the Ohio River. This city has much to offer in terms of entertainment, living, education, and employment. The city contains one mall of medium-large size that offers a variety of stores for middle to upper class individuals, on the river is the Casino Aztar, the Mesker Park Zoo, the Native American Angel Mounds, museums, Burdette Park & Aquatic Center, Roberts Municipal Stadium, and a booming downtown environment. For all of these amenities, the cost of living in this area is a low 83.7. This lowers the cost of houses, groceries, gas, and the amount of money to access that different entertainment centers listed before. Two universities and one college also call this city home. The University of Southern Indiana, University of Evansville, and Harrison College-Evansville have campuses within the city providing a higher level of education for the coming generations. Finally, Evansville provides many businesses and industries that have kept unemployment to a low of 6.6%. Compared to the rest of the United States, this city is providing work for its residents and new comers to the area. It would seem that this could be a great location for individuals looking for a city that provides activities and events to attend, but without as much of a crowd and traffic.

How has Disney affected copyright?

Disney has been a huge contributor to how copyright laws have been developed. The popularity of Disney movies, shows, music, and characters has made the company a prime candidate for illegal use of their works. I understand why the company has been a powerful lobbier for these laws. They are a business wanting to earn all the profits they deserve; however, the extent to what copyright laws has become is confusing, complex, and hardly stable. Copyright infringement cases are constantly being taken to court with the outcome unknowable. One court may rule in favor of the company while another will favor the individual. The usage of works is difficult to keep track of and this too adds to why copyright laws vary. It could very well be beneficial for a reconsideration and possible revamp of copyright laws to find more simple guidelines for usage, protection, renewal, and release of works that the copyright has expired.

Do YOU understand copyright law?

Copyright law has developed into a very complex set of rules and limitations that are often changed through court decisions. Copyright laws protect authors, software, music, dance, art, and videos. In Lawrence Lessig's The Future Ideas, he discusses how he believes that copyright laws have become too strict and lack on releasing information to the public domain after the copyright expires. No longer can individuals build on top of another’s work. A perfect example is seen with software. Companies have copyrighted software codes that have not amounted to anything. They have then gone out of business and this code is lost. Another computer software writer could have been able to take this code, build on it, and develop software that enhances what users can do with computers. I personally think that copyright has stifled creativity and innovation. If there were some type of database that keeps copies of every piece of copyrighted information then even with paying licenses to use the information or finding information that the copyright has expired can easily be found to be built on.

How do you evaluate information on the Internet?

When researching information, the Internet can be both useful and dangerous. You must evaluate the articles and sites that you come across. First, you must look at the authority. This is the background and knowledge of the author. The author of the information must have a relevant history. A good resource will tell you who the author is and their occupation. With this information you can determine an estimate of their level of knowledge. Second, you determine the reliability. The reliability is the references provided that the author gathered their information. You should be able to find the sources that the author uses from their citation. Finally, you check the relevance. Usually at the bottom of the page or at the beginning of the article, there will be a date of when the article was written. The earlier is always better; however, depending on the topic an older article can still be relevant.

What does it mean when you cocoon knowledge?

Opinions and strategies vary from person to person. Pages 9 through 19 of Infotopia describes this phenomenon. When there is a large group, differing voices can be muffled. Out of fear of meeting opposition, many people with a good idea will keep quiet. This quietness can lead to a cocooning of information. Every person in the group goes along with the same idea; however, the same idea is not always the best idea. This has happened in many organizations and even politics. Individuals, including myself, need to realize that speaking their idea, even if it is dismissed, can be helpful. By stating other opinions, this can promote reconsideration, revision, or complete change in ideas for the better.

How to make chili?

There are so many ways to make chili. If your lazy, you can buy chili pre-made in a can. You can buy a packet of chili seasoning (just like the gravy packets) that will tell you how to make it on the back. Last, you can make chili from scratch. I personally enjoy chili from scratch, particularly how my mother made it. My family's version is slightly different than how most individuals make chili. Most like their chili thick, whereas we make ours more soupy. My family's recipe: 1lb ground beef; two 12oz cans of tomato sauce; two cans of chili beans; garlic powder; garlic salt; minced onions; chili powder (optional); and jalapenos (optional).

1. Brown the ground beef at med-high heat with minced onion, garlic salt, and garlic powder to your desired amount.
2. Once the meat is fully cooked, add both cans of tomato sauce, both cans of chili beans and a cans worth of water.
3. Add chili powder to your desired amount. (You can add more garlic and onions if desired)
4. Let the chili come to a slow boil then reduce to simmer.
5. For best results, let the chili simmer for about 2 hours.
6. When serving add the jalapenos to each individual serving if desired.

 This recipe is simple, easy, cheap, and great to eat on a cold night. My family is also notorious for cooking spaghetti noodles and making chili mac with it also. The great thing about chili is that it is easy to alter to your own preference. I believe this is why most people have a specific person or place that makes their favorite chili.

What's the filter on the internet?

The internet currently has five different ways to end a web address: .com, .net, .org, .gov, and .edu. These endings give browsers a quick idea of what the link contains and is sponsored by. The commercial industry uses both .com and .net, the non-profit groups use .org, the government .gov, and finally educational institutions use .edu. A new web address ending is supposed to be integrated into the internet: .xxx (you can figure out what this ending indicates). The internet has zero filters at the moment. This ending may allow it to be easier for parents to monitor the use of the internet for children; other than that, each individual is their own filter. The freedom of information on the internet and the available access to it is refreshing. A person can find any information they desire or hate. One warning to offer: always remember that a website can be made by any person! The information can easily be biased, altered, or even false.

Has the internet brought on a whole new future?

The article "A world wide web of change" by Adam Ma'anit discusses how the level of computer capabilities since the 80's has improved 100 times over and effects almost everyone's lives. The creation of the internet has been the most influential aspect created recently. Mr. Ma'anit reminds us of Twitter fuelling the "'Revolution 2.0' in Moldova" and e-campaigning sky rocketed Obama's election. Some tycoons have also emerged from the computer industry, including Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. At the moment for most of the world, the abilities of getting information on the internet is virtually limitless; however, for China, the entire country has censors on which websites they can view. Therefore, in a VERY small nutshell, computers have changed countries, created near monopolistic corporations (some with more money than the government), and have become an important factor within politics. Without the invention of computers or even the internet, the face of the earth could be largely different.

What are the different sobriety tests?

According to the NHTSA's Appendix A, the best sobriety tests consist of the breathalyzer, horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN), walk-and-turn (WAT), and the one-leg stand (OLS). The only test that can be safely used alone is the breathalyzer. According to a study conducted in 1998, the HGN accurately identified 88% of individuals with a blood alcohol level of .08, the WAT identified 79% of the individuals, and the OLS had an 83% accuracy rate. Using all three techniques together, provided a combined accuracy rate of 91%. Therefore, if you are sober and you have been pulled over by a police officer, ask for a breathalyzer. You do not want to fall into the 9% that fail the sobriety test when your blood alcohol level is below .08.

Are digital libraries copyrighting?

Many organizations have begun creating digital libraries. This is where the books have been scanned to allow a greater amount of access. A lawsuit has now begun towards these institutions and according to the article "In Authors' Suit Against Libraries an Attempt to Wrest Back Some Control Over Digitized Works" from The Chronicle of Higher Education the plaintiffs claim "the defendants have engaged in 'the systematic, concerted, widespread, and unauthorized reproduction and distribution' of some seven million copyrighted works" (1). I understand that the author's feel their work has been reproduced and can be taken from these organizations by individuals due to vulnerable security. Personally, I feel the works are safe and allow the authors works to get more publicity. I do not mind scimming information on the internet, but to sit and read something of length I want it to be in print; therefore, I would find a work of interest on the internet and then seek out a print copy either to buy or borrow. The security of a hacker breaking into the system and stealing the works as of right now has not occured. Honestly, I do not believe that the works being scanned have enough value for a hacker to spend much time working on these digital libraries.

How do you use a database efficiently?

When using an electronic database, they can sometime be confusing and intimidating. When first accessing a database, you are actually working with the interface. The interface is the screen at the beginning when you construct the keywords, boolean operators, and rules regarding full text, peer reviewed, language, etc. The user is able to access the database after using the interface to narrow down the search. Databases can be either efficient or inefficient if you know how to use the interface. When deciding on kewords, do not use natural language. Formal words for the information that is being searched is often the most helpful. Using the boolean operators can either narrow or broaden the search. AND will narrow the search as you will only find information with both words. OR allows the search to look for information with either word, but both do not have to be in it; therefore, expanding the search. Narrowing the the age of the information can also be helpful and necessary. The interface ultimately is what makes the database search efficient and useful.

Why are the time zones laid out the way they are?

Time zones are a young concept among civilization. According to the Absolute Astronomy website, the first time zone was created by Great Britain for their railroads in 1847. Following this creation, Canada suggested creating a worldwide time zone system in 1879. The times still vary somewhat as some countries use the Greenwich Mean Time, while most now use the Coordinated Universal Time.  The borders of the time zones have since been determined by each country, many will have the entire country within one time zone. Larger countries, such as the United States, will have multiple time zones within their nation. The country then decides were the borders of the time zones will fall. The United States used a combination of state borders and geographical layout to decide where the time changes would occur. Even though the world is now set on a more organized time system, the borders of the time zones can often be confusing, illogical and impossible to remember without a map.