Nine Shift

MySpace and YouTube join the bad guys

So are MySpace and YouTube now the bad guys?

Both sites, bought up by big corporations, used to allow any kind of speech, even copyright "infringement."  Now both companies say they will switch sides, and protect "artists' rights."

But the battle over intellectual property rights in the 21st century is not over yet. One expert says old copyright law was designed to protect the author, and the new 21st century copyright law will protect the public. 

Economics may play a part. Unless one is copying the entire work, most artists/authors will benefit from someone copying part of their work, because social niches are apt to be so numerous and small that copying work will be the only way one can publicize a work.  What do you think?  What's the answer to the intellectual property issue?

Vote for Gail "for rail" Parker

Maybe the first national candidate to run on a high speed rail service platform.

She is Gail Parker, running as an independent for U.S. Senate from Virginia. The polls have her at only 2%, but 2% is a great start! 

According to the New York Times, the race is so close that she is considering throwing her 2% to either the Republican or Democratic candidate, whomever endorses high speed rail.  Just another sign that trains are replacing cars. Go trains! Go Gail Parker.

How many calories are in Coke Zero?

Quick Question: how many calories are in Coke Zero?

If you answered zero, go to Question 2:  how many calories are in Pepsi One? If you answer one, you are wrong.  Nancy, a friend and colleague of mine, told me her son did a college project to find out how many calories are actually in soda.  Pepsi One, it turns out, has something like 28 calories. Pepsi One pays a little fine every year to the Food & Drug Administration for lying about its calorie count, because it is much more profitable to pay the fine every year than change the calories.

Which brings me to the lesson of this post: corporate credibility is under attack, at least from Generation Y, which doesn't believe corporate ads at all.  It could just be youthful scepticism. When I was young my scepticism began when I was told we couldn't protest Dow Chemical (maker of napalm) at our college because they provided all the scholarships for the African-American students.

Or it could be change in direction.  What do you think? (and tell us how many calories are in Coke Zero) : :

Who is responsible for obesity?

Who is responsible for people being overweight: the person or big food corporations? Vote here.

Exactly 100 years ago socialist Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle about the rotten meat sold to Americans by Chicago meatpackers.  While even Pres. Roosevelt's congressional testimony fell on deaf hears, just six months after Sinclair's book Congress passed the clean Food and Drug Act.

Sinclair went on to be something of a health food quack, according to a great story by David Denby in the Aug 28 issue of The New Yorker.  But he had the last laugh, living to age 90 and being a big hero in the sixties student movement. (Photo of Upton Sinclair)

Denmark has banned trans fats.  Company people don't pay a fine - - they go to jail for two years for using it in restaurants, foodstuffs, etc.   There are only 25 big corporations responsible for obesity, claim health food folks. 

Personally, I put on weight when I go on the road and have to eat in restaurants. Even the salads and veggies are fat-ridden. You can't tell when you order a salad how much fat is in it. 

So, is it individual responsibility or corporate responsibility for obesity? Vote here. NineShift readers from Chicago can vote often.

The kids win! Music now free.

The music revolution is over. And the kids won. 

Just 3 years ago an old white but powerful man Jack Valenti, representing the record companies, started suing 12 year olds for downloading music, saying that 12 year olds were responsible for the moral decay of society.

Last week, the war was declared over. And the kids won.

1. In my online class last week, teachers who just a year ago were decrying the illegal downloading of music, now were begging for web sites where they can download free music.

2. The world's largest record company, Vivendi Universal, started itself a free downloading service where listeners can download its music. 

The 1999-2006 seven years war over music was not about legal vs. illegal, or even about music. It was about transitioning the economy from tangible goods (e.g. CDs) to intangible goods (downloaded music). The change is huge, and the kids won easily.

Maybe the future of the post office

Well, maybe the U.S. post office has a future in the 21st century after all.
Or maybe not.  Tell me your thoughts.

Letters, bills are gone. Bulk mail still important, but not enough.  But I saw an article saying the Post Office is getting lots of package business from eBay and other online vendors.  And then I talked with a Pitney Bowes sales exec who said their machines can do packages, and the post office will even pick up your package. 

In this century, package delivery will be huge. And the Post Office has the personnel to do 2 or even 3 deliveries a day. If they refocus to packages and can deliver locally the same day (e.g. groceries) they have a big future - - maybe.  What do you think?

Is it an epidemic now?

So, Dennis the computer guy (never met him before) comes to our house to fix my computer. Julie's there, saying nothing. Honest. I'm not even home. Honest.

Dennis starts in about boys.  He says boys should be able to read auto repair manuals in school. And that if teachers had to read an auto repair manual they'd know how boys feel when they have to read Mobey Dick. 

He says in 6th grade his son was reading at a 4th grade level and put in remedial reading. Over the summer he gets interested in Dungeons and Dragons.  When he returns to school in the fall, he's now reading at a 10th grade level and gets kicked up out of remedial reading, since he's now reading ahead of his class instead of behind his grade level.

Just anecdotally, it seems that this fall a whole lot more boys dropped out of college. Is it an epidemic yet?  Tell us if you've got an experience to share on this.

Welcome to the Bottom Half

In terms of retention and graduation rates, American colleges and universities are now in the bottom half of all higher education institutions in the developed world.  According to a New York Times story and editorial, the U.S. is now 16th out of 27 countries.

The U.S. used to be first. While the U.S. still has the largest percentage of its population college educated, that is because of older adults, not those aged 25 - 40.  The U.S. is falling in terms of providing college educations to younger adults.

Since colleges are failing boys more than girls, this is another indication of how serious the issue of our schools failing smart boys is for society.

Is the drawing a factory or a school? Both are obsolete in the 21st century.

In terms of retention and graduation rates, American colleges and universities are now in the bottom half of all higher education institutions in the developed world.  According to a New York Times story and editorial, the U.S. is now 16th out of 27 countries.

The U.S. used to be first. While the U.S. still has the largest percentage of its population college educated, that is because of older adults, not those aged 25 - 40.  The U.S. is falling in terms of providing college educations to younger adults.

Since colleges are failing boys more than girls, this is another indication of how serious the issue of our schools failing smart boys is for society.

Is the drawing a factory or a school? Both are obsolete in the 21st century.

How mobile are you?

One of the debates going on now is whether we as a globe can afford to have people travel more in the 21st century. What do you think?

From Engineer Live web site, here is a rationale for trains related to the travel-more-less question:

In almost every one of the large industrialised countries, the same problem presents itself: mobility continually increases. With each day that passes, more and more people and more and more goods have to be transported from one place to another.
If the environment is not to suffer irreparably, then railways must have priority in the future in handling these dramatic increases in traffic flows. This, however, makes its own demands of track-guided traffic: it must become more attractive and efficient, more economical and environmentally friendlier - by making use of the benefits of the induction-suspension railway. One solution could be the Transrapid transport system.

OK, now it's your turn. Do you think people will have to travel more in this century, no matter what? Or do you think we can (and should) cut back on physical travel?

China and trains

Americans' cars are the leading reason why the U.S. pollutes more than any other country. We have 4%of the world's population, yet create 23% of the pollution.  But what happens if the millions of newly middle class Chinese start driving cars? Disaster.  That's why it is good news to see China is developing high speed trains.  A few headlines recently give you a good quick picture.

 

International Railroad Magazine (subscription), UK - 48 minutes ago   ... A local train   at the moment takes 45 minutes from the ... China's long-term   transportation planning strategy envisages the building of new high-speed   tracks of ...

 

 

Nomad   on line for success   ic   Newcastle.co.uk, UK - 18 hours ago   ... broadband   communication with a moving train in Silicon ... we are also   exploring deals in China, India and ... because it provides   continuous high speed coverage, even ...

 

 

German High-Speed   Rail Technology Soon to be Made in China?   Deutsche   Welle, Germany - Aug 1, 2006   ... With an operating speed   of 430 km/h, it ... Earlier this year, Germany rejected China's   demands for access ... exchange for building this $4.3 billion high-tech   rail ...

 

 

Nomad   Digital Delivers High Speed Internet Access to Caltrain ...   Broadband   Wireless Exchange (press release), AZ - Aug 1, 2006   ... for a way to provide   uninterrupted high-speed wireless access ... Our high   performance mobile networking technology gives ... on potential   projects in China, Hong Kong ...

 

 

City   Plans to Build Maglev Test Line   Northeast   Network, China - Jul 30, 2006   ... will be built for the   low-speed train, Li said ... they are seeking   counterparts for a high-speed test line ... of permanent   magnetic materials in China ,   our technology ...

 

 

Bullet train   for Lahore, Rawalpindi approved in Pakistan   Pakistan   Times, Pakistan - Aug 1, 2006   ... had desired to   inaugurate the bullet train himself, the ... at the opening of   the high-speed passenger coach ... the Gulf, the Middle   East, Western China and South Asia ...

 

 

THSRC   to raise NT$67.2 billion over delays   China   Post, Taiwan - Jul 31, 2006   Taiwan High   Speed Rail Corp. ... billion) in loans and bond sales, as   construction delays add to the cost of its project to build the island's   fastest train service ...

 

 

Report: China   to build first domestically developed maglev train ...   Pittsburgh   Post Gazette, PA - Jul 31, 2006   ... in Dalian ,   east of Beijing , would be China 's   second maglev line ... uses powerful magnets to suspend a train   above its rails and drive it forward at high speed. ...